Gulf States

Former IDF officer: US has shifted from Iran nuclear deal to regime-collapse strategy

Behind the stalled Iran talks lies a quiet US pivot: not a deal, but a strategy to collapse the regime. Or Horvitz breaks down what the headlines are missing.

|ByJERUSALEM POST PODCASTS
A person holds a placard representing a US flag, with an image of Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on a billboard in the background, on the day of a ceremony marking 40 days since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, in Tehran, Iran, April 9, 2026.
FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises following a strike on the Bapco Oil Refinery, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, on Sitra Island Bahrain, March 9, 2026.

Iranian attacks caused billions in damages to US intelligence sites and hardware - report

Some of the intelligence-linked sites hit throughout the war include a Riyadh CIA station, a site in eastern Iraq, and other radar and surveillance equipment throughout the region, NBC reported.

|ByLEO FEIERBERG BETTER
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent takes questions from reporters as he speaks during a press conference in Washington, DC on August 24, 2026. Bessent, in a column for the Financial Times, declared that an "economic D-Day" had begun against Tehran on Monday.

Iran economic sanctions leading to extremist regime elements gaining power, dissident says - report

"Under President Trump, the Treasury Department will continue to cut off every economic lifeline sustaining this regime, until Tehran is left completely alone," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

|ByIDAN KWELLER, AMIT AVITAN, LEE SAADON, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
CENTCOM's Adm. Brad Cooper meets with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on January 24, 2026.

Shin Bet foils terror plot in West Bank as Iran, Oman reach agreement on shares of Hormuz revenue

US imposes sanctions on Palestine action • IDF, US Air Force chiefs meet to discuss Iran • Iran asks Qatar to clarify fate of missing pilots

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Iran’s Hormuz escalation tests Gulf states, US resolve - analysis

Iran appears to be testing Gulf states and the US with renewed maritime pressure in the Strait of Hormuz, risking wider regional instability.

JULY 7, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 15, 2026.

US strikes Iran's defense systems, launch sites after several ships attacked in Hormuz

US strikes Iran's defense systems • Defense Minister threatens Iranian regime during Khamenei's funeral • Hamas begins dissolving its Gaza government

JULY 7, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a memorial ceremony for Zionist leader Theodor Herzl at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on July 5, 2026.

Live Updates: Sa'ar says Hamas to 'remain the dominant military' in Gaza even after dissolution

Defense Minister threatens Iranian regime during Khamenei's funeral • Hamas begins dissolving its Gaza government • Iran targeted civilians as tactic of war, new report pushes IRGC accountability

JULY 6, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A woman reacts while holding a portrait of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as they gather and wait for his funeral procession at Ferdowsi Square in Tehran July 6, 2026.

'Israel must not lose this opportunity': Former Biden official warns about Israel's role in IMEC

Samantha Sutton, a fellow at the Atlantic Council and former Director at the US National Security Council, spoke to the Post on the sidelines of an IMEC Initiative workshop hosted in Haifa.

JULY 5, 2026ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN
Containers carrying goods from the United Arab Emirates, which entered Israel on an MSC cargo ship, are unloaded with a cargo crane bearing Israeli and Emirati flags at Haifa's port, northern Israel October 12, 2020

The Gulf wants to end attacks from Iraq, but will it influence Baghdad before Iran does? - analysis

Tehran's more recent expansion of attacks toward the Gulf shows a broader Iranian strategy and proves how Iran made Iraq a frontline.

JULY 5, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, US President Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa attend a group photo session with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025.

Tehran's theater of mourning: What Khamenei's funeral tells us about Iran's next move - analysis

Iran is burying its former leader in a week-long ceremony. Will it now use the boost to try to claw back its influence across the Middle East?

JULY 5, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
People gather at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla for a farewell ceremony for Iran's late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 4, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Khamenei and members of his family were killed on February 28 during U.S.-Israeli strikes at the beginning of the war, bringing an end to his 36-year rule.

Israel sent dozens of IDF soldiers, Iron Dome system to UAE during Iran war, minister confirms

Multiple Israeli officials have stated that the decision to send the Iron Dome battery and interceptors was made after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed.

JULY 5, 2026ByYONAH JEREMY BOB, GOLDIE KATZ
Iron Dome batteries are seen stationed near the southern Israeli city of Sderot, August 6, 2022

'Kill Trump, Bibi' chants heard in Tehran, Regev confirms Israel sent UAE Iron Dome during Iran war

Cargo vessel under attack by 'unknown assailants' off Yemen's coast, UKMTO says • Trump, Netanyahu discuss possible White House visit • Former Israeli amb. to US calls MoU 'massive surrender to Iran'

JULY 5, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
US President Donald Trump speaks at a Fourth of July rally, marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, US, July 4, 2026.

US-Iran talks to resume in Pakistan, Trump says Netanyahu could visit DC next week

Foreign officials attend Khamenei's funeral • Iranian general warns Israel, US against strikes • IDF reservist severely wounded in Lebanon

JULY 4, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A yellow flag belonging to the Iran-backed Shia Muslim party Hezbollah flutters on top of the rubble of a building in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on June 23, 2026.

Leiter says Lebanon deal focused on Hezbollah disarmament as France, UK to work with Oman on Hormuz

Foreign officials attend Khamenei's funeral • Iranian general warns Israel, US against strikes • IDF reservist severely wounded in Lebanon

JULY 3, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A yellow flag belonging to the Iran-backed Shia Muslim party Hezbollah flutters on top of the rubble of a building in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on June 23, 2026.