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September 6, 2026

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A man walks past a mural depicting oil pumps and the Venezuelan flag, with portraits of Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar (L) and former late President Hugo Chavez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 3, 2026.

Analysis

Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order?

Washington’s growing role in controlling the Latin American country's crude riches could help reshape an energy order centered on OPEC as the Hormuz crisis pressures Gulf exports.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amir Yaryab

Who is Amir Yaryab, IRGC’s cyber commander in US crosshairs?

The US State Department has offered up to $10 million for information on Amir Yaryab, who oversees a key part of Iran’s cyber operations.

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Playing for time: Despite US pressure, Israel stalls Lebanon talks until after election

Ahead of the eighth round of talks in Rome, the Israeli military reported clearing Hezbollah's underground stronghold at Ali al-Taher after besieging the ridge for months.

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

Anwar AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Israel to release 5 Lebanese prisoners ahead of next talks: What to know

Israel said the detainees are "civilians who are not members of a terrorist organization" and "were not involved in terrorism," concluding, "There is no reason to continue holding them in Israel."

Latest News

US airstrikes target Iran's Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island

ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel favors status quo as tensions in Iran's leadership fuel escalation risk

missile

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

Pentagon inks 7-year missile-production deal amid Iran war shortage

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel’s Lebanon dilemma: Confront Hezbollah without angering Trump, triggering Iran

Ammar Ammar / 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

Why is Iranian rial suddenly weakening?

Inflation and other factors have caused the Iranian rial to weaken to the point where it now takes more than 40,000 rials to buy a dollar on the free market in Iran.

Iran hard-liners welcome Trump decision on Jerusalem

Some Iranian media outlets believe that Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital will make forming resistance groups easier.

Washington’s attempt to impose Mideast peace will backfire

US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and other recent measures suggest that he thinks he can bludgeon Palestinians into accepting an unjust peace deal.

U.S soldiers ride a military vehicle in al-Kherbeh village, northern Aleppo province, Syria October 24, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - S1AEUIVBKLAA

Pentagon acknowledges higher number of US troops in Syria

The United States now officially has 2,000 troops in Syria, up from 500 previously, despite the Islamic State’s collapse.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem December 3, 2017. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool - RC17FDF7EE50

Netanyahu left without any cards to play

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated several times the principle of reciprocity in talks with Palestinians, yet he himself is willing to offer them nothing.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani together with his counterparts, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, attend a joint news conference following their meeting in Sochi, Russia November 22, 2017. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1D16F4FF70

Russia’s multilayered Syrian diplomacy worries Iran

Mistrust and differing objectives continue to mar Iran-Russia relations, even as the two countries move forward on Syria.

U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State, Brett McGurk, speaks with media during a briefing to Defeat ISIS and an update on the Coalition's efforts during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz - RC1818FBC0E0

Pro-Erdogan groups call for Brett McGurk's arrest

A no-name group claiming to work against the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen has called for the arrest of US diplomat Brett McGurk, the most recent American to be targeted by supporters of the Turkish president.

Fireworks explode during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem December 3, 2016. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma - RC1514D50930

Palestinians cancel Capitol Hill Christmas over Trump remarks

The Palestinian mission in Washington abandoned attempts to court the White House and Congress with the mission's first-ever Christmas party on Capitol Hill after it was announced that President Donald Trump would make a major statement on the status of Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Erdogan draws red line over US Embassy's move to Jerusalem

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is threatening to sever ties with Israel if the United States moves its embassy to Jerusalem, positioning himself as a global defender of Islam at the risk of further tension with the West.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Saudi Arabia's King Salman attend a welcoming ceremony ahead of their talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia October 5, 2017. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1280FB8D90

Can Saudis tempt Moscow into pushing Iran from Syria?

Saudi Arabia has given up on ousting President Bashar al-Assad and is now hoping to convince Russia to deny Iran a presence in Syria.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner delivers remarks on the Trump administration's approach to the Middle East region at the Saban Forum in Washington, U.S., December 3, 2017. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1512772FC0

Russia investigation casts shadow over Kushner's Mideast peace push

In a rare public appearance, the president's senior adviser Jared Kushner discussed the Trump administration's "ultimate deal" for Palestinian and Israeli peace.

A Lebanese Army soldier walks past displayed weapons donated by the U.S. government to the Lebanese army, during a ceremony at Beirut international airport August 29, 2014. REUTERS/ Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - GM1EA8T1IWS01

US weapons pour into Lebanon amid turmoil

The Pentagon is sending armed helicopters to help Lebanon fend off terrorists despite budgetary and political uncertainty.