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Politics & Security

A couple watch oil tankers

Iran-Oman deal over Hormuz takes shape as war-weary US looks on

Trump administration appears poised to concede Iran and Oman's management of Hormuz in hope that Tehran eventually fold on its nuclear program.

Jared Szuba

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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcomes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) upon his arrival during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on June 22, 2022.

Turkey’s Erdogan heads to Saudi Arabia for talks with MBS, Pakistan’s Sharif

The visit comes as the three countries ramp up coordination to weather the regional fallout from the Iran war.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani meets with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Ankara, Aug. 6, 2026.

Syria's Shibani updates Turkey on Kurds' integration, slams Israel during Ankara visit

The visit highlighted Ankara's growing influence in post-Assad Syria, with the two neighbors expanding strategic coordination on security and regional affairs.

Latest News

AIPAC to oppose El-Sayed after major Michigan primary victory

Michigan Democratic Senate primary winner Abdul El-Sayed

Turkey's intel chief hosts Libya delegation amid unification push: What to know

Turkish National Intelligence Organization chief Ibrahim Kalin

Israel-Lebanon talks suspended amid escalation, set to resume Thursday

Israeli battle tanks deploy in the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah (Eastern Zawtar) in southern Lebanon as pictured from the nearby village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah (Western Zawtar) on August 2, 2026. Under a US-sponsored agreement signed in June, Lebanon's army is to disarm Hezbollah and the Israeli military is to withdraw from "pilot zones" where Lebanese forces will subsequently deploy. The deal came more than three months after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East with rocket fire at Israel in suppo

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

Displaced Palestinians carry a box of food rations provided by the World Food Program at a makeshift street market in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 14, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

World Food Program suspends staff movement after vehicle shot at in Gaza

The news comes amid efforts to increase vaccinations against polio in war-torn Gaza.

Members of Israeli security forces guard the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound following clashes that erupted during Islam's holy fasting month of Ramadan in Jerusalem on April 5, 2023.

Analysis

Why Ben-Gvir's Al-Aqsa compound rhetoric is dangerous and disruptive

Israel's far-right minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, called for the establishment of a synagogue at the sensitive Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount complex, engendering fierce responses from Palestinian and Israeli leaders alike.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

Israel expands West Bank operation, evacuates refugee camp: What we know

The Israeli military has conducted major security raids in the West Bank, prompting the Palestinian president to return early from Saudi Arabia.

Qaid Farhan Alkaldi (C), who was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, is greeted as he returns to the unrecognized Bedouin village of Carcur.

Case of rescued Israeli Bedouin hostage Qaid Alkadi: What we know

Qaid Farhan Alkadi, rescued Tuesday from the Gaza Strip, told Israeli Military Intelligence about the conditions of his captivity and his exchanges with his captors.

A military vehicle is seen at the Rafah border crossing to Gaza on October 19, 2023 in North Sinai, Egypt. The aid convoy, organized by a group of Egyptian NGOs, set off Saturday 14th October from Cairo for the Gaza-Egypt border crossing at Rafah. On October 7th, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on border communities in southern Israel, spurring the most violent flare-up of the Israel-Palestine conflict in decades. Israel launched a vast bombing campaign in retaliation and has

Egypt sends military aid to Somalia as tensions soar with Ethiopia

Tensions in the region are high following the signing of a controversial agreement between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland as several countries including Egypt and Turkey seek a foothold in Somalia.

TEHRAN, IRAN - JULY 5: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks after casting his vote for the presidential runoff election on July 5, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. The second round of Iran's presidential elections was held while no candidate won the majority of votes in the first round of elections last month. In the second round, Saeed Jalili, who is known as a radical candidate, faced Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist candidate. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Analysis

Is Khamenei opening door for nuclear talks as Iran FM floats revisions?

The Iranian leader signaled willingness to talk to the West about the country's nuclear program less than a week after new Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there is room to revise the agreement.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir takes part in the Jerusalem Day Flag March in the Old City on June 5, 2024 in Jerusalem.

Saudi Arabia, UAE speak out against Israeli far right's moves on Al-Aqsa

Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have called for an end to provocations at one of Islam's holiest sites amid comments by Israel's national security minister about building a synagogue on the site.

Turkey blocks multiple X accounts, cites 'terrorist crackdown'

Turkey has mounted repeated attacks on the Kurdish-led region on the grounds that it is governed by terrorists.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Libyan government of national unity prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (L) pose for a photo during the official ceremony prior to their meeting in Ankara on April 12, 2021. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Libya upheaval: Why Turkey is mum over heightened tensions in Tripoli

Turkey, one of the two foreign powers with the largest military presence in Libya, conspicuously maintains its silence over the escalating tensions in the country, which experts link to several reasons.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Israeli hostage

Bedouin Israeli hostage freed in Gaza in military operation

The Israeli military and the Shin Bet confirmed Tuesday that they rescued Qaid Farhan Alkadi from southern Gaza in a military operation.

A missile monument erected after the 2006 war, is seen on the roadside on August 26, 2024 Borj Kalawai, Lebanon. The recent assassination of a Hezbollah military commander in Lebanon, as well as the killing of the political leader of Hamas in Iran, has heightened concerns of a wider regional war between Israel and Iran-backed enemies like Hezbollah. Israel and Hezbollah have traded regular cross-border fire since Oct. 7, although both sides have seemed to calculate their attacks to avoid all-out war. (Photo

Pentagon shared intel with Israel to thwart Hezbollah attack

Israel's air force and navy overwhelmingly thwarted the attack without need for the US military to shoot down any of Hezbollah's projectiles, Pentagon officials said.

US-Jordan joint chiefs shake hands

Top US general to visit Lebanon as Hezbollah, Israel avoid full-blown war

Hezbollah launched an attack against Israel Sunday in response to the killing of commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last month, prompting officials to initiate contacts with foreign diplomats to contain the escalation and avoid an all-out war.