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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

Latest News

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

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.

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

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C), Transport Minister Yisrael Katz (L) and Cabinet Secretary Tzachi Braverman (R) raise a toast to mark the upcoming Jewish holiday of Passover at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem April 9, 2017. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool - RC1188FDE160

Netanyahu maintains battle against Iran deal ahead of UN meeting

The Israeli leadership fears that with the US administration leaving Syria in Russian hands and its inaction toward North Korea, no one will stop Tehran from placing its forces near Israel’s borders.

A F-16 fighter jet takes off during the Bahrain International Air Show in Sakir Base, south of Manama, January 17, 2014. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed (BAHRAIN - Tags: TRANSPORT MILITARY BUSINESS) - GM1EA1I071V01

US arms sale to Bahrain raises questions about sustainability

The $3.8 billion sale of jets and patrol boats dwarfs the tiny emirate’s annual defense budget.

An Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter plane flies above a traffic sign after taking off for a mission in Lebanon from an Israeli Air Force Base in northern Israel July 20, 2006. Hizbollah fought fierce battles with Israeli troops on the Lebanese border on Thursday, as thousands more foreigners fled the nine-day-old war in Lebanon, including 1,000 Americans evacuated by U.S. Marines. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (ISRAEL) - GM1DTCAOOUAA

Senate could reverse billions of dollars of cuts to Israeli defense sector

An amendment from Sen. Lindsey Graham would allow Israel to continue using US military financing on its own domestic industry.

Senior Iranian diplomat: US is serious about killing nuclear deal

The head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations warns that the US administration is serious in its efforts to kill the nuclear deal.

A Syrian national flag flutters next to the Islamic State's slogan at a roundabout where executions were carried out by ISIS militants in the city of Palmyra, in Homs Governorate, Syria April 1, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki SEARCH "PALMYRA SANADIKI" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES - GF10000368423

Don’t let Islamic State slip the noose in Syria

As Russia beefs up its offensive in Syria, the situation there looks promising, but it’s time for Moscow and Washington to cooperate in a final push to eliminate the Islamic State.

URMIEH, IRAN - JANUARY 23: Iranian university student Vahid Rezaei (R) and his brother Saeed Rezaei collect water samples from the salt-encrusted former lakebed of Iran's shrinking Lake Urmieh, which presents a risk of salt storms and future health and environmental problems on January 23, 2015 in Urmieh, northwest Iran. Once one of the largest salt lakes in the world, it has lost 90 percent of its volume in the past decade and symbolizes the scale of the water crisis facing Iran today. Decades of overuse,

US-Iran exchanges hang in balance as Trump weighs decision on nuclear deal

The State Department has spent no money this year on US-Iran exchanges amid uncertainty over the fate of the nuclear agreement.

Egypt unwavering to US pressure over North Korea

The cooperation between Egypt and North Korea under Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has continued despite calls from Washington to freeze the relationship.

Will Abbas confront Trump?

Ahead of the annual UN General Assembly meeting, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is planning a speech that some suspect will denounce Benjamin Netanyahu and anger Donald Trump.

US looks to Russia to avoid run-ins with Syrian troops in Deir ez-Zor

The Pentagon is considering expanding its de-confliction agreements with Moscow as Bashar al-Assad’s forces and US-backed rebels both turn their attention to eastern Syria.

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 03: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks about the Taylor Force Act while flanked by Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) during a news conference August 3, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The legislation would stop economic aid to the Palestinian Authority until it halted payments to people who commit terrorist acts or payments to their families. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Key Senate panel votes to slash Palestinian aid over ‘martyr’ payments

The Senate Appropriations Committee wrapped the Taylor Force Act into its annual foreign aid spending bill, greatly improving its chances of becoming law.

Shock, confusion in Egypt over US aid cut

The Trump administration has cut hundreds of millions in military and economic assistance to Egypt, which has been criticized for its human rights record under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Army soldiers are seen as their convoy passes by Tahrir square to secure central Cairo as Egyptians celebrate an extension of the Suez Canal, in Cairo, Egypt, August 6, 2015. Egypt will open an expansion to the Suez Canal to great fanfare on Thursday, the centrepiece of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's plans to revitalise the country's economy after years of damaging political turmoil. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - GF20000015455

Senate panel slashes military aid to Egypt

Frustrated appropriators vote to cut military assistance to Cairo by $300 million.