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July 31, 2026

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US President Donald Trump walks to board Marine One on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, DC, on July 31, 2026. President Trump is traveling to Camp David in Maryland to hold a cabinet meeting and later to Bedminster, New Jersey to spend the weekend at his golf club. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

No Iran commitment, no Trump endorsement: Netanyahu leaves US empty-handed

The Israeli prime minister described Tuesday's meeting with US President Donald Trump was the "best ever," but diplomatic sources say he left the Washington with little tangibles.

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

This aerial photo shows a tanker unloading imported crude oil at a terminal port in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province on June 25, 2026. (Photo by CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images) / China OUT

China cuts deal with Houthis, adjusts for long US war with Iran

China is cutting its own deals and gaining wartime leverage as the Trump administration scrambles to contain the war and reopen Hormuz.

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Saudi Arabia to announce Red Sea coalition to counter Houthi threats

Houthi soldiers stand guard on a missile carrier during an official military parade marking the ninth anniversary of the Houthi takeover of the capital, Sanaa, on Sept. 21, 2023.

Amberin Zaman

Jared Szuba

By Amberin Zaman , Jared Szuba

Analysis

Katz riles Iran, US as Netanyahu-Trump meeting raises questions

Win McNamee/Getty Images

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

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives flanked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton (R) for the annual meeting of the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons annual meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 11, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1E9B59B7C0

War-averse Trump looks for off ramp with Iran

President Donald Trump “really wants to avoid a war,” former Trump National Security Council official Fred Fleitz said.

The purported wreckage of the American drone is seen displayed by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Tehran, Iran June 21, 2019. Tasnim News Agency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1FEE5FE760

Iran: We gave 'multiple warnings' before downing drone

Iranian officials have made statements to reduce tensions following the downing of an American drone off Iran's southern coast.

Deposed President Mohamed Mursi greets his lawyers and people from behind bars at a court wearing the red uniform of a prisoner sentenced to death, during his court appearance with Muslim Brotherhood members on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, June 21, 2015. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo - S1AETCRHIPAB

Was Morsi’s brief presidency an opportunity lost for Israel?

The late Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi hated Israel, but his relationship with Hamas held the promise of negotiating a long-term truce between the organization and Israel and potentially altering the landscape in Gaza.

U.S. President Donald Trump listens to questions during a meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House national security adviser John Bolton look on in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1ACBBDB270

Trump may chicken out on Iran, frets Israel

Israeli security officials are getting worried that escalating tensions between the United States and Iran could spill over into Israel through an attack by Hezbollah on the northern border.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a chart of military hardware sales as he welcomes Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC14FF352EF0

Senate votes to constrain Trump on Gulf arms sales as Iran tensions heat up

A bipartisan group of senators rebuked President Donald Trump for his Iran emergency declaration hours after Tehran shot down a US drone over the Persian Gulf.

US sanctions fail to bend Iran’s economy, expert says

Al-Monitor contributor Bijan Khajehpour said at an Al-Monitor event in Washington today that the Donald Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign has not succeeded in crippling the country's economy.

The MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system completes its inaugural cross-country ferry flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland in this U.S. Navy photo taken September 18, 2014. The Pentagon's review of intelligence and surveillance programs should be completed by mid-October, which will help clarify the future of the Navy's proposed carrier-based unmanned spy plane, a senior Navy official said on Tuesday. REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Erik Hildebrandt/Handout (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY) THIS IMAGE HAS

Intel: What's next for US-Iran tensions after drone downing

Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated further as both sides confirmed that Iran shot down a US military drone today.

U.S. Air Force maintainers prepare a U.S. military drone RQ-4A Global Hawk for takeoff at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, December 2, 2010. Picture taken December 2, 2010. Courtesy Eric Harris/U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC17D81CAF00

IRGC: Drone downing 'message’ against foreign invasion

Iran claims that the US drone it shot down was flying over Iranian territory when hit by a surface-to-air missile.

ARLINGTON, VA - JULY 13: U.S. Army Secretary Mark Esper announces that Austin, Texas, will be the new headquarters for the Army Futures Command during a news conference at the Pentagon July 13, 2018 in Arlington, Virginia. The Army is undergoing its biggest reorganization in 45 years with the creation of the Army Futures Command, which is tasked with modernizing the fighting force. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

New Pentagon chief faces first test with Iran

Army Secretary Mark Esper is set to take the helm as the Pentagon’s newest acting chief, but comes to the job with limited Middle East experience.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks during an interview at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC12E94345A0

Intel: How Democrats are using John Bolton’s Iraq War baggage to push back on Trump’s Iran policy

National security adviser John Bolton wasn’t on Capitol Hill today, but he still took center stage as Democrats grilled State Department Iran coordinator Brian Hook on the Donald Trump administration’s maximum pressure policy.

Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attend a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RC12887C8A40

How will S-400 affair affect Turkish-NATO ties?

Calls for Turkey to be expelled from NATO or for Turkey to leave NATO are not realistic, say experts.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a summit between Arab league and European Union member states, in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, February 24, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC163E99B150

Abbas wins: Israeli officials won’t attend Bahrain conference

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas managed to veto the participation of an official Israeli delegation at the upcoming Bahrain conference.