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July 2, 2026

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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

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) carry their weapons as they take positions in the northeastern city of Hasaka, Syria, August 20, 2016. Picture taken August 20, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2MEE9

Washington quietly rebuffs Turkish delegation’s anti-YPG efforts

A high-level delegation of Turkish Foreign Ministry, military and intelligence officials has failed to persuade the United States to exclude the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units from a planned offensive to liberate Raqqa.

White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (C) arrives prior to a joint news conference between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSYJ9R

Could Flynn actually have been good for Iran-US relations?

Iranian media generally accept that Michael Flynn, who resigned after 23 days as US national security adviser, was an anti-Iran hawk, though some believe his relations with Russia could have proved useful in changing the Trump administration’s policies toward Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a joint news conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTSYUDS

Palestinians work for Abbas-Trump meeting next

After positive meetings with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, the Palestinian leadership believes it is in the interest of President Donald Trump to also hear the Palestinian side of the story.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) laughs with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint news conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTSYUD8

Trump and Netanyahu's White House vanity fair

Israel and the Palestinians need a determined and well-informed US president who can promote the establishment of a Palestinian state while normalizing Israel’s relations with Arab countries, not the other way around.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) (R) speaks as Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) (L) listens during a press availability after a House Democratic Caucus meeting January 15, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The Democratic members briefed the media on the Democratic legislative agenda for the 113th Congress, including the Disaster Relief Appropriations for victims of superstorm Sandy and tougher gun control measures. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty I

Jewish lawmakers rip Trump over two-state walkback

Jewish Democrats warn that the Israeli right's push for a one-state solution risks endangering bipartisan support for the Jewish state.

Palestinians launch massive appeal to Trump

Palestinians enthusiastically respond to a letter-writing campaign designed to draw US President Donald Trump's attention to their cause.

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani takes part in a press conference near the United Nations General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., September 22, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTSP0V5

Will Trump turn Rouhani into hawk?

Caught between US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and calls for a harsher stance at home, Iran’s moderate president must sooner rather than later find a way to solve this dilemma.

U.S. President Donald Trump (2ndR) and first lady Melania Trump greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara (L) as they arrive at the South Portico of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTSYTO4

Why Netanyahu won't abandon two-state solution

Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done nothing to advance a two-state solution, his repeated assertions in support of it have nonetheless shifted thinking in the Likud Party.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) speaks to Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump during their meeting in New York, September 25, 2016. Kobi Gideon/Government Press Office (GPO)/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX2SIOS

Netanyahu arrives to Trump White House in turmoil

The Israeli prime minister, who has long hoped to work with a Republican US president, arrives to a White House in crisis, but early enough, he hopes, to influence policies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of Russia's General Staff Valery Gerasimov attend a meeting with top military officials at the Defence Ministry in Moscow, Russia December 22, 2016. Sputnik/Kremlin/Alexei Nikolskyi via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX2W5YN

Are Russia, US ready to cooperate on Syria and beyond?

Moscow is taking a wait-and-see position as the new US administration takes shape, but Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to see the potential for military and political cooperation with the US not witnessed since World War II.

ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH
The man credited with smuggling 50,000 photos said to document Syrian government atrocities, a Syrian Army defector known by the protective alias Caesar (disguised in a hooded blue jacket, C), prepares to speak at a briefing to the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington July 31, 2014. Also pictured is Committee Chairman U.S. Representative Ed Royce (R-CA) (top, 2nd R). REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLIT

Congress preparing new round of Syria sanctions

The House and Senate are ready to take on Russia's support for Damascus but differ on timing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool - RTSY9AO

Netanyahu won't cut any deals in Trump's office

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's commitment to the two-state solution changes entirely depending on the public or person he is trying to please, and he couldn't advocate it at his Feb. 15 meeting at the White House even if he wanted to.