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Politics & Security

Children swimming in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Hormuz authority denies US claims of control over strait: What to know

Trump administration officials have said oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are rising, but maritime traffic remains diminished.

FADEL itani / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Who benefits from Lebanon’s amnesty law and why it is controversial

The law, initially intended to ease prison overcrowding, could see the release of Islamists accused of killing soldiers and allow Lebanese exiled to Israel return to the country.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference in Moscow on June 16, 2026.

Analysis

Fidan heads to Egypt amid questions over Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan pact

Conflicting accounts of why Egypt stayed out of the agreement have exposed the competing interests shaping the region’s emerging defense architecture.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Colombia's new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, delivers a speech at the Pichincha Battalion after being sworn in, in Cali, Colombia, on Aug. 7, 2026.

Syria lodges UN complaint against Colombia’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Golan

Bogota’s move marked a foreign policy shift under new right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella, reversing Petro-era policies that strained ties with Israel.

Latest News

Hormuz traffic sinks to one-week low as ships attacked, talks stagnate

port attack

Analysis

What Qaani's Baghdad visit reveals about Iran's post-war dilemma

The commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Esmail Qaani, speaks during a commemoration ceremony marking the anniversary of the 2020 killing of Guards general Qasem Soleimani (on screen) in the capital Tehran on Jan. 3, 2024.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Libya as US-backed unification push gathers pace

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan met with Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of Libya, in Tripoli on Aug. 11, 2026.

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

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during his visit to an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) centre, at the Palmachim Airbase near the city of Rishon LeZion on July 5, 2023.

Report: Netanyahu sets up secret team to discuss ‘day after’ in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set up a team to discuss possibilities for the day after the war in Gaza, according to a recent Channel 13 report.

A picture taken in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 11, 2023.

Day 66 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Monday, Dec. 11

A truck carries Iranian drones during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of the outbreak of the devastating 1980-1988 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Tehran, Iran, Sept. 22, 2023.

Iran unveils new Karrar drones upgraded with air-to-air missiles

Iran’s drone fleet has raised concerns among the United States and its allies.

CNN's Becky Anderson interviews Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian over a videocall during the Doha Forum in the Qatari capital on December 11, 2023. (Photo by SALIM MATRAMKOT / AFP) (Photo by SALIM MATRAMKOT/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran’s FM confirms US messages on Iraq, dodges questions on protests

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Washington has been dispatching weekly messages to Iran to rein in militants in Iraq and Syria attacking its forces.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Ghana's Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, British Secretary for Foreign Affairs James Cleverly, the Deputy Chairperson for the African Union Commission Monique Nsanzabaganwa, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Kenya's Foreign

France, Germany, Italy push for EU sanctions against Hamas leaders

In a letter to the European Union Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell, the foreign ministers of the three countries stress they would like to see more Hamas leaders sanctioned.

An aid convoy bearing the Jordanian flag enters the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas, Nov. 20, 2023.

Middle East countries join global call for strike in solidarity with Palestinians

Several countries in the region observed a strike in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and to demand an end of the Israeli war.

Gen. Joseph Aoun (R), Lebanese Army chief of staff, arrives at the Hamat airbase, north of Beirut, June 12, 2018.

What fate awaits Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun as another Beirut void looms?

Another leadership position might soon be vacant in Lebanon amid bickering over the legality of extending the term of the soon-to-retire commander of the military.

A ball of fire rises above a building during an Israeli strike in Rafah

Day 65 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Sunday, Dec. 10

This photo taken on October 29, 2023 in Istanbul shows a Bayraktar TB-2 drone and helicopters on the Turkish navy's L-400 Anadolu warship, during a naval military parade on the Bosphorus to mark the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s military-industrial complex is booming, but long road ahead

The pitfalls and advantages of Turkish defense firms that were listed among the top 100 arms producers that increased their revenue last year as combined revenues of their Western counterparts shrank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) walking during a hearing at the Magistrate's Court in Rishon Lezion on January 23, 2023.

Analysis

Between Israel's intelligence failure & corruption trial, will Netanyahu crack?

Opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say the Gaza war proves he should have resigned when first indicted, and not continue leading the country while managing the trial against him.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

A ball of fire rises above a building during an Israeli strike in Rafah

Day 64 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Saturday, Dec. 9

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi hold a meeting in Tehran on July 19, 2022.

Despite visits, deals, Russia's Putin does not acquiesce to Iran's Raisi on Gaza

The Iranian leadership is finding global sentiments for Gaza civilians as a unique opportunity it shouldn't miss to weaken and corner Israel, the sworn enemy.