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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

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Sixth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana on Oct. 13, 2022.

Explainer: What's going on between Russia and Turkey amid Black Sea escalation

Ankara’s avoidance of a public confrontation with Moscow reflects its determination to maintain a balancing act between Russia and the West.

Iran's "Fattah" missile.

Iran claims to have produced key engine for supersonic missile tech

The announcement was the latest in a chain of advancements Iran has claimed in its missile technology in defiance of Western criticism and amid regional tensions.

Getty images

Families of Israel’s missing Yemeni babies continue search for truth

The families of Yemeni babies and toddlers who disappeared 70 years ago are still fighting for justice.

A medic works at a laboratory at the Nablus hospital, run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), in Iraq's northern city of Mosul on Dec. 16, 2021.

Iraq's war-battered cities grapple with rising resistance to antibiotics

Six years after the liberation of Mosul from the Islamic State, the city battles a silent enemy: abnormally high rates of multidrug-resistant infections. It's a phenomenon fueled by decades of war that poses a massive threat to global health.

President Joe Biden speaks at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Aug. 10, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Analysis

Is Biden’s reset on Iran paying off?

Republicans say no; four benchmark dates to watch.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

Peacekeepers look on from the UN65 Checkpoint of the United Nations Buffer Zone opposite the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Cross in the divided old walled city of Cyprus' capital Nicosia where the Pope will hold an ecumenical prayer with migrants, on Dec. 3, 2021.

Tensions in Cyprus amid Turkish Cypriot plans to build controversial road

The rare confrontation between United Nations peacekeepers and Turkish Cypriot security forces rattled the ethnically divided island, which is home to one of Europe’s oldest frozen conflicts.

A woman walks in front of a mural painting depicting the Iranian flag, in the capital Tehran on August 6, 2018.

Republican senators claim 'dangerous precedent' set by Iran prisoner deal

Some Republicans call the deal a "ransom payment," but US officials say Iran could only access its frozen funds for humanitarian purchases under tight supervision.

A bullet-ridden mural at the Ain el-Helweh camp, in Lebanon's southern coastal city of Sidon, following the latest flare-up between Fatah and Islamist forces in the camp for Palestinian refugees,on August 4, 2023.

UNRWA suspends services in Lebanese camp following deadly violence

The UN agency said it had halted assistance in the Ain al-Hilweh camp after reports of armed fighters in some of its schools following clashes.

Hasidic Jewish pilgrims pray at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, in the town of Uman, about 200km from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, on Sept. 25, 2022.

Analysis

Israelis to make Ukraine pilgrimage despite risk of Russian attacks

Despite the raging war, thousands of Israeli Breslow Hassidim and other pilgrims are determined to spend the Jewish New Year in the Ukrainian city of Uman.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi crown prince meets Iran's foreign minister in Jeddah

The sit-down between Mohammed bin Salman and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is the highest-level meeting between Saudi and Iranian officials since their countries resumed ties in March.

An Israeli Iron Dome anti-rocket system (L) and an US Patriot missile defense system (R) are exposed during a joint Israeli-US military exercise Juniper Cobra at the Hatzor Air Force Base, March 8, 2018.

Analysis

Israel sells Arrow 3 to Germany as Ukraine war fuels demand

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has increased worldwide demand for Israeli-made high-tech defense systems.

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

Members of the Syrian security forces gather on the Syrian side of the border-crossing between Albu Kamal in Syria and Al-Qaim in Iraq, on September 30, 2019, after the crossing re-opened today after it was seized by the Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in 2014. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Pentagon denies US military to cut Iran’s land route into Syria

The top commander of US-led coalition forces in Iraq and Syria denied his forces are preparing to cut the road from al-Qaim to Albukamal, pushing back on recent reports in Arabic-language media.