USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) departed her homeport of Naval Station Norfolk and is now operating in the Atlantic Ocean bound for Europe

Two of the squadron's officers were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for helping thwart the Iranian drone attack in April 2024.

The assets would give Trump more options in the showdown over protests.

Stuck in Aden airport with an invitation from Saudi Arabia he couldn't — but very much wanted to — refuse, Aidarous al-Zubaidi played for time, nitpicking on points of protocol that delayed the plane's depature from Yemen for a few hours.

Several Middle Eastern allies of the United States have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran for the government's deadly crackdown on protesters, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.

The protests in Iran could have a sweeping effect in a region already jolted by historic changes over the past year. Four CFR fellows assess how Israel, the Gulf States, Lebanon, and Turkey view the

It "begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza," Witkoff said.

There are not enough assets in the Middle East to execute a sustained campaign that will accomplish anything of huge consequence in Iran. This was never a question. Yes, the limited U.S. tactical airpower in the region can do some damage, but you need a complete, fully packaged…

The collapse of Iran’s regional influence in 2025 has opened up a new spectrum of potential conflicts in Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon that will define 2026.

This is the introduction to Middle East Dispatch, a weekly, subscriber-only newsletter in which our correspondents take a look at the warfare, politics and economics in a region that is at the centre of the world’s affairs.

With protests in Iran raising the prospect of regime change and US military intervention, Washington opted to rely on HTS to cut the Gordian knot in Syria.