Just days after Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi returned from a 5-day official visit to the U.S. where he met Trump and signed dozens of economic agreements, Ali Akbar Velayati, the Iranian supreme leader's senior adviser on international affairs, denounced the trip as "a badge of shame."

Trump has thrust one of Iran's most secretive nuclear sites into the center of his war on the country after warning on July 14, 2026, that the U.S. could destroy Pickaxe Mountain, saying U.S. forces were closely monitoring the site and warning that it could soon become a military target.

Field movements suggest that Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognized government are raising their level of preparedness for a possible new round of fighting against the Houthis, amid growing U.S. political and military support.

The Trump administration has been considering ending its relationship with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), prompting diplomatic efforts to preserve US support.

Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi has placed himself at the center of a high-stakes political and security test after pledging to President Donald Trump that he would disarm the country's militias and dismantle what is known as the "resistance" within two months.