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July 15, 2026

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Analysis

As Trump prioritizes Hormuz, Israel fears Iran rebuilding nuclear program while preserving ballistic missile threat

Israel is worried that the United States is centering the Strait of Hormuz, deprioritizing the threat of a nuclear Iran.

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

US President Donald Trump gestures as he steps off Air Force One to board the new Qatari-gifted Boeing plane, en route to the United States following his participation in the NATO Summit at Royal Air Force Mildenhall on July 8, 2026, in Mildenhall, England.

Trump says US to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site

Satellite imagery has detected recent construction at the underground facility.

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.

Latest News

Analysis

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

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

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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

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)

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

Will Hamas’ call for national conference be heeded?

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh recently called for a national conference of all Palestinian political forces, but Fatah is wary of such a move, believing it to be an attempt to sideline or replace the PLO.

Rouhani: Iran has no need to negotiate over its defense

In a speech at an event for the Iran-Iraq War, President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran has no need to negotiate over its defensive capabilities.

How Iran sees Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria

A complex series of considerations — including the ignition of blowback from Kurdish groups elsewhere in the region — has caused Iran to remain muted in its response to Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria.

Sochi conference casualty of Turkey’s military offensive in Syria

Syrian opposition meeting reveals extent — and limits — of Russian-Turkish collaboration.

US adds Hamas political leader to terrorist list

By designating the head of Hamas’ political arm, Ismail Haniyeh, on the American list of global terrorists, the US State Department added another obstacle to Palestinian reconciliation.

Trump radicalizes US Mideast policies

After US President Donald Trump’s statements in Davos, Europeans and Palestinians fear radicalized US policies on the Middle East.

Hamas chief's inclusion on US terror list will further derail peace efforts

By adding moderate Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to its terror list, the United States is signaling further escalation in the political brinkmanship game that aims at imposing a political solution to the Palestinian conflict rather than negotiating one.

A Syrian man shows remnants of rockets reportedly fired by regime forces on the rebel-held besieged town of Douma in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on January 22, 2018.
At least 21 cases of suffocation, including children, were reported in Syria in a town in eastern Ghouta, a beleaguered rebel enclave east of Damascus, an NGO accusing the regime of carrying out a new chemical attack said. Since the beginning of the war in Syria in 2011, the government of Bashar al-Assad

US warns of renewed Syria gas attacks

The White House has warned it could take action against Damascus if reported gas attacks continue.

A newspaper featuring a picture of U.S. President Donald Trump is seen in Tehran, Iran, October 14, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1FE8998310

Latest Iran poll suggests Trump rhetoric benefits hard-liners

The new poll also highlights Iranians' preoccupation with corruption, unemployment and climate change.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman attends the Annual Horse Race ceremony, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 30, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC195E3B23D0

MBS plans first US visit since becoming Saudi crown prince

Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation is high on the agenda for the upcoming trip.

Turkey resumes pressure on US Consulate staff

With the interrogation of another local US Consulate employee, Turkey appears to have broken its promise not to hound staff without notifying the American authorities in a move that could trigger targeted visa sanctions against Turkish officials deemed to be involved.

Abbas’ gift to Netanyahu

The Palestinian refusal to return to the negotiating table with Israel to discuss a permanent solution to the conflict has freed Israel of its debt to the Americans for their recognition of Jerusalem.