Maritime strategy

In this handout provided by the US Navy, The USS Gerald R. Ford, and Italian navy offshore Patrol Vessel ITS Paolo Thaon di Revel operate in the Mediterranean Sea, Oct. 2, 2025.

Analysis

Why Trump’s Venezuela playbook could face hard reality in Iran

On Wednesday, Trump said an armada larger than the one sent to Venezuela is heading toward Iran and “like with Venezuela,” it is ready to employ force if necessary.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Somalis celebrate the victory of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he won the presidential run-off election during the celebration organized by the government in Mogadishu, on May 29, 2023.

Analysis

Turkey casts Israel’s Somaliland move as overreach, but Somalia’s fragility poses risks

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland is widely dismissed in Ankara as a strategic overreach, but it is nevertheless exposing the limits of Turkey’s influence in Somalia.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A picture taken at the port of Dilovasi, outside Istanbul, on June 20, 2019, shows the drilling ship Yavuz scheduled to search for oil and gas off Cyprus.

Turkey eyes offshore energy pact with Syria in 2026 amid East Med isolation

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has offered up details on a deal with Syria that could unsettle regional rivals in the gas-rich Eastern Mediterranean.

Libyan military graduates loyal to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) take part in a parade marking their graduation, a result of a military training agreement with Turkey, at the Omar Mukhtar camp in the city of Tajoura, southeast of the capital Tripoli on November 21, 2020. (Photo by Mahmud TURKIA / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey seeks two-year extension of Libya troop mandate

The mandate cites ongoing risks and threats that could impact Turkey’s interests in the Mediterranean and North Africa.

Latest News

Analysis

As Turkey’s East Med isolation deepens, will Ankara seek maritime Syria deal?

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides signs documents with Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny, as Lebanon's president, Joseph Aoun, looks on during an agreement signing ceremony at the presidential palace of Baabda, east of Beirut, on Nov. 26, 2025.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Analysis

Turkey moves into Somalia’s untapped oil, raises stakes in Horn of Africa

This picture taken on Aug. 23, 2019 in Istanbul shows a view of Turkish General Directorate of Mineral research and Exploration's (MTA) Oruc Reis seismic research vessel docked at Haydarpasa port, which searches for hydrocarbon, oil, natural gas and coal reserves at sea.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Ankara open to US mediation role in Turkey-Greece row with conditions: Source

SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP via Getty Images

Iran accused of seizing vessel in Strait of Hormuz diverted from UAE

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

An employee wearing a face mask against the coronavirus, is pictured at the port of Jebel Ali, operated by the Dubai-based giant ports operator DP World, in the southern outskirts of the Gulf emirate of Dubai, on June 18, 2020.

UAE’s DP World to invest $5B in India's infrastructure: What to know

The Dubai-headquartered logistics firm has already invested $3 billion into the South Asian nation over three decades.

United Arab Emirates

A picture taken on Sept. 24, 2020, shows a partial view of the Brega oil port some 270 kilometers west of Libya's eastern city of Benghazi.

Turkey seeks to bolster Eastern Med foothold in new Libya energy talks

The talks between the Turkish ambassador in Libya and the Tripoli government’s energy minister come as Turkey seeks to reduce dependence on energy imports and bolster its energy security.

A Saudi navy ship is pictured docked at King Faisal navy base in Jeddah before the departure of a team to Port Sudan to help with the evacuation efforts of people fleeing Sudan, on April 29, 2023. - Warplanes on bombing raids drew heavy anti-aircraft fire over Khartoum as fierce fighting between Sudan's army and paramilitaries entered a third week, despite a renewed truce. (Photo by Fayez NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Saudi Arabia diversifies with new China naval drills, but military remains Western-centric

Expanding Saudi-Chinese defense cooperation mirrors the broader deepening of Saudi-Chinese diplomatic and economic relations.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

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

Wadani party presidential candidate Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, also known as Irro, speaks during a press conference on November 10, 2024, ahead of the 2024 Somaliland presidential election.

Somaliland leader courts Ethiopia in recognition push: What to know

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi visited Ethiopia for talks focused on security and economic cooperation as the Somali breakaway territory seeks global recognition.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov chairs the annual meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states foreign ministers, known as the Caspian Five, in Moscow, on Dec. 5, 2023.

Iran, Russia, Central Asia states ink Caspian Sea pact, plan naval drills

The navies of Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement on Wednesday, aimed at strengthening security in the Caspian Sea basin as the four countries deepen their relations.

Images of a fireball exploding on a cargo ship are shown on a giant screen during a protest called for by Yemen's rebel Houthi movement in Sanaa on March 17, 2025.

Dutch-flagged cargo ship struck off Yemen in latest attack

If claimed by the Houthis, the strike on the Minervagracht would mark their most successful attack on a civilian cargo vessel since July.

MAXIM SHEMETOV/AFP via Getty Images

Sudan, Russia sign trade deals as Khartoum seeks funds, Moscow eyes Red Sea port

The meeting in Moscow produced two agreements and an economic and trade cooperation protocol.

This picture taken on Oct. 29, 2023 in Istanbul shows Turkish naval forces warship Corvette TCG F 513, Burgazada, sails during a military naval parade on bosphorus to mark 100th anniversary celebrations of Turkish republic.

Turkey, Egypt join forces for first EastMed drills in 13 years

The joint exercises signal a thaw in Ankara-Cairo relations after years of tension over regional rivalries and past political disputes.

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan arrives during a visit at the Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome on April 29, 2025.

Turkey's FM heads to Italy amid rising tensions with Greece over EastMed, Libya

The top Turkish diplomat is set to meet with his Italian counterpart, as Ankara seeks deeper cooperation with Rome amid a rivalry with Greece and ongoing Libya diplomacy.

Admiral Daryl Caudle, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Chief of Naval Operations, testifies during his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on July 24, 2025 in Washington, DC.

New US Navy chief vows major revamp after Mideast conflicts strain fleet

Caudle’s swearing-in comes amid broader shakeups across the Navy as the Trump administration continues to dismiss top military brass.

hifter

Turkey’s spy chief meets Libya's Hifter in surprise visit to Benghazi

The surprise visit comes amid Ankara’s swiftly deepening thaw with eastern authorities after years of rivalry.

Badr Abdelatty

Turkey’s Fidan to visit Egypt with Libya, Gaza on agenda

The top Turkish diplomat’s Cairo visit comes as Ankara-Cairo engagement deepens amid shifting power balances in North Africa and shared concerns over Gaza.