Maritime strategy

This aerial photograph shows boats anchored off Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula near the Strait of Hormuz on June 27, 2026.

Analysis

How Hormuz crisis is boosting IRGC and Iran’s security establishment

Iran’s Hormuz strategy shows how the prolonged crisis is shifting power from political institutions toward the security establishment.

Jamshid Jamshidi

By Jamshid Jamshidi

Two brothers watch oil tankers, general cargo ships, bulk carriers, and fishing boats anchored in the waters off Muscat near the Strait of Hormuz on June 18, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Analysis

Why Iran is fighting to keep Hormuz at center of US negotiations

As Washington seeks a broader deal with Iran, Tehran says the Strait of Hormuz is the only issue on the table, reflecting a wider struggle over maritime security and regional power.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (2nd L), Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (2nd R) and Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi (R) walk inside a building in Muscat, Oman, on June 22, 2026.

Explainer

The emerging Iran-Oman Hormuz deal: What's at stake?

A framework that gives Tehran a formal role in determining how ships move through the waterway could strengthen its hand in future negotiations with the US.

A Saudi navy ship is pictured docked at King Faisal navy base in Jeddah before the departure of a team to Port Sudan to help with the evacuation efforts of people fleeing Sudan, on April 29, 2023.

Turkey, Pakistan among 14 countries backing Saudi Arabia's anti-Houthi Red Sea alliance

Riyadh won political backing from 14 countries for its proposed maritime defense coalition, but members have yet to commit to joining as Washington weighs its position.

Latest News

Turkey ready to participate in post-UNIFIL force in Lebanon, Erdogan tells Aoun

Erdogan and Aoun

Houthis deny responsibility for drone attack hitting Egypt's Damietta Port

A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on Jan. 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt.

Oil jumps 8% as US-Iran war pressures Saudi Arabia, explosions hit Egypt

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on July 24, 2026, in New York.

Exclusive

Saudi Arabia to announce Red Sea coalition to counter Houthi threats

Houthi soldiers stand guard on a missile carrier during an official military parade marking the ninth anniversary of the Houthi takeover of the capital, Sanaa, on Sept. 21, 2023.

Amberin Zaman

Jared Szuba

By Amberin Zaman , Jared Szuba

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Ankara says a defense deal between France and the Republic of Cyprus risks upsetting the island’s delicate balance, as defense ties among Cyprus, Greece, Israel and France deepen.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan buttons up his jacket during a press conference after the conclusion of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on November 23, 2025.

Explainer

Turkey-Israel tensions flare over Syria, Lebanon, East Med: What to know

The Turkish president has accused Israel of threatening Turkey through its military actions in Syria, Lebanon and the Eastern Mediterranean, triggering a sharp exchange with the Israeli prime minister.

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency, a katyusha rocket is fired from a speed boat during a military drill near the port of Bandar Jask in the Sear of Oman on May 10, 2010.

Iran unveils new missile-armed fast attack boat: What to know

The boats are the latest addition to Iran’s "mosquito fleet," a fleet of high-speed attack craft operated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

ETIENNE TORBEY/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Turkey warns Greece, Cyprus not to engage in arms race: What to know

Ankara is alarmed by Greece's military modernization, Cyprus’ shift to Western arms and expanding Greece-Cyprus-Israel defense ties.

A photo of Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, speaking at the high-level ministerial session of Baku Energy Week in the Azerbaijani capital.

Egypt, Turkey push energy ties in Azerbaijan talks amid Hormuz crisis

Egypt and Turkey are moving to deepen energy cooperation as Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz disrupts Gulf energy flows, increasing the significance of Eastern Mediterranean energy infrastructure.

Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes on June 23, 2025.

UAE eyes first multifuel pipeline as Hormuz crisis drags on

State-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is considering building a refined oil products pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.

United Arab Emirates

This photograph shows Kimom, the first of four modern French Defense and Intervention Frigate, part of Greece's major military modernization program, sailing upon its arrival in the Saronic Gulf, near Athens on Jan. 15, 2026.

Turkey maritime law prompts Greek rethink on Aegean marine parks

The debate risks adding a new irritant to a fragile Turkey-Greece thaw that followed years of tensions.

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on June 1, 2026, vessels sail at Suru Beach in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran suspends US talks over Israel’s Lebanon escalation, state media reports: What to know

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency also said Tehran could "activate other fronts," including closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) addresses the media during a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) at the Presidential Complex, Ankara, Feb. 11, 2026.

Analysis

A draft maritime law and strategic rivalry: Why Greece is watching Turkey closely

Turkey’s core maritime positions are not expected to change with the proposed new law, but the legislation has grabbed attention in Greece, where sensitivities over Aegean boundaries remain high.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026.

White House calls Iranian report on Hormuz, MOU 'complete fabrication'

Iranian state TV says the US would agree to pull military forces away from Iran's borders in exchange for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, but the White House called it a "complete fabrication."

Jared Szuba

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

Vessels are anchored off the coast of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on May 21, 2026.

Oil tumbles as Iran signals Hormuz could open within 30 days

Traders continue to bet that a resolution to end the US-Israel-Iran war is near.

A woman walks past an anti-US and anti-Israel mural depicting missiles hitting an aircraft carrier in Tehran on May 26, 2026.

US-Iran tit-for-tat strikes over Hormuz expose risks of prolonged standoff

If the Trump administration does not reach an agreement with Iran soon, the specter of long-term, low-grade conflict over the strait may set in.

Jared Szuba

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