Maritime strategy

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

3 Iranian tankers with 4.8M barrels of oil pass US blockade: What to know

At least three US-sanctioned Iranian-flagged tankers have exited the Gulf of Oman as the Trump administration eyes Tehran's moves ahead of sanctions waivers expected to begin Friday.

Jared Szuba

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

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Ankara says a defense deal between France and the Republic of Cyprus risks upsetting the island’s delicate balance, as defense ties among Cyprus, Greece, Israel and France deepen.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan buttons up his jacket during a press conference after the conclusion of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on November 23, 2025.

Explainer

Turkey-Israel tensions flare over Syria, Lebanon, East Med: What to know

The Turkish president has accused Israel of threatening Turkey through its military actions in Syria, Lebanon and the Eastern Mediterranean, triggering a sharp exchange with the Israeli prime minister.

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency, a katyusha rocket is fired from a speed boat during a military drill near the port of Bandar Jask in the Sear of Oman on May 10, 2010.

Iran unveils new missile-armed fast attack boat: What to know

The boats are the latest addition to Iran’s "mosquito fleet," a fleet of high-speed attack craft operated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey warns Greece, Cyprus not to engage in arms race: What to know

ETIENNE TORBEY/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt, Turkey push energy ties in Azerbaijan talks amid Hormuz crisis

A photo of Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, speaking at the high-level ministerial session of Baku Energy Week in the Azerbaijani capital.

UAE eyes first multifuel pipeline as Hormuz crisis drags on

Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes on June 23, 2025.

United Arab Emirates

Turkey maritime law prompts Greek rethink on Aegean marine parks

This photograph shows Kimom, the first of four modern French Defense and Intervention Frigate, part of Greece's major military modernization program, sailing upon its arrival in the Saronic Gulf, near Athens on Jan. 15, 2026.

An Iranian navy missile is displayed during the army day military parade, outside the mausoleum of the late founder of Islamic republic, Ayatollah Khomeini (poster) in Tehran, April 18, 2007.

Iran hails Houthi rebels, deploys warship as Red Sea simmers

As the Houthi spokesman visited Tehran, the Iranian army dispatched a leading destroyer to the Red Sea, where the United States has been mobilizing an international coalition to end disruptions by the Tehran-backed militant group.

A Maersk container ship sails through the new section of the Suez Canal.

Houthi attacks: Hundreds of ships to reroute from Red Sea, 44% cost spike for China

The Red Sea is one of the world’s most important shipping routes for oil, fuel and consumer goods, and shipments between Asia and Europe typically go through the sea and the Suez Canal.

Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen (R) and his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos give a press conference in Larnaca on December 20, 2023 talking about a humanitarian aid corridor from the Mediterranean island to war-torn Gaza. (Photo by Elisa AMOURET / AFP) (Photo by ELISA AMOURET/AFP via Getty Images)

In Cyprus, Israel's FM says Gaza maritime corridor deal is imminent

A plan for a humanitarian maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza could take shape in a matter of weeks.

Yemeni coastguard members loyal to the internationally-recognised government ride in a patrol boat cruising in the Red Sea off of the government-held town of Mokha in the western Taiz province, close to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, on December 12, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Ziad / AFP) (Photo by KHALED ZIAD/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran launches new naval unit as Red Sea attacks intensify

Equipped with rocket-launching vessels, the additional force is introduced amid increasing encounters between Iranian and American vessels in the Persian Gulf.

KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images

Iran slams US' planned maritime force in Red Sea

The Iranian threats come amid repeated attacks against vessels in the area, mostly claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi group.

A picture obtained by AFP from Iranian News Agency ISNA on June 13, 2019, reportedly shows fire and smoke billowing from Norwegian-owned Front Altair tanker said to have been attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman

Houthi missile hits Norwegian-flagged tanker in latest Red Sea attack

Iran-backed rebels hit a Norwegian-owned chemical tanker with a cruise missile, but the ship had no clear connection to Israel, signaling the Houthis may be widening the aperture of their attacks.

A view of the sign that reads "Caution: mines" on the beach on April 25, 2022, in Odesa, Ukraine.

Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria announce mechanism to clear mines in Black Sea

The joint mechanism between Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania comes after the British government said Russia might use sea mines to deter Kyiv from exporting its grain.

US Army helicopter crew from the 101st Airborne Division prepares the Apache attack helicopter at the the Camp Udairi airfield in preparation for a mission to Iraq 20 March 2003.

US accuses Iran’s IRGC of harassing helicopter over the Gulf

The first reported tense interaction between the US Navy and Iran's naval forces comes just days after Bahraini soldiers were killed in a drone attack attributed to Yemen's Houthi rebels, who receive arms from Iran.

Egypt Bright Star

Pentagon expands role in Egypt war games as US weighs aid cuts

Some 1,500 US military personnel are taking part in this year’s Bright Star exercise in Egypt as the Biden administration faces renewed pressure from Congress to withhold a portion of Cairo’s military aid over rampant human rights abuses.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides (C) holds a trilateral summit with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the presidential palace in the Cypriot capital Nicosia, Sept. 4, 2023.

Israel, Cyprus, Greece leaders enhance cooperation on gas infrastructure

The leaders of Israel, Greece and Cyprus met in Nicosia to discuss strengthening the trilateral strategic alliance between the countries and exploring options for exporting Israeli natural gas via Cyprus to Europe.

MBZ

UAE president meets US national security adviser amid regional tensions

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s trip to Abu Dhabi comes amid US military maneuvers aimed at countering Iran in the Gulf.

United Arab Emirates

Members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard show their skills in attacking a naval vessel.

Iran warns of more ship seizures in defiance of US Marines' Gulf deployment

Tehran ratcheted up its rhetoric against Washington in the wake of fresh American reinforcement in the Persian Gulf, prompted by the Iranian "harassment" of international commercial ships there.