Middle East conflict

August 5, 2026 11:19 PM

Trump says US held ‘all-day negotiation’ with Iran on Tuesday

U.S. President Donald Trump said there was an "all-day negotiation" on Tuesday with Iran, characterizing the talks positively while also threatening to hit Iran "really hard" if a deal with Tehran was not reached. DETAILS AND QUOTES: "They had an all-day negotiation," Trump told Fox News' "@ Night with Trace Gallagher" show. "We are having very good discussions," he added. Qatar said on Tuesday mediators were making progress in efforts to end the Iran war, although Tehran has denied Trump's ...

August 5, 2026 12:43 AM

Qatar says progress made toward US-Iran talks on ending war

Qatar said on Tuesday mediators were making progress in efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war, driving oil prices lower, although Tehran has denied President Donald Trump's assertion that talks are already under way. Benchmark Brent crude fell more than 4% after the comments from Qatar, extending Monday's steep losses on hopes that an arrangement could soon be reached to restore traffic through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. But for now, the strait remained virtually shut, with another ship coming ...

August 4, 2026 12:19 AM

Trump says Iran faces ‘decapitation’ if it doesn’t strike deal

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said Iran faced "decapitation" if it did not agree a pact to end the conflict between the two nations, saying Tehran had one last chance to strike a deal. "I think we're going to maybe get something, but I want to give them every last chance before decapitation," he said, reiterating a threat to launch a major attack on Iran. Earlier on Monday, after Iran said there were no talks under way, Trump slammed what he called Iran's "unbelievably duplicitous" lea...

August 4, 2026 12:16 AM

Analysis: How Iran is widening its pressure campaign to force US concessions

Iran is betting it can outlast Washington by turning the Middle East's trade routes, shipping lanes and energy infrastructure into pressure points that steadily raise the cost of confrontation, according to Gulf officials and analysts. Rather than seeking a decisive military victory, Tehran is pursuing a strategy of calibrated escalation aimed at widening the conflict without triggering full-scale war. The goal, they say, is to convince the United States and its allies that containing the cris...

August 2, 2026 5:11 PM

Trump says he will hold off on fresh Iran attack in hope of quick deal

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. will hold off on a fresh attack on Iran as long as a deal can be reached quickly to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said late on Saturday on his Truth Social platform that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked for time to complete a deal that would lead to "the Immediate, Complete and Total" reopening of the vital strait and "an end to Iran's nuclear threat". He did not name the countries in the post, whi...

August 1, 2026 1:17 AM

EAM Jaishankar urges Iran to prevent attacks on commercial shipping, reaffirms India’s support for dialogue

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday expressed India's deep concern over the escalating hostilities in West Asia and strongly urged Iran to ensure that commercial shipping and seafarers are not targeted under any circumstances. During a telephonic conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, EAM Jaishankar reiterated India's longstanding position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy to address the ongoing regional crisis. In a post on X, the External Affairs Min...

July 31, 2026 5:10 PM

Explainer: What is US President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’?

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday his so-called Board of Peace reached a deal for the total disarmament ‌of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory. Trump said the agreement was "historic" and will be implemented in phases, with Israeli forces, which control about two-thirds of Gaza as of late April, withdrawing from the territory as disarmament proceeds. The "Board of Peace" initiative has been criticized by rights advocates...

July 31, 2026 5:07 PM

Israel must approve Trump agreement before Hamas will implement, says Hamas official

Implementation of the deal to bring peace to Gaza announced by U.S. President Donald Trump will depend on Israel first meeting its commitments under an agreement reached last year, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Friday. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump announced a "major milestone" towards ending the war in Gaza, saying his "Board of Peace" had reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups. The announcement followed months o...

July 29, 2026 9:21 PM

Major Gulf fighting resumes as US and Saudi strike Iran’s allies in Iraq

The United States and Saudi Arabia jointly struck Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq on Wednesday, the first U.S. airstrikes in the Middle East since President Donald Trump suspended the U.S. bombing campaign against Iran last week. Iran, for its part, rejected an Omani proposal to jointly manage the Strait of Hormuz and said it had fired on ships in the strait and at U.S. bases in Jordan. The renewed combat and diplomatic setbacks pushed oil prices up for the first time since last week, signall...

A funeral ceremony is held in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 22, 2025, for Hac Abu Ali al-Khalil, the Iraqi bodyguard of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, along with his son Mehdi al-Khalil and Islamic Resistance leader Haydar al-Mousavi, who were killed in Israeli attacks targeting Iran.

July 29, 2026 5:51 PM

Explainer: Who are Iraq’s Iranian-backed armed groups?

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have struck Iran-backed Shi'ite armed groups in Iraq, which the allies said were responsible for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. The attacks have put the spotlight on the militias that wield enormous political and military power in Iraq. HOW DID THE MILITIAS BECOME INFLUENTIAL IN IRAQ? The Shi'ite groups sprang up as Tehran steadily entrenched itself in Iraqi politics and security matters after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq toppled President Saddam Hussein in ...