Sanctions

An aerial view shows port of the western Syrian port city of Latakia, on Dec. 18, 2024.

Analysis

Can a UAE-backed Syria-Iraq corridor become Gulf's next trade route?

On June 26, Emirati and Syrian officials discussed plans for a logistics corridor connecting Syrian ports to Gulf markets via Iraq.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Speaker of the Parliament of Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) arrives at the Burgenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne on June 21, 2026.

Iran rejects Trump's claim frozen funds will buy US soybeans: What to know

Trump said Wednesday that the US would release “some” Iranian frozen funds and would use them to purchase corn, wheat and soybeans from American farmers.

Marada Movement leader Suleiman Frangieh (L) meets with Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi (C) and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea (R), Bkerke, north of Beirut, Nov. 14, 2018.

Who is Lebanon’s Suleiman Frangieh, sanctioned by US for Hezbollah ties?

The politician and Marada Movement leader has a close relationship with the Syrian Assad family and staunchly supports Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah.

A police officer stands holding a flag in Valiasr Square beneath a mural of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on April 23, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Trump, Vance sign Iran-US framework

A US official said that the US president and vice president and Iran's parliament speaker signed the MoU electronically on Sunday.

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Analysis

As Trump admin drops Halkbank case, S-400 last big hurdle in US-Turkey ties

Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system is displayed at the exposition field in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow on Aug. 22, 2017 during the first day of the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2017.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US issues more Iran sanctions as Trump says strikes will resume

A woman walks past a banner bearing the images of the late founder of the Islamic Revolution supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L).

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Amnesty International accuses Israel of state-led ethnic cleansing in West Bank

Israeli security forces attempt to disperse Palestinians who had gathered to protest the reported burning of land by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on June 5, 2026.

US sanctions network smuggling Iranian LPG as talks falter

An Iranian flag flutters in the wind as ships remain anchored on May 16, 2026 in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran.

Druze men greet each other as they wait near the border fence in the town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, as Syrian Druze who had crossed over the day before to the village, cross back to return to Syrian, on July 17, 2025. Syrian government forces have withdrawn from the whole of Sweida province after days of sectarian bloodshed in the heartland of the Druze minority, a war monitor and witnesses said July 17, 2025. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) (Photo

Analysis

Trump’s Syria gamble tested by unrest in Suwayda

The recent bloodshed in southern Syria is testing the Trump administration’s policy toward the war-torn country and complicating hopes for its potential normalization with Israel.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi talk.

As Iran deadline looms, here’s what to know about UN snapback sanctions

As the October JCPOA snapback deadline approaches, Western powers are weighing the use of the mechanism, while Iran warns that such a move would undermine progress toward a renewed nuclear deal.

President Donald Trump, joined by Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other lawmakers, holds up an executive order after signing a series of bills related to California’s vehicle emissions standards during an event in the East Room of the White House on June 12, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Trump signs executive order ending decades-old Syria sanctions

The sweeping directive unwinds layers of sanctions but maintains Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Bank Sepah

Cyberattack strikes Iranian bank with ties to IRGC: What we know

The hacker group that claims to be behind the attack said it targeted the bank over its role in financing Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images

France blocks Israeli weapons display at Paris airshow: What to know

After their exclusion from the Eurosatory and Euronaval fairs, Israeli armament companies have now been prevented from participating in the Bourget defense show in Paris.

(L to R) Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israeli far-right lawmaker and leader of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish power) party, and Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli far-right lawmaker and leader of the Religious Zionist Party, attend a rally with supporters in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on Oct. 26, 2022.

UK, Australia, Canada sanction Israel’s Ben-Gvir, Smotrich for inciting violence

Both far-right Israeli ministers will have their assets frozen and face travel bans.

People queue in front of a teller next to a pile of banknotes of different currencies at a commercial bank affiliated with Syria's central bank in Damascus on December 16, 2024. Governments worldwide are stepping up efforts to engage with Syria's new interim rulers, just over a week after Islamist-led rebels ousted president Bashar al-Assad, ending decades of brutal rule and civil war. (Photo by Louai Beshara / AFP) / "The erroneous CAPTION appearing in the metadata of this photo by Louai Beshara has been

Exclusive

Trump to sign sweeping order rescinding Syria sanctions

The expected executive order comes after the Trump administration took steps to ease sanctions on Syria last month.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

People queue to use ATM machines outside a bank in Damascus on Dec. 16, 2024.

Syria to rejoin SWIFT payment system ‘within a few weeks’: What to know

It marks a major milestone in Syria’s economic recovery from sanctions imposed in 2011 in response to human rights abuse allegations against the regime of long-time dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during the American Compass New World Gala at the National Building Museum on June 3, 2025 in Washington.

Rubio announces sanctions on ICC judges over US, Israel probes

Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the four judges of engaging in the court's "illegitimate and baseless actions."

A handout picture from the Syrian state news agency SANA showing members of the security forces in Syria's coastal region

EU sanctions Sunni factions accused of violence against Syria’s Alawites, Kurds

As former rebel leaders take positions in the new Syrian government, Kurdish officials warn of renewed threats to their autonomy.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with United States special envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack.

Tom Barrack talks Syria aid during Saudi Arabia, Jordan visits: What to know

The US and EU recently lifted numerous sanctions on Syria, and the country received a massive wheat shipment on Wednesday.

People celebrate in Damascus' Omeyyad square after US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions in Syria, on May 13, 2025

Analysis

US sanctions relief key to Syria’s recovery but hinges on global coordination

The levies include secondary sanctions targeting individuals or companies who engage with Damascus, so private sector companies will only move after a US green light.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech