Good morning! Today is Tuesday, June 9th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. On day 101 of the Iran War, the ceasefire has collapsed into a fresh exchange of missiles and airstrikes, with a draft agreement reportedly sitting on President Trump's desk for nearly twenty days as oil spikes and gas climbs to $4.16 a gallon. Inside the Gulf Cooperation Council, the United Arab Emirates has emerged as the most hawkish voice on Iran, and Giorgio Cafiero reports its softer recent rhetoric is managed ambiguity rather than any real change in policy. Spencer Neale argues that Hunter Biden's unfiltered arrival on X has made him an unlikely "MAGA whisperer," exposing how authenticity has become the only currency left in American politics as Trump struggles to out-spectacle the spectacle he created. and now for the details. We begin with the Middle East, where the Iran War has entered its 101st day, and the fragile ceasefire that had been holding now appears to have collapsed. In retaliation for Israel's bombing of Beirut and its continued occupation of southern Lebanon, Iran launched a wave of ballistic missiles at Israel Sunday night. Israel responded with airstrikes on Iranian targets. The Yemeni Houthis followed up with the announcement of a complete ban on Israeli maritime navigation. Axios reported, citing an Israeli source and a U.S. official, that President Trump had told Prime Minister Netanyahu not to retaliate against the Iranian missile attack. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman dismissed that account, saying no one in the region believes Israel acts without prior coordination with Washington. On Truth Social, the president wrote that both sides are looking to do an immediate ceasefire and that the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will remain in place until a final deal is reached. As Harrison Berger reports for The American Conservative, Drop Site News, citing a senior Iranian official, says two issues are blocking any wider agreement: Israel's bombing of Lebanon and expanded occupation in the south, and Trump's refusal to unfreeze Iranian funds. According to that official, a draft agreement has been sitting on the president's desk for nearly twenty days. Brent crude briefly spiked to $98 a barrel before easing back, and AAA puts the national average price of regular gasoline at $4.16 a gallon. Staying in the Gulf, the war has scrambled the diplomatic map among the six Gulf Cooperation Council states. While Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have committed to engagement with Tehran and the pursuit of a non-aggression arrangement, the United Arab Emirates has emerged as the most hawkish member of the bloc. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the UAE conducted dozens of airstrikes on Iranian targets between the start of the war and the Pakistani-mediated ceasefire in April, coordinating with Washington and Tel Aviv to hit islands in the Strait of Hormuz, energy facilities, and petrochemical infrastructure. In recent weeks, Emirati officials have softened their public tone. Senior diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash has warned that a return to hostilities would be catastrophic, and Mohamed bin Zayed has spoken with the Emir of Qatar about diplomatic pathways. But as Giorgio Cafiero reports for The American Conservative, analysts caution this is not a true policy shift. Khalid Almezaini of Zayed University describes it as managed ambiguity and structural pragmatism, not a softening. Mira Al Hussein of the University of Edinburgh notes the UAE previously claimed a purely defensive posture before its direct strikes on Iran came to light, and argues Abu Dhabi is unlikely to forgive Tehran's targeting of Emirati territory. The likely path forward, Cafiero writes, is deeper alignment with Washington and Tel Aviv, with the UAE working to constrain Iranian power while keeping the door open to limited de-escalation down the road. Those are today's highlights. For the full stories and more, visit theamericanconservative.com. Thank you for starting your morning with us.
