Maritime strategy

A general view taken on April 4, 2014, shows oil tanker Morning Glory, during the unloading of oil in the Libyan seaport of Zawiya.

Turkey backs Libya in legal challenge to Greece-Chevron offshore deal

Ankara is engaging Libyan authorities in challenging the Greece-Chevron deal, a Turkish official said.

A missile launches from IRIS Sabalan, an Alvand-class frigate of the Iranian Navy, during the Velayat 91 drill in the Gulf of Oman on January 1, 2013. The Velayat 91 drill is a sixday Iranian naval exercise held in late December 2012 and early January 2013 across the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman, and the northern Indian Ocean to test naval readiness and secure strategic waterways. (Photo by Mohammadali Najib / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Russia, China, Iran to hold joint naval drills in Strait of Hormuz: What to know

The drills come as the three countries strengthen their ties amid growing US economic and military pressure on Iran.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) gestures as he addresses the media during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on Feb. 11, 2026.

Greek PM Mitsotakis offers rare nod to Ataturk in Turkey amid maritime row

In a rare reference to Ataturk, a divisive figure in Greece, the Greek premier reaffirmed his commitment to dialogue.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Iran warning near Hormuz collides with Red Sea shipping comeback

Armed boats attempted to intercept a vessel near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the same day that major container lines also announced the resumption of limited transits through the Suez Canal.

Latest News

Analysis

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

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.

By Rosaleen Carroll

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

Analysis

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

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.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

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 seeks two-year extension of Libya troop mandate

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)

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

IRGC holds drills as Iran dispatches naval mission to international seas

The move coincides with large-scale drills held by Iran’s military and IRGC days after Pakistan struck areas in Iran.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shakes hand with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 9, 2023. (Photo by Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EVAN VUCCI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE's MBZ in India, meets Modi as Houthis' maritime threat expands

The visit comes amid a spike in Houthi maritime attacks that are increasingly disrupting Gulf waters and encroaching on India's coast.

An Iranian navy missile is displayed during the army day military parade, outside the mausoleum of the late founder of Islamic republic, Ayatollah Khomeini (poster) in Tehran, April 18, 2007.

Iran hails Houthi rebels, deploys warship as Red Sea simmers

As the Houthi spokesman visited Tehran, the Iranian army dispatched a leading destroyer to the Red Sea, where the United States has been mobilizing an international coalition to end disruptions by the Tehran-backed militant group.

A Maersk container ship sails through the new section of the Suez Canal.

Houthi attacks: Hundreds of ships to reroute from Red Sea, 44% cost spike for China

The Red Sea is one of the world’s most important shipping routes for oil, fuel and consumer goods, and shipments between Asia and Europe typically go through the sea and the Suez Canal.

Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen (R) and his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos give a press conference in Larnaca on December 20, 2023 talking about a humanitarian aid corridor from the Mediterranean island to war-torn Gaza. (Photo by Elisa AMOURET / AFP) (Photo by ELISA AMOURET/AFP via Getty Images)

In Cyprus, Israel's FM says Gaza maritime corridor deal is imminent

A plan for a humanitarian maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza could take shape in a matter of weeks.

Yemeni coastguard members loyal to the internationally-recognised government ride in a patrol boat cruising in the Red Sea off of the government-held town of Mokha in the western Taiz province, close to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, on December 12, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Ziad / AFP) (Photo by KHALED ZIAD/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran launches new naval unit as Red Sea attacks intensify

Equipped with rocket-launching vessels, the additional force is introduced amid increasing encounters between Iranian and American vessels in the Persian Gulf.

KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images

Iran slams US' planned maritime force in Red Sea

The Iranian threats come amid repeated attacks against vessels in the area, mostly claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi group.

A picture obtained by AFP from Iranian News Agency ISNA on June 13, 2019, reportedly shows fire and smoke billowing from Norwegian-owned Front Altair tanker said to have been attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman

Houthi missile hits Norwegian-flagged tanker in latest Red Sea attack

Iran-backed rebels hit a Norwegian-owned chemical tanker with a cruise missile, but the ship had no clear connection to Israel, signaling the Houthis may be widening the aperture of their attacks.

A view of the sign that reads "Caution: mines" on the beach on April 25, 2022, in Odesa, Ukraine.

Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria announce mechanism to clear mines in Black Sea

The joint mechanism between Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania comes after the British government said Russia might use sea mines to deter Kyiv from exporting its grain.

US Army helicopter crew from the 101st Airborne Division prepares the Apache attack helicopter at the the Camp Udairi airfield in preparation for a mission to Iraq 20 March 2003.

US accuses Iran’s IRGC of harassing helicopter over the Gulf

The first reported tense interaction between the US Navy and Iran's naval forces comes just days after Bahraini soldiers were killed in a drone attack attributed to Yemen's Houthi rebels, who receive arms from Iran.

Egypt Bright Star

Pentagon expands role in Egypt war games as US weighs aid cuts

Some 1,500 US military personnel are taking part in this year’s Bright Star exercise in Egypt as the Biden administration faces renewed pressure from Congress to withhold a portion of Cairo’s military aid over rampant human rights abuses.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides (C) holds a trilateral summit with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the presidential palace in the Cypriot capital Nicosia, Sept. 4, 2023.

Israel, Cyprus, Greece leaders enhance cooperation on gas infrastructure

The leaders of Israel, Greece and Cyprus met in Nicosia to discuss strengthening the trilateral strategic alliance between the countries and exploring options for exporting Israeli natural gas via Cyprus to Europe.