Turkey seizes Iran’s Caspian Airlines jet over $3.4M debt The court-ordered seizure at Istanbul Airport comes as Iranian carriers face mounting pressure from sweeping new US aviation sanctions. Turkey
US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over Hormuz payments The US government says the exchange was used to channel payments from an Iranian maritime-insurance scheme to the regime. Iran
Analysis Could Iran’s nuclear ambitions harden as war escalates? A new report has raised alarm about the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike. By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
US hits 27 Iranian airlines with latest sanctions The targets include Iranian airlines and operators in Malaysia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates, including Mahan Air. Iran
Analysis As Israeli settler attacks mount, Trump avoids public pressure on Netanyahu By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Analysis Can Iran’s economic buffers withstand new US sanctions? By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Congress hammers Turkey with sanctions and Armenian genocide votes Still outraged by Turkey’s Syria incursion, Congress votes to sanction Turkey and recognize the Armenian genocide. Syria
Kurds use Syria incursion to chip away at Erdogan The Syrian Democratic Forces, after having contributed to the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as well as an IS spokesman, push for a greater US condemnation of Turkey's latest incursion into Syria. Syria
Sanctions experts say new US Treasury measure could inhibit humanitarian trade with Iran The US Treasury's new Iran "humanitarian" mechanism is seen by experts as a tool to inform new sanctions on the country. United States
Congress doubles down on bipartisan Turkey sanctions after Trump’s victory lap Trump may have lifted sanctions on Turkey, but Democrats and Republicans alike still want to slap Ankara with their own stringent sanctions. Syria
Trump hails Syria ‘breakthrough,’ lifts sanctions on Turkey President Donald Trump hailed an apparent Turkish decision to halt a military offensive in Syria as a major breakthrough and said now the United States was getting out. Syria
Weakened US sanctions threat lingers in wake of Turkish deal with Russia Possible US sanctions on Turkey are looming as fighting subsides in northeast Syria and Kurdish forces draw back following an agreement between Ankara and Moscow. Syria
Trump's Syria pullout divides Iran hawks Despite bipartisan rebuke, some see great benefits in fixing ties with Turkey. Iraq
Congress puts heat on Saudis for helping fugitives flee country Congress is cracking down on Saudi Arabia for allegedly helping its citizens escape the US criminal justice system. Saudi Arabia
Why Trump’s sanctions failed to shock Turkey’s economy Despite a series of threats to “destroy” Turkey’s economy, Trump’s sanctions against Ankara have failed to trigger a currency shock like the one last year, owing to reasons related to the contraction of the Turkish economy. Turkey
Congress noncommittal on Turkey sanctions The House and several Republican senators are ready to move on a harsh Turkey sanctions package, but Senate leadership is more cautious. Syria
Pentagon to stay in Islamic State fight from Iraq The Pentagon expects to fight the Islamic State from Iraq, a senior defense official said today, as American troops are set to leave northern Syria under pressure from a deepening Turkish offensive. Iraq
Erdogan defies international outcry over Syria incursion Turkey has faced a barrage of recrimination for launching a military operation against Syrian Kurdish militants, but its president vows to maintain the “struggle for survival,” even as the death toll mounts and a humanitarian crisis looms. Syria
