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April 26, 2026

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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to journalists as he arrives for an informal meeting of the European Council in Nicosia, Cyprus, April 24, 2026.

Why US, Israel are freezing France out of Lebanon talks

With talks between Israel and Lebanon being held in Washington, Paris still insists that it must be involved to balance possible American bias and to protect Beirut’s interests.

A person walks past the closed Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on Jan. 7, 2021, in New York City.

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years.

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (R) holds a signed "Make America Great Again" hat while (L-R) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad listen to US President Donald Trump speak during a meeting with Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. US President Donald Trump met Lebanese and Israeli envoys at a new round of peace talks Thursday, with Beirut seeking a one-month extension of a

Analysis

Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps

Some Israelis worry the US president might force them to accept an unsatisfactory agreement driven by his inability to secure a tangible achievement in Iran.

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

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via Getty Images

How are Iran-linked tankers still moving through Hormuz blockade?

At least 19 Iran-linked tankers have passed through the US blockade on the strait to exit the Gulf while at least 15 have entered, according to the cargo-tracking group Vortexa.

Latest News

Analysis

Israel sees chance of US-Iran deal as almost 'non-existent,' readies for war

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

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

US boards Iran-linked tanker in Indian Ocean, vows pursuit of 'ghost fleet'

TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 14: A US Navy Seahawk helicopter takes off from the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan on July 14, 2017 in Townsville, Australia. USS Ronald Reagan is a 1,092- foot aircraft carrier which carries a crew of 4,539 around 60 aircraft. Exercise Talisman Sabre is the largest combined military exercise undertaken in Australia. The biennial exercise is the principal Australian and U.S. military training activity. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Interview

Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable'

Olmert

Trump says Iran deal could happen 'quickly' as Pakistan readies talks: What to know

US Vice President JD Vance (C) walks with Pakistan's Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir (L), and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials on April 11, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan.

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

US rescinds Sudan’s terror sponsor designation, but hurdles remain

The announcement was celebrated in Sudan, but Khartoum is still laden under huge debt and is not yet immune to terror lawsuits in US courts.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 25 : The President of Iran Hassan Rouhani arrives to meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations on September 25, 2019 in New York City. The United Nations General Assembly, or UNGA, is expected to attract over 90 heads of state in New York City for a week of speeches, talks and high level diplomacy concerning global issues (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

Rouhani under fire for signaling nuclear deal reentry

Conservatives have rejected the idea of holding new talks with the United States.

Congress passes annual defense spending bill mandating sanctions on Turkey

Trump has vowed to veto the bill, which includes a mandate for the administration to sanction Turkey over the S-400.

Rouhani, Biden hint at pathways to resume Iran deal

The Iranian president wants Biden to reverse Trump policies, not start a new round of talks; the US president-elect makes clear US regional partners will also have their say.

Turkey’s Erdogan blasts ‘disrespectful’ US sanctions plan

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to reports that Washington is planning on imposing sanctions over Turkey's purchase of Russian-made missile systems.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 09: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi listens during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House April 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. President El-Sisi is visiting Washington for bilateral talks with President Trump. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Egypt's Sisi readies for chillier reception in Washington

Experts say mixed signals on the part of President Sisi suggest nervousness about the incoming Biden administration.

US deploys long-range bombers, aircraft carrier to Middle East to deter Iran

The B-52 deployment comes amid the return of the USS Nimitz to the Persian Gulf.

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 16: U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden (2nd L) arrives at a meeting with Senate Foreign Relations Committee members as he is welcomed by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) (L) July 16, 2015 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Vice President Biden was on the Hill to pitch the Iran nuclear deal. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) (3rd L) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) (4th L) also attended the meeting. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

High stakes for Iran, US as Tehran waits to see Biden approach

Iran has made it clear that if the new US administration of Joe Biden wants to reenter the nuclear deal, no preconditions are acceptable to Iran.

An F-35 fighter plane flies over the White House on June 12, 2019, in Washington DC. - US President Donald Trump announced while meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda that Poland was ordering more than 30 F-35 combat aircraft. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo credit should read ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Senate fails to pass resolution blocking Trump administration’s F-35 sale to the UAE

Major obstacle falls to Trump administration's Gulf security goals.

United Arab Emirates

Iran sanctions US envoy to Yemen in retaliation for US blacklisting

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced sanctions on Christopher Henzel, the US ambassador to Yemen.

(L-R)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani pose before they participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords where the countries of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognize Israel, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, September 15, 2020. - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates arrived September 15, 2020 at the

Emirati, Israeli officials upbeat about Biden Administration

The director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Alon Ushpiz, and the UAE’s assistant minister for culture and public diplomacy, Omar Ghobash, discussed the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace, Iran, and combating bigotry in the region and more at an Al-Monitor event.

United Arab Emirates

Iran’s Rouhani suggests nuclear deal’s fate is in Biden’s hands

President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will resume full compliance with the nuclear deal as soon as his incoming American counterpart uses his signature to rejoin the same accord.