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Politics & Security

A roadside sign marks the entrance to Khnatsakh on May 16, 2025, a border village in Armenia's Syunik Province that has become a frontline community amid rising tensions with Azerbaijan.

Analysis

Azerbaijan envoy hits raw nerve with reminder of Baku’s sway on Turkey-Armenia ties

Baku’s ambassador says borders with Armenia will remain closed until Yerevan changes its constitution, hardening positions just weeks before a pivotal Armenian election seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s peace agenda with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

OLE BERG-RUSTEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s NATO pipeline bid fuels rivalry with Greece: What to know

Ankara says the project would be faster and cheaper than alternatives, but rival routes could sharpen competition with Greece over eastern flank logistics.

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Quake hits Turkey’s Malatya, reviving fear in 2023 disaster zone

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake has struck Turkey’s southeast, an area devastated by the February 2023 twin quakes.

Latest News

Iraqi PM Zaidi holds talks as cabinet deadlock leaves nine posts unfilled

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with the head of the Hikmah Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, in Baghdad on May 19, 2026.

Senate advances resolution to limit Trump's Iran war powers

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 14, 2026 in Washington, DC.

UAE, France renew defense pact after Rafale jets controversy

A rafale fighter jet prepares for take off on the deck of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle during the NATO military exercise Neptune Strike 26-2, off the coast of the Greek island of Crete, on April 27, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Iran tightens wartime crackdown across Kurdish, Baluch ethnic regions

Baluch Iranian youths cross a street in Zahedan, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan, on Dec. 18, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas (R) arrive for their talks in Moscow on May 10, 2025.

Russia to host PA’s Abbas as Putin mulls joining Trump's Gaza Board of Peace

President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit will coincide with the signing ceremony of the Trump administration's Board of Peace charter on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 21, 2026.

Trump warns Hamas will be 'blown away' if it fails to disarm

“They were born with a weapon in their hands, so it's not easy to do," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump greets Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war on Oct. 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Turkey, Israel, Pakistan to join Trump's Board of Peace as Italy hedges: What to know

The Turkish president accepted the US leader's invitation to join the Gaza Board of Peace along with Egypt and Israel.

People attend a pro-government rally on Jan. 12, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

Iran ramps up crackdown, vows 'to cut off hand' that threatens Khamenei

Iran doubled down on the narrative that the protesters were "Israel-linked mercenaries," as international calls grew for the regime's accountability after its bloody crackdown on the unrest.

Soldiers walk past a parked car as Syrian government forces make their way to the city of Hasakeh in northeastern Syria on Jan. 20, 2026.

Syria’s Kurds accept sweetened ceasefire deal as US envoy Barrack declares SDF obsolete

The ceasefire follows intense clashes and a rapid Syrian military advance in the Kurdish-held northeast, amid concerns over ISIS prisoners.

Joris Bolomey / AFP via Getty Images

Sudan's RSF says Chad border clashes 'unintentional' after 7 soldiers killed

Chad, which Sudan’s government accuses of backing the paramilitary RSF, said that the incursion killed seven Chadian soldiers.

Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi and Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani, meet on the sidelines of the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX2026), Jan. 20, 2026.

Somalia, Qatar sign defense pact after Mogadishu scraps UAE deals: What to know

Somalia and Qatar signed a defense cooperation agreement in Doha on Monday to strengthen bilateral military ties and security collaboration, days after Mogadishu ended all its contracts with the United Arab Emirates.

A protester holds up a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a demonstration near the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, on Jan. 16, 2026.

Analysis

Israel assesses Iran protest wave over, regrets not targeting Khamenei

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu might have influenced the US decision not to strike Tehran, but several Israeli experts believe that persuading US President Trump to hold back constitutes a generational tragedy.

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

US President Donald Trump meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House, Nov. 10, 2025.

Trump demands end to clashes with Kurds in call with Syria's Sharaa

US President Donald Trump called Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and secured a pledge from the leader to not enter al-Hasakeh as Syrian forces clashed with the Kurdish-led SDF.

DAMASCUS, SYRIA - JANUARY 18: Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa signs a ceasefire agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on January 18, 2026 in Damascus, Syria. According to Syrian state media, the deal includes a handover of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa governates into government control, and the full integration of SDF fighters into state institutions. It follows the government's recent push towards the key city of Raqqa, after SDF fighters withdrew from Aleppo amid deadly clashes over the

Erdogan welcomes Syria-SDF agreement, urges full implementation

Turkey has welcomed the agreement as key to domestic peace efforts with the outlawed Kurdish militants.

Pedestrians make their way along a path at Tehran Grand Bazaar, on Jan. 18, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Iran blackout enters 12th day as filtered internet reveals crackdown

Nearly 4,000 people have been killed in the protests in Iran, as videos emerging amid limited access to internet show the scale of the crackdown launched by security forces.

Syrian government troops stand guard next to a burning tyre along a street of Tabqa, in Raqa province, on the southwestern banks of the Euphrates on Jan. 18, 2026.

Bowing to US pressure, Syrian military advances, Kurdish-led SDF agrees to Sharaa's terms

Syrian government forces rapidly retook Raqqa and key eastern territories from the US-backed SDF, prompting a ceasefire agreement that effectively restores Damascus’ control over much of Syria’s oil-rich northeast.