Vaughn Cockayne

State Department urges Americans to leave Middle East as Iran war escalates

U.S. citizens hoping to evacuate the Middle East amid the war with Iran on Tuesday received an automated message on the State Department hotline saying that Washington could not assist them.

March 4, 2026

Trump says U.S. can fight ‘forever’ as Iran keeps up retaliatory campaign against Gulf states

The U.S. has enough ammunition to fight "forever" while most of Iran's military assets have been destroyed, President Trump said Tuesday, as the U.S.-Israeli campaign targeted a key meeting of Iranian leaders and the State Department scrambled to evacuate Americans trapped in the Middle East.

March 3, 2026

U.S. shuts down its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as Iran’s retaliation expands

The U.S. closed its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Tuesday and ordered nonessential personnel to evacuate across the region following missile and drone strikes from Iran overnight.

March 3, 2026

Iran conflict shakes global energy markets as shipping lanes close, Tehran attacks Gulf refineries

Iran's scattershot response to the weekend's joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes has widened the conflict into a regional crisis that could have long-lasting implications for the world's energy markets.

March 2, 2026

Danish shipping company Maersk to halt, divert vessels amid Middle East military conflict

The military conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran is starting to disrupt trade in regional waters.

March 1, 2026

Killing of Iran’s supreme leader triggers succession crisis as U.S.-Israeli airstrikes continue

The killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by U.S. and Israeli forces on Saturday has triggered a succession crisis in the Islamic republic that has implications for Iran's future and regional stability.

March 1, 2026

Three U.S. troops killed in fight for what Trump calls ‘great deal’ for world

Three U.S. service members have been killed and five others seriously wounded in Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israel airstrike attack on Iran, U.S. Central Command said Sunday.

March 1, 2026

Israel targets Iranian leaders in strikes Sunday, as Iran vows revenge for death of supreme leader

The White House is open to talks with new leadership in Tehran, President Trump said Sunday, even as Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf states and the U.S. military suffered its first deaths in the campaign against the Islamic republic.

March 1, 2026

Russia urges diplomacy as neighbors Afghanistan, Pakistan declare ‘open war’

Russia on Friday pressed leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan to cease hostilities and to come to a diplomatic solution.

February 27, 2026

‘Significant progress’ cited in third round of Iran nuclear talks as U.S. forces poised to strike

The U.S. and Iran made "significant progress" Thursday in high-stakes negotiations in Geneva to curb Tehran's nuclear programs, the Omani foreign minister who mediated the meetings said, though neither side confirmed anything close to a deal despite a massive buildup of American military firepower in the region aimed at forcing Iranian concessions.

February 26, 2026

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink says U.S. needs to ‘supercharge’ its defense industrial base

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said this week the U.S. needs to rapidly scale its production of current weapons systems and expedite the manufacture of future weapons.

February 26, 2026

China looks to expand economic footprint in developing Syria as Damascus turns to Washington, Riyadh

China's initial investments in Syria's post-war reconstruction could pose serious security risks for the region, advocates say, even as Damascus increasingly turns to the U.S. and Saudi Arabia for its most expensive projects.

February 26, 2026

Iran’s nuclear program appears operational, despite Trump’s assertion it was ‘obliterated’

President Trump insists Iran's nuclear program was "obliterated" by last year's U.S. airstrikes. But Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump's special envoy, said recently the Islamic republic is about a week away from having enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb. Which is it?

February 25, 2026

Iran’s military conducts new round of drills amid U.S. pressure

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out a fresh round of drills in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday amid the U.S. military buildup in the region, according to state-affiliated media.

February 24, 2026

Secretary of State Rubio to meet with Caribbean leaders this week amid Cuban energy crisis

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit the Caribbean islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday to meet with regional leaders on economic, security and immigration issues.

February 23, 2026

U.S. troops pulling out of largest base in northeast Syria as withdrawal continues

U.S. military personnel began leaving the Qasrak base in northeast Syria on Monday as part of a larger drawdown of U.S. military assets in the region, according to news reports.

February 23, 2026

Washington intensifies military buildup in Middle East as Trump considers strikes on Iran

President Trump could order strikes on targets in Iran as early as this weekend, reports this week indicated, as the Pentagon continues a massive military buildup in the region and U.S. negotiators continue diplomatic talks with Iranian officials.

February 19, 2026

Iran closes Strait of Hormuz for live-fire drills as Tehran, Washington talk nuclear deal

Tehran sent alarming signals across the Middle East on Tuesday by partially closing for the first time the Strait of Hormuz, a key strategic waterway, for hours ahead of high-stakes nuclear negotiations between Iranian and U.S. officials in Geneva.

February 17, 2026

Second round of U.S.-Iran talks offer some signs of progress

The second round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks concluded in Geneva on Tuesday as both sides look to find a diplomatic solution to Tehran's nuclear program.

February 17, 2026

Russia threatens retaliation if Europe seizes oil tankers

Moscow is prepared to deploy naval assets to protect its vessels from seizure by European powers, a senior Russian intelligence official said Tuesday, as Western nations ramp up their fight against the country's shadow fleet.

February 17, 2026