Maritime strategy

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

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

An oil tanker sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands through the Strait of Hormuz was diverted into Iranian territorial waters on Friday, amid suspicions that it was intercepted by Iran.

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

Latest News

Somaliland leader courts Ethiopia in recognition push: What to know

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.

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

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.

Dutch-flagged cargo ship struck off Yemen in latest attack

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.

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

MAXIM SHEMETOV/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan and Macron

French foreign minister: Turkey and France have a ‘verbal cease-fire’

Jean-Yves Le Drian told a French TV station there is still a long way to go to improve Turkey-France relations, mentioning Syria, Libya and the eastern Mediterranean. The French and Turkish presidents had a cordial meeting earlier this week.

This photograph taken on May 14, 2014, shows a Gaza-Turkey solidarity flag projected on a wall of the Ankara Castle in Ankara, Turkey.

Turkey’s muddled approach to Palestine

Ankara sees a recently ratified security cooperation deal between Turkey and the Palestinian Authority as groundwork for a possible maritime boundary agreement between Turkey and Palestine. Experts see such prospects as far-fetched.

Egypt's Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdi Sanad Loza (R) meets with his Turkish counterpart, Sedat Onal (L), in the Foreign Ministry headquarters in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on May 5, 2021. Turkey and Egypt have begun slowly warming ties as they vie for regional primacy a decade after the Arab Spring, but analysts say deep-seated mistrust means full normalization will take time.

Egypt sets conditions for full normalization with Turkey

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry laid down several conditions that would serve as a basis for normalizing ties with Turkey, in light of the recent attempts at rapprochement between the two countries.

The container ship Ever Given is seen at the Suez Canal on March 28, 2021, in Suez, Egypt. Work continues to free the Ever Given, a huge container ship stuck sideways in Egypt's Suez Canal. Dredgers have been working on the port side of the ship in an attempt to remove sand and mud and dislodge the vessel. The Suez Canal is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and the blockage has created a backlog of vessels at either end, raising concerns over the impact the accident will have on global shipping and

Egypt to deepen, widen Suez Canal after blockage

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has approved a project to widen and deepen the southern stretch of the Suez Canal, where a giant vessel blocked the strategic maritime artery for nearly a week in March.

Suez Canal Red Sea entrance

Egypt's Sisi approves plan to widen, deepen Suez Canal after stuck ship

The plan includes widening and deepening the area where Ever Given got stuck in March.

Zachary Pearson- U.S. Navy via Getty Images

Iran denies US Navy’s account of run-in in Persian Gulf

Iran has accused the US Navy of “false narratives” and “unprofessional behavior” in the latest run-in with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

A man walks near a laundry clothing line hanging in the open by a building in the city of Tawergha, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of Libya's capital close to the port city of Misrata, on Dec. 12, 2020.

Libyan conflict stands out as key to Turkey-Egypt normalization

Turkey appears reluctant to back down from its military posture in Libya, even as its normalization bid with Egypt depends greatly on whether the two sides find common ground in the Libyan conflict.

Locals watch as the the stricken Kuzma Minin is towed out to sea in Falmouth on Dec. 18, 2018 in Cornwall, England.

Russian ship gets stuck near Caspian en route to Iran

The cargo vessel got stuck in a canal north of the Caspian Sea while bringing goods to Iran. Russia and Iran have lobbied for an alternative to the Suez Canal through their countries recently.

A US Navy personnel mans a heavy machine gun as he watches a Riverine Command Boat (C) cruising past the USS Ponci in the Arabian Sea, on the first day of the the biggest mine countermeasures exercise in the Arabian Gulf, May 13, 2013.

US Navy seizes massive shipment of weapons in Arabian Sea

A video released by the Navy onboard the USS Monterey showed a massive cache of arms seized from a stateless vessel in the Arabian Sea.

A picture taken from the Greek-Cypriot side of the divided Cypriot capital Nicosia on April 24, 2021, shows metal flags of Turkey (L) and the self-declared Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Ankara, above the Turkish-controlled side of the divided capital.

Turkey sees turning point in failed Cyprus summit

Turkey hopes for British support as it takes on a more hawkish posture on the Cyprus conflict, risking fresh tensions with the European Union.

Iranian Army office/AFP via Getty Images

US Navy fires warning shots in encounter with Iranian patrol boats

A US Navy patrol ship fired warning shots to ward off Iranian boats in the Persian Gulf on Monday, marking the second run-in between the two countries’ naval forces this month.

Turkish Cypriot police stand before a portrait of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the disputal coastal town of Varosha, in Famagusta, Cyprus, Nov. 15, 2020.

Erdogan furious as his Islamic ambitions stumble in Turkish Cyprus

A Turkish Cypriot court ruling that reins back on Quranic courses comes as a poignant message to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Cypriot Turks are unwilling to sign up to his quest to raise “devout generations.”