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Sanctions relief and reconstruction: How China benefits from Trump-Iran deal

It is no exaggeration to say that every provision of the 14-point deal favors China.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a government meeting at the Presidential Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 5, 2025.

Lebanon President Joseph Aoun to visit White House this month, Trump says

The visit would be the first by a Lebanese president to the White House in over a decade.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Trump’s push for Syria to confront Hezbollah is an unlikely bid

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa is welcomed by Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia on April 24, 2026, on the sidelines of a European summit.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

'Let Syria take care of Hezbollah': Trump criticizes Israel, leans on Sharaa to help in Lebanon

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JUNE 16: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit, on June 16, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Leaders from the Group of 7 (G7) countries convened in Evian, France, near the Swiss border, for their annual summit to discuss challenges to peace and security for Ukraine and Europe, the situation in the Middle East, and other geopolitical issues. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Get

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

Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Hassan Rouhani of Iran chat following a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey, September 16, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1EF10953B0

How latest Astana talks between Turkey, Russia, Iran went beyond Syria

What the Astana guarantors agreed upon in Ankara will have implications for Syria but the way the leaders communicated past each other each is even more telling.

BQAIQ, SAUDI ARABIA - SEPTEMBER 14, 2019: Smoke billows from Saudi Aramco's oil processing plants in Abqaiq and Khurais, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2019/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Iraq works to distance itself from US-Iran tension after Saudi Aramco attack

Baghdad is worried that the Sept. 14 attack on Saudi Arabia will affect Iraq's stability and relationship with neighboring countries.

Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks at a campaign rally in Dover, New Hampshire, U.S. September 1, 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder - RC1771A53780

Sanders warns Trump against illegal Iran strike

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is warning Donald Trump that he does not have the legal authority to strike Iran.

Iran denies involvement in Saudi attacks

Iranian analysts believe the United States and Iran are not headed toward conflict after the attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities.

Smoke is seen following a fire at Aramco facility in the eastern city of Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, September 14, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer - RC18BDE58360

Saudi oil facility attack challenges Washington's regional commitment

While the recent attacks on two Saudi oil facilities will impact global oil prices, it is the US commitment in the region that is under attack.

Iran sends a powerful signal to counter Iraqi nationalist trend

Iraqi populist Muqtada al-Sadr’s trip to Iran presents opportunity for the United States.

ANKARA, TURKEY - SEPTEMBER 10: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) meets United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross (L) at Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on September 10, 2019. Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak (R) also attended the meeting. (Photo by Murat Kula/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Can trade dialogue help improve Turkish-US ties?

Amid the lingering threat of US sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of Russian missiles, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross paid a long visit to Turkey, leading many to believe bilateral trade will be set apart from the political rows between the two countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi, Russia September 12, 2019. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov - RC1B149306D0

Netanyahu tries to bring 'Iran threat' home to Russia

In the last four years Sochi has become a key Russian decision-making center on issues related to the Middle East; Netanyahu has now come there to have a say.

Destroyed car is seen between rubble as Red Crescent medics inspect the site of Saudi-led air strikes on a Houthi detention centre in Dhamar, Yemen, September 1, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi - RC15DB729000

Congress inches closer to pulling US out of Yemen war

Congress is looking to must-pass spending bills to force President Donald Trump’s hand on Yemen.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) speaks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (not pictured) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China August 26, 2019. How Hwee Young/Pool via REUTERS - RC15CB7F1E50

Zarif's 12-nation tour highlights an active Iranian diplomacy

Despite the US sanctions imposed on him, Iran's foreign minister was not hindered in his whirlwind diplomatic tour of Europe and Asia.

Regional, international actors risk making matters worse in Iraq's Sinjar

The conflict over controlling the strategic area of Sinjar along Iraq's borders with Turkey and Syria has made the Yazidis' situation worse.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks during the United Against Nuclear Iran Summit on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 25, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Ornitz - RC1B810D5E20

Iran celebrates Bolton ouster

The departure of John Bolton, the US administration's most relentless Iran hawk, at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington was good news across the political spectrum in Iran.