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May 8, 2026

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Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on May 6, 2026. Credit: Telegram

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

China understands how badly Trump wants an exit from the conflict. But timing is critical: if no agreement is reached before Trump arrives in China on Thursday, Beijing would be better positioned to set the agenda.

Joyce Karam

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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.

Latest News

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

Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel fears Trump seeking Hormuz win while sidestepping Iran nuclear issue

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

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

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.

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

Ankara oddly quiet on China's alleged torture of Uighurs

The Turkish public used to speak out loudly and often against suppressive Chinese policies against Uighur Turks, but now the media, the public and the government are keeping mum.

More international artists join Israel boycott

As Israeli politicians do their best to ignore international condemnation of the occupation, perhaps Israelis will hear the voices of artists like Lana Del Rey as the cultural boycott builds.

An oil tanker is being loaded at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. Picture taken May 21, 2018. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah - RC1974EF8830

Saudi Arabia hires star lawyer to fight anti-oil cartel bill

Former Republican Solicitor General Ted Olson is being paid to push back against bipartisan legislation challenging OPEC’s dominance.

Hafidh Abdullah al-Khawlani, who survived a Saudi-led air strike stands with his father on the wreckage of a bus destroyed by the strike in Saada, Yemen September 4, 2018. His brother was killed by the air strike. Picture taken September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Naif Rahma - RC1FB49D40C0

Pompeo guarantees fail to assuage Congress on Yemen war

With bipartisan opposition to the Yemen war steadily growing, a Democratic wave in November could force the Donald Trump administration to end support for the Saudi coalition.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani exits the podium after addressing the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz - RC1ED8E50640

Pressure mounts on Iran's president to skip the UN General Assembly

The Iranian president’s planned trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly is sparking divisions among his political backers and opponents.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat gestures during a news conference in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank June 24, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC15419D1D30

Is Trump pushing Abbas to dismantle the Palestinian Authority?

Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat claims the Trump administration has orchestrated an offensive campaign against the Palestinians.

Palestinian flag waves at Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington, U.S., November 19, 2017. U.S. State Department official said that under legislation passed by Congress, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could not renew a certification that expired this month for the PLO office. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC181D30EBB0

US-PLO row jeopardizes consular services for Palestinians

Visas and other services may be collateral damage as the Donald Trump administration closes the Palestine Liberation Organization’s mission office in Washington.

People walk outside of the Augusta Victoria hospital in East Jerusalem on September 9, 2018. - The United States plans to cut $25 million in aid to six hospitals primarily serving Palestinians in Jerusalem, a State Department official confirmed on September 8. The official said the decision followed a President Donald Trump-directed review of assistance to the Palestinian Authority and in the West Bank and Gaza "to ensure these funds were being spent in accordance with US national interests and were providi

Church groups outraged as US denies critical support to Jerusalem hospitals

US President Donald Trump's decision to redirect $25 million earmarked for Palestinians in East Jerusalem hospitals to "high-priority projects elsewhere" leaves seriously ill patients caught in the middle of "political blackmail."

Why Iran is battling US at International Court of Justice

Iran has turned to the International Court of Justice in a battle to end current and pending US sanctions, though the United States has already said it doesn't recognize the court's jurisdiction in the matter.

Syrian fighters fire their rifles as they attend a mock battle in anticipation of an attack by the regime on Idlib province and the surrounding countryside, during a graduation of new Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) members at a camp in the countryside of the northern Idlib province on August 14, 2018. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

What to do about 10,000 al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Idlib?

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stymies Turkey’s bid for cease-fire, welcomes Syrian assault.

US Rebuplican senator John McCain (R) walks with Abdul Hafiz Ghoqa, spokesman of the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC), during his tour to the rebel headquarters in their eastern stronghold city of Benghazi on April 22, 2011. McCain is the highest-ranking US politician to visit Libya's rebel-held east since a popular uprising began against Moamer Kadhafi's rule in mid-February. AFP PHOTO/MARWAN NAAMANI (Photo credit should read MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images)

US friends in the Middle East lose a champion in John McCain

The late senator from Arizona leaves behind a legacy as one of the Senate’s last prominent proponents of US interventionism.

Three things the Tehran summit exposed about Russia, Turkey, Iran 'alliance'

The summit in Tehran exposed important underlying dynamics within the Astana trio and made it clear the three actors see the US presence as a problem, albeit each for their own reason.