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Politics & Security

A man looks at the site of overnight Israeli airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut on March 12, 2026.

Lebanon summons Iran envoy over Hezbollah-IRGC attacks: What to know

The move comes after Hezbollah launched over 200 rockets toward Israel, just as Iran fired a barrage of missiles, triggering a violent Israeli escalation in Lebanon.

This photo taken in Tehran shows a statement by Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei being televised on March 12, 2026. Iran's new supreme leader ordered the vital Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane to remain closed on March 12, while US President Donald Trump said stopping the Islamic republic's "evil empire" was more important than crude prices. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly injured in an air strike, has yet to appear publicly since his nomination as supreme leader, and his defiant

In first remarks, Mojtaba Khamenei vows 'revenge,' holds firm on Hormuz closure

New Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei did not appear on camera and his remarks were read by presenters on state media.

Sipan Hemo

Top Kurdish critic of Damascus named Syria's deputy defense minister

The move cements a US-brokered truce and signals Damascus’ intent to integrate the Kurdish-led northeast into the national government, even as thorny security and political questions remain.

Fighters lift flags of Iraq and paramilitary groups, including al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, during a funeral in Baghdad for five militants killed a day earlier in a US strike in northern Iraq, on Dec. 4, 2023.

US warns of kidnapping threat in Iraq as Iran-backed militia hits diplomatic facility

A number of US-related sites have been targeted by Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, prompting Baghdad to bolster its air defenses.

Latest News

Citi, HSBC order Gulf evacuations after Iran threatens US tech, banks

People sit in a cafe outside the Apple Store in Dubai on May 8, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Spain recalls Israel ambassador, calls Iran war 'flagrant illegality': What to know

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a United Nations Summit on Palestinians at UN headquarters during the United Nations General Assembly, New York, Sept. 22, 2025.

US strikes Iran's IRGC minelayer boats near Hormuz: What to know

MEHDI MARIZAD/FARS NEWS/AFP via Getty Images

Jared Szuba

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

Trump warns Iran over Hormuz mines as senator cautions US may be nearing ground war

A navy vessel is seen sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which much of the world's oil and gas passes, on March 1, 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

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, son of Libyan leader Moamer Gadhafi, speaks during an interview with AFP in Tripoli on Feb. 26, 2011.

Saif Islam Gadhafi, son of late Libyan ruler, killed in gunfight: What to know

Gadhafi was a key figure in his father Moammar Gadhafi's regime, and faced legal prosecution for his alleged roles in crimes against Libyans.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaks during a press conference on May 11, 2011, at the green zone area in Baghdad, Iraq.

Iraq’s Maliki rejects Trump criticism, vows to stay in PM race

Maliki refused to withdraw from the race, despite mounting pressure from the US, and expressed a desire for good relations with Iraq’s neighbors and Washington.

Commuters drive along a bridge near a building bearing a landmark anti-US mural in Tehran, on June 22, 2025.

Bracing for backlash, Iran sends mixed signals on US talks

Iran's public messaging remains fragmented, with cautious openness from the presidency, rigid red lines from security officials and outright rejection from hard-liners, who see negotiations as futile.

US Department of State's senior advisor to the president for Arab and African Affairs Massad Fares Boulos attends the Sudan Humanitarian Fund event at the Institute of Peace in Washington, on Feb. 3, 2026.

US says Sudan warring parties back withdrawal plan as donors pledge $700M in aid

State Department senior adviser Massad Boulos announced Tuesday that a "comprehensive peace plan" has been approved by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, though it still needs to be approved by Sudan's warring parties.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff arrives for a press conference with the US president and Israel's prime minister in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Witkoff meets Netanyahu as Israel warns against potential Iran deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s security chiefs briefed US envoy Steve Witkoff on the country’s concerns ahead of Friday’s US-Iran talks.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Iran seeks nuclear-only US talks, to drop Turkey as host: Source

Iran’s push for a bilateral, nuclear-only format and a possible shift to Oman has frustrated mediators.

This handout photo made available by the Iranian Army Office on March 12, 2025 shows navy vessels taking part in a joint Iranian-Russian-Chinese military drill in the Gulf of Oman.

US F-35 downs Iran drone as IRGC boats target tanker near Hormuz

The US military accused Iran of "unnecessary aggression" after shooting down an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and IRGC vessels approached a US-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz ahead of US-Iran talks later this week.

Diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates President Anwar Gargash (C) react on stage with Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe (R) during the World Governments Summit in Dubai on February 3, 2026. Spain will seek to ban social media for under-16s to protect them from harmful content such as pornography and violence, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on February 3, in the latest such move by governments. Australia established a world first i

On eve of talks, UAE's Gargash throws weight behind Iran-US deal

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, spoke at a panel discussion at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, where he discussed the latest developments in Gaza, Iran, Sudan and Yemen.

United Arab Emirates

Lebanese soldiers standing atop a military vehicle in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel in southern Lebanon, on Nov. 28, 2025.

Lebanon’s army chief in Washington as Hezbollah disarmament enters critical phase

Gen. Rodolphe Haykal is seeking US support for what is likely to be a cautious approach to expanding the geographic scope of the Lebanese army's efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

Sudanese army soldiers parade in the streets of eastern Sudan's city of Gedaref on Aug. 14, 2025, to mark the 71st anniversary of the formation of the Sudanese army.

RSF shells Sudan’s Kordofan as US-Saudi truce plan stalls: What to know

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have launched drone and artillery attacks in Dilling, just a week after the Sudanese army said it broke a nearly two-year siege on the town.

A state building is covered with a giant anti-US billboard depicting a symbolic image of the destroyed USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 1, 2026.

Iran arrests Oscar-nominated writer, civil rights figures in expanding crackdown

Iranian authorities arrested three prominent activists over the weekend, including Oscar-nominated screenwriter and journalist Mehdi Mahmoudian as arrests surge across Iran.

Syrian Democratic Forces fighters stand on a pick-up truck to provide security during an inspection of SDF positions on the Tell Brak frontline in Syria on Jan. 26, 2026.

France's role in Syria-SDF agreement: What to know

French diplomatic sources highlight the role played by Paris in recent months in reaching an agreement between the Sharaa government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.