Americas
A new poll suggests Americans of all political stripes, including MAGA adherents, seek more US leadership on the international stage, not less. “The preference for American global leadership over a more isolationist approach is on the rise, up from 40 [percent] in 2022 to 64 [percent]” this year, the 2025 Reagan Institute Summer Survey showed, according to the institute. “Americans are not retreating from the world; they are rallying around a foreign policy grounded in peace through strength.” Among specific geopolitical issues rated by the poll — which was conducted before the US launched strikes against Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend — it found an overwhelming bipartisan majority agreed that preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon was in the interests of US security and prosperity, but only about a quarter of respondents said the US should do more to support Israel.
In inserting itself into Israel’s war against Iran, the US unleashed its massive “bunker-buster” bombs on Iran’s Fordo fuel enrichment plant. Those bombs were widely seen as the best chance of damaging or destroying Fordo, built deep into a mountain and untouched during Israel’s weeklong offensive. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the operation before an official briefing, confirmed their use in Sunday’s attack.
Middle East & Africa
Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across Tehran early Monday, hitting what it called “regime targets and government repression bodies” in the heart of the Iranian capital, including Evin Prison, notorious for jailing political opponents. The military also said it struck the Fordo nuclear facility, already damaged by US strikes over the weekend, to obstruct access routes to the site. Iran launched missile attacks Monday on US military bases in Qatar and Iraq, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites and escalating tensions in the volatile region. Qatar condemned the attack on the Al Udeid Air Base, but said it had successfully intercepted the missiles and no casualties were reported. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
Europe
Nearly two-thirds of Germans support a European nuclear deterrent independent of the United States, according to a new poll released Monday, marking a dramatic shift in public opinion amid growing concerns about American commitment. The survey found 64% of Germans back the concept of a European nuclear umbrella that doesn’t rely on Washington, with support spanning age groups, regions, and political parties — an unusual consensus in German policy debates. The poll was conducted by the well-regarded pollster Forsa and commissioned by the magazine “Internationale Politik.”
Asia-Pacific
Taiwan is vetting hundreds of thousands of military service members, public school teachers, and civil servants in a bid to root out potential homegrown Chinese sympathizers, as Beijing intensifies espionage on the island. Alarm is growing in Taiwan over the extent of China’s infiltration on the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims is part of its territory and has threatened to seize by force.