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Politics & Security

Tump

Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

Manon Roca / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon files charges against 2 Hezbollah members as UNIFIL prepares to withdraw

The move comes amid growing security concerns in the south less than two months before the UNIFIL mandate expires.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

Tomer Neuberg / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Arab parties' backing gives Eisenkot edge over Netanyahu for PM: What to know

With 67 Knesset members backing his candidacy, Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot could win the mandate to form the next government.

Latest News

Massie renews Hegseth impeachment push as GOP blames Iran war for midterm losses

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, on July 21, 2026, in Washington.

Jared Szuba

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

Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift?

TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images

Russia to provide Iran with 90 missile launchers as military ties grow: Reports

Russian Mil Mi-8 military helicopters fly over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy, northeastern Hasakeh province, Syria, Feb. 4, 2021.

Turkey says soldier killed by gunfire from Iran at border: What to know

A sign marking the border of Turkey in Van, Turkey, on March 14, 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

A protestor shouts during a gathering to commemorate Land Day on March 29, 2025 in Berlin, Germany.

Germany's plan to deport 4 residents over pro-Palestine protests 'unlawful': Lawyer

Germany appears to be following US President Donald Trump's lead in moving to deport foreign residents who participated in protests against Israel’s war in Gaza — and in using a murky legal argument to back them up.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas (C) listens to Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (L) during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem on March 24, 2025. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli FM says indirect US-Iran talks likely, hails 'common objective' with France

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said France shares the same concerns as Israel on the Iranian nuclear plan and predicted that Washington would soon launch indirect talks with Tehran.

A protester holds a Turkish flag in front of police officers during a rally in support of Istanbul's arrested Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul, Turkey, March 23, 2025.

Turkey detains more than dozen over boycotts as crackdown on celebrities expands

The crackdown against boycott calls is expanding with blocking of social media accounts and removal of actors from TV productions.

President Donald Trump speaking during a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House on March 28, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Analysis

Can Trump's Middle East strategy avert military confrontation with Iran?

The US and Iran are not on the brink of war just yet. But Washington is racing against the clock to rein in Tehran’s nuclear program before China can invade Taiwan — and before Israel tries to do the job alone.

Jared Szuba

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

This picture taken from Israel-annexed Golan Heights along the border with southern Syria shows smoke billowing above the Syrian village of Koayiah during Israeli bombardment, on March 25, 2025.

Israel carries out airstrikes in Damascus, Homs, Hama as Syria tensions flare

Israel is upping its military action against Syria despite protests from the new government in Damascus.

In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, the Abraham Lincoln and John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Groups conduct carrier strike force operations in the US 6th Fleet area of operations on April 24, 2019 in the Mediterranean Sea.

F-35s, carriers and B-2 bombers: Pentagon reinforces Mideast military presence

The Pentagon has been quietly amassing forces in the Middle East amid concerns that Iran's IRGC could lash out at US bases in the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant if the White House's bid to end Tehran's nuclear enrichment via diplomacy goes off the rails.

A February 6, 2025 photo shows the US Treasury in Washington, DC. Opponents to US President Donald Trump say he allowed Elon Musk -- the world's richest man and a major government contractor -- to break the law by accessing US Treasury payment systems that send out trillions of dollars and hold a welter of sensitive personal data. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

US sanctions Russia-based network for aiding Houthis as strikes continue

The sanctions target several individuals based in Russia accused of assisting Houthi official Sa’id al-Jamal, who has been under US sanctions since 2021.

People with placards during a demonstration in support of Ekrem Imamoglu and political prisoners in Turkey and in solidarity with the resistance to the Erdogan regime in Paris France March 29, 2025. (Photo by Bastien Ohier / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by BASTIEN OHIER/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey fines Meta for refusing to restrict Facebook, Instagram over Imamoglu protests

Unlike X, which has suspended social media accounts at the request of the Turkish government, Meta says it has faced heavy fines in Turkey for refusing to do so.

The heavily damaged Shahid (Martyr) Mosque is pictured in Khartoum's Muqrin neighbourhood on March 22, 2025. Sudan's army and allied armed groups seized the country's presidential palace on March 21 in the ongoing war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries, which the RSF had used since the start of the war to house elite forces and stockpile ammunition. The military has since launched a clearing operation to push the RSF out of the city centre, retaking on March 22 several strategic state ins

Khartoum accuses RSF of looting and destroying Sudan's heritage: What to know

The Sudanese government accused the Rapid Support Forces of looting and destroying cultural heritage sites, including the Sudan National Museum, during their occupation of Khartoum, calling the actions war crimes and pledging to work with UNESCO and Interpol to recover stolen artifacts.

A picture taken on Aug. 20, 2010, shows an Iranian flag fluttering at an undisclosed location in the Islamic republic next to a surface-to-surface Qiam-1 missile.

Analysis

Is Iran's warning it could go nuclear after Trump's threat a bluff or more?

The warning, which was issued by a moderate politician known for his pragmatist negotiating skills, underscored how the dynamics between Tehran and Washington are becoming increasingly volatile.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A column of Russian missile S-400 Triumf systems drives on Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow, on May 9, 2024.

Top US senator: No F-35 jets for Turkey until Russia's S-400 missiles 'gone'

Republican Sen. Jim Risch made the statement during the nomination hearing for Tom Barrack to be the next US ambassador to Turkey. Barrack emphasized Ankara's strategic role in countering Iran in the region and promoting stability in Syria.

Civil Guard agents are pictured in an anti-terrorist operation against a Hezbollah drone manufacturing facility in this undated photo.

Spain arrests 3 suspects accused of supplying Hezbollah with drone parts

This is the second time in under a year that Spanish authorities have arrested individuals with links to Hezbollah.

By Rosaleen Carroll

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