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September 16, 2026

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US Republican Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas gestures after speaking during the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024.

Meet Wesley Hunt, Trump's pick for ambassador to Saudi Arabia

The Texas Republican previously served for two years in the kingdom as a diplomatic liaison officer.

VTB Bank in Moscow

US hits major Russian bank VTB with Iran-linked sanctions

State-controlled VTB becomes one of the most prominent global names yet caught up in Washington’s ongoing effort to squeeze Iran's economy.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

CENTCOM chief meets Saudi Arabia's MBS amid Houthi gains in Yemen

The low-profile meeting between the Pentagon's commander in the Middle East and Saudi crown prince comes as Yemen's Houthis seized the high ground overlooking a vital economic waterway.

US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Analysis

Why Trump is in no rush to join Yemen war as Houthis seize Bab al-Mandeb

The Houthis' capture of Mokha and Perim Island has dealt a major credibility blow to Yemen's Saudi-backed forces while granting the rebels a clear line-of-sight to launch missiles into one of the Middle East's most important shipping lanes. As long as they don't interfere with international commerce, Washington is likely to withhold its fire.

Jared Szuba

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

Latest News

CENTCOM chief in Saudi Arabia as Yemen's Houthis seize Bab al-Mandeb

Admiral Charles Bradford "Brad" Cooper II, Commander of US Central Command speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, at US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, on March 5, 2026. (Photo by Octavio JONES / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran’s Pickaxe mountain tests limits of Trump’s military options

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

Jared Szuba

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

Netanyahu threatens to sue Haaretz for reporting UAE warned Israel of Oct. 7 attack

Chaim Goldberg / AFP via Getty Images

Brent crude sails past $100 as Middle East war intensifies

AFPTV / AFP via Getty Images

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 and Supporting Editor

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

Paul J. Saunders

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

US Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) is seen in a hallway of the US Capitol prior to an event at the Rayburn Room Dec. 19, 2019 in Washington, DC.

House Democrats urge Biden to pressure Saudis on 'unconscionable' Yemen blockade

The lawmakers called on Biden to use the full weight of US influence to end the sea and air blockade, which aid agencies say is exacerbating Yemen's humanitarian crisis.

Matt Gaetz

Man admits asking Gaetz's father for $25M to find FBI agent in Iran, denies extortion

Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent believed to have died in Iranian custody, is now wrapped up in Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz's legal drama.

In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Sidewinders of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86 launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)on June 28, 2016 in the Mediterranean Sea.

US aircraft carrier returns to Middle East as Suez Canal opens

The USS Eisenhower arrives in the Gulf region as the Biden administration kicks off indirect talks with Iran over its nuclear program.

Abandoned former Jordanian police station in West Bank

State Department says Israel 'occupied' West Bank and Gaza

A State Department spokesman said it is a "historical fact" that Israel occupied the Palestinian Territories in 1967 following a report from the department that retained some Trump administration language on the issue that is closer to Israel's position.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Intel: US pledges nearly $600M in humanitarian aid to Syria

The Biden administration is also calling on the UN Security Council to allow the free flow of aid to opposition-held parts of Syria.

BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images

In rebuke to Russia, Blinken presses UN to quit politicizing Syria aid

Blinken called on the UN Security Council to reauthorize a cross-border aid operation into Syria despite Russian and Chinese opposition.

Representative Gregory Meeks, (D-NY), and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill, Washington, March 10, 2021.

House committee votes to repeal Iraq war military authorization

The resolution will next head to the full House for a vote. Bipartisan support for repealing the authorization pertaining to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq gained steam following the February US airstrikes in Syria, which the president approved without consulting Congress.

Republican Presidential hopeful and US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) addresses a Newsmaker Luncheon at the National Press Club on Sept. 8, 2015, in Washington, DC. Senator Graham spoke on the Iran nuclear agreement.

Senators endorse new, broader deal on Iranian policy

A group of Democratic and Republican senators asked President Biden to reach an agreement with Iran that restricts Iran's regional and missile policies in addition to its nuclear program. Some US progressives oppose this, and it could be difficult to accomplish with Tehran.

Washington Pulse

Linda Thomas-Greenfield

Intel: US announces $15 million in aid to West Bank, Gaza

Samantha Power, nominee to be Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, testifies at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 23, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Power previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. during the Obama administration. (Photo by Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images)

USAID nominee takes questions on Yemen, Libya, and Israel at Senate hearing

Former UN Ambassador Samantha Power, who is nominated to head the US government’s international development agency, was asked about Yemen, Libya and Israel before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Washington Pulse

Workers search through debris at a warehouse, after it was reportedly hit in an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition, Sanaa, Yemen, July, 2, 2020.

As Biden reviews drone use, report highlights civilian toll in Yemen

A report by an independent Yemen-based organization details the civilian cost of US drone strikes in Yemen.

Iran’s supreme leader authorized infowar campaign during US election

Hezbollah and Russia also spread disinformation to try to influence the 2020 presidential election, a newly released US intelligence report says.