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July 3, 2026

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Motorists drive past a billboard bearing a picture of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, ahead of his funeral in Tehran on July 3, 2026. Iranian leaders began paying their respects on July 3 before the coffin of the country's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei's body arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on July 3 ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. (Photo by AFP via Ge

Analysis

As US-Iran talks falter, Israel views war outcome as 'total strategic failure’

Israeli officials believe the US failure to attain the kind of agreement with Iran that it originally sought stems from the strategic mistakes made during and after the recent war.

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

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

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

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

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

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

Iranian students holding pictures of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stand in front of an anti U.S. mural, painted on the wall of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran November 4, 2011. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2TLUF

Anti-US talk dominates Iranian media on anniversary of hostage crisis

Across Iran, solemn speeches on the anniversary of the 1979 US Embassy takeover praised Tehran's defiance and expressed reservations about engaging with Washington.

Women hold anti-U.S. banners during a demonstration outside the former U.S. embassy in Tehran November 4, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX1UOX7

Does Iranian law consider US a hostile state?

Although Iran and the United States have been in a near-constant state of hostility over the past 3½ decades, it is still unclear whether the United States is technically an "enemy state" according to Iranian law.

Graffiti is seen on a damaged building in Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria November 2, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail - RTX2RKHG

US cool to Russia pause in Aleppo strikes

Washington expressed skepticism about Russia’s plan to extend a pause in airstrikes on Aleppo until Nov. 4 so those needing medical care and opposition fighters could leave the city.

Protesters and family members of 9/11 victims protest in front of the White House regarding President Barack Obama's threatened veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) in Washington, U.S., September 20, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron - RTSOMWN

Saudis turn to US states in bid to repeal 9/11 bill

Riyadh’s latest lobbying push aims to enroll state governors.

Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton finish their third and final 2016 presidential campaign debate at UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2PMHB

Arabs seek new partnership with next US president

A new poll shows widespread distrust but reliance on the United States.

A rebel fighter stands near a Turkish tank as it fires towards Guzhe village, northern Aleppo countryside, Syria October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2P879

What is Turkey up to in northern Syria?

As Turkey advances in northern Syria as part of its Euphrates Shield offensive, taking control of al-Bab and Manbij would give Ankara access to the Aleppo front.

A member of the Tunisian army's special units stands in front of military equipement offered to Tunisia by the United States, on May 12, 2016, at a military base in Tunis.
The United States delivered military hardware to Tunisia to help the North African country hit by several Islamic State group attacks secure its borders and battle terrorism. The US deputy assistant secretary of defence for African affairs, said the military equipment was part of a $20 million package destined to bolster Tunisia's militar

Where does US-Tunisian military cooperation end?

Tunisians are opposed to the US-Tunisian military cooperation under the pretext of fighting terrorism, claiming that it undermines the country’s sovereignty and independence.

Houthi followers watch as their leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi delivers a speech during a rally commemorating the death of Imam Zaid bin Ali in Sanaa, Yemen October 26, 2016. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RTX2QLC8

Is Yemen headed for partition?

An open-ended cease-fire is needed for Yemen, but a de facto partition of the country is more likely.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada, August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein/File Photo - RTX2N5T7

Clinton and Trump going all in as Election Day nears

With less than 10 days until Election Day, both major party nominees are campaigning hard in battleground states.

A U.S. fighter, who is fighting alongside with Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), carries his national flag as he stands with SDF fighters in northern province of Raqqa, Syria May 27, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX2EIZN

Who will liberate Raqqa?

The United States says a military operation to isolate the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa needs to get underway within weeks, but Turkey as well as Washington’s Syrian Arab allies oppose any plan to use Kurdish forces to take the city.

Tunisian soldiers and police patrol the area of Mount Salloum near Algeria's border in Kasserine, Tunisia July 4, 2015. Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a state of emergency on Saturday, saying the Islamist militant attack on a beach hotel that killed 38 foreigners had left the country "in a state of war". Picture taken July 4, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer - RTX1J484

Two Americans detained in tense Tunisia border town

Matters got interesting after two American brothers in their early 30s traveled to a Tunisian town near the Algerian border.

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter with Milan anti tank weapon guards against possible Islamic State suicide bomb attacks during a battle with Islamic State militants at Topzawa village, near Bashiqa, near Mosul, Iraq October 24, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah - RTX2Q845

The many dimensions of Mosul, and what comes next

There's much more at play in Mosul than a campaign for its immediate liberation from the Islamic State.