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Politics & Security

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi (L) and US President Donald Trump pose during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025.

Trump threatens to 'blow up' Oman as US-Iran talks stall

“Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up,” Trump said in surprising comments on Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Hungary’s parliament voted to remain in the International Criminal Court, reversing a planned withdrawal and marking a shift in Budapest’s approach to Israel and the EU.

Iraqis walk past portraits of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, including one on a banner calling for a boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Sadr City, east of Baghdad on October 29, 2025. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Iraq on 11 November 2025, which will determine the 329 members of Iraq's Council of Representatives, who are responsible for electing the country's president and approving the appointment of the prime minister. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by

Iraq’s Sadr moves to place his militia under state control: What to know

Muqtada al-Sadr is the first militia leader to heed new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s call to place weapons in the hands of the state as US pressure continues.

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Who was Mohammed Odeh, Hamas military commander killed by Israel in Gaza?

Odeh was killed in a Tuesday strike in the Palestinian enclave just days after he assumed his leadership position.

Latest News

White House calls Iranian report on Hormuz, MOU 'complete fabrication'

Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026.

Jared Szuba

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

Analysis

'Very bad news’: Israel alarmed as Trump pushes ahead toward Iran deal

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

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

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

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

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks to press at the Ankara airport.

Israel warms to Turkey’s charm offensive

The decision by Tel Aviv University to establish academic bridges with three Turkish institutions reflects Jerusalem’s growing interest in Ankara’s policy of rapprochement.

A police officer stands guard at the Palestinian Authority side of the Erez crossing in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.

Gaza rocket won't stop Israel's policy efforts

Defense Minister Benny Gantz has for several months been advancing policies to better the lives of Palestinians, and last Friday's rocket won't derail them.

Members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham parade with their flags and those of the Taliban's declared "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" at the Clock Square in the center of the rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib, Syria, Aug. 20, 2021.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham hands over Islamic State jihadists to Turkey

The Idlib-based group's decision to hand over several jihadis to Turkey, including two men affiliated with the Islamic State, come as part of HTS's attempt to present itself as more moderate.

Taliban members of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

Iran confirms Taliban diplomats stationed in Tehran Embassy

Tehran said the move to allow Taliban-appointed diplomats was not a step toward recognizing the current establishment in neighboring Afghanistan.

The Yerablur cemetery, where Armenian soldiers from both Karabakh wars are buried, overlooks Yerevan in this photo taken April 12, 2022.

As Armenia pushes for reconciliation, Turkey plays hard to get

Armenia's prime minister is willing to establish ties with Turkey without any preconditions, but many in the Armenian diaspora find accepting Ankara’s continued denial of the 1915 genocide unthinkable.

RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images

Standoff between rival groups locks down north Syria crossing

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has arrested several members of the Sham Legion affiliated with the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army and the crossing point between north Syrian areas held by the two groups remains closed.

YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images

Military minds gather in Israel as war in Ukraine resets strategies

As it closely follows the changing battlefield in Ukraine, Israel will soon need to take a definitive stance on the Russian invasion.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s Kavala conviction earns sharp rebuke from US

The State Department expressed concern over Turkey's "continued judicial harassment" after a court in Istanbul sentenced philanthropist Osman Kavala to life in prison.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran says nuclear talks not suspended

Though progress has been halted for weeks, Iran says the talks with the United States have not been suspended.

Opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) MPs Ali Seker (CR), Ozgulr Ozel (C) and Sezgin Tanrikulu (CL) speak to the press.

Turkish court jails philanthropist Osman Kavala for life in widely condemned trial

After more than four years behind bars, Osman Kavala was sentenced in a case that rights groups and the opposition call a travesty of justice.

SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

Rockets launched at Israel from Lebanon, Gaza

One rocket was fired from Lebanon yesterday and two rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip Friday night.

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Arab-Israelis call for calm at Al-Aqsa Mosque

As tensions persist in Jerusalem, Israeli Arabs feel that Israeli Jews do not fully grasp the importance of Al-Aqsa to them — both religiously and identity-wise.