United States - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent since 2012

White House, Washington DC, United States of America

United States

April 7, 2026

District of Columbia 7:36 pm

12°C

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.

Breaking | Last Updated: April 7, 2026, 7:17 pm

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

Motorists ride scooters near a large political banner, depicting missiles being fired behind Iranian demonstrators in solidarity with the government, at Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026.

US strikes Iran’s Kharg Island as Trump threatens 'whole civilization'

Iranian outlets reported several explosions on the island, which is crucial to the country’s oil industry, just hours ahead of a US deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz.

TOPSHOT - 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) /

With Trump's goals unmet, can strikes on Iran's economy force a deal?

Ordering the US military to destroy Iran's road transit system and electrical grid risks war crimes that may harden Iranian resistance after five weeks of bombing has failed to deliver Trump’s strategic objectives.

US President Donald Trump looks on during a press conference about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, on April 6, 2026, in Washington.

‘No bridges, no power plants’: Trump ups threats against Iran if deal fails

President Trump said he wasn't worried that striking civilian infrastructure could amount to war crimes.

Latest News

Iran rejects latest ceasefire proposal as Trump deadline looms

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 06: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he attends the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Easter Egg Roll is a White House tradition dating back to 1878. The Trumps also honored the 250th anniversary of the United States during the event. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Third Turkish ship clears Hormuz as Ankara presses Tehran on safe passage

A bulk carrier sits anchored at Sultan Qaboos Port on March 23, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Analysis

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

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

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

Analysis

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

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) /

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

B1 bridge

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

President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to widen the US military’s aperture to bomb civilian infrastructure if leaders in Tehran continue to refuse his demands for capitulation by April 6.

An undated image of Shelly Kittleson.

American journalist Shelly Kittleson abducted in Iraq

The State Department said a suspect taken into custody by Iraqi authorities had ties to Kataib Hezbollah.

People inspect destruction at a business building that housed the offices of the Doha-headquartered news network Al Araby TV following a missile strike earlier in the day, Tehran, Iran, March 29, 2026.

Analysis

Israel urges US escalation against Iran, possible ground invasion

Israel has made clear it will not deploy ground forces to Iran, but would strongly support US military action if the Trump administration chooses to proceed.

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

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on March 31, 2026.

Hegseth slams allies for reluctance to join Iran war, says coming days 'decisive'

The comments come as Washington questions NATO support after allies restrict aircraft access in the US-Israeli war with Iran.

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One prior to departure from Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, March 29, 2026. US President Donald Trump is returning to the White House after spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

Trump renews threat to Iran's energy, oil sites despite 'great progress' in talks

US President Trump's latest threat came as Iran's Foreign Ministry slammed the US administration's "excessive, unrealistic and unreasonable" demands.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) is joined by Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and other officials for a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon, July 9, 2025.

Dermer’s return puts Netanyahu’s 'brain' at center of US-Israel calculus

Dermer, former Israeli strategic affairs minister, is considered one of Netanyahu’s closest associates, having worked together for over two decades.

Israeli settler violence graffiti

Settler violence spike exposes Israeli government rift with military

Knesset member Ram Ben-Barak of centrist Yesh Atid told Al-Monitor that the government must permit the use of administrative detention for extremist settlers to curb the violence.

TEHRAN, IRAN - OCTOBER 4: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image/clip was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout image provided by the Iranian Leader's Press Office, Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei (C) with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (L) and Judiciary Chief Mohsen Ejeie (R), reading the Koran during the Friday prayer ceremony on October 04, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. Protesters supporting Iran's military position against Isra

Exclusive

Israel suspects Trump betting on 3 Iran officials, including Ghalibaf, to end war

White House calls to the Israeli prime minister have decreased as the war effort flounders, with critical Iranian infrastructure absent from target lists.

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

US President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Trump says Iran’s 'gift' was allowing 10 oil ships through Hormuz

Meanwhile the White House's top Mideast envoy said Iran "miscalculated" in assuming the US "can’t win militarily" as Iran weighs a 15-point US plan to end the war.

An Iraqi police officer stands guard as a man walks beneath a billboard bearing a portrait of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Baghdad on March 25, 2026. Iraq will submit a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council over strikes in its territory, the office of the prime minister said on March 25, following an attack in the country's west that killed seven security personnel. Iraq has been drawn into the Middle East war triggered by the US-Israel attack on its neighbour Iran

Iran rejects Trump's proposal for ceasefire as US dispatches forces

Iran has outlined five conditions for a ceasefire, most of which are seen as nonstarters by the Trump administration.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (C) speaks as US President Donald Trump (L) and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) watch during the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit on Oct. 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Analysis

Pakistan emerges as mediator but faces limitations in Iran-Trump standoff

Pakistan has emerged as a potential neutral venue for US-Iran talks, leveraging its ties to both sides, but analysts warn that early back-channel diplomacy faces major hurdles amid ongoing military escalation.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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