This is the introduction to Middle East Dispatch, a weekly, subscriber-only newsletter in which our correspondents take a look at the warfare, politics and economics of a region that is at the centre of the world’s affairs.

American troops in the Middle East are having their deployments extended through March 2027, indicating a continued, open-ended U.S. military presence. ABC News' Luis Martinez and Karen Travers have the latest.

Chinese, Egyptian leaders discuss the US-Israel war on Iran, which has prompted regional powers to rethink defence.

Export data from March shows sharp decline in exports to countries and key markets targeted by Iranian missiles.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has arrived in eastern Thailand after its grueling deployment in the Middle East.

By Parisa Hafezi and Bo Erickson DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Fears of renewed escalation gripped the Middle East on Wednesday after the United States and Iran exchanged their biggest barrage since July,

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, is seeking to deepen ties with a longtime U.S. security partner and to project a larger role for Beijing in a region rocked by war.

Multiple U.S. embassies warned Americans in the Middle East to "exercise caution and heightened vigilance," while CENTCOM launched fresh strikes on Iran.

Oil prices rose on Thursday after U.S. strikes on Iran and renewed ‌Israeli threats against Tehran revived concerns about disruptions to Middle East supplies.

The wartime blockage of cargo traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is a boon for Syria, which is poised to capitalize on a need for alternative transit routes for oil.

A growing logistics crisis is putting new pressure on the U.S. Navy in the Middle East as dangerous routes and disrupted ports make it harder to keep the fleet supplied. Around 20 U.S. Navy ships and roughly 20,