Skip to content
Search
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

US pushes for Middle East cease-fire ahead of Election Day

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken boards a plane, en route to the Middle East, as he departs Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., October 21, 2024.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken boards a plane, en route to the Middle East, as he departs Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., October 21, 2024.

REUTERS/Nathan Howard
John Haltiwanger
By John HaltiwangerOctober 21, 2024
John Haltiwanger
John Haltiwanger is an award-winning journalist who covers US politics and foreign policy, and all things geopolitics. He has reported all over the US and the world, covering issues ranging from wars to refugee crises. He's currently a Senior Writer at GZERO Media, but previously reported for Business Insider and Newsweek. He has a master's in international relations from the Univ. of Glasgow and a BA in history from St. Mary's College of Maryland.
See Full Bio

With exactly two weeks before Election Day in the US, the Biden administration is pushing for cease-fires in Israel’s wars with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

US envoy Amos Hochstein visited Beirut on Monday as part of this effort. Hochstein said that both sides “simply committing” to UN resolution 1701, a peace agreement that followed the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, “is not enough” and called for a formula “that brings an end to this conflict once and for all.”

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is en route to Israel, where he is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday as part of a renewed push for a Gaza cease-fire.

While achieving a cease-fire on either front could potentially boost Kamala Harris’s campaign, the likelihood of this happening before Nov. 5 appears slim. The US and other international negotiators have pushed for a cease-fire for months, without luck.

Israeli airstrikes continued to pound Lebanon and Gaza over the weekend, and the region is still bracing for Israel’s response to Iran’s Oct. 1 missile attack.

We’ll be watching to see if the US can make any progress, but recent history suggests it will be an uphill battle.

middle eastlebanongazahamashezbollahpalestineisrael

Latest Videos

Trump's war of choice in Iranplay icon
Quick Take

Trump's war of choice in Iran

Trump's tariff pivot after SCOTUS ruling
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Trump's tariff pivot after SCOTUS ruling

The Supreme Court checks Trump’s tariff power
Ian Explains

The Supreme Court checks Trump’s tariff power

Tehran's best and worst-case scenarios
GZERO World Clips

Tehran's best and worst-case scenarios

How arming the Kurds in Iran could lead to "civil war on steroids"
Middle East

How arming the Kurds in Iran could lead to "civil war on steroids"

What comes next in the US-Israel war with Iran?
Quick Take

What comes next in the US-Israel war with Iran?

More For You

Iran conflict sends oil prices surging, Trial begins for Erdogan’s main adversary, German Greens win in auto state

Pirhossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, stands in front of the Shahran oil depot, which was targeted by US-Israeli strikes, in western Tehran, Iran, on March 8, 2026.

Pirhossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, stands in front of the Shahran oil depot, which was targeted by US-Israeli strikes, on the eighth day of the war in western Tehran, Iran, on March 8, 2026.

Sobhan Farajvan/Pacific Press/Sipa USA
Depot bombing, Strait of Hormuz constraints send oil prices surgingOil prices skyrocketed above $100 per barrel on Monday – nearly hitting $120 at one point – after Israel bombed fuel depots outside Iran’s capital of Tehran and data showed oil production along the Persian Gulf tanking due to the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz. US President [...]

Iran conflict fueled food crisis, Rapper set to win in Nepal, US gives Russia sanction relief

Cargo ships are unloading newly arrived chemical fertilizers at the port terminal in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu province, on February 27, 2024. ​

Cargo ships are unloading newly arrived chemical fertilizers at the port terminal in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu province, on February 27, 2024.

(Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto)
Iran conflict could trigger a food crisisDisruptions to a key Gulf waterway in the Iran conflict aren't just threatening the world’s oil and gas supplies; they could also cause a food security crisis. Roughly a quarter to a third of global raw materials used in fertilizer pass through the Strait of Hormuz. With tanker traffic in the strait largely [...]

New fronts of Iran conflict, A better week for Russia than Ukraine, US and Spain butt heads

​An explosion in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, Iran, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in this still image from a social media video released on March 5, 2026.

An explosion in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, Iran, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in this still image from a social media video released on March 5, 2026.

Social Media/via REUTERS
Iran conflict hits new frontsTwo Iranian drones hit Azerbaijan, Iran’s northern neighbor, on Thursday, injuring four people and expanding the Iran conflict onto another front. The Azeris, who have a tense relationship with the Islamic Republic over their growing ties to NATO countries, have reportedly deployed troops to the Iranian border, which [...]

Khamenei’s son emerges as favorite to succeed him, Nepal to hold election, US helps Ecuador in drug raids

Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, visits Hezbollah's office in Tehran, Iran, October 1, 2024.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, visits Hezbollah's office in Tehran, Iran, October 1, 2024.

Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Could father-to-son succession return to Iran?When the Islamic Republic’s senior clerics met yesterday to decide on the next supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly emerged as the favorite to succeed his assassinated father, Ali Khamenei. Mojtaba’s appointment would be viewed as a continuation of the previous regime, but it does present risks: [...]