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Politics & Security

Motorists drive past a billboard bearing a picture of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, ahead of his funeral in Tehran on July 3, 2026. Iranian leaders began paying their respects on July 3 before the coffin of the country's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei's body arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on July 3 ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. (Photo by AFP via Ge

Analysis

As US-Iran talks falter, Israel views war outcome as 'total strategic failure’

Israeli officials believe the US failure to attain the kind of agreement with Iran that it originally sought stems from the strategic mistakes made during and after the recent war.

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

The court stands at the start of the first hearing at the International Court of Justice in which Myanmar is accused of committing genocide against the country's Muslim minority, the Rohingya, in the Hague on January 12, 2026. The Gambia filed the genocide case in cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in 2019. Myanmar's military deliberately targeted the Rohingya minority in a bid to destroy the community, Gambia's Justice Minister Dawda Jallow told the International Court of Justice Mond

Explainer

Does provision 13 of Lebanon-Israel deal bar Beirut from pursuing war crimes claims?

Part of the Israeli-Lebanese agreement has led to calls for Beirut to grant the International Criminal Court jurisdiction in Lebanon or sign the Rome Treaty to allow prosecutions.

Nawaf Salam and Asaad al-Shibani shake hands in Beirut on July 2, 2026.

Syria, Lebanon stress noninterference as Damascus mulls Hezbollah talks

When asked whether Damascus would be willing to meet with Hezbollah in the future, Syria’s foreign minister indicated that it would not rule out such a meeting.

Nathan Howard / AFP via Getty Images

As Trump touts nuclear progress, US-Iran talks show little momentum

With a final nuclear agreement far from reach, the US-Iran conflict risks settling into a new status quo.

Latest News

At least 6 killed, 22 wounded in Damascus cafe explosion: What to know

Syrian security forces and people gather at the site of an explosion at a cafe in the capital, Damascus, on July 2, 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

A picture taken on Feb. 21, 2020 shows M1 Abrams Fighting tanks of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, as US military equipment arrives to the Port of Bremerhaven the United States for the Defender 2020 international military exercises.

US green-lights $325 million in sustainment for Kuwait’s M1 Abrams tanks

The Trump administration has notified Congress of a $325 million arms sale to Kuwait for tank maintenance, part of broader efforts to strengthen Gulf defense ties and streamline US arms transfers.

Ozgur Ozel, head of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), gestures toward supporters during a rally in support of arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Ankara, April 23, 2025.

Turkish prosecutors probe main opposition leader Ozel, oust mayors

The probes, following Ozel's criticism of the judiciary, come amid five additional district mayors' dismissal from their duties.

Protesters hold signs and photos of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas during a rally calling for a hostage deal, May 31, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Israeli military recovers bodies of two Israeli-American hostages held in Gaza

Kibbutz Nir Oz announced that the bodies of Gadi Haggai and his wife, Judith Weinstein, were recovered overnight from Gaza in a military operation.

US President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2025.

Trump travel ban bars entry from Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen

The president during his first term issued a number of travel bans largely aimed at Middle Eastern countries, and the new one targets countries the administration says have insufficient vetting procedures and internal security risks.

A fighter loyal to the army patrols a market area in Khartoum on March 24, 2025.

Sudan: 14 killed in camp shelling blamed on RSF as Darfur violence grows

An attack on the Abu Shouk displacement camp in El Fasher has killed 14 people amid ongoing assaults on civilians and humanitarian convoys.

Members of the United Nations Security Council listen as Jean-Noel Barrot, minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, speaks during a meeting on the conflict in the Middle East on April 29, 2025.

US vetoes UN resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire

The blocked resolution also called for the release of hostages and the unrestricted flow of aid into Gaza.

Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, delivers a speech during a funeral ceremony after a terrorist attack, on Jan. 5, 2024, in Kerman, Iran.

Iran says 13 ISIS affiliates arrested for planning suicide attacks

ISIS’ Khorasan branch has conducted numerous attacks against Iran in recent years, prompting authorities to pursue its members.

A view of the UN Security Council during a meeting to discuss the situation in Middle East at the UN headquarters in New York City, on April 29, 2025.

What Bahrain’s election to UN Security Council means for Mideast diplomacy

The election of new members to the UN Security Council comes ahead of a vote on a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meet in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 17, 2025.

Egypt's Sisi in UAE to talk Gaza, regional security: What to know

Egypt and the UAE are close allies, coordinating in various regional issues while maintaining close economic relations.

US special envoy for Syria, the ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a flag-raising ceremony at the US ambassador's residence in Damascus on May 29, 2025 for the first time since 2011. Barrack's visit to Syria marks a new step in the rapprochement between the two countries following the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP) (Photo by RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images)

US envoy Barrack in Israel after cross-border shelling with Syria: What to know

US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack met Wednesday with Israeli officials in an effort to de-escalate ongoing tensions with Syria and Turkey.

Debris and military vehicles lie at the scene of an Israeli strike in Syria's southern Hama governorate on April 3, 2025.

Israel shells southern Syria, says Sharaa ‘directly responsible’ for threats

Regional players have been mediating talks between Israel and Syria in an effort to reduce tensions amid Israeli strikes on the country.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf meets with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on June 2, 2025.

Iran eyes stronger anti-US bloc as parliament speaker visits Venezuela, Cuba, Brazil

Iran is portraying the visit as a symbol of growing partnership with like-minded governments within Washington's traditional sphere of influence despite mounting Western pressure.