Iran-US tensions

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Explainer

Turkey names new envoys to Iran, Oman, Qatar in regional reshuffle

Turkey’s latest ambassadorial changes mark a partial return to career diplomacy in Tehran and the Gulf as Ankara maintains a balancing act amid the Iran war.

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Breaking | Last Updated: June 9, 2026, 2:48 pm

Trump blames Iran for downing US helicopter off Oman, vows response

The alleged shoot-down came hours after a US fighter jet fired on a Palau-flagged commercial tanker accused of attempting to outrun the US blockade of Iran.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to speak to journalists during a joint press conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 29, 2025. US President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida on December 29 for crucial talks on moving to the next stage of the fragile Gaza truce plan.The two leaders also discussed Iran, with Trump saying that if Tehran rebuilt its nuclear facilities the United States wo

Analysis

'We are already hearing the bus': Israeli insiders fear Netanyahu is losing Trump’s backing on Iran

“He couldn’t afford a confrontation with Trump, who was the last asset he had left,” a Netanyahu associate told Al-Monitor, describing the prime minister’s struggle to balance pressure for retaliation against Iran with the need to preserve his alliance with the US president.

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

An old locomotive sits outside the Hejaz rail station in old Damascus on February 23, 2010. The Hejaz railway ran from Damascucs to Medina in Saudi Arabia and was part of the Ottoman railway network. AFP PHOTO/LOUAI BESHARA (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

Saudi Arabia, Turkey advance plans to revive historic Hejaz Railway

Turkish and Saudi officials signed agreements as part of a Turkish push to revive the Hejaz Railway linking Turkey to the Gulf through Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Latest News

Vance says US and Israel's 'interests diverge' on Iran nuclear issue: What to know

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Bahrain bans mourning of Iran's Khamenei as Gulf reels from attacks

Ashura

US military helped Israel intercept Iran's missiles: What to know

Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya on June 7, 2026.

Israel-Iran escalation grounds flights across parts of Middle East

An Airbus A321 airliner arrives at the Mehrabad international airport during the delivery of the first batch of planes to the Iranian state airline Iran Air in the capital Tehran on Jaunary 12, 2017. - The aircraft arrived as part of an order for 100 other Airbus planes with a list price of around $20 billion (19 billion euros) on December 22, placed after the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic republic. It will be used for internal flights landed at Tehran's Mehrabad airport. (Photo by ATTA

In this handout image released by the South Korean Defense Ministry, a South Korean Air Force F-35A fighter jet takes off from the runway during the "Vigilant Storm" U.S.-South Korea joint aerial drill at Gunsan Air Base on Oct. 31, 2022 in Gunsan, South Korea.

US sends F-35s, Navy destroyer to Middle East amid aggressive moves by Russia, Iran

The Pentagon is bolstering its defenses in the region as Congress presses the Biden administration to crack down on Iran's oil and gas exports.

Soldiers of a Russian military convoy and their US counterparts exchange greetings as their patrol routes intersect in an oil field near Syria's al-Qahtaniyah town in the northeastern Hasakah province, close to the border with Turkey, on Oct. 8, 2022.

Russia, Iran quietly coordinating in Syria to pressure US, official says

Russia is trying to squeeze the US out of Syria's airspace while the IRGC continues to flow weapons used to attack US bases into the country, a senior military official said.

rticipants hold placards reading "I choose Maryam Rajav."

Iran rebukes Italy over 'terror sponsorship' after hosting MEK leader

Iran was enraged by the Italian Senate Foreign Relations Committee after it hosted the leader of an opposition group that has been seeking regime change in Tehran for decades.

JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s Raisi seals 21 deals on Africa trip, attends drone exhibit in Kenya

Iran is seeking stronger ties to sub-Saharan Africa but faces competition from the Gulf and China.

Israeli soldiers take position along the border with Lebanon, in the town of Metulla in northern Israel, July 12, 2023.

Analysis

Israel’s Hezbollah deterrence is eroding as Lebanon border heats up

IDF seniors warn that Hezbollah is becoming bolder and bolder, increasingly attempting to infiltrate Israeli territories and to provoke incidents with Israel.

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand on September 15, 2022. (Photo by Alexandr Demyanchuk / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDR DEMYANCHUK/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran summons Russia's ambassador over UAE islands dispute

On Monday, Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued a statement calling for a “a peaceful solution” to the dispute over the Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs islands “in accordance with international law."

General Brown

US Joint Chiefs nominee emphasizes Middle East cooperation to deter Iran

Air Force Gen. CQ Brown told Senate lawmakers that the United States should provide Middle Eastern states with the military capabilities they need to deter attacks by Iran.

Washington Connection

An Israeli F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft performs manuevers during the "Noble Dina 23" multilateral aeronautical exercise over the Mediterranean sea on March 27, 2023. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

US, Israel war games underscore warnings to Iran on nuclear enrichment

This week's Juniper Oak exercise follows reports that the Biden administration has sought to commit Tehran to an informal arrangement limiting its nuclear enrichment outside of the JCPOA.

Robert Malley, Biden administration special envoy for Iran, testifies about the JCPOA during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill, Washington, May 25, 2022.

What does Rob Malley’s suspension mean for Iran?

While Iran's pro-government conservative media outlets have attempted to downplay the significance of this development, reformist sources view it as an ominous sign.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard speedboats cruise past an oil tanker off the port of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, on July 2, 2012. Iran has come up with several methods to foil the European insurance embargo on ships loaded with its crude, a sanction which may harm its vital exports as much as the EU oil embargo itself. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages)

US confirms Iran’s IRGC seized tanker smuggling fuel in Gulf

The seizure by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came just a day the US Navy thwarted attempts by Iran's navy to seize two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

ALEX HALADA/AFP via Getty Images

Iran boasts to OPEC of growing crude sales despite sanctions

Iran's top energy official told oil-exporting nations that the Islamic Republic is in good shape bypassing sanctions to sell its lifeline product as he advertised an attractive investment market in his country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (L) meets with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi in Tehran on March 4, 2023.

Analysis

Iran’s new nuclear normal gets boost from oil exports

Also: The Islamic Republic cracks down on the hijab "conspiracy" while suffering brain drain; researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov abducted by Iraqi militia.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti