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June 30, 2026

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French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik pose during a meeting with business leaders in Paris on June 29, 2026.

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.

AFP via Getty Images

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.

Latest News

Analysis

Why the Hormuz oil shock never became an energy catastrophe

A tourist boat passes near crude oil tankers, bulk carriers, and other vessels anchored off Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat, Oman, June 19, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

How competing visions over Hormuz strait threaten fragile Iran-US deal

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on June 18, 2026, vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US carries out strikes in Iran after vessel attack

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026 at Sea.

Iran vows to respond to Israeli military using neighboring airspace: What to know

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Benjamin Houghton

In Durham, reporting on China in the Middle East

Rahim Rahimov

In Baku, reporting on Middle East-Caucasus ties

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

The Iran-flagged oil tanker ship Clavel is docked at Shahid Beheshti Port in the southeastern Iranian coastal city of Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman, during an inauguration ceremony of new equipment and infrastructure at the port on February 25, 2019.

Amid US-sanction fears, can India, Iran move ahead with $370M port deal?

Will progress on the long-term bilateral agreement signed by New Delhi and Tehran on the development of the Shahid Beheshti port be stymied by US sanctions?

A police officer is seen in front of the Blue Mosque, housing the Islamic Centre of Hamburg, northern Germany, on July 24, 2024.

Iran summons German ambassador, furious over Islamic center closure

Iran, which has been running similar foundations in several Western countries, condemned the ban as an act of Islamophobia after Berlin found the center to be propagating "extremism and fundamentalism."

Debris litters a loading dock a day after Israeli strikes on the port of Yemen's Houthi-held city of Hodeida on July 21, 2024.

Analysis

Israel’s Yemen attack against Houthis warning to nuclear Iran

While concerns grow in Israel over the continued drone and missile attacks by the Houthis in Yemen, the real threat remains that of Iran.

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

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an NCAA championship team celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024, in Washington.

From Gaza to Iran: What Kamala Harris’ Middle East policy could look like

Harris has been described as more critical of Israel than President Joe Biden, but with similar views on Iran and relations with regional leaders, including in the Gulf.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 29: U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris wave to members of the audience after speaking at a campaign rally at Girard College on May 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Biden and Harris are using today's rally to launch a nationwide campaign to court black voters, a group that has traditionally come out in favor of Biden, but their support is projected lower than it was in 2020. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Middle East cheers Biden’s withdrawal, uncertain about Kamala Harris pick

Many people in the region were joyful about President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection, as they blame him for the crises including the war in the Gaza Strip.

A Taliban fighter stands guard outside the US embassy as people demonstrate against videos of allegedly showing Afghan refugees being beaten by Iranians went viral, near the Ahmad Shah Massoud square in Kabul on April 12, 2022.

Analysis

Where are Iran-Afghanistan ties headed under Pezeshkian?

Iran-Afghan ties have a long history of tension, and though Iran's new president-elect has vowed to improve relations with its neighbor, the potential for continuing conflict remains.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

An Israeli policeman makes a phone call on the scene where an explosion took place in Tel Aviv on July 19, 2024.

Iran applauds Houthis for Israel attack, yet keeps distance to avoid blame

During the course of the Israeli war on Gaza, Iran has walked a fine line of praising attacks by its proxies while carefully attempting to dodge a direct confrontation with Israel.

JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East takeaways from Trump’s Republican convention speech

The former president addressed the Gaza war and US policy toward Iran in the speech and pledged to build a missile defense system like Israel’s Iron Dome.

ATTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages

Armed attack in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province kills police officer

Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni Islamist group of Baluchis fighting for the independence of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province, is known for attacking Iranian security and military forces.

Two Iranian women are walking in the street of Tehran with optional covering.

Women activists face 'severe sentences' in Iran, as new president vows easing of restrictions

A woman labor activist was sentenced to death in Iran for allegedly belonging to an outlawed Kurdish group, as authorities continue their crackdown against any type of dissent.

Police stay guard in front of the former Azerbaijan Embassy in Tehran on January 27, 2023, following an attack.

As Azerbaijan reopens Iran embassy, normalization remains shaky

Though both sides have welcomed the reopening as a key step in mending their strained ties, the two neighbors appear to have a long road ahead in resolving deep-seated geopolitical and ideological differences.

Supporters cheer as newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrives at the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran on July 6, 2024.

Analysis

How Iran’s new government will impact ties with Pakistan

Will Pezeshkian's victory in Iran result in relational shifts with its neighbors and the West alike? Experts believe that remains to be seen.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran