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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

Kuwaiti candidate and former parliament speaker Marzouq al-Ghanem speaks during a campaign rally in Kuwait City on November 22, 2016.
During the past decade, the parliament in the desert emirate has been dissolved five times by the emir due to political disputes and twice by courts over procedural flaws. The most recent occasion the emir exercised those powers was last month when he called a snap election following a crisis over petrol price hikes. / AFP / Yasser Al-Zayyat (Photo credit should read

Russia, Kuwait discuss common ground in regional conflicts

Russia embraces yet another US ally in the Gulf as Moscow seeks partners for its "inclusive collective security architecture" in the Middle East.

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton talks to reporters at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC11226671B0

Intel: Navy downplays Iran hawks' messaging on latest deployment

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing a proclamation declaring his intention to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington, U.S. May 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1DA5C1CB70

Reports: Iran to adopt countermeasures as US revokes sanctions waivers

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will reportedly announce countermeasures to the US exit from the JCPOA and its reimposition of sanctions.

Members of Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar, get ready before heading out of Benghazi to reinforce the troops advancing to Tripoli, in Benghazi, Libya April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori - RC1B9C0FEEB0

What Russia makes of Hifter's offensive on Tripoli

Russia has positioned itself as an impartial middleman in the Libyan crisis, but there's a fine blueprint that defines this position.

United Arab Emirates

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, speaks during a discussion on "Inside the Trump Administration's Middle East Peace Effort" at a dinner symposium of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) in Washington, U.S., May 2, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC1B17280EE0

Kushner rejects calls to delay release of Mideast peace plan

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, said Thursday the Trump administration would issue its Middle East peace plan, though several regional experts have argued that the plan's release would cause more harm.

A freed prisoner is seen after he was released by Israel in what Damascus described as Russian-mediated reciprocation for the repatriation of the body of a long-missing Israeli soldier, at the Quneitra crossing, Syria, in this handout released by SANA on April 28, 2019. SANA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THIS IMAGE - RC15296E83D0

Is Israel reconciled to Assad's staying power?

Turkish defense minister says the United States has "moved closer to our position" on Syria safe zone.

Deteriorating US-Turkey ties weaken Ankara's hand in other problems

Intensive diplomatic traffic between Athens and Washington that emphasizes military cooperation raises the question of whether the United States is seeking an alternative strategic ally to Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkish-backed Syrian rebels ride on trucks at Manbij countryside, Syria December 28, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC12E3699180

Turkey claims progress on Syria safe zone

Despite claims from Ankara that Turkey and the United States are making headway on a safe zone in northern Syria, sources familiar with the talks say no tangible progress had been achieved and that Ankara's positive spin is likely inspired by empty US promises.

Palestinian rift endangers opposition to US peace plan

Backers of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas say the ongoing Palestinian division will only weaken efforts to defy the US peace plan, which is expected to be announced soon.

Hamas to form body to foil 'deal of the century'

Hamas has recently announced its intention to form a supreme body with the aim of thwarting the US deal of the century in what some officials say trespasses the prerogatives of the PLO.

A man walks at the scene of an air strike that hit a gas station near a hospital in Kutaf district of the northwestern province of Saada, Yemen March 28, 2019. REUTERS/Naif Rahma - RC19E8A2B540

Democrats move to defund Yemen war after veto defeat

After failing to override a presidential veto on ending US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Congress is looking for new ways to tie the Trump administration’s hands.

Yemeni members of the southern separatist movement, loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, stand next to a tank on April 15, 2015 in Aden's northern suburbs. Saudi-led coalition air strikes hit rebel targets in the Yemen's main southern city after overnight attacks by anti-government forces killed seven people, military sources and medics said. AFP PHOTO / SALEH AL-OBEIDI (Photo credit should read SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP/Getty Images)

Yemen's divided parliament growing further apart

Literally and figuratively, the two sides of Yemen's split parliament are miles away from each other and show no sign of reconciliation.