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Iran plays with fire, but calculates Trump will hold back

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 7♥ 0💬 0

With its defiant strikes on ships, Iran is making a paradoxical and explosively high-risk calculation -- that it can boost its long-term deterrence through actions that invite new…

US military is conducting fresh strikes on Iran

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 5♥ 0💬 0

WASHINGTON, July 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. military is conducting fresh strikes on Iran, the U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump declared that …

US to remove Syria from terror blacklist, in new boost to Sharaa

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 3♥ 0💬 0

The United States said Wednesday it will delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a decades-old designation that severely impeded investment, in a new vote of confidence in l…

Trump's visit a win for Turkey's Erdogan, NATO tensions aside

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 3♥ 0💬 0

By Tuvan Gumrukcu, Huseyin Hayatsever and Jonathan SpicerANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) - Turkey put on a red-white-and-blue air show and named a new airport building after President Do…

Analysis-Trump's visit a win for Turkey's Erdogan, NATO tensions aside

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 2♥ 0💬 0

By Tuvan Gumrukcu, Huseyin Hayatsever and Jonathan SpicerANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) - Turkey put on a red-white-and-blue air show and named a new airport building after President Do…

US to remove Syria from terror blacklist, in new boost to Sharaa

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 6♥ 0💬 0

The United States said Wednesday it will delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a decades-old designation that severely impeded investment, in a new vote of confidence in l…

Trump to remove Syria from US terrorism sponsor list

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 3♥ 0💬 0

By Gram Slattery, Bo Erickson and Steve HollandANKARA/WASHINGTON, July 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday informed his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa that he ha…

Trump decides to remove Syria from US terrorism sponsor list

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 2♥ 0💬 0

By Gram Slattery, Bo Erickson and Steve HollandANKARA/WASHINGTON, July 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday informed his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa that he ha…

As Trump declares deal 'over,' IRGC takes lead in shaping Iran's response

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 5♥ 0💬 0

While President Donald Trump has declared the US-Iran memorandum over, Tehran's response suggests it is recalibrating — not abandoning — its strategy as military pressure increasi…

Exclusive-NATO's Rutte says alliance reunited at Ankara summit after Trump 'quarrel'

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 6♥ 0💬 0

By Andrew GrayANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) - Disputes between U.S. President Donald Trump and other NATO leaders showed the alliance's democratic strength and should serve as a lesson…

Trump rescinds Syria state sponsor of terrorism designation

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 5♥ 0💬 0

July 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has notified Congress of his decision to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, a senior U.S. administration o…

Exclusive-NATO's Rutte brushes off disputes between Trump and allies

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 6♥ 0💬 0

ANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) - Disagreements between U.S. President Donald Trump and other NATO leaders showed the alliance's democratic strength and should serve as a lesson for Russ…

UN maritime head urges halt to Hormuz transit to protect seafarers

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 5♥ 0💬 0

The head of the International Maritime Organization said Wednesday the 6,000 seafarers still stranded in the Gulf must not be put in unnecessary danger by crossing the Strait of H…

Pakistan urges all sides to uphold commitments under Islamabad MoU

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 8♥ 0💬 0

July 8 (Reuters) - Pakistan urged all sides to uphold their commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, hours after U.S. P…

Democrat Rahm Emanuel tells Israel to change course or risk US alliance

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 7♥ 0💬 0

By Maayan LubellTEL AVIV, July 8 (Reuters) - Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat weighing a 2028 U.S. presidential run, said on Wednesday that Israel risks jeopardizing its alliance with Was…

Trump 'undecided' on Turkey's F-35s as Congress seeks answers on S-400

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 7♥ 0💬 0

Top Democratic lawmakers say the ball is in Ankara’s court on rejoining the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, but suggest that Turkey offshoring its Russian-made S-400 sys…

Trump says he doesn't think Iran conflict will start again

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 6♥ 0💬 0

ANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he did not think a full-fledged conflict with Iran would erupt in the wake of military strikes from both s…

Armenia's Pashinyan keeps Iran close while wooing Trump, Turkey and Azerbaijan

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 6♥ 0💬 0

As Yerevan pursues normalization with Turkey and Azerbaijan and backs a US-led transport corridor, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is working to reassure an increasingly assertive …

Trump cites 'tremendous unity' at NATO summit, progress on defense spending

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 3♥ 0💬 0

By Gram Slattery and Humeyra PamukANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday told reporters there had been "tremendous unity" at the NATO summit in Turkey…

Analysis-How Iran's 'golden weapon' of Hormuz became a bigger priority than its long-disputed nuclear programme

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 4♥ 0💬 0

By Parisa Hafezi and Angus McDowallDUBAI, July 8 - Control over the Strait of Hormuz has become a "golden weapon" to Iran, for which it is willing to risk new escalations with the…

Trump unexpectedly switches back to old Air Force One, sidelining Qatari jet

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 3♥ 0💬 0

By Mike StoneWASHINGTON, July 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he will fly from Turkey to Britain on an older Air Force One aircraft, an unexpected switch th…

Russia bans diesel exports to ensure domestic supply after targeted Ukrainian drone strikes

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 3♥ 0💬 0

MOSCOW, July 8 (Reuters) - Russia introduced a ban on diesel exports on Wednesday as part of a raft of measures to support the domestic fuel market after systematic Ukrainian dron…

Israeli fire kills nine people, including two children, in Gaza, medics say

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 5♥ 0💬 0

July 8 (Reuters) - Israeli airstrikes and gunfire killed at least nine Palestinians, including two children, aged 10 and 6, in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, health officials there …

Trump's Board of Peace planning pilot humanitarian zone in Gaza, official says

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 5♥ 0💬 0

July 8 (Reuters) - Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is planning a pilot humanitarian zone for Gazans as a way to kickstart the U.S. president's stalled peace plan, regardless of whet…

Israeli fire kills seven people, including two children, in Gaza, medics say

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 2♥ 0💬 0

July 8 (Reuters) - Israeli airstrikes and gunfire killed at least seven Palestinians, including two children, aged 10 and 6, in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, health officials there…

Trump says he thinks Israel will withdraw troops from southern Lebanon

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 5♥ 0💬 0

ANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he thought Israel would withdraw troops from southern Lebanon because it wanted to take that step, de…

IMF cuts 2026 world growth forecast, flags risks from new Mideast fighting

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 9♥ 0💬 0

The IMF cut its 2026 global growth projection again Wednesday, flagging "uncertainty and risks" to the economic outlook as fighting reignited in the Middle East. "Developments ove…

US to drop Syria from terror blacklist

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 6♥ 0💬 0

The terrorism label remained a key obstacle to Syria's postwar reconstruction.

Trump says US poised to drop Syria from terror blacklist

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 3♥ 0💬 0

The terrorism label remains a key obstacle to Syria's postwar reconstruction.

Israeli jails a 'graveyard,' says freed Palestinian journalist

📡 Al-MonitorMiddle East in EnglishJul 8, 2026👁 7♥ 0💬 0

A Palestinian journalist said Israeli prisons have become a "graveyard" for the living, following a dramatic decline in his health after being released earlier this year. In late …