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May 14, 2026

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US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.

Analysis

Ahead of Trump-Xi summit, Iran looks to China as guarantor — but with reservations

Tehran is closely watching the Trump-Xi meeting to determine whether China will continue acting primarily as a protector or if it will gradually emerge as the power capable of pressuring Iran into a narrower strategic corner.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Artillery units are positioned near the Lebanese border in northern Israel, May 4, 2026.

Analysis

Israel’s drone dilemma: Hezbollah’s low-cost threat reshapes Lebanon front

While Israeli and Lebanese delegations are set to meet in Washington for the third time, the Israeli military faces a growing threat from Hezbollah’s cheap yet highly lethal drones.

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

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.

Latest News

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

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)

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a discussion about the Report of the State Comptroller for Operation Protective Edge at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem April 19, 2017 REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTS12VXD

Would Israel's Knesset support a Trump Mideast deal?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot claim that his coalition will fall apart if he supports a peace initiative by President Donald Trump.

A ballistic missile is launched and tested in an undisclosed location, Iran, March 9, 2016. REUTERS/Mahmood Hosseini/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. NOT FOR USE BY REUTERS THIRD PARTY DISTRIBUTORS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO

Trump waives nuclear sanctions but slaps Iran on missiles, human rights

The Trump administration sanctioned seven new entities for their alleged role in Iran’s ballistic missile program even as it complied with the letter of the nuclear deal.

DC treated to Turkish-style crackdown on pro-Kurdish demonstrators

In a replay of last year's violence, the Turkish president's security detail was filmed beating up peaceful Syrian Kurdish protesters in Washington.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) welcomes Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTS14ZK3

What Abbas hopes to achieve from Trump's Palestine visit

Ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the West Bank, the Palestinian leadership is satisfied with its choice of strategy, consisting of opening communication channels with the new Trump administration and avoiding tensions on the ground.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends a press conference in Berlin, Germany, June 15, 2016. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt - RTX2GGHH

Trump expected to waive Iran sanctions today

Issuing the waivers would be a sign of the Trump administration’s begrudging inclination to go along with the nuclear deal, at least for now, even as it huddles with Sunni allies and Israel to push back on Iranian expansionism.

Erdogan-Trump: The most unsuccessful Washington visit ever

History will record Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to Washington as the most unsuccessful presidential visit ever to Washington.

A man inspects a piece of a rocket that landed south of Daraa Al-Balad, Syria, April 5, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Faqir - RTX348K8

Why southern Syria remains Jordan’s biggest security threat

Amman and Washington's concern about an Iranian land corridor from Tehran to Beirut through Iraq and Syria has raised questions about steps Jordan might take along its border with southern Syria, into which extremists are expanding.

The rise of the Eurasianist vision in Turkey

The Eurasianist vision for Turkey has gone beyond rhetoric, gaining weight especially with regard to defense and security, but its proponents are themselves divided on what the country’s Eurasian future should mean.

U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S. May 17, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTX367P8

Did Trump endanger Israeli-US intelligence cooperation?

Israel is at loss over revelations that President Donald Trump exposed sensitive intelligence information to Russia.

U.S. soldiers ride in a helicopter at a military base north of Mosul, Iraq, January 4, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Kalin - RTX2XK7T

Iraqi factions divided over whether US troops stay

Despite strong opposition from influential Shiite factions ready to engage in military clashes with US forces, the Iraqi government wants an agreement with the United States to ensure that US troops remain in Iraq after the elimination of the Islamic State.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for a working dinner with heads of delegations for the Nuclear Security Summit at the White House in Washington March 31, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTSD2WC

DC think tank accused of bending over backwards for Erdogan

Washington tongues are wagging as prominent think tank the Atlantic Council prepares to receive Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom its leadership has enthusiastically pursued relations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the Roundtable Summit Phase One Sessions of Belt and Road Forum at the International Conference Center in Yanqi Lake on May 15, 2017 in Beijing, China REUTERS/Lintao Zhang/Pool *** Local Caption *** Aung San Suu Kyi - RTX35UUY

Erdogan’s foreign policy leaves Turkey in the doldrums

Turkey gives the impression of a beleaguered country that is losing ground on all fronts.