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May 6, 2026

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Lebanon, Israel eye third round of talks, but no Netanyahu-Aoun meeting in sight

The US appears to be pushing for a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the Lebanese government says it won't happen while Israel continues to launch attacks on Lebanon.

Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP via Getty Images)

EU says energy costs tied to Hormuz crisis have surged past $35B

Global energy price increases tied to the Hormuz disruption are driving higher import costs in Europe, despite limited reliance on gas flowing through the strait.

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel fears Trump seeking Hormuz win while sidestepping Iran nuclear issue

While President Donald Trump keeps pressuring Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Israel fears the American leader will decide to cut his losses and sideline the nuclear threat.

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

Latest News

Pentagon says Iran ceasefire continues despite UAE attack

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2026.

Macron casts doubt on Trump’s Hormuz operation as France-US gap grows

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 18: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R), French President Emmanuel Macron (L), and European leaders at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted President Zelensky at the White House for a bilateral meeting and an expanded meeting with European leaders to discuss a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. (Photo by Win McNamee/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

Newt Gingrich, former US Speaker of the House attends "Free Iran 2018 - the Alternative" event organized by exiled Iranian opposition group on June 30, 2018 in Villepinte, north of Paris. (Photo by Zakaria ABDELKAFI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP/Getty Images)

Gingrich considered registering as a lobbyist for Iran regime change

The former House speaker sought advice late last year on whether to register as a foreign agent for the Iranian opposition.

TOPSHOT - An Iranian woman raises her fist amid the smoke of tear gas at the University of Tehran during a protest driven by anger over economic problems, in the capital Tehran on December 30, 2017.
Students protested in a third day of demonstrations sparked by anger over Iran's economic problems, videos on social media showed, but were outnumbered by counter-demonstrators. / AFP PHOTO / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian photographer reclaims iconic image used in controversial Trump tweet

Iranians react against harsh messages by officials in the United States on the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Revolution at 40: Have Iranian regional policies come full circle?

Forty years after the Islamic Revolution, the shah’s view of Iran and its role in the region is paradoxically echoed in the foreign policy debate by those with a more revolutionary perspective.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey meet in Tehran, Iran September 7, 2018. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC179AE28110

Russia is 'clear eyed' about its Mideast policy

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin discusses the results of his latest tour around the Middle East and Russia’s vision for key regional issues, including Israeli-Iranian frictions, Idlib and the buffer zone in Syria.

Will Warsaw summit unite US, EU against Iran?

Despite a likely Western European snub in terms of level of representation, the Warsaw summit holds the possibility of being a starting point for a European-American consensus against Iran down the line, potentially depriving Tehran of even the minimum benefits of the nuclear deal.

Egypt parts ways with top lobbyist days after '60 Minutes' debacle

Cairo and the Glover Park Group have ended a relationship that began after the 2013 coup.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks to foreign ministers from the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS at the State Department in Washington, U.S., February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis - RC1528E7D100

Trump, touting gains over IS, focuses on Syria exit

Speaking to diplomats attending a ministerial meeting of the 79-member Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS today, President Trump said a formal announcement would come next week that 100% of the terror group's territory had been liberated.

Ranking member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Rep. Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY), who is a leading candidate to take over the panel, poses for a portrait in his office on Capitol Hill November 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Congress puts heat on Saudis as Trump shields crown prince

With President Donald Trump set to blow off a deadline to assess Prince Mohammed’s role in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, Congress is gearing up to pass several anti-Riyadh measures.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pauses during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC1247769330

Iranian opposition unwelcome at Pompeo’s anti-Iran bash

Iranian opposition gets left out of meeting on Iran taking place in Poland next week.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi in Baghdad, during a Middle East tour, Iraq, January 9, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC11DC9C21A0

Iranians praise Iraq’s rejection of US presence to 'watch' Iran

President Donald Trump's controversial remarks about maintaining the US military presence in Iraq to "watch" Iran have sparked warm exchanges between Iran and Iraq.

A U.S. soldier from the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division stands guard at a military base north of Mosul, Iraq, February 14, 2017. Picture taken February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RC1D165D9880

Will Iraq ask US troops to leave the country?

US President Donald Trump's recent statement about the role of US troops in Iraq — to keep an eye on Iran — has caused a strong backlash among Iraqi politicians who see this statement as an interference in Iraqi matters.

U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) delivers a nomination speech for Senator Bernie Sanders on the second day at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 26, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar - HT1EC7Q1N0781

Rep. Gabbard and Syrian Kurdish leader make for odd State of the Union pair

The 2020 presidential contender will be joined by a leader of the US-backed Syrian Kurds for President Trump’s big speech.