Syria has a rich archaeological heritage full of ancient Roman and Byzantine sites and treasures. Damaged and stolen during a civil war, they now face an increased danger of looting.

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Wendy Sherman, a former U.S. diplomat who has been part of teams negotiating with Iran, about the status of latest negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite wars ranging across the Middle East, more than 20 million Shia pilgrims gather in Iraq shrine city for Arbaeen festival

As Iran works toward a final agreement with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, leaders there have a political incentive to drag out negotiations: their desire to put pressure on President Trump.

NPR's A Martinez speaks to Holly Dagres, senior fellow at the Washington Institute, about how the Iranian regime's understanding of U.S. politics informs its war strategy.

NPR's A Martinez asks longtime U.S. diplomat Richard Haass about peace plans for Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected an agreement with Hamas proposed by President Trump.

Netanyahu's comments come just over a week after President Trump said his Board of Peace had reached a "historic" agreement with Hamas to give up its weapons.

Meanwhile, Iran has made new demands about the restart of negotiations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Pentagon is pressing the U.S. defense industry to accelerate production of weapons.

More than 20 million Shia pilgrims flocked to a shrine city in Iraq this week, including millions of Iranians, despite the wars tearing across the Middle East.

An agreement over the Strait of Hormuz is still far away. Tim Wilkins, who works for a tanker industry group, says the ships stuck around the waterway are in limbo, and transiting is still dangerous.