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Politics & Security

TOPSHOT - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City on September 22, 2025. (Photo by Bing Guan / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Feature

With sanctions off, what’s keeping Syria on US terror blacklist?

Despite President Donald Trump’s pledge to lift all sanctions on Syria, the country's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism continues to discourage investment.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Israel targets Turkey charity amid Gaza flotilla tensions

The request, published in Israeli media, marks a further escalation in tensions with Turkey amid disputes over Gaza aid operations.

AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s Hormuz authority declares control over ports in UAE, Oman: What to know

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority released a map showing its “areas of oversight” extending to the United Arab Emirates’ ports, eliciting a rebuke from a senior Emirati official.

TO GO WITH STORY by Peter Martell: "Eritrea-economy-port": A couple of boats and two tug boats can be seen in Eritrea's Red Sea port of Massawa on November 18, 2007. Once one of East Africa's busiest ports, the town is still recovering after being badly bombed in 1990 during Eritrea's war of liberation from Ethiopia. The government is trying to revitalize the port, but efforts are hampered by a sluggish economy and threat of a renewed conflict with Ethiopia. AFP PHOTO/Peter MARTELL (Photo credit should read

Ethiopia accuses Egypt of obstructing Red Sea access bid: What to know

The remark came days after a new maritime cooperation agreement between Cairo and Asmara.

Latest News

Breaking

Last Updated: May 21, 2026, 2:45 pm

Turkish court ousts CHP leadership amid opposition crackdown

Leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Ozgur Ozel addresses the audience during a rally in Istanbul on April 9, 2025.

Interview

Ahmad Tibi says Arab parties in Israel can block Netanyahu without joining next government

Arab-Israeli Knesset member Ahmed Tibi takes part in a demonstration against rising crime rates against Arab-Israelis in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 31, 2026.

Ahmad Tibi

Ahmad Tibi

Israeli Arab lawmaker

Analysis

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

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.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

People demonstrate outside the Iranian Embassy in Ukraine on Oct. 17, 2022, in Kyiv.

Iran sent more drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, US suggests

Tehran sent additional UAVs, but no ballistic missiles thus far, the White House said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for three days of meetings: in this photo from Sept. 4, 2016, he greets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Hangzhou, China.

China’s Saudi visit reveals GCC goals for economic alternatives

China’s presidential visit to Saudi Arabia is expected to yield a host of deals as the GCC increasingly looks eastward on trade.

AKP party supporters attend the "Unity, Will, Victory" rally at the Galatasaray's Nef Stadium in Istanbul on Nov. 27, 2022, six months ahead of Turkey's next presidential elections.

Al-Monitor/Premise poll finds tight race for Erdogan in Turkey's elections

As the battle for Turkey’s upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections intensifies, an Al-Monitor poll predicts a tight race between the country’s leading opposition bloc and the ruling alliance.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog (R) and Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after the former tasked the latter with forming a new government, in Jerusalem, on Nov. 13, 2022.

President Herzog presents Israel’s liberal face

President Isaac Herzog, and his brother, Israel’s envoy to the US Michael Herzog, could help Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu reassure the concerned Biden administration.

Iranian women shop at the Tajrish traditional bazaar in the capital Tehran on Oct. 2, 2022. This week many Iranian business owners across the country have closed their doors as part of a widespread strike.

Iran businesses on strike despite legal threats

Business owners appeared to have defied the judiciary chief's threats of prosecution as a fresh wave of strikes gathered steam amid Iran's months-long anti-government unrest.

A handout picture provided by the Iranian Army official website on Sept. 12, 2020, shows Iranian naval ships parading during the last day of a military exercise in the Gulf, near the strategic strait of Hormuz in southern Iran.

Breaking | Last Updated: March 9, 2023, 12:26 pm

Iran’s IRGC navy harassed US ships in Strait of Hormuz, US says

An IRGC patrol boat harassed two US Navy ships just days after one of them was involved in the seizure of 50 tons of smuggled ammunition bound for Yemen.

The Hellenic Navy Roussen or Super Vita class Fast Missile Patrol Boat P 71 HS Ritsos patrols off the tiny Greek island of Kastellorizo (Megisti), in the Dodecanese, the furthest south eastern Greek Island, two kilometers from the Turkish mainland on Aug. 28, 2020.

Row over militarization of Greek islands peaks with Turkish warning

Mevlut Cavusoglu has stepped up rhetoric over Aegean islands that Ankara says should be free of Greek arms.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu addresses a press conference with the NATO Secretary General after their meeting at The Foreign Ministry in Istanbul on Nov. 3, 2022.

Turkey asks Finland to resume defense sales amid NATO talks

Speaking ahead of the Finnish defense chief's visit to Turkey, the top Turkish diplomat has complained that his country is still under de facto defense sales restrictions from Finland.

Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gives a speech in the central holy shrine city of Najaf, Iraq, Aug. 30, 2022.

Iraq's Sadr takes aim at LGBTQ community

Leader of the Sadrist movement Muqtada al-Sadr made the headlines again in Iraq by announcing his opposition to homosexuality, several months into his withdrawal from the political process.

Amir Levy/Getty Images

Liberal Israelis say Netanyahu's coalition deals break democratic norms

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has a solid majority in the Knesset, but his opponents feel his policies will violate democratic norms.

Incoming Syrian refugees who were suddenly deported from Turkey await to register with officials.

Half a million Syrians return from Turkey, but were they forced?

Some 560,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey have returned to their country as part of deportation projects, many fleeing the harassment they were facing in the country.

China's President Xi Jinping attends the 29th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM) during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok on Nov. 19, 2022.

China’s Xi heads to Saudi Arabia, adding strain to US ties

Xi's visit to Saudi, the first in six years, will include two summits with Arab and GCC leaders and could see an agreement on nuclear technology