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Politics & Security

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian listens during a joint press conference alongside Armenia's Prime Minister in Yerevan on August 19, 2025.

Analysis

Why Iran's Pezeshkian is facing an uphill battle in postwar diplomacy

As President Masoud Pezeshkian's administration advances dialogue with Washington, its fiercer contest is in the corridors of power within the Islamic Republic itself.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A Druze fighter stands at a roundabout draped with the Druze flag and a portrait of a local leader in the predominantly Druze city of Suwayda in southern Syria on July 21, 2025.

Druze gunmen, Syrian government forces clash in Suwayda: What to know

The United Nations recently said that the government has thus far failed to bring calm to the area of southern Syria following sectarian clashes last year.

Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

While the deal with Lebanon allows the Israeli military to maintain a presence there, security experts warn that it also gives the weakened Hezbollah the time it needs to recover.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Members of the crowd wave Iranian flags during a funeral procession held for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri.

3 IRGC members killed in twin attacks as Iran intensifies Kurdish crackdown

At least three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in separate armed attacks across Iran, including one in western Iran near the border with Iraqi Kurdistan, where authorities have intensified their crackdown on Kurdish groups.

Latest News

Rubio hosts Libya’s Saddam Hifter as US pushes unity plan: What to know

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Libyan National Army Deputy Commander Saddam Haftar in Washington on June 29, 2026.

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Oman's sultan meets Macron in first France visit since 1989: What to know

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik pose during a meeting with business leaders in Paris on June 29, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

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

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

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

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

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

This general view shows the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, on Feb. 19, 2022.

Sudan, Egypt FMs urge Ethiopia to change course ahead of megadam launch

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced in July that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has been completed and will be formally inaugurated in September.

A Turkish Airlines plane prepares to take off from the Miami International Airport in Miami, on June 16, 2021.

Turkey resumes flights to Libya's Misrata as Ankara courts Tripoli, Hifter

The first direct flight from Istanbul to Misrata since 2015 underscores Turkey’s efforts to maintain good relations with the Tripoli government as well as its eastern-based rival.

Lebanese soldiers stand guard outside an army base in the southern city of Tyre, on Aug. 28, 2025.

Analysis

Lebanon army mum on Hezbollah disarmament plan ahead of split cabinet meeting

As the Lebanese army scrambles to finalize a crucial plan for disarming Hezbollah, officials have been engaged in intense diplomacy to avoid internal confrontations and move ahead with the disarmament process.

Beatrice Farhat

By Beatrice Farhat

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Women's rights activists and relatives of victims of feminicide wait outside the Istanbul court ahead of a hearing on June 1, 2022.

Turkey's Erdogan acknowledges 'alarming' rise in violence against women

After one of the deadliest months for femicides, the Turkish president highlights the country’s surge in violence against women but provides little reassurance to rights groups.

A member of the security forces with Syria's new government stands over pills of Captagon during a raid in Latakia on Jan. 19, 2025.

Syria seizes Captagon with Turkish backing amid drug trade boom

The new Islamist government in Syria has prioritized dismantling the Captagon trade, but the industry is still thriving.

HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, in Riyadh, on Sept. 3, 2025.

UAE president meets Saudi crown prince ahead of UN Palestine conference

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have strengthened cooperation since the Gaza war began in 2023, though their rivalry over regional influence and economic leadership remains.

United Arab Emirates

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attends a party meeting at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on June 3, 2024.

Israel’s Shin Bet says it foiled Hamas drone plot targeting Ben-Gvir

In a joint operation with the Israeli military, the Shin Bet arrested a West Bank cell as the far-right minister vowed to impose tougher prison policies.

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

UAE says Israel’s West Bank annexation push a ‘red line': What to know

There are growing indications that the Israeli government is seeking to annex the Palestinian territory, but the UAE is becoming increasingly critical of the plan.

STEPHANE YAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Iraq announces ISIS network busted in West Africa: What to know

Activity by the Islamic State’s West Africa branch is increasing, according to some observers, and Iraq is looking to strengthen counterterrorism coordination with other states.

An Edge 130 Blue small, unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing takes off to perform flight demonstrations to partner nations during BRIGHT STAR 2025 at Talet Al Keif, Egypt.

Pentagon kicks off Bright Star war games in Egypt with 1,500 US troops

US Central Command is seeking to firm up Washington’s sway with Egypt's leaders amid signs of instability, as China expands its own leverage over the strategic state that controls the Suez Canal.

People walk and drive past a billboard depicting as postage stamps the disputed Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb islands in Tehran on Oct. 26, 2024.

Iran-GCC clash over islands, nuclear talks underscores Tehran’s growing isolation

The Gulf Cooperation Council's renewed territorial claims on three Iran-controlled Persian Gulf islands come as Tehran is struggling under mounting international pressure and scrambling to rise from the ashes of its recent war with Israel.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives in the Chinese city of Tianjin to attend the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Aug. 31, 2025.

Turkey’s Erdogan holds hands with Iran’s Pezeshkian, sparks online buzz

A short video of Erdogan holding hands with Iran’s Pezeshkian at the SCO summit in China has captured global attention and stirred heated online reactions.