Vaughn Cockayne

Russia, China, India meet at consequential summit in Kyrgyzstan

Leaders of Russia, China, India and Iran will meet this week in Kyrgyzstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, as the non-Western partners look to strengthen ties amid growing world tension.

August 31, 2026

Iran launches retaliatory strikes on Jordan, UAE after U.S. attacks in Strait of Hormuz

Iran launched retaliatory strikes Monday in the Middle East after the U.S. military attacked an Iranian-held island in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, marking the countries' first kinetic exchange since July.

August 31, 2026

Treasury announces new sanctions on Egyptian bank’s UAE branch

The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday announced new restrictions on the United Arab Emirates branch of the Egyptian state-owned bank Banque Misr as part of Operation Economic Outcast, the Trump administration's new strategy to economically isolate Iran.

August 28, 2026

‘Economic terrorism’: Iran warns other countries against enforcing U.S. sanctions

Iran on Friday urged its international trading partners not to abide by new U.S. sanctions targeting Tehran, insisting that attempts to economically isolate the country are "illegal and unjustified."

August 28, 2026

Qatar discusses Hormuz plan with Iranian officials as mediation efforts continue

Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, continued his Iran war mediation efforts, meeting Thursday with Iranian officials as the conflict nears its six-month mark.

August 27, 2026

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz stays closed until the U.S. meets its terms

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps again said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. respects the terms of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

August 26, 2026

Kremlin: CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials but not Putin

The Kremlin said Wednesday that CIA Director John Ratcliffe joined Russian intelligence officials for talks Tuesday during his visit to Moscow but did not meet with President Vladimir Putin.

August 26, 2026

Iran’s affordable terror-for-hire network built to outlast the war

When teenager Atilla Azimov murdered a man in Stockholm in February, he didn't know he was carrying out the killing in support of Iran. He had done it for a few hundred dollars, offered by a group tied to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

August 26, 2026

Pakistan works to broker U.S.-Iran peace as Washington’s economic pressure campaign continues

Pakistani officials met with key Iranian officials on Tuesday in an attempt to broker a peace agreement between Tehran and Washington, even as the Trump administration ramps up its economic pressure campaign against the Islamic republic.

August 25, 2026

China dismisses U.S. sanctions against Iran, says it will not submit to ‘economic warfare’

China indicated Tuesday that it would not adhere to demands from the Treasury Department to cut off all economic ties to Iran.

August 25, 2026

Pakistan, Iran signal progress on reviving Islamabad memorandum after high-level talks

Key Pakistani officials on Tuesday cited significant progress toward reviving the Islamabad memorandum of understanding after meeting with several top Iranian officials, even as public diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran stalls.

August 25, 2026

U.S. expands sanctions on Iran as economic pressure campaign accelerates

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced secondary sanctions Monday targeting businesses that maintain relationships with Iran as the Trump administration ramps up its efforts to economically isolate the Islamic regime.

August 24, 2026

Iranian media shows video targeting Barron Trump with $10 million bounty

Iranian state media on Monday showcased a segment that reportedly placed a bounty on Barron Trump, the youngest son of President Trump, offering a $10 million reward for his death.

August 24, 2026

Syria, Israel hold U.S.-mediated talks after strike on air base

Syria and Israel met for U.S. mediated talks in Jordan Sunday as Washington looks to ease tensions in the region after the Israeli military struck a Syrian air base last week.

August 24, 2026

Iran’s chief negotiator warns of economic failure as U.S. pressure campaign continues

Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator in the nuclear talks with the U.S. warned on Friday that his government must find a solution to its economic crisis or face collapse, hinting at the divisions between moderates and hardliners in Iran.

August 21, 2026

Bessent teases ramp-up in economic warfare against Iran as strait traffic stagnates

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday announced that the U.S. would impose some of the "toughest sanctions in history" on Iran next week, doubling down on the Trump administration's economic warfare strategy as diplomacy stalls.

August 20, 2026

Movement restrictions in the West Bank create slow-motion health crisis, aid workers say

Hundreds of Israeli military checkpoints scattered across the West Bank have created a slow-motion health crisis, healthcare workers say, one worsened by a recent surge in regional violence.

August 20, 2026

Trump stands by economic warfare campaign against Iran while leaving door open to diplomacy

President Trump on Wednesday maintained that his administration's economic pressure campaign against Iran is working and will stand in for diplomatic efforts, at least for now.

August 19, 2026

NATO prepared to defend allies from any Iranian threat, official says

NATO said Wednesday it is prepared to defend all of its members against attacks by Iran after reports suggested Tehran was considering striking U.S. military targets in Europe.

August 19, 2026

Trump: U.S. not seeking talks with Iran as regional violence reemerges

President Trump said Tuesday his administration is not speaking to Iran and asserted U.S. control over the Strait of Hormuz while Tehran signaled a new phase of defiance and aggression in the region, raising tensions across the Gulf region.

August 18, 2026