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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."

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Who is Melat Kiros, the pro-Palestinian who unseated a longtime Democrat?

Kiros has taken a hard stance against Israel and opposes all aid to the country as pro-Palestinian candidates make further inroads in the party.

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

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

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

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

A rebel fighter prepares his weapon on the outskirts of the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, Syria February 1, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTX2Z78Z

Defense spending bill bans funding for MANPADS in Syria

Congress released legislation on Thursday that would hamstring the Trump administration's ability to deliver shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to vetted rebels.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini at the State Department in Washington, U.S., February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RTX30C9R

What EU’s Mogherini, Tillerson agreed on

European Union leaders are exploring new policies on the Middle East, including the idea of convening a Madrid II conference.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends a news conference after a meeting with his counterparts Walid al-Muallem from Syria and Sergei Lavrov from Russia in Moscow, Russia, October 28, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - RTX2QU7H

Did Iran’s foreign minister write to Tillerson?

An Iranian hard-line member of parliament has claimed that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is engaged in correspondence with the US secretary of state.

Fighters of the Manbij military council, allied to Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), take an overwatch position in the southern rural area of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria June 1, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo - RTX2ONCT

Will Turkey attack Kurds in Manbij or move on to Raqqa?

Now that the Syrian army has blocked the road from al-Bab to Raqqa, Turkey may instead assault Manbij, which won’t be easy.

89th Academy Awards - Oscars Backstage - Hollywood, California, U.S. - 26/02/17 - Anousheh Ansari and Firouz Naderi pose with the Oscar they accepted on behalf of Asghar Farhadi, who won the Best Foreign Language Film for "The Salesman". REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTS10HRL

How Iran's hard-line media reacted to Oscar win

While Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar for “The Salesman” was warmly welcomed by moderates and Reformists, the hard-line media tried to discredit the achievement, opining the award was politically motivated.

A man inspects a damaged house after an airstrike on al-Yadouda village, in Deraa Governorate, Syria February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Faqir - RTSYUBP

What is Russia’s role in Syria and the 'post-West' world order?

Russia is not wasting time while the new US administration gets its bearings on Syria and the rest of the world.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) listens to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (2ndR) at the start of a meeting at the World Conference Center in Bonn, Germany February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/POOL - RTSYYRN

US should test Russia on Islamic State

With the complicated regional dynamics of the Syrian war, the US could benefit from Russian assistance.

U.S. President Donald Trump walks out from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., en route to CPAC, February 24, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RTS1060Z

Despite tough talk, US unlikely to take on Iranian forces in Iraq

The new US administration has adopted strict stances toward Iran, but any military clash between the United States and the factions Iran supports in Iraq would only increase Iranian influence.

Israeli soldiers stand guard near the entrance to Allenby Bridge, a crossing point between Jordan and the occupied West Bank, near the West Bank town of Jericho March 10, 2014. Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian on Monday at the crossing point, Israeli and Palestinian security officials said. The Israeli military said the man had tried to seize a soldier's gun at the Allenby bridge, which spans the Jordan River, and that troops had then shot him. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS

Are Israel's border police blocking entry of human rights activists?

Human rights organizations claim that Israel’s border police prevent the entry of activists who are critical of the government's occupation policy.

Yahya Sinwar (C), the new leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, arrives for the opening of a new mosque in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip on February 24, 2017. / AFP / SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran pulls Palestine from the margins

The Iranian leadership turns out in force for Palestinian conference; Turkey’s victory in al-Bab may be a prelude to a showdown with the Syrian Kurds.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (L) (R-TN) talks with ranking member Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) pror to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Rex Tillerson's nomination to be U.S. secretary of state, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX2YI4X

GOP divided over calling out Assad war crimes

Two-thirds of the Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee declined to join their chairman’s call for accountability for Syrian war crimes.

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a lunch with members of the U.S. military during a visit at the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and Special Operations Command (SOCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida, U.S., February 6, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2ZWGG

Turkey, Kurds project confidence as Pentagon plans next Syria moves

With the Pentagon close to producing new plans to defeat the Islamic State in Syria, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units and Turkish leaders both insist that the United States will pursue an alliance with them, and US officials keep feeding hopes on both sides.