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Politics & Security

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Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

Manon Roca / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon files charges against 2 Hezbollah members as UNIFIL prepares to withdraw

The move comes amid growing security concerns in the south less than two months before the UNIFIL mandate expires.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

Tomer Neuberg / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Arab parties' backing gives Eisenkot edge over Netanyahu for PM: What to know

With 67 Knesset members backing his candidacy, Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot could win the mandate to form the next government.

Latest News

Massie renews Hegseth impeachment push as GOP blames Iran war for midterm losses

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, on July 21, 2026, in Washington.

Jared Szuba

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

Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift?

TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images

Russia to provide Iran with 90 missile launchers as military ties grow: Reports

Russian Mil Mi-8 military helicopters fly over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy, northeastern Hasakeh province, Syria, Feb. 4, 2021.

Turkey says soldier killed by gunfire from Iran at border: What to know

A sign marking the border of Turkey in Van, Turkey, on March 14, 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

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, March 20, 2018.

In first Trump call, Saudi crown prince says trade with US could hit $600B

US President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his first phone call to a foreign leader after his inauguration on Jan. 20.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani speaks to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a session during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 22, 2025.

Syria FM Shibani touts 'big opportunity for investment' in country at World Economic Forum

Asaad al-Shibani said Syria is not a threat to its neighbors and defended the transitional government’s actions during the first visit by a Syrian foreign minister to the World Economic Forum.

Newly confirmed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a swearing-in ceremony at the vice president’s ceremonial office at Eisenhower Executive Office Building Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Rubio and Fidan hold first call as Turkey's role expands in Syria

The congratulatory call comes as Ankara ramps up threats against the Syrian Democratic Forces.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses a speech during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2025.

UN chief optimistic for Lebanon's recovery, questions Syria's future

Antonio Guterres cautioned that there is no guarantee the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire will hold or lead to a final peace agreement, but he expressed encouragement over Lebanon's election of a president on Jan. 9, following two years of political impasse.

Thousands of supporters of the Kurdish community demonstrate with flags and banners on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the arrest of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan on the banks of the Rhine river in Cologne, western Germany, on Feb. 17, 2024.

Turkey, Kurds move toward peace deal as lawmakers meet with PKK leader Ocalan

Talks with the jailed PKK leader spark hope for ending Turkey's 40-year conflict amid shifting alliances and regional pressures.

Mourners react during a funeral service for Sozcu newspaper columnist and journalist Nedim Turkmen, his wife and his two children killed during a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Marmara University Faculty of Theology Mosque in Istanbul on Jan. 22, 2025.

Turkey: Death toll from ski resort blaze rises to 79

As officials continue to play the blame game, the number of people detained as part of the investigation into the disaster has increased to 11.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets employees upon arrival at the State Department in Washington, DC, on January 21, 2025. The US Senate unanimously approved Rubio as Secretary of State on January 20, putting the fellow senator on the front line of President Donald Trump's often confrontational diplomacy. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

With Rubio confirmed, where do Trump's foreign policy picks stand?

After a number of hearings last week for key Trump nominees, his national security team is taking shape.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Syria’s new government ends Russian lease of Tartous port: What we know

The new authorities in Syria ended an agreement with the Russian company managing the key port of Tartous in the latest sign of Russia's waning influence in the country after the fall of the regime.

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) speaks during to the IAEA's Board of Governors meeting at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria on September 11, 2023. The UN nuclear watchdog said on September 11, it regretted that "no progress" had been made by Iran on outstanding issues, including reinstalling cameras to monitor Tehran's nuclear programme and explaining uranium traces. (Photo by Alex HALADA / AFP) (Photo by ALEX HALADA/AFP via Getty Images)

Exclusive

Grossi: Trump open to new Iran nuclear deal, IAEA discussions underway

In an interview, International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said his organization was continuing discussions with Iranian officials and hopes to engage with the Trump administration about working out a transparency agreement with Iran.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

A picture shows copies of Iranian daily newspapers, including 'Sazandegi' (C) showing on its front page a picture of US President Donald Trump and a headline in Farsi reading 'Again Trump' at a newsstand in Tehran on Jan. 21, 2025.

How prepared is Iran to engage with the Trump administration?

Iran's upper echelons appear to be slowly bridging their gaps over potential dialogue with the new US administration, as the threat of the crippling "maximum pressure" policy looms large.

Members of Israeli security forces stand guard at the site of a stabbing attack in Tel Aviv on January 21, 2025. Three people were wounded in a stabbing attack on January 21 in Tel Aviv, including one seriously, and the attacker was killed, Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Four wounded in Tel Aviv stabbing attack by tourist: What we know

Police says that the person who attacked four people with a knife in Tel Aviv is a Moroccan national who entered Israel with a US residency permit.

A view of the Pentagon on Dec. 13, 2024, in Washington, DC. Home to the US Defense Department, the Pentagon is one of the world's largest office buildings.

Trump's pick for Pentagon Mideast policy chief signals Iran strategy shift

Trump fired his longtime Iran envoy, Brian Hook, and revoked the security clearance of former national security adviser John Bolton. His pick to be the Pentagon’s next Middle East policy chief, Michael DiMino, has a history of opposing the idea of joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.