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August 4, 2026

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President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport on Aug. 2, 2026 in Morristown, New Jersey.

Trump’s strategy on Iran may pay off as deal appears imminent

Through far-sighted diplomacy and a durable new regional architecture, Trump has cornered Iran between alignment and atrophy — and a deal may now be imminent.

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Netanyahu’s Gaza double game: Back Trump, reassure Israel’s right

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to both give the impression that Israel retains total freedom of action in Gaza while allowing the Board of Peace to move ahead with President Donald Trump’s peace plan.

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

TOPSHOT - This aerial photograph shows boats anchored off Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula near the Strait of Hormuz on June 27, 2026. Iran launched attacks on US sites in the Gulf in response to American strikes on the country, state media said on June 27, after Washington accused Tehran of attacking one of its cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The trading of fire raised questions about efforts to keep the crucial waterway open while Washington and Tehran negotiate a final settlement to a war that beg

Analysis

Another US-Iran truce, same Hormuz standoff: What comes next

Since February, two major diplomatic efforts have produced temporary pauses in fighting, but neither has translated into a lasting agreement.

By Rosaleen Carroll

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

Latest News

Analysis

Lacking leverage over Trump, Israel stays quiet on US-Iran talks

US President Donald Trump (C) is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport on Oct. 13, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

US military options narrow as Trump calls off Iran strikes: What to know

US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listen to questions from the press during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland, on July 31, 2026.

Oil falls 5% after Trump calls off Iran strikes, says Hormuz deal agreed

SAEED KHAN / 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

Palestinians attend a rally in support of Qatar, at the Qatari-funded housing project in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis on June 9, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

How Gaza brings Israel, Qatar closer

Israel considers Qatari financial aid to Gaza a lifeline with the potential to prevent or at least postpone another war in the south.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - OCTOBER 10: A police officer providing security waits at the front door of Saudi Arabia's consulate on October 10, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey. Fears are growing over the fate of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi after Turkish officials said they believe he was murdered inside the Saudi consulate. Saudi consulate officials have said that missing writer and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi went missing after leaving the consulate, however the statement directly contradicts other sources includ

Congress orders federal probe into Khashoggi’s disappearance

Bipartisan calls for a federal probe and possible sanctions against Saudi Arabia indicate that Congress has lost confidence in Riyadh.

Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House after the president accepted Haley's resignation in Washington, U.S., October 9, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1DE84AD970

What Nikki Haley’s exit may mean for the Middle East

Whoever succeeds Nikki Haley as Donald Trump’s envoy to the UN is unlikely to have the long leash and big platform that she held, especially in the first year, before John Bolton and Mike Pompeo came in.

Russian military jets are seen at Hmeymim air base in Syria, June 18, 2016. Picture taken June 18, 2016. REUTERS/Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defense Ministry via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - S1AETKWCWFAA

Intel: Why US rivalry with Russia in Syria isn’t going away

Shelly Yachimovich, head of the left-leaning Labour party, leaves after a news conference at her party's headquarters in Tel Aviv January 21, 2013. Israel holds a parliamentary election on Tuesday that opinion polls forecast will see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu win a third term in office at the head of a rightist, national-religious coalition. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - GM1E91L1E7V01

Netanyahu’s government engaged in political tracking

The Netanyahu government is not only campaigning against left-wing politicians and activists, it is actively engaged in political tracking of the left by means of monitoring online activities and by refusing entry to the country.

A general view shows the first meeting of national security secretaries of Afghanistan, China, Iran, India and Russia, in the Iranian capital Tehran on September 26, 2018. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran's launch of ‘Look East’ 2.0

The recent Regional Security Dialogue in Tehran is an indication that Iran sees security multilateralism as a mechanism to confront US pressure and maintain the regional balance of power in its favor.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during a joint statment with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, July 19, 2018. Debbie Hill/Pool via Reuters - RC13AF3278D0

Why Israel’s democracy is weakening

Israel gets to keep its rating in democracy indices only because countries like the United States, Hungary and Turkey are losing index points.

Opposition to US plans for east Syria unites fragile Astana trio

No daylight among Iran, Turkey and Russia in opposing US policies in Syria; Can Iraq mediate between the United States and Iran?

A man cleans the building of Basra Governorate after demonstrations during which protesters torched the Basra Governorate in Basra, Iraq September 9, 2018. REUTERS/Essam al-Sudani - RC1499F86B00

How will Basra be affected by the closure of US consulate?

Officials and experts in the city of Basra warn of the massive negative effects on the city following the US State Department's decision to close its consulate there.

Palestinians sticking with Jerusalem court case against US

Palestine has filed a lawsuit against the United States at the International Court of Justice over its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US Embassy there, steps it views as violating international law.

US scraps treaty with Iran while calling for another treaty

The US withdrew from a treaty with Iran after the treaty was used in a UN court to complain about its sanctions.

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini talks to the media as she arrives for the informal meeting of European Union leaders ahead of the EU summit, in Salzburg, Austria, September 19, 2018. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner - RC1BCA4F9070

Will EU’s ‘SPV’ be able to sustain Iran trade, investment?

While a welcomed step, the SPV mechanism that Iran and the EU are working on is only the starting point of a process that needs to be further consolidated in order to enable trade and investment between the two sides.