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September 2, 2026

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US airstrikes target Iran's Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island

American military forces launched their first strikes on the Iranian mainland in more than a month just days after the top US commander for the region said Iranian mines have been cleared from Hormuz shipping lanes.

missile

Analysis

Israel favors status quo as tensions in Iran's leadership fuel escalation risk

Israel would prefer to preserve the current balance of pressure — with US naval blockades and economic measures continuing without a return to active fighting — per a senior Israeli security source.

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

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Pentagon inks 7-year missile-production deal amid Iran war shortage

The Defense Department has been hammering out new agreements with top defense manufacturers as the Iran war has rapidly depleted Washington's interceptor stockpiles.

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel’s Lebanon dilemma: Confront Hezbollah without angering Trump, triggering Iran

Israeli sources point out that the pilot project for Israel's withdrawal and the Lebanese military taking control over the area is not working because of the government's reluctance to search for Hezbollah's weapons in private homes.

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

Latest News

Analysis

How Iran is readying for economic protests as Trump escalates pressure

Demonstrations in Tehran, Iran

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Trump says Hormuz mine-free as Iran, Oman agree to clear them

US President Donald Trump arrives at Myrtle Beach International Airport on Aug. 21, 2026, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

China warns US not to interfere with Iran trade: What to know

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via Getty Images

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

Iran expert says corruption 'No. 1 national security threat in Iran'

Al-Monitor contributor Bijan Khajehpour discusses impact of coronavirus on Iran’s economy.

Intel: US conducts separate military drills with UAE, Israel despite coronavirus

United Arab Emirates

Iraqi security forces patrol a street, during a curfew imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Baghdad, Iraq March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RC2CMF94NO5Z

Intel: Coronavirus forces partial US troop drawdown in Iraq

The US-led global coalition to defeat the Islamic State announced today that the coronavirus pandemic has forced “temporary adjustments” in the mission against the terrorist group.

Impacts of US withdrawal from Qaim base in Iraqi border with Syria

US forces pulled out of the strategic Qaim area on the Iraqi-Syrian border in mid-March, citing success in preventing IS resurgence; locals agree that the Islamic State presence has been significantly weakened but warn the move may lead to nonstate actors gaining more power over official Iraqi security forces.

20 August 2019, Iraq, Bagdad: A soldier of the German Armed Forces is standing at dusk with his weapon on the verge of the German Defence Minister's visit to the international military camp Camp Taji. The minister and CDU leader is conducting political talks in the capital Baghdad and is meeting German soldiers who are involved in training local forces in the country. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa (Photo by Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)

US urges Iraq to step up protection of US, coalition personnel

The State Department said Iraq is not doing its part to protect US and coalition forces in the country.

American detained in Syria moved to undisclosed location, family says

An American psychotherapist's family is more worried than ever about the dual US-Syrian citizen who disappeared in Damascus in 2017 as a potential coronavirus outbreak looms over Syria’s prisons.

An Iranian woman wears a protective face mask, amid fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as she shops at Tajrish Bazar, ahead of the Iranian New Year Nowruz, March 20, in Tehran, Iran March 18, 2020. Picture taken March 18, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC22NF96FTGC

Intel: US scales up Iran sanctions amid coronavirus fallout

The Donald Trump administration stepped up its sanctions on Iran this week as Tehran appeals for relief to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Russia hoping to outdo Saudis over time in coronavirus-hit oil market

Russia opted for an approach based on uncertainty in its decision to leave the OPEC-plus deal, but is it punching above its weight?

U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan pose for a family photo during the annual NATO heads of government summit at the Grove Hotel in Watford, Britain December 4, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/Pool - RC2COD9N7WI1

Justice Department ordered Turkish TV station to register as foreign agent

The decision came amid an intensifying push by the Donald Trump administration and Congress to get foreign media outlets to register.

Members of the Syrian Violet NGO set up triage tents for suspected coronavirus patients outside the Ibn Sina Hospital in Syria's northwestern Idlib city on March 19, 2020. - Syrian authorities on March 13 announced measures aimed at preventing coronavirus from reaching the war-torn country, including school closures and a ban on smoking shisha in cafes, state media reported. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP) (Photo by ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Doctors in northwest Syria brace for ‘devastating’ coronavirus

Medical personnel in Syria contacted by Al-Monitor worry that Idlib's crippled health infrastructure will not be able to handle a coronavirus outbreak.

Iran releases jailed US Navy vet Michael White on medical furlough

Iran has released US Navy veteran Michael R. White on medical furlough, the State Department announced today. US President Donald Trump asked Syria for the release of US journalist Austin Tice.

Intel: Lebanon frees jailed US citizen after Washington threatens sanctions

Lebanon released Amer Fakhoury, who is suffering from stage 4 cancer, after Washington threatened to move ahead with sanctions.