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April 25, 2026

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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.

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

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

As US President Trump makes contradictory statements regarding his intentions toward Iran and the ongoing negotiations, Israel is preparing for the possibility of resuming military operations.

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

Latest News

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.

Could UAE tap US currency swap line as Iran war strains Gulf economies?

Haruna Furuhashi /Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

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

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) participates in a news conference outside the US Capitol, Washington, May 20, 2021.

Intel: House to vote to repeal 2002 Iraq war authorization

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) has bipartisan support and a nod of approval from the White House.

Turkish soldiers at Kabul airport

Intel: US engages Turkey over Kabul airport security

Ankara could leave some troops in Afghanistan if Washington provides support.

Ilhan Omar

Rep. Omar clarifies comments on 'atrocities' by the US, Israel, Hamas and the Taliban

The Democratic representative said that domestic courts are insufficient to prosecute crimes against humanity, but her reference prompted criticism from some of her Democratic House colleagues.

A Palestinian member of a Health Ministry mobile unit vaccinates elderly Palestinians against the coronavirus, in the village of Dura near Hebron, West Bank, June 9, 2021.

Middle East countries set to benefit from Biden’s global vaccine initiative

A US State Department spokesperson told Al-Monitor that hard-hit Iran will not be receiving doses at this time.

Antony Blinken

Blinken says Iranian compliance on nuclear deal 'a first step, not a last step'

The US secretary of state told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that there are 'areas where we can get even stronger commitments from Iran.”

Police guard the Grand Hotel on the day the JCPOA Iran nuclear talks are to resume on May 25, 2021, in Vienna, Austria.

Blinken: Iran's nuclear 'breakout time' a matter of weeks if violations continue

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers it was unclear if Iran is "willing and prepared" to resume compliance with the nuclear agreement.

Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Zarif (L) meets with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza (R) at the Casa Amarilla palace in Caracas, on Nov. 5, 2020.

Pentagon issues warning over Iran warship reportedly headed to Venezuela

The United States is threatening to "deter" Iran's apparent effort to deliver weapons to Venezuela.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz points at targets hit by Israeli army in Gaza, during a press briefing in Jerusalem on May 31, 2021. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP) (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)

Intel: Israel’s defense chief heads to Washington after Gaza war

Gantz’s visit will be his first during the Biden administration.

Ambassador Godec

US diplomat: 'There is an absence of political will’ in Nile River dam dispute

A State Department official told the Senate on Thursday that the Biden administration supports a "two-stage process" to diplomatically resolve the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.

US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks to members of the media in the Senate Subway on April 29, 2021, in Washington, DC.

Sanders drops opposition to guided bombs sale to Israel

Progressives' push to block Israel arms sale falters amid Gaza cease-fire, procedural deadline.

Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

Blinken visits Middle East to bolster Israel-Hamas cease-fire

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Jerusalem, Ramallah, Cairo and Amman this week for discussions on maintaining the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

Yemeni tribesmen attend a rally denouncing the United States and the outgoing Trump administration's decision to apply the "terrorist" designation to the Iran-backed movement, in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 4, 2021.

Senate Democrats urge Biden to pressure Saudi Arabia over Yemen blockade tactics

The Senate letter called on President Joe Biden to use diplomatic and economic leverage to compel the Saudi-led coalition to lift restrictions on imports into Yemen.