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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

The other Iranians fighting in Iraq

While much focus was on Iranian fighters among the Iraqi forces that retook disputed areas in October, other Iranian fighters played a key role in the other side of the fight.

Upcoming Putin, Trump talks should prove interesting

What is the agenda for the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin? Trump wants to talk North Korea, but Moscow is seeking a broader, more in-depth conversation on the Middle East.

IRGC commander denies Trump claim on Saudi missile attack

IRGC commander Mohammad Ali Jafari denied that Iran was involved in the Yemeni missile attack on Riyadh.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri is seen at the governmental palace in Beirut, Lebanon October 24, 2017. Picture taken October 24, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RC1F0AAA54F0

After Hariri’s resignation, what’s next for Lebanon?

Saad Hariri, in Saudi Arabia, resigns as Lebanon's prime minister, leaving observers to wonder why and speculate about Lebanon's future.

Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to meet with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia October 30, 2017. REUTERS/Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool - RC1E30F1E010

Putin, Khamenei agree they need each other

Iran and Russia deepen energy cooperation; Iran has Hezbollah’s back; does the CIA have a back channel to Assad?

How Iran can address its informal economy

Without massive reforms involving all three branches of government, Iran's ability to formalize vast swathes of its economy will remain a pipe dream.

Iran’s Khamenei has three main messages for Putin at summit

Tehran wants to strengthen existing ties with Russia and develop new areas of cooperation while isolating the United States at the same time.

Culture Alert: November the month for contemporary art, photography

Several major art events are entering their final weeks and months in the region.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi attends a nuclear deal review meeting in Tehran August 9, 2015. Dozens of companies tied to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, a military force commanding a powerful industrial empire with huge political influence, will win sanctions relief under a nuclear deal agreed with world powers. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DAT

Iranian negotiator says US bad intentions not limited to Trump

The Iranian deputy foreign minister spoke to Iran’s parliament about both the benefits and challenges of the nuclear deal.

Zoroastrian takes center stage on Iran’s political scene

The suspension of an elected Zoroastrian city council member in central Iran stirs heated debate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani during a meeting in Tehran, Iran November 1, 2017. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - UP1EDB10X4U08

Russian 'czar' back in Tehran

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Tehran once again.

Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are seen in Zumar, Nineveh province, Iraq October 18, 2017. REUTERS/Ari Jalal - RC1E698CF530

Iran unlikely to sit idle as US targets Hezbollah, PMU

Tehran views US actions against Iran's friends in the region as nothing short of a plot to sabotage the republic's strength and restrict its area of influence.