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July 16, 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

Iranian youth use their mobile phones as they rest at a park in Tehran, Iran, May 16, 2017. REUTERS/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RC1A55C54480

Iranians rail against Apple, Google over pulling of apps

US tech giants Apple and Google have removed Iranian-developed apps from their online stores, sparking a backlash.

Netanyahu’s outdated Iran agenda

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu campaigns for the breakup of the Iran deal, ignoring the fact that a US withdrawal from the pact won’t be in Israel’s interest.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump confer s Argentinia's President Mauricio Macri walks past them at the start of the first working session of the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/John MacDougall/Pool - RC18A478F480

Europeans: Trump can win on Iran without ending nuclear deal

Envoys to Washington say trans-Atlantic cooperation against Tehran needs to build on the 2015 nuclear accord, not undermine it.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani delivers remarks at a news conference during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith - RC16C2DAA980

Iran looks to Europe over fate of nuclear deal

At this stage, Iran believes only the European signatories to the nuclear deal can prevent it from collapsing, whether the United States walks away from it or not.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz - HP1ED9K1BC928

Palestinian leader rejects compromise on 'martyr' stipends

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas zeroed in on the two-state solution in his speech to the UN General Assembly, giving no quarter to talk about compromising on the support provided to families of martyrs.

Iranians welcome Rouhani’s response to Trump at UN

Most Iranians, with the exception of some hard-liners, praised President Hassan Rouhani for his speech at the UN General Assembly.

Abdullah al-Rabeeah Head of the Saudi Arabia delegation attends the High-level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen, at the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland April 25, 2017. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse - RC1B701C8BC0

Saudis tout humanitarian record in Yemen amid Washington backlash

Saudi Arabia’s top aid official is in the United States to convince lawmakers and the US aid agency that it has Yemenis’ best interests at heart.

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - HP1ED9J1MR9WE

Rouhani on Trump UN speech: 'Ignorant, absurd and hateful'

Iranians reacted harshly to US President Donald Trump’s speech at the United Nations against Tehran and the JCPOA.

At UN, Netanyahu uses Iran threat to sideline Palestinians

In a move that seemed coordinated with the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revived the Iranian nuclear threat in Israel and around the world, pushing the Palestinian issue off the international agenda.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (R) and his Lebanese counterpart Saad al-Hariri attend a signing ceremony outside Moscow, Russia September 12, 2017. Sputnik/Dmitry Astakhov/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - UP1ED9C1AWH0N

Lebanon explores potential roles with Russia

As Russia works to put the finishing touches on Syrian civil war negotiations, representatives from many Mideast countries are showing up at Putin's door, including Lebanon, which has much to give and gain in the situation.

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, touches down at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, April 9, 2016. The U.S. Air Force deployed B-52 bombers to Qatar on Saturday to join the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the first time they have been based in the Middle East since the end of the Gulf War in 1991. REUTERS/U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Corey Hook/Handout via Reuters THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED B

US Air Force says Qatar blockade has 'no impact' on American base

The United States is flying more missions out of al-Udeid than before the Saudi-led embargo.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (2nd R) receives information, as U.S. President Donald Trump and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres participate in a session on reforming the United Nations at UN Headquarters in New York, U.S., September 18, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC12FAAB1990

Trump talks up peace prospects with Netanyahu at UN meeting

The US president made a stirring case for Middle East peace at his UN debut with Netanyahu, but the Israeli leader steered the conversation back to Iran.