Middle East

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Middle East news on Israel, Gaza, Iran, and the Gulf: the conflicts and diplomacy reshaping the region.

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MIDDLE EAST

US ban on $1bn of Canadian goods takes effect in Trump’s latest retaliation

Al Jazeera

Trump retaliated against Canada's counter-tariffs on $20bn worth of US imports by banning $1bn of Canadian goods.

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MIDDLE EAST

Has Gaza broken the Israel consensus in the US?

Al Jazeera

For decades, Israel was untouchable in Washington. Gaza changed that. Josh Rushing investigates how and what comes next.

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MIDDLE EAST

US troops fully withdraw from Baghdad base after two decades

Al Jazeera

US Army soldiers have fully withdrawn from the US base in Baghdad.

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MIDDLE EAST

Can Iraq handle future security challenges alone?

Al Jazeera

More than two decades of US military presence in Iraq comes to an end.

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MIDDLE EAST

Trump administration ‘must be changed’: Iran’s IRGC appeals to US voters

Al Jazeera

Iran's military has issued an open letter accusing Trump of lying to US citizens about the state of the ongoing war.

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MIDDLE EAST

Mourners in Gaza bury remains of loved ones killed in 2023 Israeli strike

Al Jazeera

Dozens of mourners in Gaza grieve the loss of their loved ones as they bury the fragmented remains of relatives killed.

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MIDDLE EAST

Ireland undecided on approach for next game against Israel, coach says

Al Jazeera

Ireland played the first Nations League game despite unease among some players over Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.

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MIDDLE EAST

US-Iran talks in New York: What’s the latest?

Al Jazeera

Both sides remain interested in a diplomatic settlement but differ on how to achieve one.

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More Headlines

MIDDLE EAST

Iran-US war latest: Tehran taunts Trump by saying US ‘will inevitably leave this region’

independent.co.uk

MIDDLE EAST

Q: How Much Oil Is Flowing Out of the Middle East?

WSJ

MIDDLE EAST

Live Updates: Latest from Israel, Iran, and the Middle East

The Jerusalem Post

MIDDLE EAST

SLB's Diversified Business Seen Offsetting Middle East Headwinds, UBS Says

marketscreener.com

MIDDLE EAST

Iran threatens strikes on Middle East energy infrastructure — OilPrice

UA.NEWS

MIDDLE EAST

Mayer Brown Named Energy & Infrastructure Team of the Year at the LexisNexis Middle East Legal Awards 2026

Mayer Brown

MIDDLE EAST

Oil Falls On Climbing Middle East Exports, Declining Iranian Bargaining Power

Ship & Bunker

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Arabia urged to reconcile with UAE to drive back Houthi separatists in Yemen

The Guardian

MIDDLE EAST

Using old election playbook, Netanyahu projects image as Israel's protector despite Hamas attack

Reuters

MIDDLE EAST

US sanctions 10 international entities over allegedly procuring weapons for Iran's Defense Ministry

The Jerusalem Post

MIDDLE EAST

Middle East travel warnings: What travellers need to know

Getaway Magazine

MIDDLE EAST

Israeli attacks sever parts of water network in Lebanon's Mansouri

Middle East Eye

MIDDLE EAST

Russia's record oil revenues soared amid the crisis in the Middle East

UA.NEWS

MIDDLE EAST

Environmental cooperation as a path to rebuilding Gaza

The Jerusalem Post

MIDDLE EAST

Russia’s Defence Industry Expands Africa and Middle East Push as South Africa’s AAD and Egypt’s Airshow 2026 Highlight New Industrial Strategy

Modern Ghana

MIDDLE EAST

Nymex Overview : Crude Futures Retreat as Middle East Flows Recover -- OPIS

marketscreener.com

MIDDLE EAST

Middle East latest: Iran gives Trump talks ultimatum - as Houthis say strait access 'free for all' except Saudi Arabia

Sky News

About Middle East

What the region is, and what it is called

The Middle East is a term of external origin with no fixed boundary, generally taken to span western Asia and parts of north Africa, and often used interchangeably with overlapping labels that include and exclude different countries. The region contains Arab-majority states alongside Iran, Israel, Turkey and others, with Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish and Kurdish among its major languages, and Islam, Christianity and Judaism all originating within it. Political systems range from hereditary monarchies to republics of several kinds. Place names themselves are contested in specific cases, with seas, cities and territories called different things by different parties as a matter of political position.

Energy, water and demography

Three material facts shape much of what happens. A large share of the world's proven oil and gas reserves lies in the region, which gives several states substantial revenue and gives outside powers a durable interest, and it is why producer coordination on output is consequential well beyond the region. Water is scarce, rivers and aquifers cross borders, and their allocation is a standing source of negotiation and friction. Populations in many countries are young, so employment, education and housing are central domestic pressures, and several economies are explicitly pursuing diversification away from hydrocarbon revenue.

States, non-state actors and outside powers

Coverage here involves parties of several different kinds, and conflating them causes confusion. Sovereign states act through governments and armed forces. Armed non-state organizations hold territory, provide services and participate in politics in several countries, and are designated differently by different governments, which is a political judgment rather than a neutral classification. Outside powers maintain bases, supply weapons and broker agreements. Long-running disputes in the region are the subject of active disagreement about history, law and legitimacy, and Trill News covers them by attributing claims to whoever is making them rather than adopting any party's framing as the neutral one.

Reading coverage of a contested region

Few subjects are reported with more scrutiny of the reporting itself, and some habits help. Vocabulary is frequently the argument in miniature, since the words chosen for territories, borders, groups and events encode positions, and no available term is neutral to every party. Casualty figures and incident accounts often come from parties to a dispute or from ministries within them, and independent verification lags. Diaspora communities, external governments and advocacy organizations all participate in shaping coverage. The practical approach is to notice who is speaking and what they are in a position to know, rather than to look for a source with no perspective at all, because none exists.