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Politics & Security

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Saudi Arabia wants Iran-backed militia 'heads to roll' in Iraq amid talks with Tehran

Riyadh is pressing Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to act against the groups behind attacks on the kingdom as Baghdad struggles to balance ties with Tehran and Washington.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks during a press conference at the site where Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed by a US airstrike in 2020 near the airport upon his arrival in Baghdad, on Aug. 19, 2026.

Iran’s Ghalibaf makes high-level visit to Iraq ahead of disarmament deadline

The Iraqi parliament speaker is calling on his Iranian counterpart to help Iraq export oil through Hormuz amid the regional conflict.

Pedestrians walk past a billboard depicting Iran's late Supreme Leaders Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2026.

With talks stalled, Iran ups threats against Gulf, Europe: What to know

The threats have raised concerns that the conflict between Iran and the United States could expand beyond the region.

Latest News

In first, Lebanon to hand over former Syrian general to Sharaa government

This handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on Aug. 18, 2026, shows Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan (C) during the sentencing of Wassim al-Assad.

Analysis

How failing US-Iran diplomacy is giving way to fresh confrontation

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

UAE halts all trade ties with Iran after missile attack

Ships are docked along a pier at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

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

A Saudi family arrive at a hospital in the center of the capital Riyadh, on May 14, 2013.

Saudi Arabia ahead of UK in women's health index, leads Arab world

A global survey reveals that Saudi Arabia is the leading country for women's and girls' health in the Arab world, while other regional countries sat at the bottom of the 122 global list.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

2 police officers gunned down in Iran's protest-hit southeast

The attack occurred in an area that has seen the worst of the violence from Iranian security forces determined to crush the anti-government protests that have rocked the nation over the past four months.

GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli demolition of West Bank outpost shakes Netanyahu’s cabinet

Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are on a collision course over an illegal West Bank outpost.

In this aerial photo from a drone, a tram passes an empty road in the Karakoy district on the final day of a four-day lockdown across Istanbul, Turkey, April 26, 2020.

Church blaze kills two in Turkey's Istanbul

A blaze at an Istanbul church left two dead and two others injured, heavily damaging the historical building.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey postpones NATO talks on Sweden, Finland bids

Ankara has thrown its hands up in response to Stockholm's permission for a Quran-burning protest as Helsinki hints that Finland could join the alliance without Sweden.

LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu meets with Jordanian king in Amman, attempts to mend rift

For the first time since 2018, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman.

An exterior view of the building of US Department of the Treasury is seen on March 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

US sanctions Hezbollah financial adviser in Lebanon

The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on Lebanese economist Hassan Moukalled, his two sons and his money-exchange business.

Smoke plume rising after the new collapse of the northern section of the grain silos at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut, which were previously partly destroyed by the 2020 port explosion. (Photo by DYLAN COLLINS/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon's blast investigator charges former PM Diab, senior security officials

Among those charged are Prosecutor General Ghassan Oweidat, the head of Lebanon's domestic intelligence agency Major General Abbas Ibrahim, former army commander Jean Kahwaji, and other current and former security and judicial officials.

MAYA ALLERUZZO/AFP via Getty Images

Ousted Israeli minister still holds sway in Netanyahu's coalition

Until Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds a way to reinstate Shas leader Aryeh Deri to his ministerial positions, the ousted minister will wield much of his influence from outside the government.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (C) and head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel (R) with CIA Director William Burns (L) during their meeting, Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 23, 2023.

CIA director in Egypt after Libya and Ukraine, meets Sisi

The Egyptian president met on Monday with the CIA director as the two held talks discussing various bilateral, regional and international issues.

Kuwaiti parliament members attend a session of the National Assembly at its headquarters in Kuwait City on Jan. 10, 2023.

Kuwait's government resigns in latest parliament standoff

This is the fifth Kuwaiti government that has resigned in the past two years, highlighting growing tension between the country’s authorities.

US army officers stands in front a US Patriot missile defence system during a joint Israeli-US military exercise "Juniper Cobra" at the Hatzor Airforce Base on March 8, 2018.

US, Israel kick off largest ever military exercise as Iran nuclear talks falter

As Iran turns to Russia for advanced fighter jets, the race is on to ensure the United States can actually stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon — and to dissuade the new Israeli government from acting unilaterally.