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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

Smoke billows following Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on August 11, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Pentagon watches closely for signs Iran will attack Israel

The Biden administration is touting this week's last-ditch round of Gaza cease-fire negotiations in a bid to dissuade Iran and its proxies from striking Israel, but officials say the threat of a coordinated attack has not yet diminished.

Jared Szuba

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

US President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, in the Oval Office, Washington, DC, July 25, 2024.

Analysis

Does Netanyahu feel the pressure in Gaza cease-fire talks?

The Israeli prime minister sees time on his side; Iran seeks face-saving off-ramp from broader conflict.

Andrew Parasiliti

By Andrew Parasiliti

TOPSHOT - Turkish ruling and opposition lawmakers fight each other after a scuffle between former footballer Alpay Ozalan (unseen), a lawmaker from Erdogan's ruling AKP party and Turksih Workers Party (TIP) deputy Ahmet Sik (unseen) at Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara on August 16,2024. A brawl broke out in Turkey's parliament on August 16, 2024, after lawmakers convened to discuss the status of a jailed opposition figure controversially stripped of his parliamentary immunity earlier this year. T

Brawl erupts at Turkey's parliament over jailed MP, 2 lawmakers injured

The scuffle took place after lawmakers convened to discuss the status of a jailed opposition figure controversially stripped of his parliamentary immunity earlier this year.

Boys walk on dry bricks to traverse a puddle of sewage water past mounds of trash and rubble along a street in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees, northern Gaza Strip, August 14, 2024.

Analysis

Can progress on Gaza cease-fire talks help US restrain Netanyahu, hold off Iran attack?

A new bridging proposal might allow calmer heads to prevail and lower the temperature in the region.

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

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on February 13, 2024 shows (L to R) CIA Director William Burns during an official State Dinner at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023; Israel's Mossad Director David Barnea during a conference in Herzliya on September 10, 2023; and Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on January 16, 2024. CIA director William Burns, Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime

US says Gaza cease-fire talks in 'end game' with new proposal

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel Saturday ahead of cease-fire negotiations that are set to resume in Cairo next week.

Screenshot from Hezbollah's video of tunnel network released on August 16, 2024

In warning to Israel, Hezbollah shows off massive underground tunnel network

The massive show of force comes as Hezbollah promised a harsh response to the killing of one of its senior commanders in an Israeli strike in Beirut last month.

A child affected by monkeypox sits on his father's legs while receiving treatment in the Central African Republic on October 18, 2018.

Egypt ups precautions as WHO declares mpox emergency

An outbreak of mpox, also known as monkeypox, in parts of Africa, is forcing Egypt to take early precautions.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) walks with France's Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Stephane Sejourne ahead of their meeting in Beirut on August 15, 2024, amid regional tensions during the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

French FM to visit Israel after Lebanon amid efforts to thwart all-out war

After meeting with Lebanese leaders in Beirut, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne continues on to Israel in a bid to prevent the outbreak of a regional war.

In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), left, the Royal Navy air defense destroyer HMS Defender (D 36) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99)

Analysis

Iran’s delayed retaliation against Israel tests Pentagon’s global strategy

Uncertainty about an Iranian attack could put Pentagon planners in a bind, as they seek to keep high-maintenance US aircraft carriers and fighter squadrons on nimble rotation schedules and out of lengthy Middle East engagements.

Jared Szuba

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

Jewish worshippers pray at Joseph's Tomb as hundreds of faithful mark the anniversary of the biblical Joseph's death, Nablus, West Bank, July 4, 2011.

Hundreds of Israeli pilgrims pray at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus

Joseph's Tomb in Nablus has often been the site of violent conflicts between Palestinians and Israelis.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

Iran says IRGC member killed in coalition strike in Syria

Iranian news outlets blamed the IRGC member’s death on “coalition forces,” but did not offer further details.

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, displaced Palestinians return to Bani Suhayla and neighboring towns east of Khan Younis following reports of Israeli forces withdrawing from the area in the southern Gaza, July 30, 2024.

Gaza cease-fire talks begin in Doha without Hamas

Israeli, American, Egyptian and Qatari representatives are meeting Thursday for another push to finalize a deal to halt the Hamas-Israel war.