Gulf

Iran 'not serious' about talks, US remains open to Middle East negotiations, Rubio says

Marco Rubio spoke at a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila, saying that if Iran does not take diplomacy seriously, the US will "do what's necessary" to protect its interests.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with U.S. on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 22, 2026.
President Isaac Herzog speaks at a conference in Herzliya, June 30, 2026.

Herzog, Saudi official interviews revive Saudi-Israel ties amid Iran strikes on Gulf - analysis

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 18, 2026

Beyond the battlefield: Why Iran is entering the final stage of strategic attrition - opinion

World leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani pose for a family photo, at a world leaders' summit on October 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Arab leaders tell Trump that Netanyahu is an 'obstacle' to the president's Mideast plans - report


US conducts 'self-defense strikes' in southern Iran as IDF strikes on Hezbollah intensify

Iran's president orders reopening of international internet access • IDF strikes city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, following surge in Hezbollah drone attacks

US President Donald Trump as he points while delivering remarks about health care costs and affordability from an auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, DC, US, May 18, 2026.

Gulf states couldn't bear cost of another war, pressure Trump to avoid attacking Iran - analysis

The Gulf countries, meanwhile, understood that they would bear much of the immediate cost of restarting the war against the Islamic regime.

US President Donald Trump attends a GCC summit photo session in Riyadh, alongside Qatari, Saudi, and  Bahraini leaders, May 2025.

Iran’s oil gamble could turn Gulf attrition into Tehran’s own nightmare - opinion

As attacks spread across Gulf energy infrastructure, Iran may discover its own oil economy cannot survive prolonged attrition.

Smoke rises above Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 5, 2026

Voices from the Arab press: Gulf tensions over Iran deepen regional fears

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

US President Donald Trump attends a GCC summit photo session in Riyadh, alongside Qatari, Saudi, and  Bahraini leaders, May 2025.

New US-Iran deal fails to address missiles, proxies as Iran agrees in principle to uranium disposal

Trump says Iran blockade stays until deal signed • Iran claims legal right to manage Hormuz strait • Spanish police filmed beating flotilla activists

PEOPLE RIDE motorcycles near a billboard with an image of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, May 19, 2026.

Iran is consolidating control of Hormuz with checkpoints, diplomatic deals, and fees

With Iran now in de facto control of the strait, the system can involve government-to-government arrangements, intense vetting by the Iranian government, and sometimes fees in exchange for passage.

 A drone view shows the Malta-flagged tanker Agios Fanourios I, an oil tanker that sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, arriving in Iraq's territorial waters off Basra, Iraq, April 17, 2026.

Mossad chief, Shin Bet head visited UAE to coordinate during Operation Roaring Lion - report

The report comes just after the WSJ published that the UAE was behind some of the recent strikes against Iranian assets, such as the attacks on Lavan Island's refinery at the beginning of April.

Mossad chief David Barnea (L) and Shin Bet chief David Zini at a Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem's Old City, April 20, 2026.

Hezbollah drone strikes Iron Dome battery, Trump calls latest Iranian proposal 'unacceptable'

Trump condemns Iran's behavior of past 47 years • IDF, US ran covert rescue ops. from Iraq during Iran war • Qatari tanker struck by drone near Strait of Hormuz

An Iron Dome Missile Battery seen near Tel Aviv on May 10, 2023.

Are there any winners in unfinished Iran war? - analysis

Explosions, US self-defense strikes, and renewed clashes near the Strait of Hormuz show how unresolved maritime leverage, Gulf vulnerability, and political deadlock could push the conflict further.

 An illustrative image of the silhouettes of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to a backdrop of their respective countries' flags.

Suspected oil spill seen on satellite images near Iran's Kharg Island export hub, Iran denies

The cause of the oil spill, which appears to cover the waters west of the 8-kilometer island, is still unknown.

A satellite image shows likely oil spill covering dozens of square kilometers near Iran's Kharg Island, May 6, 2026.