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May 14, 2026

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US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.

Analysis

Ahead of Trump-Xi summit, Iran looks to China as guarantor — but with reservations

Tehran is closely watching the Trump-Xi meeting to determine whether China will continue acting primarily as a protector or if it will gradually emerge as the power capable of pressuring Iran into a narrower strategic corner.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Artillery units are positioned near the Lebanese border in northern Israel, May 4, 2026.

Analysis

Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front

While Israeli and Lebanese delegations are set to meet in Washington for the third time, the Israeli military faces a growing threat from Hezbollah’s cheap yet highly lethal drones.

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

Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos Hessebon meets with Marco Rubio in Washington on May 11, 2026.

Rubio hosts Ethiopia’s FM amid push to boost security ties: What to know

In response to heightening regional volatility, Ethiopia is prioritizing a strategic partnership with the Washington to secure its geopolitical standing.

Latest News

Trump calls Iran response 'piece of garbage,' set to meet military advisers

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 2: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on May 2, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago resort. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images.

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

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

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

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

Europe emerges as new sponsor of Mideast peace

The European Union reassured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about European support for a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, but will the United States and Israel allow other parties to be involved in the Middle East peace process?

US-Palestinian rift nothing for Israel to celebrate

Israel shouldn’t rejoice over rift between the United States and the Palestinians as previous US administrations helped repeatedly to ease tensions and end violent clashes.

Turkish army tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APC) are seen near the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province, Turkey January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1FA0C88540

Russia’s role in Turkish incursion into Syria is tricky

Turkey’s ironically named Operation Olive Branch, its latest quest to crush the Kurds on its border, will likely affect Moscow’s carefully engineered Syrian peace process.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump makes a statement on the administration's strategy for dealing with Iran, in the Diplomatic Reception Room in the White House, October 13, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Trump stated that the Iran nuclear deal is not in the best interests for the security of the United States, but stopped short of withdrawing from the 2015 agreement. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

US, Europe huddle on Iran after Trump ultimatum

The United States and major European powers are holding working group consultations to explore cooperation on Iran, but the Europeans say they will not renegotiate the nuclear deal.

Palestinians dread austerity measures by UNRWA

As the organization scrambles to replace withheld US funding, some Palestinians fear the aid cuts could be the beginning of the end for UNRWA.

U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to leave a note at the Western Wall in Jerusalem May 22, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC193CE34530

Trump moves exacerbate growing US partisan divide over Israel

With US public opinion on Israel increasingly divided along partisan lines, Democrats are feeling emboldened to take a stand against President Donald Trump — and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

US uncertainty over nuclear deal complicates Iran's economy

Far from an unintended consequence of President Trump’s posturing, the uncertainty around the future of the Iranian nuclear deal has slowed the re-entry of Iran's economy into the global market.

Erdogan scores big with Afrin operation, but problems remain

Military experts say taking Afrin will be a tactical success for Ankara, but Turkey’s Kurdish concerns in Syria appear to be far from over.

Why Israel-Jordan crisis lasted so long

After a tough reconciliation effort, Israel and Jordan have mended relations from the crisis that erupted over the shooting incident in Amman.

Can Palestinians bear halt of US aid?

As the United States withholds more than half of its financial contribution to UNRWA, fears arise about the repercussions the decision will have on the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian economy.

Smoke rises from the Syria's Afrin region, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Hassa, on the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province, Turkey January 20, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC1E9965CD20

Turkish troops cross Syrian border near Afrin

Turkey, after bombing Afrin, moves troops across the Syrian border near the Kurdish-controlled area.

Turkish artillerys shell the People's Protection Units (YPG) positions near the Syrian border on January 21, 2018 near Hassa, in the Turkish province of Hatay, as Turk's ground troops entered Syria today to push an offensive against Kurdish militia as rocket fire hit a border town in apparent retaliation.
Turkey on January 20 launched operation "Olive Branch" seeking to oust from the Afrin region of northern Syria the YPG which Ankara considers a terror group.
/ AFP PHOTO / BULENT KILIC (Photo credi

Turkey upends US Syria strategy with attack on YPG

Ankara seeks green light from Moscow, not Washington, in attack on US partner; UN warns of consequences of continued fighting in Eastern Ghouta and Idlib; local council in Aleppo confiscates land of Islamic State families.