President Joe Biden is expected to announce today (WaPo) plans to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan by September 11, the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The move would end the United States’ participation in its longest war, which has claimed the lives of more than two thousand U.S. service members and tens of thousands of Afghan civilians.

Biden, who has long been critical of the prolonged U.S. presence in Afghanistan, rebuffed the Pentagon’s push for a longer deployment, though the September deadline is later than the May 1 date (WSJ) set under last year’s U.S.-Taliban agreement. The Taliban yesterday rejected an extension (NYT) of the May 1 deadline. There are currently about 3,500 U.S. and 7,000 other foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan. Some Republican lawmakers criticized Biden’s move, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell calling it “reckless” and a “grave mistake.”

Iran will boost its uranium enrichment (Al Jazeera) to a new high of 60 percent and add new centrifuges in response to an attack on its Natanz nuclear facility, President Hassan Rouhani announced. He said Tehran will continue to participate in negotiations, which resume today, aimed at resurrecting the 2015 nuclear agreement and will retaliate against Israel if evidence is found linking it to the Natanz attack. Israeli defense sources told Haaretz that Iran was behind an attack on an Israeli-owned ship near the United Arab Emirates yesterday.

CFR’s Ray Takeyh looks at the impacts of the Natanz attack.

Egypt: Authorities seized the cargo ship (WSJ) that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week last month and demanded compensation for the rescue operation, damages to the canal, and lost revenue from resulting delays.

President Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, is due to arrive in China today (NYT) to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua. They will discuss global efforts to address climate change ahead of a U.S. summit next week. Kerry is the first Biden administration official to visit China amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing; an annual U.S. intelligence report released yesterday named China as a top threat.

This CFR Backgrounder examines the successes and failures of global climate agreements.

South Korea: The country is considering bringing a case against Japan (Yonhap) at an international tribunal because of Tokyo’s decision to release wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean.

Four people, including a police officer, were reportedly killed and hundreds more were injured during violent clashes (Dawn) between police and supporters of a far-right religious party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), who are protesting the arrest of the party’s leader, Hafiz Saad Hussain Rizvi.

Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo signed a bill (AFP) extending his term for two years, despite international opposition. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States is “deeply disappointed” (Al Jazeera) by the move and that it will be forced to reconsider its relationship with Somalia.

Benin: Provisional results show President Patrice Talon was reelected (Al Jazeera) with 86 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, which had a turnout of about 50 percent. The election was marred by violence and accusations of voter intimidation, and some opposition parties boycotted it.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United States both indicated their support for Ukraine (NYT) amid a Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States will deploy additional troops in Germany, scrapping plans by President Donald Trump to withdraw troops from Europe. Biden urged Moscow to de-escalate tensions during a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday.

Russia: Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, said she is growing increasingly concerned (RFE/RL) about her imprisoned husband’s deteriorating health. She said the prison is refusing to allow an independent doctor to visit him.

Brazil’s Senate announced the creation of an investigative commission (MercoPress) to examine President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bolsonaro faces growing calls for impeachment (WaPo) over his pandemic response; Brazil has one of the highest case counts in the world.

Argentina: A top appellate court dismissed a fraud case (Buenos Aires Times) against former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and members of her administration. The case was one of eight that has been brought against Kirchner, who was president from 2007 to 2015 and currently serves as vice president. She denies all the charges.

Federal health officials paused distribution (WaPo) of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after six women—out of the more than seven million people who have received the shot—developed serious blood clots after getting it. Officials emphasized that the clots appear to be “extremely rare.” A federal advisory panel will meet today (WSJ) to discuss continued use of the vaccine.