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July 8, 2026

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Oil tankers and cargo vessels are anchored off the coast of Oman after being stranded for days as congestion at Port Sultan Qaboos has prevented them from docking on June 23, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for the region's oil and gas, was effectively blockaded since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran in late February. This week's provisional peace deal between the countries was meant to reopen the waterway to shipping traffic, but the pace of that reo

Oil prices ease as OPEC+ increases production, Hormuz traffic rebounds

Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.15% to $71.87 a barrel as of 8:07 a.m. EDT after dropping as low as $71.09 earlier in the session, its lowest level since before the US-Israel-Iran war began on Feb. 28.

A man walks past the flags of the countries attending the Gulf Cooperation Council summit at Bayan palace in Kuwait City on Dec. 5, 2017.

Analysis

How Iran war shaped divergent paths to security among GCC states

The Iran war left the Gulf more fragmented than united, with competing security strategies replacing any prospect of a common regional defense.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Oil drilling near Dakhiliyah in the desert region of Hasakah, Syria, Jan. 25, 2026.

Syria launches gas project with Saudi firm in latest Gulf energy partnership

The project is the latest in a series of Gulf-backed investments aimed at rebuilding Syria's energy sector after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and vessels sit anchored around Qaboos Port on June 22, 2026, in Muscat, Oman.

Oil falls below $71 as US-Iran talks continue, Gulf exports rebound

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in an X post on Wednesday that Iran and the United States had made "positive progress."

Latest News

Explainer

Saudi FM concludes China visit amid Trump-MBS friction: What to know

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud before a family photo for the attendees of a meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim-majority nations at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing on November 20, 2023. The international community must take urgent action to stop the "humanitarian disaster" unfolding in Gaza, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told visiting diplomats from Arab and Muslim-majority nations on Novembe

Saudi Arabia's FM heads to China amid differences with US on Iran war

PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, Senegal's President Macky Sall and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri attend the Future Investment Initiative Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 24, 2018. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC12E74599F0

Hariri turns witness for MBS defense

Crowd laughs at Saudi crown prince’s joke about Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s captivity; Can Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold the moral high ground in Jamal Khashoggi case?

Erdogan scores points in his foreign policy gamble

Turkish President Erdogan scores major diplomatic points from the Khashoggi case to the quadrilateral summit in Istanbul.

Abdullah al-Khawlani stands with his son, Hafidh, who survived a Saudi-led air strike stand on the wreckage of a bus destroyed by the strike in Saada, Yemen September 4, 2018. Another son of al-Khawlani was killed by the strike. Picture taken September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Naif Rahma - RC1F0E3F8DD0

Amid famine, anger at Khashoggi murder, will Saudis be pressed to end Yemen war?

UN warnings of unprecedented famine in Yemen, combined with US disgust at Saudi Arabia’s killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, could spur Congress to pressure the Donald Trump administration to force an end to the Saudi-led war.

Turkish police officers stand guard at the entrance of a car park where a vehicle belonging to Saudi Arabia's consulate was found, in Istanbul, Turkey October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - RC1E7AA5AE00

Istanbul police interrogate Saudi Consulate staff

The Turkish president has fallen quiet since a conversation with the Saudi crown prince, though the team investigating the alleged murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was blocked from searching a well at the consul general's residence.

A woman holds a portrait of missing journalist and Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi reading "Jamal Khashoggi is missing since October 2" during a demonstration in front of the Saudi Arabian consulate on October 9, 2018 in Istanbul. - Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, vanished last on October 2 after entering the Saudi Arabian consulate to receive official documents ahead of his marriage to a Turkish woman. A Turkish government source told AFP at the weekend that the police believe the journalist "was k

As Khashoggi slaying case evolves, so does Saudi story

A few countries are proclaiming strong support for Saudi Arabia, while others bide their time as the investigation unfolds.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama participates in a political rally for California Democratic candidates during a event in Anaheim, California, U.S., September 8, 2018. Left to right are candidates TJ Cox (CA-21), Gil Cisneros (CA-39), Katie Porter (CA-45), Harley Rouda (CA-48) and Mike Levin (CA-49). REUTERS/Mike Blake - RC1C008C89B0

Democratic midterm win threatens to constrain Trump’s Middle East policies

Democrats' victory in the House could impact US policy on Iran, Syria and Yemen.

A member of security staff is seen next to the barriers at the gate of Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, October 20, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC12AFAF48E0

Intel: Why Iran is blaming the US for Khashoggi’s death after three weeks of silence

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani listens during a news conference on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid - HP1EE9Q1DLYG4

Rouhani says Saudis wouldn't dare kill Khashoggi without US support

Largely tight-lipped on the Khashoggi killing so far, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani is now implicating the United States in Saudi Arabia's alleged assassination of a dissident journalist.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Jordan's King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein attend the investment conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RC1BE7550810

MBS chats with Erdogan as Khashoggi leaks flow

Turkey's president reportedly shared a phone call with the Saudi crown prince as information about the murder of a journalist in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul continues to trickle into the press.

Ankara seeks stable ties with Riyadh but demands answers on Khashoggi murder

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants those arrested in Saudi Arabia over the murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be tried in Turkey.

U.S. President Donald Trump gives remarks during the White House State Leadership Day Conference for local officials of Alaska, Hawaii and California at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis - RC1C2D3E9E00

Trump slams Saudi Khashoggi plot, US announces visa sanctions

US President Donald Trump heaped scorn on ally Saudi Arabia, saying the operation that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi was “very bad” and the cover-up in weeks afterward was the “worst … ever.”

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Tumay Berkin - RC1197CC2600

Erdogan offers few answers, no smoking gun in Khashoggi killing

The Turkish president shared few new details in his much anticipated public address on the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but made it clear that Ankara will continue pressure on Riyadh over the case.