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April 25, 2026

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A person walks past the closed Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on Jan. 7, 2021, in New York City.

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years.

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (R) holds a signed "Make America Great Again" hat while (L-R) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad listen to US President Donald Trump speak during a meeting with Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. US President Donald Trump met Lebanese and Israeli envoys at a new round of peace talks Thursday, with Beirut seeking a one-month extension of a

Analysis

Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps

Some Israelis worry the US president might force them to accept an unsatisfactory agreement driven by his inability to secure a tangible achievement in Iran.

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

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via Getty Images

How are Iran-linked tankers still moving through Hormuz blockade?

At least 19 Iran-linked tankers have passed through the US blockade on the strait to exit the Gulf while at least 15 have entered, according to the cargo-tracking group Vortexa.

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel sees chance of US-Iran deal as almost 'non-existent,' readies for war

As US President Trump makes contradictory statements regarding his intentions toward Iran and the ongoing negotiations, Israel is preparing for the possibility of resuming military operations.

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

Latest News

US boards Iran-linked tanker in Indian Ocean, vows pursuit of 'ghost fleet'

TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 14: A US Navy Seahawk helicopter takes off from the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan on July 14, 2017 in Townsville, Australia. USS Ronald Reagan is a 1,092- foot aircraft carrier which carries a crew of 4,539 around 60 aircraft. Exercise Talisman Sabre is the largest combined military exercise undertaken in Australia. The biennial exercise is the principal Australian and U.S. military training activity. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Interview

Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable'

Olmert

Trump says Iran deal could happen 'quickly' as Pakistan readies talks: What to know

US Vice President JD Vance (C) walks with Pakistan's Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir (L), and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials on April 11, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Could UAE tap US currency swap line as Iran war strains Gulf economies?

Haruna Furuhashi /Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

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

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

Iran declares 3 days of mourning after Soleimani killing

Iranian leaders have vowed revenge after the killing of the Quds Force chief commander, Qasem Soleimani, by a US drone strike.

Soleimani’s assassination unites Iranians

The assassination of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani has shocked Iranians into unity.

How Russia is reading the killing of Qasem Soleimaini

Moscow weighs the implications of the elimination of one of the Middle East's most powerful men.

US allies, Democrats express concerns after assassination of Iran’s Soleimani

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called for de-escalation after the killing of Iran's Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani, but international allies and Democratic senators are openly skeptical about Pompeo’s claim that his assassination was wise.

TEHRAN, IRAN - SEPTEMBER 18 : Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani attends Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's (not seen) meeting with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Tehran, Iran on September 18, 2016. (Photo by Pool / Press Office of Iranian Supreme Leader/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Israel’s security chiefs fear possible Iran war

Israel’s defense sector lauded the killing of Qasem Soleimani, but is bracing for an aggressive reaction by Iran and an escalation of regional tensions.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani uses a walkie-talkie at the frontline during offensive operations against Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province March 8, 2015. Picture taken March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT POLITICS) - GM1EB3I1GO301

US strike on Iranian military leader sparks escalation fears

President Donald Trump authorized a US strike that killed the influential Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani in Iraq early Friday morning, the Pentagon said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks on human rights in Iran at the State Department in Washington, U.S., December 19, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott - RC2GYD9O9ZC9

Intel: US marshals diplomatic support after Iraq embassy attack

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is busy marshalling support for the United States in the region as Iraq becomes ground zero in the escalating feud between Washington and Tehran.

Iran VP denies Tehran behind attack inside Iraq

Iranian officials have reiterated comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that they will not start the war but will fight back against an invasion.

Pentagon: Preemptive strikes on table to deter Iran in Iraq

The Pentagon could make preemptive strikes to protect US forces and personnel in Iraq, top Pentagon officials said today.

US Embassy attack backfires on Iran-backed militias in Iraq

The attack against the US Embassy in Baghdad by Iranian militias inside Iraq received no support from the Iraqi public and sparked much criticism against Iran, which led the militias to end the attack before achieving any of their goals.

Hashd al-Shaabi (paramilitary forces) fighters set the U.S. Embassy wall on fire as they protest to condemn air strikes on their bases, in Baghdad, Iraq December 31, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC2E6E95X08Z

Pro-Iranian militias behind US Embassy attack in Baghdad

The attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad by Iran-backed militias has escalated the tension between Iran and the United States.

Iran's Rouhani under fire over 'peace time' promises

Iran's hard-liners have opened a new front line against President Hassan Rouhani after he tried to justify the failure of campaign pledges he made before the current "war time."