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Report: Trump Tells Advisers He May Hold Off on Iran Attacks Barring New Provocations

World US President Donald Trump attends a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Report: Trump Tells Advisers He May Hold Off on Iran Attacks Barring New Provocations

President Donald Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the US faces no new provocations from Tehran or the…

World US President Donald Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during the "A New Golden Age" summit at the US Institute of Peace, renamed The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace by the Trump administration, in Washington, DC, US, October 8, 2026. (Reuters)

Trump Is Taking Elon Musk on His Asia Trip, but He Plans to Avoid Talking About Nvidia Scandal

President Donald Trump plans to take the world's wealthiest man, Elon Musk, with him next week when he travels to the Philippines and China. As the head of…

World South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) officers attend the funeral of Sudan's late former Vice President Joseph Lagu, near the Dr John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, November 13, 2026. (Reuters)

South Sudan Delays Election to February 2027

South Sudan has pushed back its national elections to February 11, 2027, according to a timetable issued by the country's National Elections Commission, in…

World Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Iran’s Navy Says Oil Tanker on Fire After Hitting Mine in Hormuz

Iran's navy said an oil tanker caught fire on Saturday ‌morning after ‌hitting a ‌naval ⁠mine in the eastern ⁠Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state…

World The exterior of the International Criminal Court is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, September 22, 2025. (Reuters file)

Rubio Takes Swipe at International Law, Attacks ICC

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took aim Friday at what he deemed the "weaponization of international law," calling it a tool of the elite, and issued a…


World Majid Takht-Ravanchi briefs Iran’s National Security Committee on the results of the second round of dialogue with the European countries early last month. (Iranian parliament)

Iran, European Countries Hold ‘Frank, Constructive’ Talks to Break Nuclear Stalemate

Talks between Iran and European powers in Geneva regarding Tehran's disputed nuclear program were serious, frank and constructive, high level Iranian diplomats…

Asharq Al Awsat (Geneva) Asharq Al Awsat (Tehran)
World 15 January 2025, South Korea, Seoul: A TV screen at Seoul Station, shows a report that police and the anti-corruption agency executed a second warrant to detain impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection to his short-lived imposition of martial law. Photo: -/YNA/dpa

South Korean President Arrested Over Failed Martial Law Bid

Impeached South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday over his failed martial law bid, ending a weeks-long standoff with authorities and…

Asharq Al Awsat
World US Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 14 January 2025. (EPA)

Trump Nominee Pete Hegseth Weathers Democrats’ Grilling to Emerge Largely Unscathed

President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, endured fierce Democratic grilling over everything from his inexperience and his past…

World Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov smiles during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP)

Russia’s Top Diplomat Praises Trump’s Views on Ukraine Conflict

Russia’s top diplomat said Tuesday that Moscow is open for talks with President-elect Donald Trump and praised him for pointing to NATO's plan to embrace…

World Israeli Prime Minister and Chairman of the Likud Party, Benjamin Netanyahu, makes an address. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

ICC Chief Prosecutor Wants Israeli Objections over Netanyahu Warrant to be Rejected

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has told judges that Israeli objections to the investigation into the 13-month war in Gaza should be…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Estonian naval ships sail in the Baltic Sea on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, as part of stepped-up NATO patrols in the region following suspected sabotage - The AP

NATO Announces New Mission to Protect Undersea Cables in the Baltic Sea Region

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced Tuesday that the alliance is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region. Rutte…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks while a conference on the resettlement of the Gaza Strip takes place, at an unspecified location in southern Israel, October 21, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Threatens to Quit Netanyahu Cabinet over Gaza Deal

Israeli far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened on Tuesday to quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government if he agrees to a Gaza ceasefire…

World Migrants wait after a boat carrying 23 people arrived at the port of La Restinga, in the municipality of El Pinar, on the island of El Hierro, Spain, 13 January 2025, where they have been attended to by emergency teams. (EPA)

Irregular Migration into EU Drops Sharply in 2024, EU Border Agency Says

The number of migrants entering the European Union by irregular routes dropped overall by 38% in 2024, reaching the lowest level since 2021, the EU border…

World People walk while shopping in a street in Tehran, Iran, 13 January 2025. Iranians are facing an economic crisis that, due to recent tension between Iran, Israel, and the US, has extended. (EPA)

Iran Seeks De-escalation with Europe Ahead of Trump’s Inauguration

Iran has released European detainees in an apparent bid to reduce tensions with European powers. This move coincides with the start of a second round of closed…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
World This handout aerial photo taken on January 13, 2025 and released by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on January 14 shows Chinese Coast Guard ship 5901 sailing in the South China Sea. (Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / AFP)

Philippines Alarmed after China Sends ‘Monster Ship’ to Disputed Shoal

The Philippines accused China on Tuesday of intimidating its fishermen at a disputed South China Sea shoal, and normalizing an "illegal presence", after…

World The site of the blast in the town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, near the Turkish-Syrian border

Turkish Intelligence Captures Suspect in 2013 Southern Türkiye Attack

Türkiye’s intelligence agency captured a man suspected of perpetrating a 2013 bomb attack in the southern Hatay province that killed 53 people, Turkish…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
World  Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shout slogans during a rally to oppose his impeachment near the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP)

Impeachment Trial of South Korea’s Yoon Adjourned after He Does Not Attend

South Korea's Constitutional Court adjourned the opening session of the impeachment trial of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol within minutes on Tuesday, after…

World An aerial view of homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 13, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Santa Ana Winds Pick Up, Threatening Fire-Ravaged Los Angeles Anew

Los Angeles firefighters braced for high winds overnight into Tuesday, gusts that could fuel two monstrous wildfires that have already leveled entire…

World US President Joe Biden speaks at the State Department in Washington, DC, on January 13, 2025, as he delivers his final foreign policy speech. (AFP)

Biden Defends Foreign Policy Record Despite Ongoing Crises

Outgoing President Joe Biden sought to burnish his foreign policy record on Monday and said US adversaries are weaker than when he took office four years ago…

World Supporters of Israeli hostages, kidnapped during the October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, block a road as they demand a deal during a protest amid ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel January 13, 2025. (Reuters)

Israelis Demonstrate for and against a Gaza Ceasefire Deal

Around 1,000 Israelis blocked the main highway entering Jerusalem and demonstrated against a ceasefire deal, marching with a sign that read “You have no…

World Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a plenary session at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Budapest, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP)

Fresh Term for Türkiye's Erdogan ‘On Our Agenda’, Ruling Party Spokesman Says

Paving the way for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to run for a fourth term in office is "on our agenda", the spokesman for the president's ruling party…

World People protesting in solidarity with the Palestinian people interrupt German Chancellor Olaf Scholz from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) during an SPD election campaign event for the 2025 federal elections in Bielefeld, Germany, 13 January 2025. (EPA)

Woman Protests against Israel at a Campaign Event in Germany

A woman protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza has briefly disrupted an election campaign event by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, standing up and smearing her…

World  Staff clean up shattered and scattered glass caused by the earthquake at JR Miyazaki Airport Station, in Miyazaki, in southwestern Japan, Monday Jan. 13, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)

Tsunami Alert Lifted after Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake Rattles Southwestern Japan

Japan issued a tsunami advisory on Monday after a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the southwest of the country. The public warnings to stay away from coastal…

World 08 January 2025, Iran, Tehran: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a joint press conference with Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (not pictured) in Tehran. (Iranian Presidency/dpa)

Russia Says Iran’s President Will Visit This Week and Sign Partnership Pact with Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Iranian counterpart this week for the signing of a broad partnership pact between Moscow and Tehran, the Kremlin…

World Explosions take place on the deck of the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion on the Red Sea, in this handout picture released August 29, 2024. Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Tanker Hit by Houthis Salvaged, Red Sea Disaster Averted

A risky operation to salvage an oil tanker attacked by Houthi militants in the Red Sea and avert what could have been one of the largest oil spills in recorded…

Asharq Al Awsat
World 09 January 2024, Iran, Tehran: German-Iranian Nahid Taghavi sits on a couch after her temporary release from the notorious Ewin prison in Tehran. (dpa)

German-Iranian Women’s Rights Activist Released from Iranian Prison

Nahid Taghavi, an Iranian-German women's rights activist, has been released from prison and is back in Germany after more than four years incarceration in Iran…

World  South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, right, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, hold a joint news conference following their meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korea, Japan Foreign Ministers Stress Security Ties amid Political Turmoil

Foreign ministers from South Korea and Japan met in Seoul on Monday to discuss strengthening their relations in the face of increasing security challenges in…

World Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting at the Vostochny cosmodrome outside of Tsiolkovsky, in the far eastern Amur region, Russia on Sept. 13, 2023. (Vladimir Smirnov/Sputnik Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

Seoul's Spy Agency Says North Korean Soldiers Captured in Ukraine Haven't Shown Desire to Defect

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Monday that two North Korean soldiers who were captured by Ukrainian forces while fighting alongside Russian forces…

Asharq Al Awsat
World In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin talks on the phone with 9th-grader Arina Porkhal from Gorlovka, Donetsk region, a participant in the charity event "Yolka Zhelaniy" ("Christmas Tree Wish"), fulfilling children's Christmas wishes, in Moscow on January 7, 2025. (AFP)

Trump Call with Putin Expected Soon, Trump Adviser Says

US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to have a call in the coming days or weeks, and it is unrealistic to aim to…