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Politics & Security

Iranians walk 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 Getty

Analysis

Iran set to bury Khamenei, but his hard-line legacy may endure

The elaborate funeral for the late supreme leader is becoming more than a farewell; it serves as a carefully staged test of regime continuity after his decades-long rule.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Volunteers of the Druze-led National Guard manage traffic at a checkpoint, Suwayda, Syria, Jan. 22, 2026.

Clashes between Druze fighters, Syrian forces raise fears of renewed violence

The episodes in Druze-majority Suwayda escalated amid kidnappings, various disputes, and absent movement on integrating Druze into state institutions.

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.

Latest News

Syria, Lebanon stress noninterference as Damascus mulls Hezbollah talks

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

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

Nathan Howard / AFP via Getty Images

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

Thomas Barrack, nominee to serve as the US ambassador to Turkey, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Trump appoints Turkey ambassador Tom Barrack as envoy to Syria: What to know

Tom Barrack's dual role is likely to give Trump more direct finger on the pulse of his Syria policy as the president has vowed to lift decades of US economic sanctions to give the country's people "a chance at greatness."

KEMAL ASLAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey detains 45 in Istanbul corruption probe, bans Imamoglu's image

Turkey's main opposition leader criticized the detentions of new individuals including key aides of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Barzani

Iraqi Kurdistan PM Barzani backs cautious engagement with Syria’s new rulers

Speaking at an Al-Monitor Global Institute Event in Washington, Masrour Barzani urged Kurdish unity and said Damascus must prove it can lead a divided Syria.

A man walks by the synagogue of Rouen, in northwestern France, on Jan. 7, 2025, following the discovery of an antisemitic graffiti.

Rise in antisemitism in US, Europe preceded Washington shooting: What to know

In the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia, the number and severity of antisemitic incidents continue to rise.

EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images

29 in Gaza die from starvation says PA; UNICEF warns 9,000 children malnourished

Under international pressure, Israeli has allowed dozens of aid trucks into Gaza as Palestinian officials report starvation-related deaths.

AFP via Getty Images

Who is Iran’s new ambassador to China?

Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli served in various capacities during both administrations of President Hassan Rouhani in a career marred with the brutal crackdown against the 2019 protests.

FBI agents cordon off the scene outside the Capital Jewish Museum following a shooting that left two people dead, in Washington, DC, in the early hours of May 22, 2025.

What we know about Elias Rodriguez, suspect in attack on Israeli Embassy staff in DC

The 30-year-old man from Chicago is suspected of killing Israeli embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.

OMAR ALBAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

As Israel deconfliction talks proceed, Turkey and Syria discuss military ties during visits

A senior Turkish military delegation traveled to Damascus as Ankara and Washington hold talks on Syrian Kurdish groups and Syrian stability.

A man, standing behind police tape, talks on his cell phone outside the Capital Jewish Museum following a shooting that left two people dead, in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2025.

Two Israeli Embassy staff shot dead outside Jewish Museum in Washington

The two staff members from the embassy to the United States were shot and killed late Wednesday when leaving the Jewish Museum; two others were injured.

A policeman guards the entrance of the Azerbaijan Embassy in Tehran on Jan. 27, 2023, following an attack.

Amid thaw with Baku, Iran executes citizen behind Azerbaijani Embassy attack

Iran has executed the gunman behind a 2023 shooting at Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran, bringing closure to a crisis that had severely strained bilateral ties.

A Qatari Boeing 747 sits on the tarmac of Palm Beach International airport after US President Donald Trump toured the aircraft on Feb. 15, 2025.

Pentagon formally accepts Qatar’s luxury megajet for Trump: What to know

Qatar's offer to provide the US president with $400 million aircraft is likely to reinforce Democratic opposition to recently announced major arms sales to the Gulf kingdom.

A portrait of Russia's President Vladimir Putin hangs above next to a torn out one of the ousted Syrian president, as Russian soldiers stand guard at the entrance of the Russian-leased Syrian military base of Hmeimim in Latakia province in western Syria on December 29, 2024.

3 killed in attack on Russia’s Hmeimim base in Syria: Monitor

Russia is aiming to maintain its military bases in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, while a number of Syrians are currently sheltering at the Hmeimim air base.