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U.S.-Iran Relations

Iran struck targets in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain after the U.S.-Iran ceasefire was announced on April 7, Reuters reported on April 8.

MENA: Iran Strikes GCC Targets, Despite Ceasefire Announcement 

Lebanon

Oman

Economics

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would grant vessels safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz with the coordination of Iranian armed forces if U.S.-Israeli attacks against Iran stopped during the two-week ceasefire announced on April 7, Reuters reported on April 7.

Iran, U.S.: Iranian Armed Forces To Coordinate Strait of Hormuz Maritime Transit During Two-Week Ceasefire

On April 8, the Israel Defense Forces conducted its largest wave of strikes across Lebanon since the Israel-Hezbollah war began in early March, The Times of Israel reported the same day.

Lebanon: Israel Conducts Largest Air Attack Yet Across Lebanon

U.S. President Donald Trump announced in an April 7 post on Truth Social that he was suspending his threatened bombing of Iranian power plants and bridges by two weeks, "subject to [Iran] agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz."

U.S.: Trump Suspends Threatened Attacks on Iran for Two Weeks

Iran cut direct communication with the United States hours ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's late April 7 deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though talks through mediators are reportedly ongoing, The Wall Street Journal reported on April 7.

U.S., Israel, Iran: Iran Cuts Direct Communication With U.S. After Escalatory Trump Rhetoric

Somalia

Yemen

Satellite imagery shows that major construction work has been underway at Somaliland's Berbera airport since October 2025, including the digging of underground hangars for ammunition and fuel storage, Le Monde reported on April 6.

Somaliland: UAE Reportedly Leading Military Upgrade of Berbera Airport 

Iran reportedly rejected Pakistan's two-phase ceasefire framework, which would have begun with an immediate 45-day ceasefire, reopened the Strait of Hormuz and provided a two to three week timeframe to finalize a broader agreement to permanently end the war, Reuters reported on April 6.

U.S., Iran: Iran Reportedly Rejects Two-Phase Ceasefire Plan After Trump's Threats

Palestinian Territories

Indonesia

Thousands of people protested outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta following the deaths of three Indonesian soldiers serving in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, with demonstrators condemning Israel, the Jakarta Globe reported on April 6.

Indonesia: Peacekeeper Deaths in Lebanon Spark Anti-Israel Protests Outside U.S. Embassy

Snapshots

Iranians hold national flags as they gather in Tehran's Revolution Square after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, on April 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Global Trade

Upcoming negotiations face substantial hurdles as both sides present maximalist demands that could precipitate a return to high-intensity conflict.


Despite 11th-Hour U.S.-Iran Truce, Stumbling Blocks to Lasting Agreement Remain

Assessments

Djibouti

China

Taiwan

Vietnam

Damage at the Azadi Sport Complex in the Iranian capital of Tehran on April 3.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, Taiwan's KMT Restarts China Talks

Houthi loyalists chant slogans on March 27, 2026, in Sanaa, Yemen, as they participate in a protest staged to show support for Iran in its ongoing war against the United States and Israel.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis will likely progressively expand their target set beyond Israel if the war intensifies, raising the risk of more economically disruptive attacks on regional shipping and energy infrastructure.

The Implications of the Houthis Joining the Iran War

Cuba

Russia

People on March 15 in Tehran, Iran, clean up rubble from a missile attack. The Iran war will almost certainly continue through the next week amid Israeli threats to escalate and expand strikes due to Iranian attacks targeting Israeli civilians and the U.S. deployment of additional military assets to the region.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, a European Parliament Delegation Visits China

Qatar

The Burj Khalifa skyscraper (L) and the Burj al-Arab hotel (R) on March 11 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With further Iranian provocation, several Gulf Cooperation Council states would be willing to join the war against Iran, but doing so would likely deepen Iran's targeting of their critical infrastructure, exacerbate the globally disruptive impacts of the war and potentially pull the GCC into a permanently hostile relationship with Iran.

Joining in could deepen Iran's targeting of GCC critical infrastructure, exacerbate the globally disruptive impacts of the war and pull the bloc into a permanently hostile relationship with Iran.

Will the Gulf States Join the Iran War, and What Would Happen if They Did?

Columns

On Geopolitics

Syria

Photos of prominent Hezbollah leaders are seen at the site of a reported Israeli airstrike which killed 6 members of the same family, on March 19, 2026 in Baalbek, Lebanon.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The trajectory of the war will be increasingly defined by a clash of strategic objectives that makes a quick resolution of the conflict unlikely.


The Impact the Israel-Hezbollah War Will Have on Lebanon

Denmark

France

Italy

Ukraine

The European Parliament building in 2019 in Strasbourg, France. Parliament is set to hold a plenary vote March 26 on implementing the 2025 EU‑U.S. trade framework agreement.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: A Vote on the EU‑U.S. Trade Framework, the Iran Conflict Continues

People walk along the corniche area on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2026.

Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will compel Gulf Cooperation Council states to invest in alternative trade routes and more resilient physical infrastructure.

Gulf Arab States, Shaken by Iran War, Plan Economic Pivot

Smoke plumes rise above a village in southern Lebanon following Israeli airstrikes on March 16, 2026.

Even if it engages in direct talks with Lebanon, Israel is unlikely to de-escalate its military operations in the country without major concessions on border security and Hezbollah's disarmament.

Hezbollah-Israel War Set To Intensify, Despite Lebanon's Diplomatic Push

Japan

A large plume of smoke rises March 7 over Tehran after explosions were reported in the Iranian capital during the night.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, Takaichi Meets With Trump

Demonstrators wave Iranian national flags and hold pictures of the country's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, at Enghelab Square in central Tehran on March 9, 2026.

The selection of hard-line cleric Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his slain father will entrench Tehran's resolve to continue the war and preserve its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

Iran's New Supreme Leader Will Strengthen Hard-Liner Influence

Iraq

Jordan

Jordanian Armed Forces, U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps forces and other international forces conduct a combined Arms Live Fire Exercise on May 23, 2024 in the desert near Azraq, Jordan. 

As the United States prepares to withdraw its final troops from Syria, Amman will likely expand cross-border security operations to counter Islamic State and disrupt drug smuggling networks.

Jordan Likely To Step Up Anti-Islamic State, Countersmuggling Operations in Syria

Israel lives under difficult geopolitical circumstances. A small country with limited resources and surrounded by potentially hostile neighbors, Israel survives by allying with powers that do have the resources to manage the balance of power in the Middle East — namely, the United States. Its geographic position also means that Israel must manage complex relations with its Muslim neighbors by quiet collaboration, by exploiting divisions, and by parlaying its technological and economic advantages into create strategic dependencies. To navigate all the challenges presented by the Middle East, Israel will remain agile in its diplomacy and, when the situation warrants, steadfast in its pre-emptive strikes, its covert activities and its economic relationships.

Israel's Survival Strategy

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

SITUATION REPORTS

MENA: Iran Strikes GCC Targets, Despite Ceasefire Announcement

Iran, U.S.: Iranian Armed Forces To Coordinate Strait of Hormuz Maritime Transit During Two-Week Ceasefire

Lebanon: Israel Conducts Largest Air Attack Yet Across Lebanon

U.S.: Trump Suspends Threatened Attacks on Iran for Two Weeks

U.S., Israel, Iran: Iran Cuts Direct Communication With U.S. After Escalatory Trump Rhetoric

Somaliland: UAE Reportedly Leading Military Upgrade of Berbera Airport

U.S., Iran: Iran Reportedly Rejects Two-Phase Ceasefire Plan After Trump's Threats

Indonesia: Peacekeeper Deaths in Lebanon Spark Anti-Israel Protests Outside U.S. Embassy

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