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Politics & Security

A roadside sign marks the entrance to Khnatsakh on May 16, 2025, a border village in Armenia's Syunik Province that has become a frontline community amid rising tensions with Azerbaijan.

Analysis

Azerbaijan envoy hits raw nerve with reminder of Baku’s sway on Turkey-Armenia ties

Baku’s ambassador says borders with Armenia will remain closed until Yerevan changes its constitution, hardening positions just weeks before a pivotal Armenian election seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s peace agenda with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

OLE BERG-RUSTEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s NATO pipeline bid fuels rivalry with Greece: What to know

Ankara says the project would be faster and cheaper than alternatives, but rival routes could sharpen competition with Greece over eastern flank logistics.

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Quake hits Turkey’s Malatya, reviving fear in 2023 disaster zone

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake has struck Turkey’s southeast, an area devastated by the February 2023 twin quakes.

Latest News

Iraqi PM Zaidi holds talks as cabinet deadlock leaves nine posts unfilled

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with the head of the Hikmah Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, in Baghdad on May 19, 2026.

Senate advances resolution to limit Trump's Iran war powers

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 14, 2026 in Washington, DC.

UAE, France renew defense pact after Rafale jets controversy

A rafale fighter jet prepares for take off on the deck of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle during the NATO military exercise Neptune Strike 26-2, off the coast of the Greek island of Crete, on April 27, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Iran tightens wartime crackdown across Kurdish, Baluch ethnic regions

Baluch Iranian youths cross a street in Zahedan, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan, on Dec. 18, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu’s judicial reform push bolsters opposition

Dormant since the Nov. 1 electoral defeat, Israel’s opposition is now rallying against the new government's judicial reform plans.

A Palestinian demonstrator waves a national flag during confrontations with Israeli troops, following a protest against the expropriation of Palestinian land by Israel in the occupied West Bank, in the village of Kfar Qaddum, near the Jewish settlement of Kedumim, Jan. 6, 2023.

Two Palestinians killed by Israeli army in West Bank

Palestinians clash with Israeli forces almost on a daily basis resulting in an increasing number of deaths.

The northern collapsed section of the grain silos in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 23, 2022.

Explainer: Why Lebanon port blast families keep clashing with police

Families of the Beirut port explosion victims continue to protest, asking for justice.

Netanyahu

The Takeaway: As Israel veers right, US tries to reason with Netanyahu

Plus, a grim milestone for an American prisoner in Iran, prospects for peace in Yemen and Arab-Israeli cooperation highlighted at Negev Forum.

Neturei Karta

Anti-Zionist Jewish group says Israel's Ben-Gvir has 'extreme settler attitude'

Neturei Karta is known for its staunch opposition to Israel, and the group has caught the wrath of right-wing national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Imamoglu

Istanbul mayor charged with corruption as Turkish opposition weighs Erdogan challenger

The latest move against Ekrem Imamoglu comes as Turkey’s opposition weighs which candidate would stand the best chance against Erdogan.

Barzani

Iraqi Kurdistan PM discusses disputes with Iraq's Sudani

A high-ranking Kurdish delegation led by Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met with officials in Baghdad over energy, security and finance disputes — but no resolution is expected.

KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine and Turkey defense chiefs speak amid prisoner-swap reports

The Turkish and Ukrainian defense chiefs have discussed the situation in Ukraine amid ongoing humanitarian talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Turkey.

Haim Zach/GPO

Turkey's ambassador to Israel assumes post as reconciliation advances

After four years of fraught relations, Israel and Turkey have officially exchanged ambassadors, and Herzog has invited Erdogan to visit.

MAZEN MAHDI/AFP via Getty Images

Western allies join US' experimental drone task force in Middle East

Task Force 59 is now fully operationally capable, Fifth Fleet commander Vice Adm. Brad Cooper told an audience of Navy personnel in Washington on Tuesday.

MAZEN MAHDI/AFP via Getty Images

Negev Forum highlights Arab military, economic cooperation with Israel

A steering meeting of the Negev Forum wrapped up in Abu Dhabi Tuesday with wide participation but notable absences by Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

Head of Israel's conservative Islamic Raam party Mansour Abbas leads a discussion and a vote on a bill to dissolve the Knesset (parliament), during a session in Jerusalem, on June 29, 2022.

Analysis

Arab legislator may cooperate with Netanyahu’s government

Back in the opposition, Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas says that the most important thing right now is to seek solutions for the miseries of the Israeli Arab public.

Afif Abu Much

By Afif Abu Much

In Baqa al-Gharbiyye, reporting on business and tech