United States Department of State

September 30, 2026 | Seth J. Frantzman |

US forces complete departure from Iraq as anti-Islamic State mission in Iraq ends

US forces deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the anti-Islamic State mission, completed their departure from Iraq on September 30. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi held a ceremony to mark...

September 29, 2026 | Miad Maleki |

China Is the Last Major Runway Open to Iran’s Sanctioned Airlines

Mahan Air, which Washington sanctioned in 2011 for ferrying weapons and operatives for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is still landing in China. On September 23, hours after the U.S. Treasury Department’s...

September 25, 2026 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iraq agrees to Turkish base deal as militia disarmament timeline debated

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi indicated that the country would disarm Iranian-backed militias by June 2027, according to a report in The New York Times on September 21. He made the comments during...

September 18, 2026 | Ben Cohen |

8 Questions Facing the United Nations at UNGA 81

The United Nations was formed “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” Yet more armed conflicts rage worldwide today than at any point since the world body’s formation at the end...

September 13, 2026 | Orde Kittrie, Andres B. Munoz-Mosquera

The ICJ’s Pernicious Plan to Redefine Genocide

The Trump administration may soon have reason to dismantle another international tribunal.

September 11, 2026 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

The UN Arms Embargo on Sudan Is Broken. America Has a Plan to Fix It

The U.S. is rightly pushing the UN Security Council to expand the Sudan arms embargo before it expires this Saturday. Outlined by Ambassador Mike Waltz and Senior Advisor Massad Boulos, the proposal...

September 11, 2026 | Ben Cohen |

Amid rising Jew-hatred, Britain turns its sights upon Israel

No matter how much he sugarcoats his words with assurances of affection for Israel and reminders of his Jewish identity, Ed Miliband’s message to Jerusalem is an unremittingly hostile one.

September 9, 2026 | Will Selber

Former US ambassador Khalilzad visits Kabul, attends Taliban oil deal signing

As the Taliban enters its sixth year in power following the fall of Kabul, it continues seeking international legitimacy and foreign investment. The recent visit by Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US ambassador...

September 4, 2026 | Andrea Stricker |

Saudi Nuclear Deal Raises Concern Over Diluted U.S. Nonproliferation Standards

In a notable loosening of decades of U.S. nonproliferation practice, the bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia now being reviewed by Congress would open the...

September 2, 2026 | Samuel Ben-Ur |

White House, Caracas release details on historic US-Venezuela oil deal

On August 28, US President Donald Trump announced that US officials had secured “majority U.S. control of more than 65 BILLION BARRELS of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela,” in what he described...

September 1, 2026 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

The Axis of Aggressors Is Getting Ready for War. Is America?

America has grown addicted to the phrase “wars of choice,” often using it to vilify the U.S. government for campaigns deemed unnecessary. Wholesale skepticism of  military power, however, undermines...

August 28, 2026 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iranian-backed Iraqi militias may seek to delay disarmament

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq may be seeking to delay the government’s plan to disarm them. “A senior Iraqi official pushed back a September 30 deadline for pro-Iran factions to hand over their weapons,...

August 28, 2026 | Andrea Stricker |

Trump Administration Sends Secretive U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal to Congress for Review

The Trump administration appears poised to upend long-standing U.S. policy restricting the spread of nuclear fuel-making technologies. It has transmitted a U.S.-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement to...

August 28, 2026 | Samuel Ben-Ur |

Honor Thy Father and Mother, but Obey Xi

hina’s Communist Party is playing a long game against Christianity, using the young to target the old; both separating children from faith and telling them to turn against their parents for a few dollars...

August 27, 2026 | Saeed Ghasseminejad, Behnam Ben Taleblu

Operation Economic Outcast Commences, And Where It Could Head

And so, it begins. On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department launched Operation Economic Outcast in a bid to expand the architecture of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its network...

August 24, 2026 | Josh Birenbaum, Antonia-Laura Pup

Knowledge is power: Why America needs economic security intelligence

Excerpt America was unprepared for its trade war with China, but it shouldn’t have been. As Beijing cut off access to critical minerals, the United States had no response but a quiet retreat. The...

August 24, 2026 | Andrea Stricker |

Why a Saudi Nuclear Program Is Not Worth Ending US Nonproliferation Policy

It is unlikely that Russia or China would be willing to support a Saudi nuclear program if the United States refuses to do so.

August 19, 2026 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Israel strikes military airbase in Syria while warning Turkey

Israel conducted airstrikes on the Abu al Duhur military airport in northern Syria during the evening of August 17–18. Syria condemned the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty,...

August 17, 2026 | Craig Singleton, RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Jack Burnham

Review of Submarine Cable Landing License Rules and Procedures To Assess Evolving National Security, Law Enforcement, Foreign Policy, and Trade Policy Risks

August 12, 2026 | Clifford D. May |

Islamism 101

America’s leaders refuse to do their homework