Breaking World News

Europe Pushes for Seat at Ukraine Peace Talks ‌but Lacks Unified Voice

World  A police officer inspects the site of a residential house damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine November 13, 2026. (Reuters)

Europe Pushes for Seat at Ukraine Peace Talks ‌but Lacks Unified Voice

European nations are seeking an envoy to represent them in talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, concerned that a US-backed process will leave them sidelined…

World Firefighters work at the site of a reported Russian attack, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in a location given as Odesa Region, Ukraine, November 9, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a handout video.(State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters)

Russia Says Ukraine Drones Kill Four, Kyiv Reports Hospital Hit

Russia said on Friday that it shot down nearly 1,200 Ukrainian drones overnight, one of the largest swarms sent by Kyiv that killed four people. Ukrainian…

World An Iranian woman walks next to a billboard depicting Iran’s national flag in a street in Tehran, Iran, 09 November 2026. (EPA)

UN Nuclear Watchdog Urges Iran to Take ‘Steps’ Towards Inspections

The UN's nuclear watchdog urged Iran to take "incremental steps" to allow inspectors to return to key nuclear facilities in the Islamic republic, adding such…

World  US Marine Corps aviation assets and personnel embarked aboard USS Boxer (LHD 4) support ongoing enforcement of the US blockade against Iran. (CENTCOM)

US Navy Quietly Fired Some Commanders And Officials, Drawing Congressional Pushback

The Navy has quietly fired or removed several top officers in recent months but broke with its usual practice of announcing those changes, drawing pushback…

World 25 June 2024, Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. (dpa)

Israeli Defense Minister Says No Need for Opposition Approval to Launch Strikes

Israel's defense minister said Thursday that caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not need opposition permission to order fresh military operations…


World US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., US, March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

Pentagon Seeks $200 Billion in Additional Funds for the Iran War

The Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, a senior administration official says. The department sent the request to the…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Commercial vessels offshore in Dubai last week © - / AFP/File

What Cargo Ships are Passing Hormuz Strait?

Just a trickle of cargo ships and tankers -- most of them Iranian -- have made it through the Strait of Hormuz since Iranian forces blocked the crucial trade…

Asharq Al Awsat
World People walk in Tehran Bazaar, ahead of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 18, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iran Reportedly Arrests 97 People Accused of Working with Israel

Iran's intelligence ministry has arrested 97 people for being "soldiers of Israel", state media reported on Thursday, in the latest round ⁠of a security sweep …

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
World Israeli F-35 (“Adir”) aircraft during their participation in military operations against Iran (Israeli military)

‘Hollywood-Style’ Narrative in Assassination Campaign Against Iranian Leaders

Israeli officials are casting a series of alleged operations against senior Iranian figures as precise, intelligence-driven strikes, while analysts warn the…

Nazir Magally (Tel Aviv)
World File photo: African migrants at sea in the Mediterranean. (AFP)

At Least 17 African Migrants Drown Off Comoros

At least 17 African migrants have drowned off the Indian Ocean island of Comoros, the interior minister said Thursday. Survivors said the group was from the…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine in this handout picture released March 19, 2026. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa region/Handout via Reuters)

Ukraine Peace Talks Paused Amid Iran War, Russia’s Izvestia Says

Peace talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine on ending the Ukraine war, the deadliest European conflict since World War Two, are on pause amid the…

World UK police, the domestic intelligence service MI5 and members of parliament have long warned about a growing threat from Iran. (Getty Images/AFP)

Two Iranians Charged in UK with Spying on Jewish Community

UK police have charged two men in relation to spying for Iran on individuals and places linked to the Jewish community. UK police, the domestic intelligence…

World 10 September 2025, China, Beijing: Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks at the daily briefing of the authority. (dpa)

China Calls Killing of Iran’s Larijani, Leaders ‘Unacceptable’

China condemned on Thursday the killing of Iranian national security chief Ali Larijani by an Israeli air strike, calling it "unacceptable". Beijing is a…

World Travelers crowd a railway station on their way home to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, in Karachi Pakistan, 18 March 2026. EPA/SHAHZAIB AKBER

Rain and Strong Winds Kill 18 in Pakistan's Karachi

Heavy rain and strong winds left at least 18 people dead in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi, city authorities and rescue services said on Thursday. …

Asharq Al Awsat
World Motorists drive past a billboard of Iran's new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran on March 14, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iran Executes 3 Individuals Arrested Over January Protests

Iran executed three men on Thursday convicted of killing two police officers during unrest earlier this year, state media reported, saying the sentences had…

Asharq Al Awsat (Tehran)
World Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell (Reuters)

US Detects Drones over Base where Rubio, Hegseth Live, Washington Post Reports

US officials detected unidentified drones above an army base in Washington where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth live, the…

Asharq Al Awsat
World US President Trump walks on the South Lawn as he returns to the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 March 2026. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL

Trump Threatens to Destroy Iran's Largest Gas Field

US President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to "massively blow up" a vast Iranian gas field unless Tehran stops striking Qatari energy facilities. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
World  A part of a drug rehabilitation center destroyed in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike burns, in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 18, 2026. (Reuters)

Pakistan and Afghanistan Announce Eid ‘Pause’ in Hostilities

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday announced a halt in fighting during celebrations for the end of Ramadan, after the deadliest strike in their escalating…

World FILE PHOTO: A map showing the Strait of Hormuz is seen in this illustration taken June 22, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo

NATO Allies in Talks on 'Best Way' to Re-open Hormuz Strait

NATO chief Mark Rutte said Wednesday that allies of the military alliance were in discussions on the "best way" to open the Strait of Hormuz, through which a…

Asharq Al Awsat
World US and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Iran President Confirms 'Assassination' of Intelligence Minister

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Wednesday that Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib had been killed in the war with the US and Israel, blasting…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Taliban security personnel inspect the site after Pakistani airstrikes hit the Secondary Rehabilitation Services Center in Kabul on March 17, 2026. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)

Pakistan Says Pausing Military Operations against Afghanistan Temporarily

Pakistan is pausing its military operations against Afghanistan temporarily, Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a post on X on Wednesday. …

Asharq Al Awsat
World Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Iran's then parliament Speaker Ali Larijani as they meet after a session of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia, October 22, 2015. (Reuters)

Russia Condemns Killing of Iranian Security Chief Larijani

Russia on Wednesday condemned the killing of Iranian security chief Ali Larijani, after ally Tehran vowed retaliation for his death in an Israeli airstrike. …

Asharq Al Awsat
World File photo of the Iranian flag (Reuters)

Iran Executed Swedish Citizen, Says Sweden FM

Sweden's foreign minister on Wednesday said that Iran had executed a Swedish citizen, after Iranian authorities announced the first execution of a man…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Destroyed buildings of a police station and nearby houses are seen after Friday's US-Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Both Sides in Iran War Ratchet up Attacks on Energy Facilities, as Oil Prices Surge

Israel kept up its campaign of targeting Iran’s leaders on Wednesday, killing the country’s intelligence minister, and an Iranian offshore natural gas field…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Iran's then parliament Speaker Ali Larijani as they meet after a session of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia, October 22, 2015. (Reuters)

Kremlin Condemns US-Israeli ‘Murder’ of Iran’s Leaders After Larijani Killing

The Kremlin on Wednesday condemned what it called "the murder" of Iran's leaders in US-Israeli airstrikes, a day after Iran's semi-official Fars news &zwnj…

World This handout picture taken and released by the Turkish Ministry of National Defense press office on March 12, 2026 shows Turkish soldiers waiting in front of Incirlik military base in Adana. (Turkish Defense Ministry / Turkish Ministry of National Defense / AFP)

Türkiye Says NATO Deploying More Defenses to Guard Southern Base

NATO ‌is deploying another US Patriot missile defense system to the southern Turkish province of Adana, where personnel from the United States and other…

World People hold Taiwan flags at an event where Cheng Li-wun, the chairwoman of Taiwan's largest opposition party, the Kuomintang, makes a speech, in Taipei, Taiwan March 12, 2026. (Reuters)

China Makes Energy Security ‘Reunification’ Offer to Taiwan Amid Middle East War

China offered on ‌Wednesday what it said would be energy stability to Taiwan if it agreed to Beijing's rule, part of a campaign by China to convince the…

World 09 September 2025, Egypt, Cairo: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a joint press conference in Cairo. (dpa)

Iran Says Nuclear Doctrine Unlikely to Change, Hormuz Strait Needs New Protocol

Iran's stance against the development of nuclear weapons will not significantly change, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Al Jazeera in remarks relayed by…

World  This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Bushehr, Iran, Dec. 7, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

UN Watchdog Says Projectile Struck Iran Nuclear Power Plant

The UN nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that Iranian authorities had reported projectile impact at the country's only operational nuclear power plant that…