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July 13, 2026

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Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose after signing a defense partnership agreement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Analysis

From S-400s to SAMP/T: Turkey’s defense pivot gathers pace after NATO summit

Turkey is seeking to turn the diplomatic momentum from the Ankara NATO summit into a broad defense realignment spanning US sanctions relief and fighter technology, European air defenses and deeper military cooperation with the UK.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As US-Iran fighting resumes, Israel weighs 3 options with restraint winning, for now

Despite Israel's military readiness to resume strikes on Iran, officials say looming elections make Netanyahu more likely to stay out unless Tehran forces his hand.

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

US President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One as he departs Bismarck Municipal Airport on July 01, 2026 in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Israel warns US of new Iran plot to assassinate Trump: What to know

US officials are reportedly still assessing the Israeli intelligence.

Latest News

Why US strikes on Iran rail bridge signal shift in Hormuz conflict

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Lebanon's Aoun to meet Trump in first presidential summit in US since 2009

Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images

Oil soars more than 6% as Trump rules out Iran deal, threatens more strikes

A cargo ship is pictured off coast of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on June 28, 2026.

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

Syrian fighters fire their rifles as they attend a mock battle in anticipation of an attack by the regime on Idlib province and the surrounding countryside, during a graduation of new Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) members at a camp in the countryside of the northern Idlib province on August 14, 2018. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

What to do about 10,000 al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Idlib?

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stymies Turkey’s bid for cease-fire, welcomes Syrian assault.

US Rebuplican senator John McCain (R) walks with Abdul Hafiz Ghoqa, spokesman of the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC), during his tour to the rebel headquarters in their eastern stronghold city of Benghazi on April 22, 2011. McCain is the highest-ranking US politician to visit Libya's rebel-held east since a popular uprising began against Moamer Kadhafi's rule in mid-February. AFP PHOTO/MARWAN NAAMANI (Photo credit should read MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images)

US friends in the Middle East lose a champion in John McCain

The late senator from Arizona leaves behind a legacy as one of the Senate’s last prominent proponents of US interventionism.

Three things the Tehran summit exposed about Russia, Turkey, Iran 'alliance'

The summit in Tehran exposed important underlying dynamics within the Astana trio and made it clear the three actors see the US presence as a problem, albeit each for their own reason.

American and Egyptian paratroopers are air-dropped from a C-130 Hercules aircraft during exercise Bright Star 2007, at Kum Oshim 90 km (56 miles) south of Cairo, Egypt November 8, 2007. REUTERS/Nasser Nuri (EGYPT ) - GM1DWNYROZAA

Pentagon revamps Egypt war games in trust-building exercise

US-Egypt war games kick off Saturday, a sign that the Pentagon is serious about reviving the flagging relationship.

Political differences ignite conflict between PMU factions

As the escalation rises between Shiite parties over the formation of the new government, the pro-Iranian factions in Popular Mobilization Units show strong objection against Abadi second term.

Behind Paraguay's decision to return its embassy to Tel Aviv

Analysts say that Palestinian and Paraguayan officials have worked behind closed doors to reverse the decision of the former administration to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Trump touts Mideast moves as Washington reels from 'Crazytown' accounts

As accounts emerge of White House aides' internal resistance to some of Trump's controversial policy decisions, the president boasts of his decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, cut off Palestinian aid and pull the plug on the Iran nuclear deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) waits for the start of an event with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (2-R) and Gulf Cooperation Council leaders at their summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC17B78F1020

Trump shelves Gulf talks until next year

The White House has once again postponed a Gulf Cooperation Council summit aimed at bringing together the fragmented alliance to counter Iran.

Shi'ite fighters cover their ears as a rocket is launched during a clash with Islamic State militants in the town of al-Alam March 9, 2015. Just north of Tikrit, home city of executed Sunni former president Saddam Hussein, Iraqi security forces and Shi?ite militia fighters began an offensive against Islamic State to regain control over the town of al-Alam. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - GM1EB3A0BP801

Can Iran threaten US interests from Iraqi territories?

Iran has established a strong military foundation among its allies in Iraq, which allows it to threaten the United States and its allies everywhere in Iraq and neighboring countries.

Chances fade for Israel-Hamas agreement

An anticipated deal between Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Israel appears to be headed south, with Hamas leaders still waiting for a guarantee of economic assistance to Gaza.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1CF8BD1230

Qatar crisis looms over Trump meeting with Kuwait emir

In a quiet visit overshadowed by domestic US political turmoil, Kuwait’s emir visited the White House on Wednesday.

Arab Israelis and their supporters carry a Palestinian (R) and an Israeli flag during a demonstration to protest against the 'Jewish Nation-State Law' in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on August 11, 2018. The banner in Arabic and Hebrew reads "justice". - The controversial law passed last month declaring the country the nation state of the Jewish people. This has led to concerns that Arab Israelis, who account for some 17.5 percent of Israel's more than eight million population, could now be openly di

Israeli Arabs campaign in Europe against Nationality Law

Israeli Arabs explain that since the Nationality Law endangers values of democracy and equality, they are turning to the European Union for help in their battle.