Maritime strategy

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) during a visit on Oct. 7, 2026, in Athens, Greece.

Rubio signals US push to ease Greece-Turkey cable tensions

The top US diplomat said Washington was “very committed” to the subsea cable project as Ankara and Athens remain at odds over survey work in contested waters.

Travelers queue to check in their luggage at the terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, on March 10, 2026.

Riyadh airport issues travel alert as Yemen's Houthis claim fresh attack on Saudi Arabia

Hundreds of flights to and from the Saudi capital were canceled or delayed on Thursday, with passengers being urged to check with airlines before heading to the airport.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at the Pnyx hill, where ancient Athenians held democratic assemblies, with the ancient Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis seen in the background, in Athens on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

Rubio says Iran ‘lost’ Hormuz. Has it?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Iran has “lost complete control” of the waterway, pointing to the recovery in Gulf oil exports in September.

A Yemeni man holds up a mock missile decorated with the colors of the Palestinian flag and the chechered keffiyeh in front of portraits of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (L) and the leader of the Houthi movement, Abdel Malek al-Houthi (R), during a protest in Sanaa to denounce strikes on Yemen and Israel's bombardment of Gaza on Jan. 15, 2025.

Turkey, Pakistan to deploy forces to Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks

Turkish, Saudi and Pakistani officials agreed to bolster military cooperation under the Mecca defense pact as Houthi attacks and fighting in Yemen intensify.

Latest News

Explainer

Why are Egypt and Ethiopia clashing over Tigray, Somalia and the Nile?

This general view shows the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, on February 19, 2022. - Ethiopia's massive hydro-electric dam project on a tributary of the Nile has raised regional tensions notably with Egypt, which depends on the huge river for 97 percent of its water supply. Government officials said the dam would begin producing electricity on Sunday, more than a decade since work first started. (Photo by Amanuel SILESHI / AFP) (Photo by AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP via Getty Ima

Turkey-Greece cable dispute hits impasse as Ankara insists on prior coordination

The Hellenic Navy Roussen or Super Vita class Fast Missile Patrol Boat P 71 HS Ritsos patrols off the tiny Greek island of Kastellorizo (Megisti), in the Dodecanese, the furthest south eastern Greek Island, 2 kilometers from the Turkish mainland, on Aug. 28, 2020.

Analysis

As Iran’s grip on Hormuz weakens, what leverage does Tehran have left?

A woman crosses a street near a giant billboard erected on the facade of a building depicting a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps placing his foot on a US sea drone, reportedly seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, in Vanak Square in Tehran, on Sept. 24, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iran’s IRGC slams Trump as Ghalibaf threatens oil infrastructure

Ghalibaf

A woman enjoys the sea as a Greek army rib returns from patrol.

Turkey protests US, Greece over ‘violating non-military status’ of Aegean Greek islands

Eastern Mediterranean conflict is steadily turning into a fresh strain in already-troubled US-Turkey ties, as Erdogan lashes out at Washington and Athens over the military buildup in the Dodecanese islands.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi during an official visit to France, Defense Ministry headquarters, Paris, France, Sept. 21 2022.

Israeli army chief discusses Lebanon, Iran with French counterparts

The visit of IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi to Paris offered Jerusalem the possibility to discuss the security situation in Lebanon, and how France can play a constructive role against the Hezbollah threat.

A picture taken on Aug. 10, 2018 during a trip in Yemen organized by the UAE's National Media Council (NMC) shows a view of Yemeni fishing boats along the Yemeni side of the strategic strait of Bab al-Mandab, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from east Africa.

Egypt’s navy to lead new Red Sea maritime task force

The US Navy will hand over command of Task Force 153 to Egypt as the Pentagon aims to enable regional militaries to take on new roles

Lebanese protesters sail in boats with slogans affirming Lebanon's right to its offshore gas wealth, near a border-marking buoy between Israel and Lebanon in the Mediterranean waters off the southern town of Naqoura, Sept. 4, 2022.

Why Hezbollah won't torpedo Lebanon's maritime border talks with Israel

Israeli sources believe that Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah realizes how important it is for economically failing Lebanon to reach an agreement with Jerusalem on its maritime border and the extraction of natural gas.

A handout picture provided by the Iranian Army official website on September 11, 2020, shows an Iranian navy warship during the second day of a military exercise in the Gulf, near the strategic strait of Hormuz in southern Iran.

Cameras missing from US Navy drones briefly seized by Iran, Pentagon says

It remains unclear whether Iran's navy took the cameras or whether they became dislodged when hauled onto the deck of the frigate IRIN Jamaran in the Red Sea last week.

drone

Iran navy attempts to capture US drones in Red Sea

A US military official rejected Iran's claims that the unmanned sea drones pose a hazard to commercial shipping in the region.

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.

The Alfred Merlin undersea archaeologist team during the sail toward Trapani in Italy, August 2022.

Culture

Mediterranean countries take on archaeology project off Tunisian coast

Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, France, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia are working together on an underwater archaeological expedition, researching the Skerki Bank region off the Sicily and Tunisian coasts.

This picture taken on Nov. 17, 2019, shows the Hong Kong-flagged container ship CSCL STAR sailing through Egypt's Suez Canal.

Egypt-Chinese consortium to run terminals in Red Sea, Mediterranean ports

The Egyptian government signed new concessions with a Chinese alliance to build and operate two world-class container terminals in the ports of Sokhna and Dekhila, as part of a container logistics project to link the Red and Mediterranean seas.

The Turkey-flagged Abdulhamid Han.

Fourth Turkish drilling ship begins energy exploration in Mediterranean

Past Turkish energy exploration activities took place in waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus, leading to significant tensions.

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

Israel launches airstrikes against Islamic Jihad in Gaza

Three months before the Nov. 1 elections, and following growing tensions on Gaza border, Prime Minister Yair Lapid decided to respond forcefully to Islamic Jihad threats.

The sign at the entrance to the Russian branch of the Jewish Agency for Israel office is seen in this photo, Moscow, Russia, July 28, 2022.

Is Russia escalating Jewish Agency crisis because of Israel's stance on Ukraine?

Some Israeli security and diplomatic experts believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin instigated the Jewish Agency crisis to pressure Israel against selling natural gas to Europe.