Recent stories and official-source coverage filed under diplomacy.
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American diplomats and at least some family members are beginning to return to U.S. embassies in the Middle East after many were ordered to leave during the early days of the war with Iran (AP reports). Although most embassies are not returning to full staffing immediately, the State Department has started to lift certain staffing […]
On Thu, Aug. 27, 2026, Qatar and other regional powers sought an off-ramp from the war between the United States and Iran, amid reports of another tanker attack in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s dismissal of the Trump administration’s latest sanctions. AP reported that Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met […]
The United States is urging “beefed-up” U.N. sanctions against the warring parties in Sudan, seeking to pressure them into negotiating an end to the fighting, U.S. senior adviser Massad Boulos said at the U.N. Security Council on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (apnews.com) Boulos told the council that external financial, military, and political support to the […]
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended a recent U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding as “the best way” for Iran to move beyond what he called a “neither war nor peace” stall, according to remarks published by Iran’s state news agency IRNA. Pezeshkian said members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council viewed the memorandum as the best possible […]
Deadly airstrikes in Gaza on Wednesday added to uncertainty about whether Washington’s latest efforts can move forward a tenuous ceasefire, according to the Associated Press. AP reports the strikes cast more doubt on ceasefire progress. The report places the violence against a tightly compressed diplomatic timeline: two days after U.S. negotiators reportedly asked Israel to […]
A marathon meeting Monday between U.S. envoy Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the future of a Gaza ceasefire unclear, with officials describing moderate optimism but no concrete Israeli commitment to the latest U.S.-backed proposal. Marathon US-Israel meeting (apnews.com) According to the report, Hamas had already agreed to the proposal, but American […]
The 60-day deadline for a U.S.-Iran peace framework signed in June expired on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, with no visible breakthrough on either the nuclear track or the most urgent operational issue: shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. AP reports that talks remain focused on reopening the strait and lifting a U.S. blockade of Iran, […]
Iran said Monday it is working to finalize a joint statement with Oman on a plan to manage ship transit through the Strait of Hormuz, after it reached an agreement with Oman over the transit route. (apnews.com) Iranian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that “an understanding has been reached regarding the […]
U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya on Sunday in Egypt as part of a push to make progress on a stalled Gaza ceasefire, according to AP. Kushner is scheduled to meet Monday with Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after Netanyahu rejected a U.S.-backed proposal. The negotiations are focused […]
On Aug. 14, 2026, the Associated Press reported that with talks between the U.S. and Iran to end the war “stalled,” the Trump administration is reaching out to a wider set of countries to help pressure Tehran or ease its position—beyond traditional mediators. The report said outreach efforts include potential partners in Europe, alongside continuing […]