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October 18, 2026

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shoppers walking through the Tajrish Bazaar, a traditional market in Tehran

Analysis

As Iran’s oil lifeline runs dry, can it outlast Trump's economic siege?

The country's last barrels of crude stockpiled beyond the reach of a US naval blockade fell to zero in October, raising the stakes for Tehran amid mounting economic distress.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

US President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Oncenter Convention Center in Syracuse, New York, on Oct. 9, 2026.

Window for diplomacy with Iran may be closing as Trump again threatens Pickaxe Mountain

Israel still wary of Damascus, writes Ben Caspit from Israel; our correspondent in Tehran and Amberin Zaman explain how Iran and Turkey look to exploit Azerbaijan’s headscarf controversy; Qatar’s top diplomat offers energy assistance to Lebanon, Beatrice Farhat reports from Beirut.

Israeli troops stand guard on the dividing line between the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syrian, near Majdal Shams, July 16, 2025.

Analysis

'The problem and the solution': Netanyahu-Sharaa call exposes Israel's Syria dilemma

The Israeli leader revealed that he spoke with the Syrian president last year, but stalled talks and Israel's fortification of a security zone on Syrian land underscore his mistrust of Sharaa.

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

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 7, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Trump rules out US troops in Iran, leaves Pickaxe Mountain strike on the table

He did not dispute reports that the US military is weighing use of the "mother of all bombs."

Latest News

Israeli president meets FM Wang Yi as reports link China to Iran’s military buildup

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 15, 2026.

Who is Abdulrahman Alfozan, Saudi national charged in bugging OpenAI meetings?

Abdulrahman Alfozan in an undated photo

Exclusive

In bid to win over Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu may strike Yemen before elections

A giant electoral poster for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party with the slogan "no surrender" is displayed on the facade of a building in Tel Aviv on Sept. 29, 2026

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

Trump offers Iran path to nuclear deal while keeping up military pressure

US President Donald Trump speaks at the "Golden Age of American Innovation Summit" at the Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, on Oct. 8, 2026.

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

People sit at a market's cafe amid novel coronavirus spread concerns in the old quarter of Sanaa, Yemen June 2, 2020. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RC241H9ZK3EW

Intel: US offers no new funding at Yemen donor conference

The emergency aid pledged for Yemen’s humanitarian response plan at a June 2 donor conference falls short of what is needed, with the United States not offering any new funding at this time.

Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., votes to approve the second article of impeachment against President Donald Trump during a House Judiciary Committee meeting on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S., December 13, 2019. Patrick Semansky/Pool via REUTERS - RC2GUD9CQYPS

Intel: House Middle East panel chairman questions Trump’s commitment to two-state solution

The chairman of the House’s Middle East panel questioned the Donald Trump administration’s stated commitment to a two-state solution during a Zoom interview with the Israel Policy Forum today.

SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB Crowds of angry protestors line the motorcade route as seen from inside U.S. President Donald Trump's motorcade as he travels through Washington to visit the Saint John Paul II National Shrine as protests continue over the death in police custody of George Floyd, in Washington, U.S., June 2, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner - RC241H90KOXZ

Turkey ignores its own record, denouncing press clampdown in US protests

Turkish officials have denounced the crackdown on journalists in the United States, drawing criticism given Ankara's own record on press freedom.

Palestinians draw parallels between disabled man's killing, US police violence against black people

When an Israeli soldier shot to death a disabled unarmed Palestinian, it triggered an angry reaction around the world and especially in the United States, which has been dealing with its own police brutality against unarmed black men.

A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa June 29, 2014. The offshoot of al Qaeda which has captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria has declared itself an Islamic "Caliphate" and called on factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance, a statement posted on jihadist websites said on Sunday. The group, previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as ISIS, has renamed itself "Islamic State" and proclaimed its leader

US woman convicted of providing material support to Islamic State

Alison Marie Sheppard, 35, of Florida purchased 10 mobile phones and arranged to ship them to undercover officers posing as IS supporters.

Protesters rally against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Portland, Oregon, U.S. May 31, 2020. Picture taken May 31, 2020. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester - RC290H9GACGT

Iran officials weigh in on US protests

In today's Iran media review, Iranian officials have called out the United States over its response to peaceful protests.

Speaking via satellite feed from Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses AIPAC in Washington, U.S., March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1F1B026080

Intel: COVID-19 forces AIPAC to cancel 2021 conference

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is cancelling its 2021 conference in Washington amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, Jewish Insider reported on Sunday.

A man shouts slogans during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed Middle East peace plan, and a government's agreement to import natural gas from Israel, in Amman, Jordan, February 14, 2020. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RC2D0F9CTTZQ

Will West Bank annexation harm US-Jordan security cooperation?

There is too much at stake for Jordan to jeopardize its relations with the United States over Israel's plans to annex parts of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.

An Iranian cleric chants slogans as they gather to mourn during the forty days memorial, after the killing of Iran's Quds Force top commander Qassem Soleimani and the Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a U.S. air strike at Baghdad airport, at the "Valley of Peace" cemetery in Najaf, Iraq February 11, 2020. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC2BYE9HRC06

Pro-Iran militias in Iraq wage 'fake news' campaign against US

Several pro-Iran militias have lately claimed responsibility for attacking US forces in Iraq, but examining their media activities indicates they are probably fake groups created by existing militias to show strength without taking the risk of ramifications.

CARABOBO, VENEZUELA - MAY 26: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY √¢ MANDATORY CREDIT - "ECONOMY VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Iranian flagged fuel tanker 'Fortune' is seen after it was docked at El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, state of Carabobo, Venezuela, on May 26, 2020. (Photo by Economy Vice President's Office/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Fourth Iranian tanker reaches Venezuela as US ups pressure

A State Department official said it is warning companies about doing oil-related business with Venezuela as the ships continue to arrive.

Smoke rises from Mitiga Airport after being attacked in Tripoli, Libya February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Elumami - RC2O9F9S4FIK

What does Libya’s ‘Syrianization’ scenario mean for key actors?

Turkey may have gotten kudos for tipping the balance in Libya, but Russian countermoves raise the prospect of Turkish collaboration with Russia in the North African country, which is not to the liking of countries that have been giving plaudits to Ankara.

A British Royal Air Force Harrier GR7 groundcrew member cycles along the apron infront of a Patriot Missile defence system on his base in Kuwait April 6, 2003. [U.S. troops have a tight control on Baghdad airport and will move out from there in all directions, Jim Wilkinson, a spokesman for U.S. commander General Tommy Franks, said on Sunday.] - PBEAHUOQIBA

Intel: State Department approves $1.4 billion upgrade for Kuwait’s missile defenses

The US State Department approved Kuwait’s request for $1.425 billion in upgrades for the Gulf country’s Patriot missile defense systems.