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Politics & Security

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani meets the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, in Erbil on Monday.

Iraq's Shiite bloc holds talks with Kurds as deadlock on president, PM persists

The Shiite-led Coordination Framework reiterated its support for former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Saturday, despite vocal criticism by US President Donald Trump of the former premier.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrives for a welcoming ceremony prior to talks with the Russian president at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Jan. 29, 2026.

UAE’s MBZ reportedly cancels Japan visit amid US-Iran standoff: What to know

While tensions remain high between the US and Iran, both sides are reportedly moving toward renewed nuclear talks.

United Arab Emirates

YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Meet Kuwait’s newest ministers in latest government shake-up

Kuwait’s latest cabinet reshuffle brings on several new ministers with professional experience in their respective fields.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi (L) give a statement at the Ritz Hotel as they meet on Jan. 30, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey emerges as possible host for US-Iran talks: What to know

Turkey is moving to host potential US-Iran talks as Ankara intensifies mediation efforts amid mounting concerns over the fallout of a possible US strike on Iran.

Latest News

Analysis

Caught in the Gulf crossfire: Pakistan navigates Saudi-UAE rivalry

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, meets with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at Za’abeel Palace in Dubai on Jan. 28, 2026.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Analysis

Syria’s Kurdish pullback hands Damascus a win — and new ISIS risks

Syrian government troops patrol the streets of Tabqa, in Raqqa province, on the southwestern banks of the Euphrates, Jan. 18, 2026.

Cagatay Cebe

By Cagatay Cebe

In Istanbul, reporting on security and counterterrorism

Analysis

As envoys recalled, what's driving Israel-South Africa rupture?

PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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

President Ebrahim Raisi, second right, at a ceremony to unveil the Mohajer-10 drone, Aug. 22, 2023.

Iran unveils new armed drone, defying pressure over shipments to Russia

With a range of over 1,200 miles, Mohajer 10 is the latest from a family of drones that Russia is believed to have imported from Iran to use in its war on Ukraine.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) poses with Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Baghdad on Aug. 22, 2023.

Kurds suffer as Iraq, Turkey fail to restart oil flow ahead of Turkish FM's Baghdad visit

As Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to meet in Baghdad with Iraqi leaders, disrupted oil flows, water and cooperation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party are expected to top the agenda.

RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images

Protests continue in Syrian government territory

Rare anti-government demonstrations are ongoing in southern Syria's Suwayda over the dismal economic situation in the country.

HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel's ruling right hunts for scapegoats in West Bank attacks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had attacked his opponents for not doing enough against Palestinian terrorism, but his own government is now failing to curb a wave of attacks in the West Bank.

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

Girls stand next to a tent at the Al-Yunani makeshift camp for internally displaced people in Syria.

Analysis

Normalizing Assad won’t solve Syrian refugee crisis

Even restoring the country to the pre-war status quo is unlikely to entice many refugees to return.

Nadia Almasalkhi

Shelly Culbertson

By Nadia Almasalkhi , Shelly Culbertson

The Suez Rajan is pictured in this undated photo.

US finally unloads Iranian oil from seized tanker

The Iranian oil aboard the Suez Rajan sat unloaded off the coast of the United States for months amid threats from Iran, causing concern in Congress.

Yemeni refugees cross the border from Yemen into the southern Saudi province of Jizan on Nov. 8, 2009.

Saudi forces have killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants at Yemen border: report

Saudi Arabia's border security forces are accused of "widespread and systematic" killing of Ethiopian migrants crossing from Yemen in what Human Rights Watch says could constitute crimes against humanity.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan looks on during a joint press conference with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov (not pictured) after their meeting in Ankara, Turkey on July 31, 2023. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey FM to discuss alternatives to Black Sea grain deal in Ukraine

Turkey's foreign minister will stop in Ukraine Aug. 25 to discuss options for shipping Ukrainian grain amid the deadlock with Russia.

A truck drives on a road as a plume of smoke rises from a building during a reported Russian airstrike on Syria.

Russian airstrikes target Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria

The al-Qaeda offshoot is focused on defending its territory from Russian-backed Syrian government forces, but it has also clashed with the Islamic State recently.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt releases journalist detained over reporting on Zambia plane seizure

A reporter for a local fact-checking site is the latest Egyptian journalist to be arrested over the weekend.

A UN vehicle parks in Pyla village, which lies between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish-occupied north, on Aug. 20, 2023.

Russia benefits from Turkey’s tiff with UN, NATO allies over Cyprus village

The UN Security Council will discuss an incident in the Cypriot border village of Pyla, where Turkish Cypriot security forces are accused of manhandling UN peacekeepers over a controversial road project.

Eilat coral

Israeli environmental report warns of threats to Eilat coral reef

Following an alarming report by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Israeli environmentalists are calling for tighter limits on oil shipping in the Gulf of Eilat.