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Politics & Security

A protest sign is seen near the White House the day after Election Day

Feature

Emboldened Democrats gear up to challenge Trump over Iran war, Gulf business ties

Democrats are weighing options to enforce Congress’ authority to declare war.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing

What new Democratic Congress could mean for Iran war, $1.5T Pentagon budget

Trump’s $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget and nearly $90 billion request for Iran war funding will soon be in the crosshairs as Democrats negotiate their demands with the White House.

Jared Szuba

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

An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

Political sources describe the Democrats' midterm victory as a political blow to both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Iranians walk along a building installed with a giant poster depicting Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a rally in front of the former US embassy to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, in Tehran on Nov. 4, 2026.

Analysis

Iran cheers Democrats’ midterm victory but fears Trump's next move

The Democratic win was a victory Tehran had been waiting to claim and project as evidence that Trump's confrontation with Iran has backfired.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

From Tehran to Tel Aviv, Democrats’ midterm triumph sparks Middle East reactions

The sun sets on the US Capitol on Election Day evening on Nov. 3, 2026 in Washington.

'Generational wipeout': Democratic gains to reshape Trump's final years

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Abdul El-Sayed wins in Michigan, makes history as first Muslim senator

YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 2: Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed speaks to supporters at Eastern Michigan University on November 2, 2026, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. El-Sayed is running against Republican Senate candidate, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) for the open U.S. Senate seat. (Photo by Salwan Georges/Getty Images)

Democrats projected to win House as voters rebuke Trump’s Iran war

Britain's King Charles III speaks to a Joint Meeting of Congress in the House Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on April 28, 2026. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

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

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.

NATANZ, IRAN - APRIL 9: A general view of the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, is seen on April 9, 2007, 180 miles south of Tehran, Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced yesterday, April 9, that Iran has stepped up their Uranium enrichment programme, with up to 3,000 isotope separating centrifuges now in operation. The news has brought condemnation from the International Community and the UN. Iran?s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani confirmed the scaling-up of activity but declined to e

Live Updates

As IRGC vows response, IAEA says Iran breached non-proliferation obligations

The UN nuclear watchdog found that Iran is in breach of its obligations — a rare move that risks further escalating tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images)

Gaza flotilla activists: Who are they and where are they now?

Israel said French parliamentarian Rima Hassan has been deported, after Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and others were sent home earlier this week.

Lebanese Minister of Economy Amin Salam (R) vists the port of the capital Beirut, as a corner of the silos which were destroyed in a massive explosion on August 4, 2020, burns on July 14, 2022. - The fire at the port's blast-hit grain silos, at risk of collapse due to severe damage, ignited at the start of the month because of fermentation of remaining grain stocks paired with rising temperatures. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon arrests fmr economy minister Amin Salam on embezzlement charges

The arrest comes nearly a year after the former central bank chief was arrested on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, among other things.

Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' DEM Party attend a rally for the Turkish Municipal elections to be held on March 31, in Esenyurt Square in Istanbul, on Feb. 25, 2024.

Jailed PKK leader Ocalan 'likely’ to meet Turkish politicians amid peace talks

The potential talks would mark the first direct engagement of its kind since Abdullah Ocalan's capture in 1999.

A Sudanese army officer walks near an armoured vehicle seized after their capture of a base used by the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries after the latter group evacuated from the Salha area of Omdurman, the twin-city of Sudan's capital, on May 26, 2025. Sudan, Africa's third largest country, has been ravaged by more than two years of war between the army and the RSF. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 13 million and created what the United Nations describes as the

Sudan army loses border control to RSF after clashes with Libya’s Haftar

Sudan’s army withdrew from a volatile border zone after clashes with Libyan forces tied to Khalifa Hifter, who is accused of supporting Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

A view of Iran's domestically made satellite launch vehicles (SLVs) and missiles in the Museum of Holy Defense in Tehran, Iran on April 17, 2025. The term "Holy Defense" is used to refer to Iran-Iraq war that took 8 years. (Photo by AO / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by AO/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

As Trump gets 'less confident' about deal, Iran threatens US bases in region

The US has maintained military bases across the Middle East for decades, with the largest—by personnel count—being Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a swearing-in ceremony for Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff in the Oval Office at the White House on May 6, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Analysis

Trump’s patience may be running out on Iran

The focus on divisions between the MAGA and hawk camps may be missing the bigger story; Trump has been holding a master-class on Iran diplomacy and strategy.

Andrew Parasiliti

By Andrew Parasiliti

Iran executes 9 'ISIS militants' amid surge in jihadist extremism: What to know

While Iran has long claimed full eradication of the Islamic State through a campaign waged by late general Qasem Soleimani, the country has been grappling with a deadly resurgence of the militant group in recent years.

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) speaks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as they make their way to a meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on July 20, 2022.

Amid Gulf pressure, Abbas tells Macron 'Hamas will no longer rule Gaza'

Abbas has increased his anti-Hamas rhetoric in recent weeks as war rages in Gaza and a deal with Israel remains elusive, but the group has refused the call to disarm.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives at the 6th European Political Community summit on May 16, 2025, at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania.

After 3-year-pause, Turkey and EU to hold defense talks: What to know

The Common Security and Defense Policy talks come after more than three years of a hiatus, as Ankara seeks a greater role in EU security.

Peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ride in armoured vehicles during a patrol along the border with Israel by the village of Kfar Kila in south Lebanon on June 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

With UNIFIL under attack, Lebanon says 500 arms depots dismantled

Lebanon's prime minister said over 500 arms depots have been removed by the army in the south since the Israel-Hezbollah war ended. His statements coincided with President Joseph Aoun's visit to Jordan, his latest regional stop aimed to revive Arab-Lebanese ties.