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July 2, 2026

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People ride motorcycles past a large billboard showing portraits of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L), and slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) in central Tehran on June 8, 2026.

Analysis

From Beirut to Bab el Mandeb, Iran tests new deterrence strategy

Tehran views its latest clash with Israel as a watershed moment and proof that any attack on its regional allies can trigger direct and immediate retaliation.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Members of Houthi security forces stand guard while supporters of Yemen's Houthi movement attend an event commemorating the ninth anniversary of the Saudi-led intervention in their country, in the capital, Sanaa, on March 26, 2026.

Exclusive

Senior Houthi official says Bab el Mandab closure an option if any Gulf states join war

Houthi Deputy Information Minister Mohammed Mansour also said the strait could be closed “should the aggression against Iran and Lebanon escalate.”

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Saudis shop for fresh products at a market in Riyadh on Feb. 18, 2026, on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia.

Analysis

Alternative supply routes emerge as Iran war tests Gulf food security

Roughly 61 million people in the Gulf rely on established food supply chains, many of which have been upended since the United States and Israel launched their attack against Iran on Feb. 28.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Latest News

Analysis

In Saudi Arabia, Erdogan fosters security alignment, $30B trade push

Riyadh

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Yemen’s Houthis hint at Red Sea attacks as US-Iran tensions rise: What to know

Galaxy Leader

Thousands rally for South Yemen independence amid Saudi diplomatic push

AFP via Getty Images

Egypt's economy can weather more Red Sea attacks, says finance minister

Ships sail along Egypt's Suez Canal near Ismailia on April 16, 2025.

David Hale, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, speaks at the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi, Pakistan, July 26, 2016. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro - D1BETRTPNFAA

Pompeo looks to career diplomat for State's No. 3 post

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was expected to recommend the nomination of career diplomat David Hale, currently the US ambassador to Pakistan, to be undersecretary of state for political affairs.

Why Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince still needs his father

The influential, yet polarizing, Mohammed bin Salman still relies on his father King Salman's legitimacy and credentials as the country faces challenges at home and abroad.

Is the GCC dead?

The Gulf Cooperation Council is broken and may not be fixable.

Workers inspect damage at the site of an air strike on the maintenance hub at the Hodeida port, Yemen May 27, 2018. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC1CB0640040

Congress seeks to hamstring US support for assault on Yemen port

The Trump administration denies supporting the UAE’s offensive on Hodeidah, but lawmakers are skeptical.

Smoke rises from a warehouse of the World Food Programme as fire engulfs it in Hodeida, Yemen March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC1F6A979000

US gives 'yellow light' to UAE assault on Yemen port

A top United Arab Emirates official urged the international community to pressure the Houthi rebels to withdraw from the key Yemeni port city.

Workers inspect damage at the site of an air strike on the maintenance hub at the Hodeida port, Yemen May 27, 2018. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC174C049830

US loses leverage to stop Yemen operation

Congress is calling on the Pentagon to try to prevent a UAE-backed attack against Yemen’s largest Houthi-held port, but analysts said it’s unclear whether the United States has much leverage.

A view of damage on a street where Houthis have recently clashed with forces loyal to slain Yemeni former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa, Yemen December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RC1476393DB0

Congress seeks to insulate Oman from Yemen instability

As the 3-year-old proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran continues to destabilize Yemen, Congress seeks to shore up security in neighboring Oman.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (2nd R) and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (2nd L) of the United Arab Emirates attend a signing ceremony following the talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia June 1, 2018. Pavel Golovkin/Pool via REUTERS - RC1E233474A0

UAE, Russia leaders affirm common ground in Moscow meeting

The crown prince of the United Arab Emirates visited Russia last week for the seventh time in five years, meeting with President Vladimir Putin to discuss many areas in which they agreed to collaborate.

United Arab Emirates

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire engulfing warehouse of the World Food Programme in Hodeida, Yemen March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC141A5A1C40

Concern mounts as coalition forces advance on key Yemeni port

Has the United States lifted its “red light” on an Emirati- and Saudi-backed military operation to take the key Yemeni port?

Egypt, Ethiopia fail to reach breakthrough in dam negotiations

While the recent round of negotiations on Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam ended with a new document aimed at entrenching cooperation between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, it did not resolve the differences over the water filling and dam operation process.

Saudi defense spending soars, but not to America's benefit

Saudi Arabia's military spending is not currently benefiting the United States, as no large arms deals are on the table.

Tribesmen inspect fragments of a Houthi ballistic missile at a farm after it was intercepted by the Saudi-led coalition's air defence forces in Marib, Yemen February 23, 2018. Picture taken with a fisheye lens. REUTERS/Ali Owidha - RC1974FC90C0

US troops on Yemen border ruffle congressional feathers

Recent revelations that US ground troops are helping Saudi-led coalition forces target Houthi missile stockpiles in Yemen have renewed calls on Capitol Hill for more congressional oversight in the war.