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Politics & Security

Sudanese army soldier stands in front of a tank

Sudan ramps up Saudi Arabia, Turkey contacts amid growing Red Sea cooperation

Sudanese officials held parallel talks in Riyadh and Ankara as Saudi Arabia and Turkey deepen security cooperation around the Red Sea and fighting intensifies in Sudan.

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik pays a private fraternal visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he held a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE, at Al Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi, on Aug. 17, 2026.

Sultan of Oman meets UAE's MBZ as Iran-Hormuz talks advance

The talks come as Oman is in the midst of negotiations with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with King of Jordan Abdullah II during a signing ceremony at The Great Hall Of The People on Sept. 9, 2015, in Beijing, China.

Jordan's King Abdullah heads to China in first visit since 2015: What to know

Ahead of the visit, King Abdullah said that Jordan hopes to expand cooperation with China in green energy, tourism and aviation.

Smoke rises after explosions were heard and air defences activated near the airport in Erbil, on July 24, 2026.

Explainer

Why Iran targeted Barzani family stronghold in Iraqi Kurdistan

Iran’s Kurdish opposition groups have turned Iraqi Kurdistan into a frontline in the war.

Latest News

US general meets Lebanon’s army chief as ceasefire with Israel teeters

AFP via Getty Images

Jared Szuba

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

Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it 'gets in the way' of US-Iran deal

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence on Aug. 14, 2026 in Garden City, New York.

Analysis

RSF turns to drones, new fronts as Sudan battlefield pressure grows

View of some wreckage after the Rapid Support Forces targeted several civilian facilities in Al-Rahad Abu Dakna, one of the largest cities in North Kordofan, on the national highway linking Kosti and el-Obeid, July 25, 2026.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

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 arrives in Downing Street to meet Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, London, England, March 24, 2023.

Israel’s Netanyahu falls in polls, could abandon judicial overhaul

Pressured by security threats, bad polls and criticism from the White House, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries saving whatever is left to save of his status.

Freed Yemeni prisoners arrive in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, as the war-torn country began swapping 1,000 prisoners in a complex operation overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross, Oct. 16, 2020.

Prison swap begins in Yemen as Saudi-Houthi peace efforts continue

The exchange, the biggest since 2020, comes amid talks between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels to end the devastating war.

Macron Xi

Analysis

Macron visit to China adds European dimension to Beijing in Middle East

The French president's comments during his state visit acknowledge the reality of Chinese influence in a multipolar world.

Gilles Kepel

By Gilles Kepel

Pentagon Ryder

Pentagon downplays strike targeting Syrian Kurdish leader, US troops

The Biden administration has avoided attributing the attack, though America's Kurdish partners in the fight against the Islamic State accused Turkey of responsibility.

(L-R) Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose for a photo before a trilateral meeting on Syria in Tehran on July 19, 2022. (Photo by Sergei SAVOSTYANOV / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SAVOSTYANOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey hopes Iran will play constructive role in Syria thaw

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu acknowledged difficulties so far but called on Iran to make a constructive contribution to the high-level talks between Turkey, Syria and Russia.

King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa greets Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Abu Dhabi, Jan. 18, 2023.

US welcomes Bahrain, Qatar deal to restore relations

The State Department applauded the "breakthrough" agreement reached between the two US partners in the Middle East.

A Taliban security personnel take pictures of his colleague using a mobile phone at the Wazir Akbar Khan hilltop overlooking the Kabul city on April 4, 2023.

Iran, Russia, China FMs meet, see opportunity in post-US Afghanistan

The summit in Uzbekistan brought together regional powers who have been competing in the vacuum left by the US departure from Afghanistan.

Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry.

Turkey, Egypt inch closer to restoring ties as FMs meet in Ankara

The former Eastern Mediterranean rivals are on the path to rapprochement, but there are no plans for the return of ambassadors as of yet.

Ben and Andrew Webinar

Webinar: Is Netanyahu winning or losing on judicial reform in Israel?

Iraqi children cross a flooded street in the Iraqi capital Baghdad after heavy rains, on Dec. 24, 2022.

Severe floods in Iraq leave several dead, adding to climate strains

Iraq is contending with both heavy rains and increasing desertification.

A boy stands in the balcony of a building ravaged by Lebanon's Civil War, in Beirut's Ras al-Nabeh district on April 13, 2023. - The Lebanese civil war broke out on April 13, 1975 and ended in 1990 with the Taef agreement. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/afp/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon dysfunction hits new peak on 48th anniversary of war

Judge Ghada Aoun has lifted a ban on Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh ahead of his summoning in Paris next month and the municipal elections are likely to canceled for the second year in a row.

Worshippers visit the tomb of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem on March 19, 2023 following an attack by Israelis. - The Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem condemned the "heinous" attack that took place during Sunday mass at the Church of the Sepulchre of Saint Mary. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP) (Photo by HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images)

Jordan, Israel spar over access to Christian holy sites in Jerusalem

Israel blames Jordan for escalating tensions on Temple Mount, while Jordan accuses Israel of restricting Christians from Jerusalem's Holy Sepulcher Church.