Israelis voted Tuesday in a national election that will decide whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing government hold onto power. Netanyahu has pledged to “finish the job” against Iran if his Likud party wins. Early turnout was the strongest in decades. 

President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed Netanyahu, calling him “a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Subscribe Today

Get daily emails in your inbox

Email Address:

Security officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan—the three members of the recently-formed Mecca defense alliance—met in Tehran with Iranian officials on Monday. The exact nature of their talks was not immediately clear, but analysts said the four nations may be looking to start handling regional security issues with less outside interference.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told reporters, “A new atmosphere is emerging in the region.” An Iranian government account on X said that President Masoud Pezeshkian had stressed that “Islamic nations must uphold brotherhood and act as ‘a single force’ against shared threats.”

Oil prices dipped slightly early Tuesday following diplomatic efforts to defuse the Mideast conflict. The price of Brent crude was just under $115 per barrel. In America, the average price of regular gasoline was $4.27 per gallon.