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July 30, 2026

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In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 3, 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea.

Breaking | Last Updated: July 29, 2026, 9:13 pm

US carries out strikes in southern Iran after IRGC attack on Jordan airbase

The US says the strikes were retaliation for an attempted IRGC ballistic missile attack on a US airbase in Jordan as Iranian state media report explosions in the country's south.

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on July 24, 2026, in New York.

Oil jumps 8% as US-Iran war pressures Saudi Arabia, explosions hit Egypt

The price of benchmark Brent crude climbed past $90 per barrel on Wednesday after a renewed round of US-Iran hostilities shattered a days-long lull in fighting and the Houthis targeted Saudi oil exports.

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Saudi Arabia to announce Red Sea coalition to counter Houthi threats

Houthi soldiers stand guard on a missile carrier during an official military parade marking the ninth anniversary of the Houthi takeover of the capital, Sanaa, on Sept. 21, 2023.

Amberin Zaman

Jared Szuba

By Amberin Zaman , Jared Szuba

Analysis

Katz riles Iran, US as Netanyahu-Trump meeting raises questions

Win McNamee/Getty Images

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

US, Saudi Arabia strike Iran-aligned militias in Iraq as IRGC targets US forces in Jordan

An EA-18G Growler assigned to Electric Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) while the ship is moored in Honolulu, Hawaii, during Exercise RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) 2026 on July 17, 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

Iranian authorities scramble to deal with quake aftermath

Al-Monitor travels to the towns of western Iran, where a 7.3 magnitude earthquake has left at least 452 dead and many more homeless.

Putin-Trump statement on Syria contradicts Erdogan’s calculations

A joint statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump that there is no military solution in Syria infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Israel in no hurry to enter Saudi-Lebanese fray

Israel is not at all interested in opening a front against Hezbollah just to please Saudi Arabia.

Border crossings deepen Baghdad-Erbil conflict

Baghdad insists on taking control of the Kurdistan Region's border crossings with Turkey and Iran, while authorities in Erbil refuse to hand them over to Baghdad.

Iran, Turkey divide Saudi-led bloc

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is opposed to plans by the other members of the Anti-Terror Quartet to confront Iran and Hezbollah in the Levant, to maintain Lebanon's relatively stable position.

An Airbus A321 painted in IranAir's livery rests on the tarmac as the company takes delivery of the first new Western jet under an international sanctions deal in Colomiers, near Toulouse, France, January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau - LR1ED1B13U7DL

Congress moves bill jeopardizing Iran nuclear deal

New legislation could violate the JCPOA by impeding aircraft sales to Iran.

A man reacts as he looks at a damaged building following an earth quake in Sarpol-e Zahab county in Kermanshah, Iran November 13, 2017. REUTERS/Tasnim News Agency ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1197D36C20

Iranian media blames Ahmadinejad for quake deaths

Iranian Reformist media outlets are pointing the finger at former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the high death toll from the recent earthquake in the western part of the country.

Iran's path to becoming an LNG exporter

Iran is taking steps to export liquefied natural gas after having previous ambitions to do so scuttled by sanctions.

Iranian exiles shout slogans in front of a mock gallows to protest against executions in Iran during a demonstration outside the Iranian embassy in Brussels December 29, 2010. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir (BELGIUM - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - GM1E6CT1T7M01

New Iran law set to radically decrease executions

A new law in Iran has been written to reduce the death penalty for drug smugglers carrying smaller amounts.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani delivers remarks at a news conference during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith - RC1C81987250

Old friends steer Iran's Rouhani to the right

Iran’s president appears to be turning right on the political stage as his friends gain more prominence in his second-term Cabinet.

Iran, Turkey have own plans for Iraq's strategic Sinjar

The Islamic State has been largely driven out of Iraq, but Turkey and Iran both remain intensely interested in certain areas.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) speaks with members of the royal family during an allegiance pledging ceremony in Mecca, Saudi Arabia June 21, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1D46E7F800

Is US counseling restraint to Saudi crown prince?

Saudi Arabia claims two "acts of war" in one week; Israel and Syria both back the Druze.