The Trump-Xi Summit and the Middle East

Chinese president Xi walks with U.S. president Trump in Beijing in 2017 - source: Reuters
Trump’s China Trip: Implications for the Middle East and Beyond
The first presidential visit to China in nearly a decade will cover trade, technology, and a range of other bilateral topics, including frank conversations on Middle East subjects such as Beijing’s support to Iran and the wider global repercussions of the Strait of Hormuz crisis.
May 13, 2026
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  • Grant Rumley
  • Henry Tugendhat
  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Souhire Medini

SHAKY CEASEFIRES, PERILOUS AFTERSHOCKS

USS Boxer leads U.S. Navy ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz - source: Department of Defense
How to Accomplish U.S. Objectives in Iran
An agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for lifting the U.S. blockade could make it easier to ultimately address more complex issues such as Iran’s uranium stockpile, missile program, and support for proxies.
May 14, 2026
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  • Michael Singh

Video: America and the Middle East at 250 with Dr. Martin Kramer

Historian Martin Kramer, the Walter P. Stern Fellow at The Washington Institute, explains how America's early leaders navigated the republic's first encounters with the Middle East—and hears some echoes of today's policy dilemmas.

Interactive Map: Maritime Attacks in the MENA Region

Explore this new interactive tool to shed light on the actions of actors such as Iran and Yemen's Houthis that have threatened and attacked commercial shipping in the waters off the Middle East and North Africa. 

 

Access the map.

Institute Expertise on the Iran War and Its Aftermath

Recent Institute Analysis

Palestinain refugees wait for IDF permission to gather their belongings while benig expelled from a camp near Jenin - source: Reuters
Rebuilding West Bank Refugee Camps: A Shared Interest for Palestinians and Israelis
If coordinated properly, reconstructing—and rethinking—the northern camps destroyed during Operation Iron Wall could help improve refugees’ lives, reduce militant activity
Apr 30, 2026
A UNIFIL peacekeeper on duty in Lebanon - source: United Nations
Lebanon After UNIFIL: Good Riddance, Not a “Vacuum”
Whether the UN and Europe agree to align with a limited, U.S.-led mechanism or insist on their own separate missions
Apr 29, 2026
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Interactive Maps

Video: Expert Conversations on the Iran Crisis

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Chinese president Xi walks with U.S. president Trump in Beijing in 2017 - source: Reuters
Trump’s China Trip: Implications for the Middle East and Beyond
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May 13, 2026
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