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Politics & Security

Handout Photo by the US Navy via Getty Images

Explainer

What’s the status of Strait of Hormuz after US-Iran talks?

Oil tankers continued to transit the strait in both directions, but many turned off their transponders over the weekend after Iran's military declared Hormuz closed once again.

Cars drive past billboards showing Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (L) and his late father Ali Khamenei (R), with the slogan "Thank you, loyal Iran," erected along the highway leading to Rafik Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon, June 22, 2026.

US, Iran to form 'deconflicting cell' on Lebanon, sidelining Lebanese state

The agreement came during talks between Iran and the United States following a preliminary deal reached last week to end the war across the Middle East, including in Lebanon.

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Iranian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Kharg Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

US grants Iran oil sanctions waiver as part of deal

The waiver authorizes the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil for two months.

Latest News

Vance says Iran to restore nuclear inspector access

US Vice President JD Vance spoke to reporters following the talks with Iranian negotiators at the Burgenstock complex

Syria’s Sharaa says he had ‘multiple discussions’ with Trump on Lebanon, favors dialogue

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Oval Office, Washington, DC, Nov. 10, 2025.

Analysis

Why Gulf defense firms are betting on Europe in wake of Iran war

Illustration picture taken during the Eurosatory Defense and Security fair in Paris, France ,on June 15, 2026.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Analysis

After US-Iran deal, can Pakistan sustain regional mediator role?

Aamir QURESHI / AFP via Getty Images

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

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

Bitcoin

Fugitive Turkish cryptocurrency chief arrested in Albania

Faruk Fatih Ozer, who reportedly fled with $2 billion in investors' assets, had an Interpol red notice.

Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rest during a protest.

Deadly intra-Shiite violence rattles Iraq’s Kurds

Kurds are "deeply troubled by the new cycle of violence in Iraq" and look to be peacemakers.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Protesters withdraw from Baghdad's Green Zone

Following Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's order, his followers have withdrawn completely from the Green Zone and evacuated the parliament building.

Israeli former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on June 30, 2022.

Netanyahu campaign leans on Israel's economic woes

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is focusing his electoral campaign on the failure of the government to lower the cost of living and better working conditions in schools and hospitals.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Iraq's neighbors urge calm in response to Baghdad clashes

The situation in Baghdad has calmed somewhat after cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on his supporters to pull back.

ASAAD NIAZI/AFP via Getty Images

Iran urges dialogue amid Iraq turmoil

Iranian authorities have called on Iraqi factions to seek political solutions as Baghdad streets saw deadly clashes between members of the Shiite Sadrist movement and their Tehran-backed rivals.

Israeli Prime Minister and Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid speaks during the party's opening election campaign rally ahead of the general elections, Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 3, 2022.

Israel’s Lapid, Mossad chief diverge on emerging Iran nuclear deal

Prime Minister Yair Lapid was surprised by the briefings to the press of Mossad Director David Barnea, who accused the West and the United States of generating a strategic catastrophe for the region.

An aerial view of protesters raising a giant flag of the Syrian rebels atop a building during a demonstration against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Binnish, Idlib province, Syria, April 1, 2022.

Syrian opposition fears more Russian attacks in Idlib to pressure Turkey

Russia has escalated its attack against Idlib, as the Syrian opposition fears that Moscow will resort to further escalation after talks about rapprochement attempts between Turkey and the Syrian government.

A supporter of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr sits with his portrait during the weekly Friday prayers.

Sadr announces hunger strike as 20 killed in Baghdad clashes

Clashes between rival Shiite groups, the Sadrists and the Popular Mobilization Units, have left more than 20 dead and hundreds injured.

Iraqi police are pictured standing guard at the closed gate of the government headquarters.

Iraq issues arrest warrants for Sadrist leaders after judiciary storming

The Iraqi judiciary issued arrest warrants and travel bans against key Sadrist movement leaders amid violent political conflicts, but their enforcement could be a sensitive task.

A supporter of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr carries bullet casings and a spent shotgun shell.

US: No plans to evacuate embassy in Baghdad, monitoring clashes

White House official calls for calm in Iraq following Muqtada al-Sadr's resignation from politics.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi sits near a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As US awaits Iran deal response, new Vienna round unlikely

A European Union source said negotiators would only return to the Austrian capital to ink a final agreement.