Oman's sultan meets Macron in first France visit since 1989: What to know French President Emmanuel Macron has been pushing against any form of toll for the Strait of Hormuz. Iran
Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had recovered somewhat before renewed fighting between Iran and the United States saw traffic drop sharply over the weekend. Iran
Saudi Arabia's FM heads to China amid differences with US on Iran war Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Beijing comes as commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains unstable. Saudi Arabia
US brokers deal for limited Israeli withdrawal in south Lebanon The deal establishes a US-facilitated military coordination group to oversee the creation of two initial pilot zones in southern Lebanon. Lebanon
Analysis Vance turning us into 'punching bag': Israel fumes over alleged IRGC-CENTCOM channel in Doha By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
US government sanctions 18 Iranian banks New sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department aim to deny the Iranian government funding. Iran says the move will hurt its ability to pay for medicine and food. Iran
Iranian currency dips to historic low amid sanctions, pandemic, foreign policy decisions Iran has seen the rial’s value fall by almost half this year as the currency now stands at a record low against the US dollar, triggered by ongoing sanctions, coronavirus restrictions and, according to some experts, Iran's foreign policy adventures since the 1979 revolution. Iran
Iran president says 'no' to pre-election deal with Trump Despite an official line of indifference toward US election results, Iranian authorities are closely monitoring the race from Tehran. Iran
Why rejoining Iran nuclear deal isn’t so easy, even if Biden wins A new Iran deal should consider the “gold standard” energy pact by the UAE and include a regional dialogue on the peaceful use of nuclear power. United Arab Emirates
Senate Democrats say Trump administration policy has empowered Iran The State Department also announced new sanctions on Iran including on the judge who purportedly ordered the execution of famed wrestler Navid Afkari. Congress
The Takeaway: Normalization deals don’t ‘repair damage’ of Trump policies, says US senator Democrat Chris Van Hollen takes apart Trump policies in Middle East; Al-Monitor gets the scoop on the art of the deal in Sudan; Turkey’s militarized foreign policy; the gold standard for nuclear power in the Middle East. United States
Rouhani says Iran isn’t a ‘bargaining chip’ in US elections Iran's president told the UN General Assembly that any future administration must "surrender" to Iran. Iran
Iran dismisses US push for snapback sanctions Iranian officials have rejected the idea that the United States will implement the snapback sanctions that were rejected. Iran
Iran’s nuclear deal and the US presidential election The deal’s fate depends on the outcome of US elections, not the UN. United States
Niger's envoy reaffirms rejection of Iran snapback sanctions as UN Security Council president The African state's UN ambassador, who is chairing the Security Council for September, said the United States cannot trigger the return of UN sanctions on Iran. United States
Iran nuclear deal members agree on preserving landmark pact Iran and representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom met in Vienna as Washington presses on with its bid to restore sanctions on Tehran. Russia
US government seizes control of websites allegedly involved in Iran-Venezuela oil deal The seizure follows the US interception of fuel tankers from Iran en route to Venezuela this month amid increased US pressure on both countries. United States
