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May 12, 2026

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Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos Hessebon meets with Marco Rubio in Washington on May 11, 2026.

Rubio hosts Ethiopia’s FM amid push to boost security ties: What to know

In response to heightening regional volatility, Ethiopia is prioritizing a strategic partnership with the Washington to secure its geopolitical standing.

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 2: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on May 2, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago resort. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

Trump calls Iran response 'piece of garbage,' set to meet military advisers

A US Navy nuclear submarine reached port in Gibraltar on Sunday in an unsubtle signal from the Pentagon.

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was not surprised by President Donald Trump’s suspension of Project Freedom and move toward talks with Iran, but analysts say Washington may not be fully weighing Israel's concerns in negotiations with Tehran.

Latest News

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images.

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

US strikes Iran tankers as UAE reports fresh missile, drone attacks

Getty

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on May 6, 2026. Credit: Telegram

Joyce Karam

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

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

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

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

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

Ankara might be awaiting Russian OK for Afrin operation

Although Turkey keeps signaling an imminent operation against Afrin in northern Syria, it appears Moscow hasn’t yet given the green light.

Free Syrian Army fighters sit together in the town of Tadef in Aleppo Governorate, Syria October 23, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC19D8DC3BD0

Syrian opposition iced out of White House

The Donald Trump administration held off on the opportunity to talk to Syrian opposition officials in town this week even as it outlined a tougher stance against Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson takes part in a news conference with Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland (not shown) on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, December 19, 2017. REUTERS/Blair Gable - RC1F3121B170

Tillerson says US troops to stay in Syria; US huddles with allies over Sochi

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US military will stay in Syria to prevent the return of the Islamic State, deter Iran and bolster post-war diplomatic efforts.

A Turkish military convoy arrives at an army base in the border town of Reyhanli near the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province, Turkey January 17, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC12B0BC2360

Will Erdogan defy Russia, US over Afrin?

Turkey’s plan to launch an operation to take Syria's Afrin faces major difficulties, yet if Erdogan succeeds even partially it will boost his image at home.

People chant slogans during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Amman, Jordan December 29, 2017. The placard reads: "Al-Aqsa Mosque for us, and God with his strength with us". REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RC1388149230

Defiant Palestinians boycott US projects, products

US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has prompted various Palestinian boycotts of US-funded projects and programs.

Iraqi counterterrorism forces sit in a top of a military vehicle in Falluja, Iraq, June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - S1AETLOGUBAB

Iraq backs off plans to double number of US-trained counterterrorism forces

With all of Iraq now liberated from the Islamic State, the elite Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service is shifting its focus away from large-scale battles.

Iranian students scuffle with police at the University of Tehran during a demonstration driven by anger over economic problems, in the capital Tehran on December 30, 2017.
Students protested in a third day of demonstrations, videos on social media showed, but were outnumbered by counter-demonstrators. / AFP PHOTO / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Why protests won’t change Iran’s foreign policy

The recent wave of unrest in Iran is unlikely to change the calculations that underpin the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy.

Netanyahu’s shortsighted Mideast policy

Israel prefers to ignore the changes surrounding it, such as threats by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to cancel the Oslo Accord and Iran’s change of stance on the Arab Peace Initiative.

Jordan tones down rhetoric in response to US move against UNRWA

Amid US threats to cut funding for UNRWA, Jordan appears to have opted for quiet diplomatic engagement with the United States rather than a confrontational approach.

Russia, Iran in sync on preserving nuclear deal

Russia's UN ambassador says the United States has "an irrational allergy" to Iran and should stop trying to constrain Tehran's influence in the Middle East by undermining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) chat with members of U.S. forces in the town of Darbasiya next to the Turkish border, Syria April 29, 2017. Picture taken April 29, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC16BE0EE700

US touts military build-up against Iran in Syria

The Donald Trump administration’s stated goal of using US troops in Syria to contain Iran, while failing to offer a formal Syria policy, is irritating lawmakers.

U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Interior Secretary†Ryan Zinke and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, holds a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC113BF0A9B0

Trump stays in Iran nuclear deal for now, targets rights abusers

US President Donald Trump once again waived Iran nuclear sanctions to stay in the deal, but he warned it will be for the last time if he does not get a legislative fix that meets his demands.