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Politics & Security

Iraq's prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, at Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office on April 28, 2026.

Trump congratulates Iraq PM-designate Zaidi in call: What to know

President Donald Trump was openly critical of previous nominee Nouri al-Maliki, who was seen as close to Iran, but is now welcoming the new candidate put forward by Iraq’s leading Shiite bloc.

This photo obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, on April 21, 2026.

Trump faces three paths ahead in Iran war as Hormuz standoff intensifies

As the Hormuz standoff intensifies, Trump must choose between military escalation, a limited diplomatic deal, or continuing a pressure campaign against Iran.

AFP via Getty Images

In defiant message, Iran’s Khamenei threatens US but appeals to Gulf

The address was Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s third since coming to power and included a pledge to rid the Gulf of the US.

Latest News

Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know

Members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), from the British Army's 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, No. 2 Company, patrol along the buffer zone separating the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the divided capital Nicosia on Feb. 17, 2026.

US blockade tests Iran's limits, but will global pain force Trump’s hand?

QESHM ISLAND, IRAN - APRIL 28: Boats navigate the sea on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's latest proposal for ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz calls on the United States to end its naval blockade of Iran's ports, and sets aside questions about what to do with Iran's nuclear program. The United States has not formally responded to the latest proposal, which was delivered by Iran's foreign minister to Pakistan two days ago. (Photo by Asghar Besharati/Getty Images

Iran-linked group claims stabbing in Jewish area in London: What to know

Local residents look on from outside a cordoned off area in the Golders Green neighborhood of north London on April 29, 2026, following the stabbing to two people nearby.

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

Pakistan flood

Turkey sends aid to Pakistan after devastating floods

The South Asian country is also seeking help from Turkey as well as the Gulf in relation to its economic crisis.

Navy drone

US Navy thwarts Iran's attempt to capture sea drone in Gulf

The seizure comes as the US Navy has increasingly deployed unmanned technology to help monitor weapons smuggling and other maritime activity in Middle Eastern waters.

Syrian Kurds demonstrate on June 10, 2021, in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli.

How realistic is Erdogan’s vision for security belt from Syria to Iraq?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is bent on creating an “end-to-end” security belt along Turkey’s southern borders with Syria and Iraq — a vision too ambitious given the political and topographic conditions of the areas in question.

Bitcoin

Fugitive Turkish cryptocurrency chief arrested in Albania

Faruk Fatih Ozer, who reportedly fled with $2 billion in investors' assets, had an Interpol red notice.

Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rest during a protest.

Deadly intra-Shiite violence rattles Iraq’s Kurds

Kurds are "deeply troubled by the new cycle of violence in Iraq" and look to be peacemakers.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Protesters withdraw from Baghdad's Green Zone

Following Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's order, his followers have withdrawn completely from the Green Zone and evacuated the parliament building.

Israeli former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on June 30, 2022.

Netanyahu campaign leans on Israel's economic woes

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is focusing his electoral campaign on the failure of the government to lower the cost of living and better working conditions in schools and hospitals.

ASAAD NIAZI/AFP via Getty Images

Iran urges dialogue amid Iraq turmoil

Iranian authorities have called on Iraqi factions to seek political solutions as Baghdad streets saw deadly clashes between members of the Shiite Sadrist movement and their Tehran-backed rivals.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Iraq's neighbors urge calm in response to Baghdad clashes

The situation in Baghdad has calmed somewhat after cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on his supporters to pull back.

Israeli Prime Minister and Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid speaks during the party's opening election campaign rally ahead of the general elections, Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 3, 2022.

Israel’s Lapid, Mossad chief diverge on emerging Iran nuclear deal

Prime Minister Yair Lapid was surprised by the briefings to the press of Mossad Director David Barnea, who accused the West and the United States of generating a strategic catastrophe for the region.

An aerial view of protesters raising a giant flag of the Syrian rebels atop a building during a demonstration against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Binnish, Idlib province, Syria, April 1, 2022.

Syrian opposition fears more Russian attacks in Idlib to pressure Turkey

Russia has escalated its attack against Idlib, as the Syrian opposition fears that Moscow will resort to further escalation after talks about rapprochement attempts between Turkey and the Syrian government.

A supporter of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr sits with his portrait during the weekly Friday prayers.

Sadr announces hunger strike as 20 killed in Baghdad clashes

Clashes between rival Shiite groups, the Sadrists and the Popular Mobilization Units, have left more than 20 dead and hundreds injured.