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April 6, 2026

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A police speed boat patrols the port as oil tankers and high speed crafts sit anchored at Muscat Anchorage near the Strait of Hormuz on March 30, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Analysis

Hostage to Hormuz, can Gulf rewire future energy flows to bypass Iran’s chokepoint?

As the US-Israel-Iran war disrupts around 20% of global oil supply, experts point to opportunities and challenges facing a renewed push to develop alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, addresses parliament over the war in the Middle East at the congress in Madrid on March 25, 2026.

Analysis

Why Spain took Europe's lead in opposing US-Israel war in Iran

Like with the Gaza war, Madrid has taken a vocal role in opposing the monthlong Iran conflict.

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

A view of the B1 bridge is pictured, a day after it was destroyed by a strike in Karaj, around 20miles (35kms) southwest of Tehran, April 3, 2026. US President Donald Trump said on April 2 the tallest bridge in Iran had been destroyed, hours after threatening to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages." (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

Why Trump's infrastructure-focused strikes risk hardening Iran's war posture

Targeting infrastructure has opened a new phase in the US-Israel-Iran war, hardening Tehran's stance and pushing the conflict toward attrition with fewer off-ramps.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Smoke rises from an area of Kuwait's international airport after a reported drone strike on April 1, 2026. Kuwait's civil aviation authority said that the Gulf state's international airport had come under an Iranian drone attack that led to "a large fire" at a fuel depot. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) / Kuwait OUT / KUWAIT OUT

Iran strikes Gulf again, hitting Kuwait refinery as UAE shuts gas hub

Kuwait’s desalination plant and key refinery have been damaged, and the UAE has suspended Habshan operations after debris from intercepted missiles caused a fire.

Latest News

US rescues 1 crew member after fighter jet downed over Iran

A US Air Force (USAF) F-15E Eagle fighter jet, is pictured as it prepares to land at RAF (Royal Air Force) Lakenheath, east of England, on June 15, 2020. - The UK Coastguard launched a search and rescue operation Monday to find the pilot of a US fighter jet that crashed during a training mission in the North Sea. The US Air Force said the F-15C Eagle went down after taking off from the RAF Lakenheath base near the town of Mildenhall in eastern England. The base is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, which has op

Argentina expels Iranian diplomat after listing IRGC as 'terrorist' organization

Argentina's president, Javier Milei, delivers a speech during a ceremony to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands on April 2, 2026.

US strike on Iran suspension bridge hints at looming shift in war strategy

B1 bridge

Europe diesel at four-year high above $200 as Iran war disrupts supply

This photograph shows a sign displaying the daily price panel for SP98, SP95 and diesel at a gas station in Paris on April 2, 2026.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

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

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Benjamin Houghton

In Durham, reporting on China in the Middle East

Rahim Rahimov

In Baku, reporting on Middle East-Caucasus ties

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to students at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC18BBC96000

Egyptians decry Pompeo's 'ode to Israel' from Cairo

In his recent speech in Cairo, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to explain US policy on the Middle East, but he did voice support for Israel.

Iran plays Hamas card ahead of Israeli elections

Hamas insists on Qatari money; Iran offers training for Palestinian factions; Russia wrestles with its limits in Syria; UAE leads GCC rapprochement with Damascus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu watch servicemen passing by as they visit the Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province, Syria December 11, 2017. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - UP1EDCB15ZA3V

As US exits Syria, what will define Moscow's Mideast policy in 2019?

The US exit from Syria means the set of challenges facing Moscow in the region is significantly changing.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo looks on after speaking to students at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC140E284C80

Pompeo speech fails to make waves in Iranian media

Iranian media and Iranians in general mostly snubbed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech in Cairo.

CaixaBank's new headquarters in Valencia are pictured after the entity announced during the presentation of the 2017 third quarter results that it will stay definitely in Valencia, Spain, October 24, 2017. REUTERS/Heino Kalis - RC111F80FF60

US sanctions hit Iranian students seeking bank accounts in Europe

While Europe says it remains committed to the nuclear deal with Iran, the US withdrawal from the accord has created overcompliance with sanctions among banks that has made life difficult for Iranian students in Europe; however, Iranian students in the United States tell Al-Monitor they have not experienced such difficulties.

France weighs its Syria presence, cooperation with Russia

As the United States leaves Syria, France seeks an appropriate balance between its own military presence, relations with Russia and maneuvering between Turkey and the Kurds.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to students at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC1AF87FE9C0

Pompeo's Cairo speech panned as ‘tone-deaf,’ ‘hyper-partisan,’ ‘offensive’

Former diplomats and regional experts say Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s Cairo address fell short on substance and policy vision, while inappropriately taking domestic partisan arguments to foreign soil.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to students at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC15D1E44B00

Intel: Why Iran is shrugging off Pompeo’s speech

Iranian-British aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is seen in an undated photograph handed out by her family. Ratcliffe Family Handout via REUTERS FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RC1D870429B0

Iran state TV airs video making case for jailing of British-Iranian dual national

A video aired on Iranian state television featured previously unseen footage of the arrest of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Iranian fintech firms carve their place in fast-changing landscape

Fintech firms in Iran have overcome significant hurdles during the past year to participate in devising regulations and setting the stage to change the country’s financial landscape.

U.S. President Donald Trump announces missile strikes on Syria while delivering a statement in front of portrait of President George Washington at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 13, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - HP1EE4E04JFDA

Congress plans new challenge to president’s war powers amid Syria pullout

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., is looking for allies on her latest push to end the 2001 war authorization that the Donald Trump administration uses to fight terrorism in the Middle East.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran speaks during the first meeting of national security secretaries of Afghanistan, China, Iran, India and Russia, in the Iranian capital Tehran on September 26, 2018. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran national security adviser says Europe missed chance to save nuclear deal

A top Iranian official has explicitly stated for the first time that Europe's window to uphold its commitments under the Iran nuclear deal has closed.