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President Donald Trump pauses as he finishes speaking about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington.

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Last Updated: April 7, 2026, 8:07 pm

Trump agrees to halt war for 2 weeks if Iran reopens Hormuz

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Iran accepts proposal after Trump announces two-week ceasefire

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An undated image of Shelly Kittleson.

US journalist Shelly Kittleson released by Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq

Two officials confirmed to Al-Monitor that Kittleson had been released.

The Foreign Minister chaired the Security Council session on cooperation between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United Nations.

China, Russia veto scaled-back Hormuz resolution at UN Security Council

The vote came hours before the US deadline for Iran to reopen the global chokepoint.

A view of the damaged B1 bridge, a day after it was destroyed by an airstrike, on April 3, 2026, west of Tehran in Karaj, Iran.

إسرائيل، الساعية إلى حرب أوسع، تضرب خطوط السكك الحديدية والجسور الإيرانية مع اقتراب الموعد النهائي الذي حدده ترامب

منذ أن أعلنت إدارة ترامب عن الموعد النهائي، استعدت إسرائيل لتصعيد أمريكي محتمل، بما في ذلك الضربات الجوية على البنية التحتية المدنية أو العمليات البرية.

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إيران تهدد بصدمة في قطاع الطاقة، وتُصعّد ضرباتها في الخليج قبل الموعد النهائي الذي حدده ترامب: ما يجب معرفته

A family sits against the backdrop of a dockyard in Khor Fakkan in the Gulf emirate of Sharjah, off the coast of the Gulf of Oman, on Feb. 25, 2026.

اعتقال أربعة جنود إسرائيليين للاشتباه في تجسسهم لصالح إيران: ما يجب معرفته

Israeli soldiers patrol a street in Hebron's Old City in the occupied West Bank on January 23, 2026, deployed as settlers entered the area under army protection. (Photo by Mosab Shawer / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

One gunman killed during attack near Israel’s consulate in Istanbul

Police officials stand among traffic as they patrol near the Israeli Consulate following a shootout between gunmen and police, Istanbul, Turkey, April 7, 2026.

دول الخليج في مرمى النيران تستعد لتصعيد إيراني: ما يجب معرفته

The Dubai skyline with the landmark Burj Khalifa skyscraper (R) is pictured as a smoke plume rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport on March 16, 2026. Flights were gradually resuming at Dubai airport on March 16, previously the world's busiest for international flights, the airport operator said, after a "drone-related incident" sparked a fuel tank fire nearby, as Iran kept up its Gulf attacks. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /

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A view of a damaged building after powerful explosions were heard in Baghdad, Iraq April 8, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Protesters break into Kuwaiti consulate in Iraq’s Basra after rocket attack kills three

Reuters

FILE PHOTO: President Donald Trump arrives from the Blue Room to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Trump says he agrees to suspend bombing of Iran for two weeks

Reuters

The United Nations flag flutters during the 80th U.N. Nations General Assembly outside their headquarters in New York City, U.S.,September 26, 2025. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

UN envoy plans to visit Iran as part of peace effort

Reuters

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaks during a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 6, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Trump's threat to Iran shocks global leaders, unnerves some Republicans

Reuters

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The AL-MONITOR Brief

What alternatives to Hormuz do Gulf energy producers have?

Samuel Wendel joins Adam Lucente

6 April, 8:39 PM ET

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vali nasr

On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman

Growing number of Iranians believe war seeks to destroy their nation, not just regime, says Vali Nasr

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Syria’s Sharaa visits Germany and the UK as refugee returns, Iran war loom

Rosaleen Carroll joins Adam Lucente

1 April, 4:57 PM ET

12:40

ALM Interviews

Exclusive conversations with Al-Monitor.

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Interview

يادلين: هدف إسرائيل من الحرب هو إضعاف إيران، وليس تغيير النظام بشكل فوري

Retired Israeli general and executive director of Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies Amos Yadlin attends a session at the Manama Dialogue security conference in the Bahraini capital, on Dec. 5, 2020.

Interview

يؤكد هاكابي تحالف الولايات المتحدة وإسرائيل بشأن إيران، ويقول إن حماس ستنزع سلاحها "عاجلاً أم آجلاً".

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, March 25, 2025.

Interview

الذكاء الاصطناعي والأمن السيبراني من أهم أولويات الشرق الأوسط وسط التنافس التكنولوجي العالمي: شركة تك ماهيندرا

A man and woman walk along a promenade overlooking the Burj al-Arab and Dubai skyline on January 4, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Interview

مسؤول أمني إسرائيلي سابق: نتنياهو دفع الولايات المتحدة وإسرائيل إلى حرب مع إيران دون وجود تهديد وشيك

An undated image of Eran Etzion.

Analysis

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Analysis

هل يستطيع الخليج، وهو رهينة لمضيق هرمز، إعادة توجيه تدفقات الطاقة المستقبلية لتجاوز نقطة الاختناق الإيرانية؟

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.

Samuel Wendel

بواسطة Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

لماذا اتخذت إسبانيا زمام المبادرة الأوروبية في معارضة الحرب الأمريكية الإسرائيلية في إيران؟

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

بواسطة Jack Dutton

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

Analysis

يثير توسع الدور العسكري التركي في الصومال تساؤلات وسط انقسام في الحكومة الفيدرالية.

Turkey's Camp TURKSOM, a Turkish military base south of Mogadishu, is seen from the window of an aircraft, on April 26, 2025, in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Barin Kayaoglu

بواسطة Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

كيف يمكن للحرب مع إيران أن تساعد سوريا في إدارة شؤون تركيا ومنافسيها الإقليميين

Amberin Zaman

بواسطة Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

This handout photograph provided by the Turkish Foreign Ministry press service shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (R) in Damascus on Dec. 22, 2025.

Joyce Karam, Randa Slim, Hamidreza Azizi, Hasan Alhasan

Iran War at One Month: Outlook and Implications

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sits across from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy capitalizes on Iran war to ink security deal with Saudi Arabia

Joe Snell appears on a street wearing a black jacket; in the frame next to it, a woman with blonde hair, glasses, and a black blazer appears on a laptop screen from a Zoom meeting.

French ISIS Member Convicted of Genocide Against Yazidis

Ezgi Akin at Turkey's Kapikoy border crossing

AL-MONITOR's Ezgi Akin at Turkey-Iran Border Crossing

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آمبرین زمان

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Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

بن كسبيت

Israel Columnist

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

داود كتّاب

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In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

رشا أبو جلال

In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

بارين كياغلو

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

مراسل في طهران

In Tehran, reporting on politics