United States - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

White House, Washington DC, United States of America

United States

October 13, 2026

Washington D.C. 5:49 am

14°C

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.

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

Iran has previously discussed compromises on enrichment.

GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA - OCTOBER 05: U.S. President Donald Trump wraps up an appearance at a campaign rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds on October 05, 2026 in Grand Island, Nebraska. Trump is campaigning for incumbent U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Gov. Jim Pillen ahead of the November midterm elections. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Analysis

Deal or war? Israel fears fallout from Trump’s next move on Iran

Israel is struggling to decipher the White House’s intentions toward Iran, given Washington's contradictions around launching a fresh military campaign.

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

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at the Pnyx hill, where ancient Athenians held democratic assemblies, with the ancient Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis seen in the background, in Athens on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

Rubio says Iran ‘lost’ Hormuz. Has it?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Iran has “lost complete control” of the waterway, pointing to the recovery in Gulf oil exports in September.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Trump-Xi summit did not move the China needle away from Iran

US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping hold a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office

Yun Sun

In Washington, DC, reporting on China-Middle East ties

Analysis

Gulf oil exports are back, but how durable is recovery?

nyse

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Turkey revives F-16 talks with US amid Israel, Greece deterrence concerns

Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Trump’s integration policies build on Gulf, Turkey ties and Syria success

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 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

Armed Yemeni tribesmen join Houthi fighters riding military vehicles during an anti-US and Israel rally on the outskirts of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on Jan. 16, 2025.

Senate Republicans sponsor bill to redesignate Yemen's Houthis as terror outfit

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair says a stronger stance on Yemen's Houthi rebels will be part of Trump's renewed maximum pressure campaign against Iran.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a joint statement in the East Room of the White House on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. The news conference was held to announce the Trump administration's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

Analysis

Netanyahu goes all in on Trump: Accepts Gaza deal, shifts to Saudi Arabia and Iran

Netanyahu did everything within his power to delay the deal in the months leading up to the US presidential elections. Diplomatic sources say the Israeli premier was eager to hand Donald Trump credit for the ceasefire.

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

US President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club on Jan. 07, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump, Biden vie for credit as Gaza ceasefire awaits Israel’s approval

The president-elect’s nominees for top positions are talking tough as the ceasefire with Israel hangs in the balance.

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) displays a map with the 2021 bases/facilities with reported U.S. access agreements during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan at the Rayburn House Office building on Capitol Hill on September 29, 2021 in Washington, DC. The committee held the hearing “to receive testimony on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and plans for future counterterrorism operations.” (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

After Gaza deal, Trump's top adviser says Saudi-Israel normalization 'huge priority'

Trump’s next national security adviser, Mike Waltz, emphasized on Wednesday that the incoming administration will place Saudi-Israel normalization atop its agenda now that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas seems imminent.

US President Joe Biden (C) delivers remarks on the recently announced ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

How the Gaza ceasefire deal came together

At the last minute, negotiators in Doha managed to seal the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal that had eluded the Biden administration for more than 15 months.

Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, president of Sudan, delivers a national statement during the high level segment on day two of the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Conference at Baku Stadium on Nov. 12, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

US unveils sanctions on Sudan's army chief Burhan

The move comes over a week after the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

US Army Gen. Erik Kurilla arrives to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his nomination to the next commander of the US Central Command, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC, Feb. 8, 2022.

CENTCOM chief in Israel as Biden, Trump clinch Gaza ceasefire deal

Army Gen. Erik Kurilla's latest trip to Israel came in the final days of Biden's presidency, as White House officials sought to capitalize on the broad defeat of the IRGC's multinational bulwark of armed militias.

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for CIA director, John Ratcliffe, appears for a Senate Intelligence confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Trump's CIA pick warns of Iran nuclear advancements in confirmation hearing

In his confirmation hearing, John Ratcliffe spoke about Iran's development of nuclear weapons, evidence of Syria's Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons and the FISA.

US President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, speaks during a Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Hegseth stresses support for Israel as Senate Dems grill Trump’s Pentagon pick

In a contentious hearing, the former Fox News host signaled a loosening of rules of engagement for troops abroad and stressed his "robust" support for Israel, yet offered few specifics on how he would tackle the Pentagon’s biggest challenges.

An Israeli soldier looks at a memorial wall for Israeli people and soldiers who were killed since the Oct. 7 deadly Hamas attack.

Here are main Netanyahu and Hamas compromises in proposed Gaza deal

Details are beginning to surface about a potential deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, on Jan. 14, 2025.

Blinken offers blueprint for post-war Gaza in final speech

The outgoing chief US diplomat laid out his vision for Gaza’s future as negotiators appeared on the brink of a cease-fire.

President Joe Biden speaks during an event at the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Jan. 10, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Biden defends foreign policy legacy as Gaza ceasefire deal 'on the brink'

President Joe Biden's final foreign policy speech came as negotiators rush to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal before he leaves office.