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Politics & Security

A partial view shows a drainage vacuum hole on the lake of Qaraoun in Lebanon's southern Beqaa Valley on April 5, 2019.

Israel strikes near Lebanon’s Qaraoun dam as war intensifies: What to know

The strikes near the large water reservoir follow pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to up attacks on Hezbollah in response to rocket fire and a rising death toll in Lebanon.

Motorists drive their vehicles and pedestrians cross the street past a political billboard featuring President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz along Valiasr Square in Tehran on May 26, 2026.

US-Iran deal could take ‘a few days’ as roadblocks emerge, nuclear talks deferred

Mediators are scrambling to secure a deal that would end the war, while leaving unresolved the thorniest issues that predated it.

A view shows a Lebanese flag positioned among shattered concrete and twisted rebar, remnants of a destroyed building, in Sidon, Lebanon, on May 3, 2026.

US gave Israel 'tacit agreement' to target senior Hezbollah figures

While there is no explicit agreement, sources say Washington has offered quiet approval despite a ceasefire reached April 16.

A man checks old banknotes in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on March 3, 2025.

Analysis

Cash as leverage: How Iran's push for frozen billions is reshaping diplomacy

The frozen assets debate is a test of whether the postwar diplomatic track can move toward a durable framework — or whether financial mistrust will evolve into yet another breaking point.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Iran’s Pezeshkian calls Iraqi leaders as Khamenei praises militias: What to know

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian listens during a joint press conference alongside Armenia's prime minister in Yerevan on Aug. 19, 2025.

US-Iran tit-for-tat strikes over Hormuz expose risks of prolonged standoff

A woman walks past an anti-US and anti-Israel mural depicting missiles hitting an aircraft carrier in Tehran on May 26, 2026.

Jared Szuba

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

Iran partially restores internet after 88-day blackout: What to know

An Iranian woman walks past a mobile phone shop at the Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 19, 2026.

Turkey: Thousands defy police to rally for ousted CHP leader Ozel

Turkish riot police use water cannon to disperse protesters during a rally called by ousted opposition leader Ozgur Ozel, days after a court dismissed him from office, in Izmir on May 26, 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

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Opposition claims military contractor poses risk to Turkish elections

Kemal Kilicdaroglu has highlighted security company Sadat as a potential threat to polls due over next year.

This general view shows the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Guba, Ethiopia, Feb. 19, 2022.

Ethiopia faces new cyberattacks on its Nile dam

Ethiopia said it foiled international cyberattack attempts targeting the works of its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves after speaking at a protest against the Israeli government, Jerusalem, April 6, 2022.

Netanyahu’s defense team scores points

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can be happy with his week: His rival Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is deep in coalition trouble, and his own trial offers him some small legal victories.

Iranians work at a food store in Tehran on May 13, 2021.

Nationwide protests in Iran as food prices increase

Subsidy cuts have led to nationwide protests in Iran.

A picture taken on October 17, 2017, shows excess flammable gasses burning from gas flares at the Havana oil field, west of the multiethnic northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

Iraqi Kurdistan government denies taking control of oil fields in Kirkuk

An oil company run by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil alleged that the Kurdistan Regional Government’s forces took over some oil fields in the disputed northern province.

A firefighter truck celebrates with a water jet the first Yemen Airways flight in six years.

US welcomes Sanaa's first commercial flight in six years

The Jordan-bound flight on Monday came as part of a UN-brokered truce struck in April.

Sudan's military leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) gives a press conference upon his return from Moscow, at the airport in Khartoum, Sudan, March 2, 2022.

Wave of atrocities in Darfur tarnishes Sudan’s coup authorities

Military leaders in Khartoum and their allies in armed groups from the western region have been accused of direct and indirect responsibility for the worst episode of atrocities since the generals’ seizure of power in October.

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters while departing the Senate Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 11, 2022.

Harris stresses US-Emirati partnership after MBZ meeting

The visit by Vice President Kamala Harris and other US officials come as relations between Washington and Abu Dhabi hit a rough patch.

United Arab Emirates

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference after the NATO summit at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels on June 14, 2021.

Turkey continues to play hard ball over Sweden, Finland NATO membership

Turkey’s Islamic-leaning Justice and Development Party government is demanding that both countries end their arms embargoes on Turkey over its military intervention in 2019 against the Kurds in northeast Syria.

Syrian rebel fighters man anti-aircraft guns.

Syrians dodge military conscription

Syrian military-age men are fleeing conscription, forcing them to defer their future or pay back the government.

Muslim devotees pray on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in al-Jarif suburb, Khartoum, Sudan, May 2, 2022.

Skepticism about Sudanese military's calls for dialogue

Analysts believe the recent call by Sudan’s military leaders for a dialogue to overcome the ongoing political crisis will not lead to any results.

Yahya Sinwar, head of the political wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, speaks during a meeting in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, April 30, 2022.

Israel targets Hamas leader after call to attack Israelis with 'cleaver, ax or knife'

Israel may be targeting Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar following the ax attack in the central city of Elad.