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Politics & Security

(L-R) Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and U.S. President Donald Trump arrive for a dignified transfer event at Dover Air Force Base March 7, 2026 in Dover, Delaware.

As US signals new diplomatic push, Iran rejects Trump's ‘very strong talks’ claim

Even if the two sides resumed negotiations, Iran has laid out tough conditions for ending the war.

Journalists gather outside the Ankara courthouse on March 10, 2020 behind a banner reading in Turkish "journalism is not crime," to protest over jailing of journalists, sparked by the recent arrest of OdaTV's news director and a journalist's report on the funeral of a Turkish intelligence officer apparently killed in Libya.

Journalist who investigated Erdogan’s son jailed on 'disinformation' charges in Turkey

Human rights organizations warn Ari’s detention signals a broader campaign against journalists probing government corruption and elite networks.

Displaced families set up tents along Beirut's waterfront in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 10, 2026, after fleeing recent Israel-Hezbollah hostilities.

Lebanon scrambles to contain tensions over displacement as Israel ups threats

Displaced Shiites are facing growing resentment from host communities in areas outside of Hezbollah’s control in Lebanon amid uncertainty over their return to southern Lebanon, where Israeli attacks and advances signal a potential ground invasion.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (C) waves as he returns to his car after visiting the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, on October 12, 2024. At least 22 people were killed in Israeli strikes on a densely populated area of central Beirut on October 10, the Lebanese health ministry said, with a security source saying a Hezbollah figure was the target. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP) (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Meet Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, IRGC-vetted figure at center of US talks

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has emerged as one of the Islamic Republic’s most visible figures amid the conflict.

Latest News

Breaking

Last Updated: March 23, 2026, 3:02 pm

US proposes Vance-Ghalibaf talks with Turkey as one intermediary: Source

Ghalibaf Fidan

Trump announces five-day pause on Iran energy strikes after 'productive' talks

US President Donald Trump walks through the Cross Hall as he arrives for a ceremony to present the Commander-in-Chief Trophy to the Navy Midshipmen football team of the United States Naval Academy in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 20, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Interview

Ex-Israeli security official: Netanyahu pushed US, Israel into Iran war without imminent threat

An undated image of Eran Etzion.

How Egypt is navigating limited options in Iran war to stay neutral

US President Donald Trump and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi clasp hands as they speak to the press before their meeting on Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

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

Former US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Israeli American Council National Summit at the Washington Hilton, on Sept. 19, 2024, in Washington.

Analysis

Will Netanyahu follow through with ending Gaza war?

Despite his promise to President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also assured hard-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that the fighting would continue until Hamas is defeated.

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

Donald Trump is sworn in as US president in the Rotunda of the US Capitol, in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2025.

From Syria to Yemen: Middle East reacts to Donald Trump’s inauguration

Donald Trump's inauguration sparked a mix of optimism and cautious reactions across the Middle East, with US allies expressing hope for continued collaboration, while Iran, Palestine and regional proxies voiced concerns about his policies and their impact on regional stability.

Israeli forces in armored vehicles conduct a raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Jan. 21, 2025.

Israeli raid in West Bank kills 8 in Jenin as tensions soar

The operation follows Israeli concerns about the presence of Iran-backed groups in the Palestinian territory as well as a crackdown by the Palestinian Authority's security services.

A car belonging to Palestinian villagers set on fire during clashes after the Israeli settlers stormed the village of Qusra in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Photo by Wahaj Bani Moufleh / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by WAHAJ BANI MOUFLEH/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump revokes sanctions on Israeli settlers in West Bank: What we know

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders from withdrawing from the World Health Organization to reversing one that sanctioned violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi (front) arrives at a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and victims of attacks at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery on May 13, 2024.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 21, 2025, 9:58 am

Israeli military chief of staff Halevi resigns over Oct. 7 failures

Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has sent a letter announcing his resignation as of March 6 over the failure to prevent the Oct. 7 2023, Hamas attack.

The fire at a hotel in Turkey’s northwestern province of Bolu at a 12-story wooden-clad hotel

Turkey declares national day of mourning after ski resort fire kills at least 76

The blaze struck a popular ski resort hotel, leaving dozens dead.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Donald Trump is sworn into office as Melania Trump holds the Bible in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

With Trump inaugurated, how will the Republican trifecta reshape Middle East?

Trump’s White House will have the support of the House and Senate on post-war Israel and Gaza, Iran deterrence, Saudi normalization and more.

Megan Mineiro

By Megan Mineiro

In Washington, DC, reporting on US Congress

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Turkey’s Erdogan to discuss Russian gas supplies to Slovakia with Putin

The move comes after Ukraine shut down a pipeline that had long transited Russian gas to Central Europe.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon army, Syrian traffickers clash as anti-smuggling efforts ramp up

Authorities in Lebanon and Syria have stepped up their fight against the Captagon trade following the fall of the Assad regime, which heavily relied on the industry as one of its major sources of income.

Supporters and relatives of hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian militants react while watching a live TV broadcast on the release of Israeli hostages, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 19, 2025.

Relief over hostage release briefly overshadows Israel's political divide

As Israel celebrated the homecoming of Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher Sunday, the far right continues to oppose the mediated deal with Hamas.

MBS

Analysis

New Saudi-Greek strategic council: Boost for defense, energy, EU ties

Riyadh and Athens are steadily expanding their ties to include military, political and economic dimensions, driven by a shared commitment to regional stability and economic diversification.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

A fighter of the the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction watches a plume of smoke erupt from bombardment at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The latest reported fighting comes despite the US on December 8 saying that it was working to address Turkey's concerns in Syria to dissuade the NATO ally from escalating an offensive against

Analysis

Disarmament and political shift: What Turkey would accept from Syria's SDF

The fall of the Assad dynasty has changed Turkey's calculus on how to deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security