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Politics & Security

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2026.

Breaking | Last Updated: May 5, 2026, 9:26 am

Pentagon says Iran ceasefire continues despite UAE attack

"We expected there would be some churn at the beginning," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said of the US Navy-led operation to open the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.

Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, shake hands before a bilateral meeting ahead of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 5, 2025.

UAE purchases 10 military aircraft from Brazil as BRICS ties grow

The purchase of C-390 Millennium aircraft for the Emirati air force comes as the UAE seeks to build up its military capabilities amid the war with Iran and boost ties with BRICS member states.

United Arab Emirates

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 18: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R), French President Emmanuel Macron (L), and European leaders at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted President Zelensky at the White House for a bilateral meeting and an expanded meeting with European leaders to discuss a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Macron casts doubt on Trump’s Hormuz operation as France-US gap grows

French President Emmanuel Macron slammed President Donald Trump for launching a unilateral operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz instead of pursuing a coordinated effort with Iran.

Sabah Fidan

Turkey hosts Kuwaiti FM as UAE's OAPEC exit fuels Gulf rift

Kuwait's top diplomat visited Turkey as the Gulf rift deepens following the UAE’s exit from OPEC and its affiliated alliances, forcing Ankara to balance ties between Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

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Analysis

What UAE’s $3.45B pullback from Pakistan signals about Abu Dhabi's priorities

A security personnel sits in a market after markets reopened in Islamabad on April 23, 2026, following heightened security measures amid the ongoing US-Iran peace talks.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Under US pressure, will Lebanon repeal Israel Boycott Law?

Members of Lebanese security forces stand guard in the perimeter of the Parliament, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president in Beirut on January 8, 2025. Lebanese political heavyweights held talks on January 8, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president of the tiny Mediterranean country, already deep in economic and political crisis, and which has been without a president for more than two years. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom

Zaidi

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) shakes hands with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) before a picture of the founder and first president of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during their meeting at Ankara Esenboga Airport on December 12, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey's Erdogan offers help in Syria state structure ahead of Fidan visit

The Turkish president said his top diplomat will soon travel to Damascus to support Syria's interim government in its fight against groups that Ankara deems a threat to its national security.

The leader of Syria's Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that headed a lightning rebel offensive snatching Damascus from government control, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, waves to the crowd before addressing them at the capital's landmark Umayyad Mosque on December 8, 2024. Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, gave a speech as the crowd chanted "Allahu akbar (God is greatest)," a video shared by the rebels on their Telegram channel showed. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP) (Photo by ABDULAZIZ KE

US scraps $10M bounty on HTS leader Golani after meeting in Damascus

A delegation including Assistant Secretary Barbara Leaf and hostage envoy Roger Carstens met with leaders of the powerful rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Walid Jumblatt delivers a speech during a gathering in Ain Zhalta on June 25, 2023.

Ahead of Syria visit, Lebanon Druze leader Jumblatt says give HTS 'a chance'

The influential member of the Lebanese Druze community warned against the influence of Israeli Druze leader Mowafaq Tarif and called for Syria to remain united after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.

A Syrian man prays on July 12, 2017, at a cemetary in Khan Sheikhun

Syria’s hidden stash of chemical weapons hangs over post-Assad transition

Destroying what remains of the Syrian regime's chemical arsenal is a top concern for the United States and its partners following Bashar al-Assad's sudden ouster.

US soldiers inspect the site of reported Turkish shelling days earlier on an oil extraction facility on the outskirts of Rumaylan, in Syria's Kurdish-controlled northeastern Hasakeh province on October 28, 2024. Following an attack on October 23 at the state-run Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) near Ankara, Turkey's defence ministry had announced strikes against sites linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq and Syria. (Photo by Delil souleiman / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Im

Pentagon says 2,000 US troops in Syria, not 900

The shell games continue in Washington over how many American troops remain in the aftermath of the war against the Islamic State group.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

US envoy works to reconcile rival Kurds in Syria as Turkey masses forces near Kobani

With the collapse of the Syrian regime in an offensive led by the Sunni militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its Turkey-backed allies, Syrian Kurds need to forge a common front as the new power constellation takes shape.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Erdogan Sisi met in Cairo on Dec. 19

Turkey’s Erdogan in Egypt, holds first meeting with Sisi after Assad's fall

The Turkish and Egyptian leaders focused on Syrian reconstruction, humanitarian aid to Gaza and strengthening bilateral relations.

A Russian soldier stands next to submarines at the Russian naval base in the Syrian Mediterranean port of Tartous, on Sept. 26, 2019.

Analysis

Russia, reeling from Assad loss, delays decision on Syria naval presence till March

Russia’s military withdrawal from Syria marks a strategic shift, with diplomatic efforts now focused on retaining influence.

Anton Mardasov

By Anton Mardasov

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) shakes hands with D-8 Secretary General Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam, Cairo, Dec. 19, 2024.

Iran president pays rare visit to Egypt in latest sign of thawing ties

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian traveled to Cairo to attend a summit of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation.

Yemeni firefighters douse oil tanks with water at a power station hit in an Israeli airstrike in the Houthi-run capital, Sanaa, Dec. 19, 2024.

Israel strikes Yemen ports, power stations in retaliation against Houthis

Dozens of Israeli fighter jets struck three ports and two power plants in Sanaa, the capital.

Salah Malkawi/Getty Images

Syria's crossing with Jordan reopens as Israeli military takes position in south

Jordanian and Syrian trucks are once again using the only border crossing between the two countries as Israeli troops take position in a buffer zone and European diplomats engage with the new authorities in Syria.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on during a meeting between the top diplomats of Iraq, Syria and Iran at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry in Baghdad on Dec. 6, 2024.

Iran’s Araghchi in Egypt as Tehran seeks to recover from regional blows

Iran is hoping the Cairo summit will serve as an opportunity for rapprochement with Egypt and a venue to pursue its diplomatic campaign against Israel.