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Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose after signing a defense partnership agreement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Analysis

From S-400s to SAMP/T: Turkey’s defense pivot gathers pace after NATO summit

Turkey is seeking to turn the diplomatic momentum from the Ankara NATO summit into a broad defense realignment spanning US sanctions relief and fighter technology, European air defenses and deeper military cooperation with the UK.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As US-Iran fighting resumes, Israel weighs 3 options with restraint winning, for now

Despite Israel's military readiness to resume strikes on Iran, officials say looming elections make Netanyahu more likely to stay out unless Tehran forces his hand.

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

US President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One as he departs Bismarck Municipal Airport on July 01, 2026 in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Israel warns US of new Iran plot to assassinate Trump: What to know

US officials are reportedly still assessing the Israeli intelligence.

Latest News

Why US strikes on Iran rail bridge signal shift in Hormuz conflict

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Lebanon's Aoun to meet Trump in first presidential summit in US since 2009

Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images

Oil soars more than 6% as Trump rules out Iran deal, threatens more strikes

A cargo ship is pictured off coast of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on June 28, 2026.

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

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

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

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

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers in Tehran September 14, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File Photo - S1AETHSUNEAB

'Neither talks nor war,' Khamenei says of US-Iran tensions

Despite recent heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, Iran's supreme leader said a war will not erupt between the two sides.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia May 14, 2019. Alexander Nemenov/Pool via REUTERS - RC1DB8C7B000

Can Putin, Trump reboot ties over Syria?

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came to Moscow with a message of reconciliation from President Donald Trump that the Kremlin happily embraced, yet the old disagreements are all still there.

The al-Qaim gate is closed at the border between Iraq and Syria at al-Qaim in Iraq, November 27, 2018. Picture taken November 27, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC1669CDDD20

Will the Trump administration abort Iran’s land bridge to the Mediterranean?

As tensions between the United States and Iran are at their height in the Gulf region, there are talks about Iran pushing for the opening of al-Bukamal crossing between Syria and Iraq.

Libyan National Army (LNA) members, commanded by Khalifa Haftar, pose for a picture as they head out of Benghazi to reinforce the troops advancing to Tripoli, in Benghazi, Libya April 7, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori - RC14EB305380

Why global and regional powers aren't standing up against Hifter's Libya offensive

If major international players could find a common interest in a stable Libya, they might see a simple way out of the seemingly endless wars of post-Gadhafi succession, yet they continue to back opposing factions in Libya.

U.S. President Donald Trump walks towards reporters to talk as he departs for travel to Louisiana from the White House in Washington, U.S., May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC1CA8FD5930

Why Iranians doubt the seriousness of Trump's latest offer of talks

US President Donald Trump's latest offer of talks with Iran has grabbed more attention than his previous overtures, but Iranian political elites agree that the offer is not sincere.

U.S. soldiers stand guard as a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft is moved on the eve of the 52nd Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France June 18, 2017. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol - RC1634F4C3A0

Congressional appropriators move to tie up F-35 deliveries to Turkey

The new House foreign aid bill would prohibit spending federal dollars to transfer the jets unless Ankara abandons its plans to buy missile defenses from Moscow.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) arrives at the EU headquarters in Brussels on May 13, 2019. - The US Secretary of State arrived in Brussels on May 13 to discuss the Iran nuclear deal, as Britain issued a stark warning about the risk of conflict erupting "by accident" in the Gulf. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Frustrated European allies warn Pompeo against US-Iran escalation

European foreign ministers did little to hide their distress that Secretary of State Pompeo abruptly decided to consult them on rising Iran tensions, which they had warned would be a consequence of quitting the nuclear deal.

A Palestinian woman prays on the first Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City May 10, 2019. REUTERS/ Ammar Awad - RC12461F8A10

Israeli security: Unrest, despair increasing in West Bank

Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot warns that sanctions and despair may soon generate an outburst of violence in the West Bank.

UAE Navy boats are seen next to Al Marzoqah, Saudi Arabian tanker, off the Port of Fujairah, UAE May 13, 2019.REUTERS/Satish Kumar - RC1AA0D0CE30

Iran: UAE sabotage incident should be no excuse for US ‘adventurism’

Iran has dismissed President Donald Trump’s offer to talk on the phone, saying if it was genuine, he would have stuck to the nuclear deal.

New Palestinian party has ties to Israel, seeks PLO reform

President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party promptly attacked the newly launched Reform and Development Party in the West Bank and warned Palestinians to have nothing to do with it.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Panama City, Florida, U.S., May 8, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1E60C5DE30

Trump flashes art of the deal to Iran

Iraqi leaders meet all night following Pompeo visit.

Police officers stand guard in the town of Ben Guerdane, near the Libyan border, Tunisia April 16, 2019. Picture taken April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi - RC11D6AA6E60

Tunisia on edge as Libya's Hifter advances

Tunisian authorities remain tight-lipped on the tumult in neighboring Libya, even as escalating violence impacts the Tunisian border.