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September 7, 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

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.

US and Qatari navy vessels are seen during a joint military exercise between Qatar and the US navy, in Doha, on June 16, 2017.
The United States agreed a $12-billion warplane sale to Qatar and began manoeuvres with its military on June 15, re-affirming support for the emirate in the throes of a diplomatic crisis with its neighbours. / AFP PHOTO / KARIM JAAFAR (Photo credit should read KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Crashes force US Navy to review Gulf operations

A string of deadly accidents in the Asia-Pacific Theater could have major impacts on US Navy operations in the Persian Gulf.

Ankara must go through US, Russia to get to YPG

Recent developments on the ground suggest that any new Syria incursion by Turkey could encounter unexpected obstacles.