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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

Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) speaks about the recent attack on the Republican Congressional Baseball Team in Alexandria, Virginia, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 14, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC14AE7171E0

Congress advances bill imperiling Iran nuclear deal

The House today passed a bill that could undermine the Iran nuclear deal by complicating civilian aircraft sales to Iran, but its future in the Senate remains murky.

At Zarrab trial, citizen journalist raises ire of Turkish media

A lone citizen journalist covering the case of Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab in New York is stirring anger among Turkish media for her candid and nontraditional reporting.

Baghdad could take oil in new direction — away from Turkey

Now that Iraq's central government in Baghdad has reclaimed oil-rich Kirkuk from the Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq is considering changes that could hurt Turkey's standing in the oil market there.

Did Trump’s Jerusalem decision revive support for Palestine?

US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has put the Palestinian cause back in the forefront after years of neglect in light of other regional crises.

Members of Roj Mine Control Organization search for mines and explosive devices planted by Islamic State militants to disarm them near Ain Issa village north of Raqqa, Syria, June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic - RC1FCEC4E0B0

US trains Syrian civilians to destroy explosives

The United States is getting scores of Syrian locals ready to deal with explosives left behind by the Islamic State.

U.S. President Donald Trump displays an executive order after he announced the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, U.S. December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1C3DD4DEC0

Iran's hard-liners aren't only ones empowered by Trump's Jerusalem move

Trump’s Jerusalem announcement is only the latest in a series of missteps that have empowered various camps in Iran, including that of Rouhani.

Iran's envoy in Jordan: Support for Hezbollah maintains Arab security

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iranian Ambassador to Jordan Mojtaba Ferdosipour discusses regional developments, including accusations against Iran of supporting terrorism in the Arab world.

European Union Foreign Affairs Chief Federica Mogherini gives her remarks after attending a meeting of the parties to the Iran nuclear deal during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz - RC1AF2F97690

Europeans help sway Congress to punt on legislation that could kill Iran deal

Concerted European diplomatic efforts have helped persuade Congress to not pass legislation that would violate the Iran nuclear deal, for now.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Mahmoud Bahmani speaks with journalists during a news conference in Tehran August 8, 2010. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS) - GM1E6881H8501

Former Iran Central Bank chairman denies ever meeting Zarrab

The former head of Iran’s Central Bank said he never met with jailed Turkish-Iranian tycoon Reza Zarrab.

A demonstrator holds up a sign at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's Jerusalem declaration, that reads "From the journalists to Sisi: Jerusalem is Arab" in front of the Syndicate of Journalists in Cairo, Egypt December 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC1FEABD05A0

Sisi performs balancing act in wake of Trump's Jerusalem move

Following President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been careful to strike a delicate balance between allowing public condemnation of Trump's decision and not letting protests get out of hand.

Will Erdogan’s Jerusalem campaign succeed?

Erdogan’s supporters are among those who fear his vociferous campaign against the United States and Israel will leave him disappointed and regionally isolated.

Was Trump's Jerusalem declaration a honey trap?

The presentation of a serious US blueprint for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on a permanent status arrangement is the only hope of saving the peace process.