US airstrikes target Iran's Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island American military forces launched their first strikes on the Iranian mainland in more than a month just days after the top US commander for the region said Iranian mines have been cleared from Hormuz shipping lanes. Iran
Analysis Israel favors status quo as tensions in Iran's leadership fuel escalation risk Israel would prefer to preserve the current balance of pressure — with US naval blockades and economic measures continuing without a return to active fighting — per a senior Israeli security source. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Pentagon inks 7-year missile-production deal amid Iran war shortage The Defense Department has been hammering out new agreements with top defense manufacturers as the Iran war has rapidly depleted Washington's interceptor stockpiles. United States
Analysis Israel’s Lebanon dilemma: Confront Hezbollah without angering Trump, triggering Iran Israeli sources point out that the pilot project for Israel's withdrawal and the Lebanese military taking control over the area is not working because of the government's reluctance to search for Hezbollah's weapons in private homes. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis How Iran is readying for economic protests as Trump escalates pressure By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Newsletter: FutureVerse Economic D-day’s tech risks By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Palestine’s admission to Interpol sparks angry response from Israel In light of the ongoing US and Israeli stalemate to push peace talks, the Palestinians are taking matters into their own hands and recently joined Interpol. Palestine
Will Jewish archive return to Iraq? The United States is preparing to return a Jewish archive to Iraq, but Iraq does not appear ready to receive it, and many want it to remain outside the country. Iraq
Palestinians react to opening of first US military base in Israel The Sept. 18 announcement of the establishment of the first permanent US-Israeli military base in the Negev desert, in southern Israel, is evidence of the strategic military cooperation between the Americans and Israelis. Palestine
Fatah pressures Abbas to change strategy After US President Donald Trump's speech at the United Nations, many Palestinian leaders are advancing the idea of a binational state to pressure Israel and the United States into negotiating a two-state solution. Palestine
Interview Syrian Kurdish commander: We're 'ready to engage' with Damascus In an interview with Al-Monitor, a Syrian Kurdish commander says the United States should stay in Syria during the post-Islamic State process. Mazlum Kobane SDF commander in chief
Some Turks blame US for Kurdish independence vote Sources close to Turkey's ruling party say the United States secretly supports Iraqi Kurds' bid for independence as part of US plans for a "second Israel" in the region. Iraq
Is Trump about to reveal his Mideast peace plan? The meeting in New York between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US President Donald Trump revived Palestinian optimism on the US Mideast peace plan. Palestine
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. United States
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. Israel
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. United States
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. United States
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. Palestine