Maritime strategy

Handout Photo by the US Navy via Getty Images

Explainer

What’s the status of Strait of Hormuz after US-Iran talks?

Oil tankers continued to transit the strait in both directions, but many turned off their transponders over the weekend after Iran's military declared Hormuz closed once again.

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

3 Iranian tankers with 4.8M barrels of oil pass US blockade: What to know

At least three US-sanctioned Iranian-flagged tankers have exited the Gulf of Oman as the Trump administration eyes Tehran's moves ahead of sanctions waivers expected to begin Friday.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

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.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan buttons up his jacket during a press conference after the conclusion of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on November 23, 2025.

Explainer

Turkey-Israel tensions flare over Syria, Lebanon, East Med: What to know

The Turkish president has accused Israel of threatening Turkey through its military actions in Syria, Lebanon and the Eastern Mediterranean, triggering a sharp exchange with the Israeli prime minister.

Latest News

Iran unveils new missile-armed fast attack boat: What to know

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency, a katyusha rocket is fired from a speed boat during a military drill near the port of Bandar Jask in the Sear of Oman on May 10, 2010.

Explainer

Turkey warns Greece, Cyprus not to engage in arms race: What to know

ETIENNE TORBEY/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt, Turkey push energy ties in Azerbaijan talks amid Hormuz crisis

A photo of Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, speaking at the high-level ministerial session of Baku Energy Week in the Azerbaijani capital.

UAE eyes first multifuel pipeline as Hormuz crisis drags on

Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes on June 23, 2025.

United Arab Emirates

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.

Greece s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrives to attend the European Council in Brussels on June 26, 2025. EU leaders meet from June 26 to 27 to discuss geoeconomic challenges and the ongoing developments in Ukraine and the Middle East. (Photo by Magali Cohen / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by MAGALI COHEN/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Greece threatens to block Turkey from EU loans over Aegean, Cyprus tensions

Greece and Cyprus oppose Turkey’s participation in the EU’s SAFE program over long-standing disputes, even as other EU powers including Germany and Italy deepen defense ties with Ankara amid shifting regional alliances.

Turkish police officers patrols next to the drilling ship 'Yavuz'

Analysis

Erdogan’s gamble: Turkey bets on Libya to pursue East Med dominance

The prospect of Libya’s eastern-based parliament approving a crucial maritime deal with Turkey is growing as Ankara-Benghazi rapprochement intensifies.

Ezgi Akin

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

Giorgos Gerapetritis (L), foreign minister of Greece, speaks with Hakan Fidan (R), foreign minister of Turkey during the second meeting of North Atlantic Council of foreign ministers at NATO headquarters, Brussels, Dec. 4, 2024.

Turkey's Fidan heads to New York for Cyprus talks as Libya tensions flare

The top Turkish diplomat will attend UN-hosted Cyprus talks amid rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Houthis ship

Analysis

Is Red Sea truce over? What Houthi attacks mean for US, regional stability

The renewed Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea may give Iran time to recover from the June war with Israel, according to some observers.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente , Rosaleen Carroll

A picture taken during an organized tour by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Nov. 22, 2023, shows the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by Houthi fighters two days earlier, approaching the port in the Red Sea off Yemen's province of Hodeida.

In first attack after truce, Houthis claim to have sunk ship in Red Sea: What to know

A Greek-owned ship on the Red Sea was targeted by the Houthis on Sunday, just months after the Yemeni group reached a ceasefire agreement with the US.

Iranian soldiers take part in the "National Persian Gulf day" in the Strait of Hormuz, on April 30, 2019. The date coincides with the anniversary of a successful military campaign by Shah Abbas the Great of Persia in the 17th century, which drove the Portuguese navy out of the Hormuz Island, after which is named the waterway which separates the Gulf from the Sea of Oman. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Global shippers sound alarm over Strait of Hormuz amid Iran-US-Israel tensions

The critical waterway, which connects the Gulf, Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, sees about a quarter of the world's oil shipments pass through it.

Libyan military strongman Khalifa Hifter (2nd L)

Amid rapprochement with Libya’s Hifter, Turkey says parliament reviewing maritime deal

The review marks a shift in Libya’s internal dynamics and Turkey’s regional diplomacy, though analysts doubt the deal will be ratified.

The Martyr Rais Ali Delvari warship is unveiled during a ceremony in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on February 27, 2025. (Photo by DEFA Press news agency)

Iran’s IRGC says advanced warship joins naval fleet amid US tensions

The addition appears to be Iran's latest strategic yet cautious positioning in the face of strain with the United States and Israel.

A Russian Steregushchiy class corvette arrives at the port of the Sudanese city of Port Sudan, on March 18, 2021.

Analysis

Following Syria losses, Russia seeks to double down on Africa presence

Following Assad’s fall, Russia has been expanding its influence in Africa by securing a naval base in Sudan and increasing its military presence in Libya to maintain strategic access to the Mediterranean and Red seas.

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

By Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics