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May 14, 2026

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Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's accusations of systematic sexual abuse and rape of Palestinian prisoners, calling the claims a "blood libel."

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

Latest News

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

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

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)

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

The West Bank Jewish settlement of Ofra is photographed as seen from the Jewish settler outpost of Amona in the West Bank, during an event organised to show support for Amona which was built without Israeli state authorisation and which Israel's high court ruled must be evacuated and demolished by the end of the year as it is built on privately-owned Palestinian land, October 20, 2016. The Palestinian village of Silwad is seen in the background. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX2POW2

Does Trump signal golden age for Israeli settlements?

Some are convinced that Israel's right-wing government and the new US administration under Donald Trump offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to legalize all West Bank settlements.

A Syrian refugee mother puts her baby to stroller in Nizip refugee camp, near the Turkish-Syrian border in Gaziantep province, Turkey, November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSU1P6

Syrians in Turkey baffled by Trump’s safe zones plan

A state of confusion and uncertainty prevails among Syrians living in Turkey, after the announcement by US President Donald Trump at the end of last month of his decision to create safe zones for civilians in Syria.

Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the council on Foreign Relations Elliott Abrams (L), President of the International Republican Institute Lorne Craner (C) and Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Robert Satloff (L) testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, February 9, 2011 on the recent developments in Egypt and Lebanon. AFP PHOTO/Jim WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Noted 'neocon' finds surprising support from Democrats in Trump's America

Iraq war cheerleader Elliott Abrams is in the running for the No. 2 spot at the State Department. Will Democrats put their misgivings behind them in order to rein in Trump?

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: President Donald Trump holds up one of the executive actions that he signed in the Oval Office on January 28, 2017 in Washington, DC. The actions outline a reorganization of the National Security Council, implement a five year lobbying ban on administration officials and a lifetime ban on administration officials lobbying for a foreign country and calls on military leaders to present a report to the president in 30 days that outlines a strategy for defeating ISIS. (Photo by Pet

How Russia's Muslims view Trump's anti-Islam stance

Russia is home to 20 million Muslims, yet many officials and citizens are withholding judgment — at least publicly — on the US ban to keep out people from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Why this Iranian conservative-turned-moderate will succeed Rafsanjani

Conservative-turned-moderate Iranian parliament Speaker Ali Larijani increasingly appears the most suited figure to assume the influential role that was played by Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei departs after casting his ballot in the parliamentary election in Tehran March 2, 2012. Polls opened on Friday for a parliamentary election in Iran that will test the popularity of the clerical establishment at a time of a standoff with the West over the country's nuclear programme. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN - Tags

Khamenei thanks Trump for 'revealing real face of US'

Iran’s supreme leader on Feb. 7 thanked President Donald Trump for revealing “the real face of the US.” Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign minister stated that the international community will not accept a renegotiation of the nuclear deal.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis (L) welcomes Jordan King Abdullah at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RTSY39K

Why king’s visit to Washington was essential for Jordan

King Abdullah’s visit to the United States, where he met with President Donald Trump, helped reassure Jordanians that US military and economic support for the kingdom will continue.

U.S. President Donald Trump salutes as he arrives at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, U.S., February 6, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX2ZVRM

Why the US might cut Palestinian aid drastically

The Palestinian Authority worries that the new US administration will withhold aid, in part to pressure Palestinians to return to the negotiating table with the Israelis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem February 5, 2017. REUTERS/Dan Balilty/Pool - RTX2ZOA1

Netanyahu trapped between right-wing settlement law, US president

Confronted with a yet-unknown position by US President Donald Trump and continuous pressure from his coalition partners, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps changing his mind about the settlement Regularization law.

A U.S. Army Special Forces personnel provides training for Iraqi fighters from Hashid Shaabi at Makhmur camp in Iraq December 11, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX2UHZB

Armed Iraqi factions threaten to target Americans in response to travel ban

While the Iraqi government cautiously follows up on the impacts of the US executive order to ban Iraqis from the United States, some Shiite militias threaten to target Americans in Iraq in response to the new US policy.

Iran's Esmaeil Ebadi shoots as teammates Majid Gheidi (C) and Amir Kazempour (R) watch during their men's compound team bronze medal archery match against the Philippines at the Gyeyang Asiad Archery Field during the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon September 27, 2014. REUTERS/Issei Kato (SOUTH KOREA - Tags: SPORT ARCHERY) - RTR47W41

Americans to wrestle in Iran; Iranian archers not so lucky

Iran reversed its ban on the entry of US wrestlers for a meet, but Iranian archers will not be able to compete at US event.

Three Iranian couples recount heartbreak of Trump’s travel ban

The new US president's Jan. 27 executive order to ban Iranians and nationals of six other countries from entering the United States has directly impacted countless families, including couples who have found themselves separated.