Key facts
- President Trump is urging Israel and Iran toward negotiations as the conflict nears 100 days.
- US forces intercepted Iranian missile and drone attacks in the Persian Gulf.
- The UN warns Iran's risk of covert nuclear weapons development has increased since June 2025 strikes.
- Inspectors can no longer regularly verify Iran's nuclear material, including 440.9 kg of high-enriched uranium.
- The U.S. is preparing a draft resolution to condemn Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting.
- Israel's defense exports reached a record $19.2 billion in 2025.
- The Pentagon has elevated the counterintelligence threat level from Israel to the highest level due to spying concerns.
- Millions are being pushed into acute hunger due to the prolonged Middle East conflict.
- Deadly strikes continue in Gaza and Lebanon despite multiple ceasefire agreements.
- Israel allegedly operated covert military and intelligence sites in Azerbaijan near Iran's border.
Middle East conflict continues with faltering ceasefires and escalating hostilities, despite diplomatic interventions. President Trump is reportedly urging Israel and Iran toward negotiations as the conflict reaches 100 days, with analysts suggesting a "face-saving off-ramp" for the public amid concerns of further U.S. combat operations. US forces intercepted Iranian missile and drone attacks in the Persian Gulf, including six ballistic missiles fired at Bahrain and Kuwait, as the conflict nears its 100-day mark without resolution. Oil markets remain skeptical of President Trump's peace narrative due to stalled talks.
The UN nuclear watchdog warns that Iran's risk of covertly developing nuclear weapons has increased since US-Israeli strikes in June 2025. Inspectors can no longer regularly verify Iran's nuclear material, which includes 440.9 kg of high-enriched uranium. The U.S. is preparing a draft resolution to condemn Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, a move Russia believes may antagonize Iran and complicate wider U.S.-Iran talks. Iran has warned it would resume hostilities if Israel continued to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel's defense exports reached a record $19.2 billion in 2025, a nearly 30% increase driven by missile, rocket, and air defense systems, with Europe and Asia-Pacific as the largest markets. The new Mossad chief, Roman Gofman, stated that Israeli military actions have shifted the Middle East's power balance, though the task is not complete. Despite three separate ceasefire agreements, deadly strikes continue in Gaza, Lebanon, and the Gulf region. Israeli strikes in Gaza City killed at least 11 Palestinians, and four others were killed by Israeli fire in separate incidents across Gaza. Hezbollah rejected a U.S.-brokered pact, and Israel stated operations would continue in Lebanon to establish a buffer zone.
The Pentagon has elevated the counterintelligence threat level posed by Israel to the highest level due to increasing concerns about Israeli spying on the U.S. CNN reported that Israel allegedly operated covert military and intelligence sites in Azerbaijan near Iran's border. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warns that millions are being pushed into acute hunger due to the prolonged Middle East conflict, impacting fragile economies in Somalia, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, and forcing aid rationing due to funding cuts.
Airlines are gradually restoring some flights to the Middle East, with regional carriers rebuilding schedules after war-related disruptions, though wider traffic flows remain impacted. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has emerged as a prominent European voice opposing the war, positioning himself as the EU's moral leader. An Iran-aligned Iraqi militia, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, formed a committee to sever ties with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) to ensure weapons are exclusively held by the state. The Lebanese army chief visited Pakistan amid regional tensions and Pakistani mediation efforts.