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Politics & Security

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 23: U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) speaks at a press conference on China AI export controls at the U.S. Capitol on September 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. Slotkin, joined by fellow Senate Democrats, urged Senate Republican's and the Trump administration to enact stronger export controls on AI technology and computer chips to China. The Democrats also call for a vote on bipartisan export control legislation, including the AI OVERWATCH Act, the MATCH Act, and the Chip Security Act. (

Slotkin, Van Hollen emerge as potential challengers to Schumer’s Senate leadership

A growing number of Democrats are calling for new leadership in the Senate to replace Schumer, arguing that the party needs a leader who better reflects its generational and ideological shift to the left.

SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

Massie introduces impeachment articles against Hegseth over Iran war

House Democrats are on board with voting to impeach the Pentagon chief, but it's not clear how many Republicans will break with the White House's public messaging.

This photograph shows empty fresh-food refrigerators at an Intermarche supermarket in Nevez, France, on Oct. 12, 2026, following a cyberattack that caused its refrigerators to defrost.

France blames Iran for supermarket fridge hack, seeks EU sanctions

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday blamed Iran for the October cyberattack that disabled refrigeration at supermarkets across France.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a joint press conference with Germans chachellor at the Chancellery on September 15, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. High on the meeting's agenda is the expansion of economic cooperation between Germany and Iraq. (Photo by Michele Tantussi/Getty Images)

Explainer

Iraqi PM cancels Mosul airport contracts, citing Iran militia links: What to know

Kataib Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc is questioning the sources of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s wealth after he moved to curb militia influence in the country.

Latest News

Trump meets Qatar PM as mediators push Iran deal

President Donald Trump (R) attends a bilateral meeting with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the G7 summit, in Evian, France, on June 16, 2026.

Lebanon replaces Detroit consul expelled over 1983 Marines attack posts

Marines barracks

Iran claims IAEA held 'recent' inspection at Bushehr plant: What to know

A picture taken on Nov. 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Analysis

Trump officials look past Netanyahu, push Eisenkot to form government quickly

Amir Levy/Getty Images

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

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 President Joe Biden boards Air Force One before departing from King Abdulaziz International Airport at the end of his first tour in the Middle East as president, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 16, 2022.

US-Saudi military ties remain on course despite OPEC dispute

The White House is signaling it could hold up further arms sales to Saudi Arabia, but so far the rare public dispute has not impacted direct military cooperation between Washington and Riyadh.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Putin’s 'gas hub’ plan aims to bolster Erdogan's image

Erdogan has accepted Putin’s offer to create a “gas hub” in northwest Turkey. But what is a gas hub? Is it workable? If realized, what impact would it have?

Members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadi group advance toward the village of Jindayris.

Are Syria’s HTS jihadis Turkey’s new friends?

After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadi faction that runs the northwestern province of Idlib, moved into Afrin, the question of where Turkey stands in this power grab is of critical importance.

AFP via Getty Images

IRGC warns Saudi Arabia over Iran protest coverage

The head of the IRGC has issued a warning to Saudi Arabia over coverage by Persian-language news outlets.

EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images

Ultra-Orthodox campaigning goes digital as Israeli election nears

In a dramatic shift from past elections, ultra-Orthodox parties have gone digital to keep up with their own constituencies.

Israeli security forces check the documents of Palestinian laborers who work in Israel, before allowing them to cross through a hole in a security fence in the village of Muqeibila near Jenin, West Bank, Sept. 6, 2021.

Israel revokes work permits of 164 Palestinian militants' relatives

In addition to pressuring the Nablus-based Lion’s Den group, Defense Minister Benny Gantz revoked the permits of group members' relatives to work in Israel.

People take part in a funeral in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province.

Islamic State claims over 125 people killed in Syrian operations in 2 months

The Islamic State announced the largest number of operations it has so far carried out in the span of two months in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor, which is under the control of Kurdish forces in northeast Syria.

An Ethiopian national flag is seen at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, on Feb. 19, 2022.

Egypt, Sudan joint committee resume talks on Nile waters

The Permanent Joint Technical Commission for Nile Waters between Egypt and Sudan has convened after a four-year hiatus amid the stalled negotiations over Ethiopia’s controversial Nile dam.

Syrians take part in the funeral of 10 fighters with the Turkey-backed Faylaq al-Sham rebel faction in Syria, in the northwestern city of Idlib, following their death in a Russian airstrike, Syria, Oct. 26, 2020.

Russian warplanes hit targets in northwest Syria

Russian warplanes escalated their shelling of Idlib amid field clashes between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Syrian government forces in the countryside of Aleppo.

CIS summit

Middle Eastern leaders converge on Kazakhstan

The Central Asian nation hosted the annual Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States summits this week.

Blinken Iran

Analysis

Iran nuclear talks on hold for now as US, EU focus on protests

MENA region is expected to suffer more than most from the global slowdown partly caused by the Ukraine war.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Iran protest

Ayatollah criticizes ‘British Shia’ as protests continue

The tweet from the Iranian Supreme Leader follows the Islamic Republic's complaints about London-based Persian language media outlets’ coverage of ongoing anti-government protests in Iran.