Newsletter: Daily Briefing Kremlin confirms S-400 talks with Turkey Lebanon’s PM to meet Erdogan in Turkey; Pakistan, Qatar seek to revive US-Iran talks after renewed strikes; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis As US-Iran fighting resumes, Israel weighs 3 options with restraint winning, for now Despite Israel's military readiness to resume strikes on Iran, officials say looming elections make Netanyahu more likely to stay out unless Tehran forces his hand. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Israel warns US of new Iran plot to assassinate Trump: What to know US officials are reportedly still assessing the Israeli intelligence. United States
Why US strikes on Iran rail bridge signal shift in Hormuz conflict A US missile strike on the railway bridge linking Iran to Central and East Asia suggests the White House is once again flirting with politically coercive tactics after the June agreement failed to halt Iran's attacks on Hormuz shipping. Iran
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran hits Gulf, warns Hormuz will reopen on its terms By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Congress in no hurry to act as Palestinians reject security aid A new law has unintentionally ended security assistance for the Palestinian Authority, and Congress is in no rush to fix it. Palestine
Turkey seeks life sentence against US Consulate employee A Turkish national and liaison officer for the DEA at the US Consulate in Istanbul has been indicted for espionage. Turkey
Senior Polish diplomat in Iran to mend ties amid Warsaw conference row Poland's deputy foreign minister visited Tehran to assure Iranians that an upcoming controversial conference in Warsaw will not turn into an anti-Iran event. United States
Netanyahu forsakes multilateralism in favor of bilateral alliances Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has adopted President Donald Trump’s negative approach against UN agencies and international groups. Palestine
Drivers and barriers to Iran-US compromise in Syria The best option for Iran in post-war Syria would be to bargain over a regional compromise aimed at establishing limited policy cooperation with all influential actors; however, to realize such a scenario it is necessary for the barriers to a compromise to be removed. Lebanon
Lawmaker-turned-Saudi lobbyist raises eyebrows with campaign donations Former Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., donated $1,000 to a key lawmaker the same day he lobbied his office on behalf of the Saudis — a common practice in Washington. Congress
Trump administration finds its Iran policy not working The Trump administration conducted an internal assessment of its Iran “maximum pressure” policy this month and determined that it so far has been ineffective, according to a new report. United States
Pro-Palestinian lawmaker shakes up Israel status quo with seat on foreign affairs panel A lawmaker supportive of boycotting Israel has joined the House Foreign Affairs Committee, complicating congressional efforts to pass anti-boycott legislation. Palestine
Intel: How Trump used his missile defense rollout to take shots at Iran President Trump chastised Iran for attempting to launch a satellite earlier this week and pledged the United States would take a harder line on Iran. Legacy: Gulf
Can Iranian sovereign crypto-rial loosen sanctions straitjacket? The United States is gearing up to sanction Iran’s sovereign cryptocurrency in anticipation of its introduction. Russia
Pentagon warns Middle East turning to China for drone needs The Pentagon’s in-house intelligence agency says that China is cornering the market on armed drone sales to the Middle East as the United States is stifled by export rules. Legacy: Gulf