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July 13, 2026

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A man holds a Syrian flag across the street from the White House after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with President Donald Trump at White House in Washington, on Nov. 10, 2025.

Syria, US hold first business forum since sanctions relief: What to know

The one-day forum in Damascus was organized by Syria’s Ministry of Economy and Industry and the US-Syria Business Council, which was established in Washington last June to advance trade and investment between the two nations.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at a Council of Ministers meeting in Baghdad on July 11, 2026.

Analysis

On first foreign trip, Iraqi PM Zaidi woos Trump but Iran casts long shadow

Iraq's new prime minister is in Washington promising business deals and closer ties with the United States, but convincing the Trump administration he can rein in Iran-backed militias may prove his toughest challenge.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Oil climbs after US strikes Iran, Trump vows to control Strait of Hormuz

US Central Command said in a statement early on Monday that it struck dozens of Iranian targets overnight as Iran targeted American bases across the Gulf.

U.S. President Donald Trump returns to Joint Base Andrews on July 09, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump, switched from the old Air Force One to the new Air Force One while stopping in the U.K. at RAF Mildenhall Air Force Base was returning from his visit to Ankara, Turkey where he attended the NATO summit. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Breaking | Last Updated: July 13, 2026, 11:49 am

Trump says US to resume naval blockade of Iran's ports

President Donald Trump countered Iran's attempts to collect tolls on shipping via the Strait of Hormuz by announcing the US would do so at a rate of 20% for all cargo transiting the waterway.

Latest News

Analysis

From S-400s to SAMP/T: Turkey’s defense pivot gathers pace after NATO summit

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose after signing a defense partnership agreement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

As US-Iran fighting resumes, Israel weighs 3 options with restraint winning, for now

Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

A Syrian Army soldier loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad forces stands next to a military weapon in Idlib, Syria January 21, 2018. Picture taken January 21, 2018. SANA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. - RC19C0D8B740

US scrambles for Syria deal ahead of Idlib offensive

The Donald Trump administration is pressing Russia for concessions before Bashar al-Assad’s regime finishes taking back the country.

Masoud Karbasian (bottom), Iran's Economy Minister, speaks in parliament in the capital Tehran on August 26, 2018 before a vote by lawmakers which saw him impeached. - Karbasian is the second minister in President Hassan Rouhani's cabinet to be impeached this month, following the removal of Labour Minister Ali Rabiei on August 8. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Rouhani’s economy minister impeached

Just one year into his second term, Hassan Rouhani’s economic team has come under fire with two ministers impeached in one month.

Iran yanks favored exchange rate from students abroad

The Iranian government’s new foreign exchange rules are keeping many students abroad from obtaining currency at the lower official rate, with the backlash posing a new challenge for the Rouhani administration.

Bags containing aid from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) are seen ahead of their transfer to the Gaza Strip, inside the Kerem Shalom border crossing terminal between Israel and Gaza Strip, Israel August 15, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC12571A1CB0

Israel, US seek to redefine Palestinian refugees

Israeli diplomats claim that the UNRWA’s mandate must be revised so that the issue of Palestinian refugees will include only the generation that really lost its home.

Workers handle steel cables at Turkish steel manufacturer ISDEMIR in Iskenderun in Hatay province May 6, 2010. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS) - GM1E6561J5Y01

Congress dangles Turkey trade deal as carrot to Trump’s stick

Lawmakers are floating a free trade agreement with Turkey as the president doubles steel and aluminum tariffs on Ankara for its ongoing detention of a US pastor.

What would 'post-America' Turkey look like?

Turkish-American relations are suffering one crisis after another, threatening an end to the longtime alliance, unless current issues can be resolved.

US-Turkey cooperation against Islamic State ongoing, Pentagon says

Ankara and Washington remain committed to the joint mission of rooting out Islamic State holdouts despite the diplomatic row over Pastor Andrew Brunson, Pentagon and State Department officials say.

Iraqi Kurds throw lifeline to Iranian Kurds as sanctions begin to bite

Iraqi Kurds, who remember the help they received from Iranian Kurds in the past, want to return the favor now that their brethren are suffering under US sanctions.

Kurdish supporters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) celebrate after the closing of ballot boxes during the parliamentary election in Kirkuk, Iraq, May 12, 2018. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed - RC1D42ED63F0

Kurds put conditions for allying with Shiites to form government

Shiite parties seek to gain favor with the Kurdish parties to include them in the majority charged with forming the new government, while the Kurds consider this a historical opportunity to impose their conditions on those wishing to ally with them.

Smoke rises following an explosion at the Syrian side of the Israeli Syrian border as it is seen from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel July 26, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC1C5FB3C330

Russia, US looking for common ground on Syria

US national security adviser John Bolton met in Geneva with Russian National Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev to outline the range of issues the two nations can jointly cooperate on.

American pastor more excuse than reason for US-Turkey staredown

While the US administration continues to demand Ankara free pastor Andrew Brunson, skeptical analysts are debating whether the motivations for this are votes in the upcoming midterm elections or a reset with a Turkey whose interests no longer align with the United States'.

A protester holds a Palestinian flag as he poses for a photograph at the scene of clashes with Israeli troops near the border with Israel, east of Gaza City, January 19, 2018. "The battle between us and the Israeli occupation has been ongoing for decades. We will continue to protest and resist as long as there is one Israeli occupier on our land. Trump and anyone else in this world will not be able to control our anger," he said. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem SEARCH "PROTESTER PALESTINIAN" FOR THIS STORY. S

Is Trump's peace plan stillborn?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are united in an unlikely coalition already opposed to the soon-to-be unveiled US peace plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace.