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April 30, 2026

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Iraq's prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, at Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office on April 28, 2026.

Trump congratulates Iraq PM-designate Zaidi in call: What to know

President Donald Trump was openly critical of previous nominee Nouri al-Maliki, who was seen as close to Iran, but is now welcoming the new candidate put forward by Iraq’s leading Shiite bloc.

This photo obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, on April 21, 2026.

Trump faces three paths ahead in Iran war as Hormuz standoff intensifies

As the Hormuz standoff intensifies, Trump must choose between military escalation, a limited diplomatic deal, or continuing a pressure campaign against Iran.

President Donald Trump gives a speech during the State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn on April 28, 2026, in Washington.

Trump speaks with Netanyahu, Putin as Iran pressure campaign escalates

President Donald Trump spoke by phone separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing the situation in Iran and the possibility of extending the ceasefire.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C), alongside US State Department Counselor Michael Needham (2L) and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (2R), speaks during a meeting.

US seeks to train Lebanon army units to disarm Hezbollah: What to know

Funding for such a program remains unclear, though the Pentagon has requested $36 million for fiscal year 2027 to support Lebanon’s army.

Latest News

Analysis

Despite Trump pressure to limit Israel's Lebanon attacks, Aoun-Netanyahu meeting still unlikely

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

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

Why US, Israel are freezing France out of Lebanon talks

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 did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

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

Analysis

Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps

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

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

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

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif walks with Iranian professor Massoud Soleimani as he arrives at Mehrabad airport, in Tehran, Iran December 7, 2019. West Asia News Agency (WANA) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2JQD93R47U

Will Iran take up Trump’s offer to ‘make a deal together’?

President Donald Trump may be ready for another deal with Iran, and if so, Tehran’s leaders should take him up on it.

Military forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt, December 1, 2017. Picture taken December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC1333348CD0

US re-ups support for Sinai mission

The United States will continue to fund peacekeeping efforts in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula despite concerns over Russia's influence in the region.

Could Congress' latest Syria sanctions bill backfire?

The congressional bill will exacerbate the economic situation in Syria and ultimately increase Syria’s dependency on Iran.

Tehran convenes allies against threats that include US

Iran outlined many concerns it shares with other participants at its recent security conference, especially about Afghanistan and the US presence there.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (not pictured) in Tokyo, Japan, December 20, 2019. Charly Triballeau/Pool via REUTERS - RC2YYD9DLX7A

Rouhani claims US sanctions will pass

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told Japanese and Indian officials he believes that the United States will soon have no choice but to end its pressure campaign against Iran.

The Committee to Protect Journalists and other press freedom activists hold a candlelight vigil in front of the Saudi Embassy to mark the anniversary of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, Wednesday evening in Washington, U.S., October 2, 2019. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger. - RC16BA3B3F60

Intel: Saudi court hands out death sentences in Khashoggi killing

A Saudi court handed down death sentences today to five people linked to the 2018 slaying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while others will serve long jail sentences or be acquitted.

A Palestinian woman sits in a motorised vehicle loaded with aid, outside a distribution center run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC1A87FA4580

Congress forces Trump to restore Palestinian aid

Congress has a plan to restore some of the Palestinian aid that President Donald Trump eliminated.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper holds a press briefing at Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., December 20, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC23ZD94I24B

Intel: Pentagon refuses to put timeline on Syria mission

Defense Secretary Mark Esper refused to put a timeline on the Pentagon’s scaled-down mission to defeat the Islamic State and guard Syrian oil fields at the agency’s last press briefing of the year.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - OCTOBER 17: Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L) meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) in Istanbul, Turkey on October 17, 2016. (Photo by Turkish Presidency / Yasin Bulbul/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

UAE insists it’s not lobbying for sanctions against Turkey after all

Lobbyists for the UAE embassy in Washington have clarified their talking points to Congress.

United Arab Emirates

Iranian professor Massoud Soleimani is seen next to Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during his arrival at Mehrabad airport, in Tehran, Iran December 7, 2019. Picture taken December 7, 2019. West Asia News Agency (WANA) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2VQD9YNUU9

Inside the US-Iran prisoner swap, and what comes next

Can Washington and Tehran build on the success of the Swiss facilitated exchange?

Facing US sanctions, credit-fueled Turkish economy heads toward turbulence

Through measures to free up capital flows, Turkey’s economy weathered the 2018 currency crisis, but analysts remain uncertain the nation’s markets can absorb more shocks as US sanctions loom.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) speaks during a U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Thayer - RC1FD9326580

Intel: How Congress is putting Saudi fugitives on notice

Congress is forcing the Donald Trump administration to disclose Riyadh’s alleged role in whisking Saudi fugitives out of the United States, some of whom are wanted for charges as severe as manslaughter, rape and possession of child pornography.