EU-Mideast ties

Illustration picture taken during the Eurosatory Defense and Security fair in Paris, France ,on June 15, 2026.

Analysis

Why Gulf defense firms are betting on Europe in wake of Iran war

In less than a week, the UAE's Edge Group has unveiled a string of major defense announcements in Europe.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

A picture taken on June 5, 2017, shows a man walking past the Qatar National Bank branch in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Gulf investment to turn inward to rebuild postwar infrastructure: QNB

Charles-Emmanuel de Beauregard, Qatar National Bank’s head of corporate and institutional banking, said that the Gulf countries will need to rebuild their logistics capabilities after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Ankara says a defense deal between France and the Republic of Cyprus risks upsetting the island’s delicate balance, as defense ties among Cyprus, Greece, Israel and France deepen.

France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech after receiving the Pic du Midi nomination file for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List from officials of the Occitanie region at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on June 9, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Padilla / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Macron meets Tom Barrack as France seeks larger role in Lebanon

As Israel and Lebanon move toward a ceasefire agreement, France is seeking to play a role through two initiatives: strengthening the Lebanese army and establishing a new international force.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Latest News

Analysis

Will Pashinyan’s victory in Armenia be enough to unlock peace with Turkey, Azerbaijan?

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Sept. 24, 2024.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Ireland bans hard-line Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir, Smotrich: What to know

Israeli policemen surround Israeli Minister of National Security and far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir as he arrives outside the Damascus Gate of the walled Old City of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025, during a flag march for Jerusalem Day, commemorating the Israeli army's 1967 capture of the city's eastern sector during the Arab-Israeli war.

Turkey maritime law prompts Greek rethink on Aegean marine parks

This photograph shows Kimom, the first of four modern French Defense and Intervention Frigate, part of Greece's major military modernization program, sailing upon its arrival in the Saronic Gulf, near Athens on Jan. 15, 2026.

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

European Council President Donald Tusk and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt, attend a news conference during a summit between Arab league and European Union member states, in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, February 25, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC1E39420620

Human rights the elephant in the room at Arab-EU summit

The first summit of European Union and Arab League leaders exposed existing rifts between the Middle East and Europe, in particular on the human rights front.

Netanyahu’s dance with anti-Semitism

A comment on anti-Semitism in Poland by acting Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz has inadvertently exposed the hypocrisy of Israel’s right-wing government.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk during the family photo at the Middle East conference at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel - RC18F180B8B0

Trump allies hijack Warsaw summit with calls for Iran war, regime change

Giuliani's meeting with Iranian opposition group and Israeli prime minister's tweet about war with Iran gets conference on promoting peace in the Middle East off to problematic start.

Turkey, Greece take symbolic but significant steps closer

Ankara and Athens both could have lots to gain if they're able to turn goodwill gestures into concrete solutions to their common problems.

Will Warsaw summit unite US, EU against Iran?

Despite a likely Western European snub in terms of level of representation, the Warsaw summit holds the possibility of being a starting point for a European-American consensus against Iran down the line, potentially depriving Tehran of even the minimum benefits of the nuclear deal.

Cairo seeks international help to clear millions of land mines

Egypt is still littered with land mines from past wars, endangering its citizens and complicating development efforts.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras shake hands after holding a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1ABCF85EB0

As Greek PM visits Turkey, Erdogan calls for peacefully resolving disputes

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras signaled warming ties during the latter's visit to Turkey.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pauses during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC1247769330

Iranian opposition unwelcome at Pompeo’s anti-Iran bash

Iranian opposition gets left out of meeting on Iran taking place in Poland next week.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif addresses a news conference following nuclear negotiations with European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is leading talks with Iran on behalf of the six world powers, at the United Nations in Geneva October 16, 2013. Iran called two days of nuclear talks with six world powers, United States, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and China, that ended on Wednesday "fruitful" and said it hoped for a new phase in relations. He said two sides had for t

Why Europe just made Rouhani’s effort to exit FATF blacklist even harder

The E3’s seeming tying of the launch of its new trade mechanism to Iran’s passing of controversial bills has energized hard-line calls for refusal to accede to the FATF’s action plan.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini take part in meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Brussels, Belgium, May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Pool - RC16D13AE4C0

Why Europe's payment channel may be too little to keep Iran in JCPOA

Iran is inching closer than ever to withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as it finds European steps toward maintaining the deal too little, too late — a perception exacerbated by more European non-nuclear sanctions.

Brian Hook, U.S. Special Representative for Iran, speaks about potential threats posed by the Iranian regime to the international community, during a news conference at a military base in Washington, U.S., November 29, 2018. REUTERS/Al Drago - RC11738D3C90

US allies try to dilute anti-Iran agenda for Warsaw summit

Wary European allies are trying to dilute and broaden the agenda and lower their diplomatic representation for a US-backed ministerial meeting on Middle East peace and security to be held Feb. 13-14 in Warsaw, Poland.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives for a meeting with Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said al-Said at the Beit Al Baraka Royal Palace in Muscat, Oman January 14, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC1C46BDE3C0

Iran says Poland conference divides Europe

Iran has condemned an upcoming anti-Iran meeting hosted by Poland.