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September 2, 2026

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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.

missile

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.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

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.

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

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.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

Analysis

How Iran is readying for economic protests as Trump escalates pressure

Demonstrations in Tehran, Iran

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Trump says Hormuz mine-free as Iran, Oman agree to clear them

US President Donald Trump arrives at Myrtle Beach International Airport on Aug. 21, 2026, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

China warns US not to interfere with Iran trade: What to know

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via 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 speaks during a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, August 13, 2017. REUTERS/Dan Balilty/Pool - RTS1BLB2

Has US sacrificed Israel for Syria deal?

Israel feels the Trump administration is not seriously taking into account Israel's concerns about Iran's regional aspirations.

Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani (C) sits during his meets with clerics and elders from the cities of the Kurdistan region in Erbil, Iraq August 9, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTS1B1DI

Is Barzani backing away from independence referendum?

Iraqi Kurdistan's president expects "guarantees and alternatives" from Washington; Hamas diplomatic surge with Iran and Russia.

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces advance toward Islamic State positions in Seif Al Dawla, district of Raqqa, Syria August 9, 2017. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTS1B38G

US-backed forces cut off Islamic State in Raqqa

The Syrian Democratic Forces have surrounded the Islamic State’s Syria stronghold.

From L: Abed al-Hafeez Nofal, the Palestinian ambassador to Moscow, and exiled Hamas deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzuq give a press conference along with other representatives of Palestinian political parties and movements in Moscow on January 17, 2017. / AFP / Alexander NEMENOV (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images)

What Russia has to gain from relations with Hamas

Russia's recent steps to further its rapprochement with Hamas are connected to its existing alliance with Iran and the overall situation in the region.

A view of a part of western Mosul, Iraq, May 29, 2017. Alkis Konstantinidis: "It was the second day of my assignment in Mosul and we were driving to join the Iraqi Federal Police forces at their frontline positions. The closer we got to our destination, the more obvious was the impact of the constant warfare. The cityscape was apocalyptic: demolished buildings, burnt cars tipped onto their sides, twisted masses of steel. We reached the frontline on what seemed a quiet day. But even if things appear calm, yo

US vows to press ahead with Iraq bomb clearance despite criticism

A State Department audit released this week criticizes the agency’s approach to oversight of efforts to clear improvised explosive devices and mines in Iraq.

A boy eats a corn as he sits in front of a shop in Ain Tarma, eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria July 19, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh - RTX3C32G

US touts success of Syria cease-fire negotiated with Russia

Despite recent sanctions on Russia, the Donald Trump administration sees a path forward for cooperation with Moscow in Syria.

The U.S. Capitol Building is lit at sunset in Washington, U.S., December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RTX2VXTZ

Egyptian lawmakers rile Congress with US gun violence jab

In a letter to Congress protesting a US travel advisory, an Egyptian parliamentary delegation downplayed the threats to Coptic Christians in the country, comparing the statistics on violence against them to shootings in US cities.

A Turkish army tank drives towards to the border in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2MYVZ

Turkey hints at new operation in Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raises the stakes in Syria by hinting that Ankara will launch a new incursion to build on its previous one.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (R) walks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before their meeting at the State Department in Washington, U.S., May 10, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RTS15ZZ1

Russia, US to maintain contacts on Syria despite sanctions

US and Russian officials will try to maintain contacts concerning world hotspots within the limits imposed by US sanctions on the Kremlin.

Zaka emergency personnel clean a bloodstain from the ground at the scene of a Palestinian stabbing attack in Tel Aviv, Israel November 19, 2015. REUTERS/Nir Elias - RTS7YAW

Congress moves bill cutting Palestinian aid over ‘martyr’ stipends

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 17-4 for the Taylor Force Act after modifications were made to get Democrats on board.

Clouds pass behind the White House in Washington, U.S., August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RTS1AASJ

Iran hawks, Bannon loyalists booted in White House purge

A civil war for the soul of the Donald Trump administration has emerged into the open, pitting a motley array of anti-globalists and Iran hawks against more moderate national security professionals.

TAL ABYAD, SYRIA - JUNE 19: (TURKEY OUT) A Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG fighter controls the weapons in downtown of Tal Abyad, Syria. June 19, 2015. Kurdish fighters with the YPG took full control of Tal Abyad, dealing a major blow to the Islamic State group's ability to wage war in Syria. Mopping up operations have started to make the town safe for the return of residents from Turkey, after more than a year of Islamic State militants holding control of the town. (Photo by Ahmet Sik/Getty Image

US pushes back on Turkish media claims about Syrian Kurds

US Embassy in Ankara refutes fevered claims about aid deliveries to Syrian Kurds.