Qatar to join US visa-free travel list in first for Arab country Qatar is set to become the second Middle Eastern country, behind Israel, to join the US Visa Waiver Program. Qatar
Trump posts letter from Palestinian president ahead of Netanyahu meeting Former President Donald Trump said it was “so nice” of the Palestinian president to send the letter after the recent assassination attempt, calling him by his first name Mahmoud. Palestine
Protests, Kamala Harris rise overshadow Netanyahu's Washington visit Leaving for Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that in his speech to Congress he will seek to reaffirm the strong bond between Israel and the United States, regardless of the political uncertainty there. Israel
Trump adds to Gulf portfolio with Dubai tower deal The Trump Organization and Dar Global have unveiled a new development, adding to others in Oman and Saudi Arabia this year. United Arab Emirates
Meet J.D. Vance, Trump’s VP pick: Hawk on Israel, critic of foreign aid By Adam Lucente In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change
Middle East tumult to put Biden on defense in first Trump debate By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Intel: How Iranian influence operations are receiving new scrutiny in Washington The Senate is poised to follow the House lead in passing legislation to create a center to monitor Iranian, Russian, Chinese and North Korean efforts to sway US public opinion. Congress
Senate recognizes Armenian genocide in latest black eye for Turkey The Senate unanimously recognized the Armenian genocide today, the latest in a string of major blows against Turkey within a week. Turkey
Pentagon: Saudi military students can still enter US despite shooting The Defense Department plans to establish new vetting policies for all foreign military students who enter the United States as a result of the fatal shooting of US sailors by a Saudi air force member at a US base in Florida. Saudi Arabia
US set to lean on Saudi Arabia in Florida shooting probe The FBI will rely on Riyadh as it looks into last week's deadly shooting at a naval base. Saudi Arabia
Trump says Iran prisoner swap shows deal can be made A successful US-Iran prisoner swap is a confidence building measure but it remains to be seen whether it could be a prelude to negotiations on broader US-Iran tensions. United States
Erdogan in NATO: Russia’s ‘Trojan horse’? President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned from London to Ankara as a “loser” who failed to achieve anything at the NATO summit. Turkey
White House whips Senate allies to block Armenian genocide resolution The White House has so far succeeded in keeping the Senate from passing a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, but the Trump administration is slowly running out of options. Turkey
Intel: Here’s how many US troops Trump wants to keep in Syria After months of uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding US troop levels in Syria as part of President Donald Trump’s mission to secure the war-torn country’s northeast oil fields, the Pentagon is finally disclosing a number. Syria
Democratic leader pours cold water on Tulsi Gabbard’s bid to force Syria withdrawal The House’s No. 2 Democrat dealt a major blow to Tulsi Gabbard’s effort to force President Donald Trump to pull the remaining US troops out of Syria. Syria
Iran's Rouhani open for Trump meeting if sanctions lifted The Iranian president has signaled readiness for talks with his US counterpart if the latter removes economic sanctions he reimposed on the Islamic Republic. United States
Turkey seeks to refresh NATO ties to balance Russia Turkey seems to have failed to get all it wanted from the NATO summit in London, but even an incomplete outcome meets its purpose of balancing ties with Russia by refreshing ties with NATO. Syria
Trump condemns Iran protest crackdown, stays mum on Oman, French mediation efforts President Donald Trump, responding to a reporter’s question in London, said the United States does not support the protesters in Iran before he later clarified his answer and castigated the Iranian government. Saudi Arabia