Analysis Mediators scramble to avert US-Iran fighting after Trump's midterm restraint fades Tehran has little incentive to make concessions that the Trump administration could tout as a win before next week’s election. By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
CENTCOM chief briefs Trump on Iran strike options It was not immediately clear following Trump’s meeting with top defense officials whether he had decided to restart the war. Iran
Iran arrests 16 in connection with alleged US-Israel-linked cells: What to know Iran claimed that some of the 16 people it had arrested had entered Iran from abroad. Iran
Analysis How wartime urgency pushed Iran to court Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan Tehran's push for a regional security order independent of Washington could be gaining diplomatic momentum, but the Islamic Republic has competing, if not conflicting, strategic priorities with the countries it hopes to engage. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Analysis From Hormuz to data centers: How Iran’s threats are raising stakes of renewed war By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Analysis How Netanyahu could attack Iran to force Israel into unity government after elections By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Rouhani, Reformists battle over Cabinet picks Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is facing pushback over his second-term Cabinet appointments. Iran
Iran-Saudi handshake offers glimmer of hope for talks Iranian media welcome the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers’ handshake in Istanbul, viewing it as a possible beginning of talks between Tehran and Riyadh. Saudi Arabia
Saudi engagement with Iraqi Shiites stirs talk of opening with Iran Saudi Arabia’s engagement with Iraqi Shiite figures gives rise to speculation about a potential opening between Tehran and Riyadh. Saudi Arabia
Trump says al-Qaeda received US weapons intended for Syrian rebels In a July 25 interview made public Tuesday, the president said he canceled a CIA program to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels after weapons ended up in the hands of Al-Qaeda. Syria
Rouhani under fire over likely new Cabinet appointments In Iran, President Hassan Rouhani comes under fire from Reformists who demand more seats in his second-term Cabinet. Meanwhile, reports indicate that his campaign pledge to appoint female ministers will not be realized. Iran
Iran outflanking Saudi Arabia in Yemen Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen has allowed Iran more influence than ever in the region. Saudi Arabia
Trump’s options on the nuclear deal with Iran Before settling on an Iran policy, President Trump must take a holistic view of the US footprint in the region and move forward based on pragmatism. Russia
Maliki’s visit to Moscow reflects many facets Iraq’s vice president may have had upcoming elections and Iranian influence in mind when he visited Moscow recently. Iraq
Iran upholds sentences for Saudi Embassy attackers As Iran sent pilgrims for hajj after skipping the pilgrimage to Mecca in 2016, an Iranian court upheld the sentences of 10 individuals for an attack on the Saudi Embassy. Saudi Arabia
Ankara decries ‘provocative’ remarks by US anti-IS envoy Turkey continues to be concerned about the relationship between the United States and the Syrian Kurds. Iraq
Iran's economy a 'masterpiece of structural ambiguity' For President Hassan Rouhani to realize his campaign pledge to revive the Iranian economy, he must find a way to rein in the quasi-state sector. Iran
Trump risks fallout from Iran deal assault US President Donald Trump, in seeking options to exit the Iran nuclear deal, may jeopardize his administration’s goal of containing Iran’s other troubling behaviors. Congress