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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.

Latest News

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

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.

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

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.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reviews the troops at the Defense Ministry in Paris, France, October 23, 2017. REUTERS/Thibault Camus/Pool - RC1519A4B040

Egypt accuses Congress of raining on Sisi's parade

Egyptian officials have reacted with anger to a US congressional resolution on the persecution of Copts in Egypt, laying blame on the Muslim Brotherhood and saying comments critical of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ruined Jan. 25 celebrations.

Ankara uses Afrin campaign to showcase Turkish-made weapons

Amid snubs by Western arms suppliers, leaders in Ankara are eager to highlight progress in the Turkish defense industry during the military offensive on Afrin.

Can Europe save the Palestinian Authority?

Threats by President Donald Trump to cut assistance to the Palestinians could lead to opening the door to the European Union in the diplomatic as well as economic realm of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Iran hopeful about Europe remaining in nuclear deal

Iran’s deputy foreign minister has expressed satisfaction with Europe's resistance to US pressures to kill the nuclear deal.

Olive Branch wins Erdogan friends at home, but risks standoff with US

Despite the success of Ankara's Syrian military operation in closing Turkish ranks around him, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has raised the possibility of a military confrontation between Turkey and the United States.

Jordan, Israel resume frosty relations

It appears that Jordan has quietly accepted Israel’s apology for the killing of two Jordanians by an Israeli Embassy guard in Amman without the perpetrator being put on trial.

Students walk at the campus of the Ariel University Centre in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ariel September 13, 2012. An Israeli government move to upgrade Ariel University Centre in the occupied West Bank to a full-fledged university has put the 30-year-old school at the centre of a debate at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: how the settlements will figure in defining a future Palestinian state. Picture taken September 13, 2012. To match Feature PALESTINIANS-ISRAEL/SETTLEMENTS REUTERS/Ro

Israel moves forward with gradual annexation of West Bank

The latest proposal to apply Israeli law on West Bank higher education institutions is part of the settlers’ strategy to gradually annex Palestinian lands.

Buildings are seen on a coast line in Doha, Qatar June 5, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer - RC19BDD1CE80

Qatar visit to the US aims to break Gulf gridlock

Qatar is using a high-level visit to Washington to get the Donald Trump administration’s support to broker a deal to end the monthslong Saudi-led embargo.

Trump puts Israeli-Palestinian security coordination at risk

Threats by US President Donald Trump to cut aid to the Palestinian Authority endangers the so-called Dayton Force and their security coordination with Israel.

A fighter from Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) sits on a curb as he holds his weapon in Raqqa, Syria September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC17FB8BC0B0

Is US bailing on Syrian Kurds?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ignores appeals for restraint in northern Syria, appears to have gotten Washington to end support for the YPG.

Security forces aim their weapons as take positions during clashes with gunmen in Kerdasa, a town 14 km (9 miles) from Cairo September 19, 2013. Egyptian security forces clashed with gunmen on the outskirts of Cairo on Thursday as the army-backed government moved to reassert control over an Islamist-dominated area where militants staged a bloody attack on a police station last month. REUTERS/Stringer (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - GM1E99J1SNE01

US military aid to Egypt under scrutiny on uprising’s anniversary

The Donald Trump administration has taken a harder line on military assistance to Egypt as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi moves away from Washington.