Breaking World News

World This undated photograph in an unidentified location released by the US Justice Department on December 19, 2025, shows Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy US financier who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls. (Handout / US Department of Justice / AFP)

New Mexico Approves Comprehensive Probe of Epstein’s Zorro Ranch 

New Mexico lawmakers on Monday passed legislation to launch what they said was the first full investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch, where the late…

World US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One at Pope Army Airfield at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on February 13, 2026, on his way to Palm Beach, Florida, to spend the weekend. (AFP)

Trump Says He Will Be Involved Indirectly in Iran Talks 

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would be involved "indirectly" in high-stakes talks between Iran and the US over Tehran's nuclear program set…

World This picture taken on February 16, 2026 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 17, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) and his daughter Ju Ae (center L) attending the inauguration ceremony of 10,000 flats of the fourth stage in Hwasong Area of Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS / AFP)

North Korea’s Kim Marks Completion of Pyongyang Housing Project as Key Party Congress Nears 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the completion of 10,000 new houses built in Pyongyang, state media KCNA said on Tuesday, as the country prepares to…


World A man walks past a mural depicting the US Statue of Liberty with the torch-bearing arm broken, painted on the outer walls of the former US embassy, in Tehran on February 6, 2026. (AFP)

Trump Signs Order Preparing for Tariffs on Iran’s Trade Partners

US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order threatening tariffs on Iran's trade partners, after he pledged a further round of talks with…

World US President Donald Trump gaggles with reporters while aboard Air Force One on February 6, 2026 en route to Palm Beach, Florida. (Getty Images via AFP)

Trump Says US Talks with Iran ‘Very Good,’ More Negotiations Expected

US President Donald Trump said Friday Washington held "very good talks" on Iran after the two sides held an indirect dialogue in Oman. Iran for its part said…

World  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP)

Zelenskyy Says Ukrainian Air Force Needs to Improve as Russian Drone Barrages Take a Toll

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday described the performance of the air force in parts of the country as “unsatisfactory," and said that steps…

World A member of the People's Liberation Army stands as the strategic strike group displays DF-5C nuclear missiles during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing, China, September 3, 2025. (Reuters)

US Accuses China of Secret Nuclear Testing

The United States accused Beijing on Friday of conducting a secret nuclear test in 2020 as it called for a new, broader arms control treaty that would bring in…

World Iranian flag with stock graph and an oil pump jack miniature model are seen in this illustration taken October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

US Announces New Iran Oil Sanctions Moments after Talks

The United States on Friday announced new sanctions to curb Iran's oil exports, including targeting 14 vessels, moments after the adversaries wrapped up a day…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and his accompanying delegation depart for the site of the talks in Muscat, Oman, February 6, 2026. Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/ Handout via Reuters

Iran Says Talks with US in Oman Were ‘Good Start’, Will Continue

Iran’s top diplomat said on Friday that nuclear talks with the US mediated by Oman were off to a “good start” and set to continue, in remarks that could help…

Asharq Al Awsat
World An ambulance evacuates casulties after a deadly explosion at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Waseem Khan

Suicide Bomber Kills 31 in Mosque in Pakistan's Capital

A suicide bomber killed at least 31 people and wounded almost 170 others during Friday prayers in a Shiite Muslim mosque in Islamabad, officials said, in the…

Asharq Al Awsat
World File photo: Turkish riot police stand guard in front of the Justice Palace in Istanbul March 31, 2015. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

Türkiye Arrests Two on Charges of Spying for Israel

Turkish intelligence has arrested two people on suspicion of spying for Israel's Mossad and providing information that helped the spy agency target its enemies…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A combined image of US President Donald Trump, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AFP). 

‘Surprise Strikes’ Loom If US–Iran Talks Collapse

As anticipation grows over the resumption of US–Iran negotiations in Oman, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting of Israel’s…

Nazir Magally (Tel Aviv)
World A person walks along an embankment of the Moskva River near the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova

Senior Russian Officer Hospitalized after Being Shot in Moscow

A senior Russian officer, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, was rushed to hospital after being shot in Moscow on Friday, officials said. Alexeyev is…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILE - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi listens to a question in a joint press briefing with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi after their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi,File)

Araghchi Says Iran Will Defend Itself against 'Any Excessive Demands or Adventurism' by US

Iran is ready to defend itself against "excessive demands or adventurism" by the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday ahead of Omani…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A vessel that the US military said was suspected of smuggling drugs, burns after being struck with a kinetic weapon in a location given as the Eastern Pacific, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released December 18, 2025. US Southern Command/Handout via REUTERS

US Strikes Another Alleged Drug-trafficking Boat in Eastern Pacific, 2 Dead

The US military said Thursday that it has carried out another deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. US…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
World Norwegian Borge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum (WEF). EPA/SALVATORE DI NOLFI

World Economic Forum Opens Probe Into its CEO over Epstein Links

The World Economic Forum, which organizes the Davos summit, said Thursday that it would conduct an independent review into its chief executive's interactions…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILED - 28 May 2025, Azerbaijan, Lachin: Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during Lachin's trilateral summit of Azerbaijani, Turkish and Pakistani leaders. Photo: Turkish Presidency/dpa

Erdogan: Türkiye is Doing its Best to Prevent US-Iran Conflict

President Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye is working hard to prevent US-Iran tensions from tipping the Middle East into a new conflict, as the two adversaries…

Asharq Al Awsat
World (FILES) France's former culture minister and current president of the Institut du Monde Arabe (Arab World Institute) Jack Lang arrives at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on May 7, 2022. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

Head of Arab World Institute in Paris Summoned to Explain Epstein Ties

France's former culture minister Jack Lang has been summoned to the foreign ministry to explain his links with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Paris)
World (COMBO) This combination of file photos created on April 9, 2025, shows US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff speaking to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 6, 2025 (L), and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaking to AFP during an interview at the Iranian consulate in Jeddah on March 7, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN and Amer HILABI / AFP)

Iran, US Start Crucial Talks in Oman as Confrontation Looms

Iran and the United States started high-stakes negotiations on Friday to try to overcome sharp differences over Tehran's nuclear program, with Oman shuttling…

Asharq Al Awsat
World WATERFORD, MICHIGAN- OCTOBER 18: Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, campaigns in Michigan, a key battleground state, on October 18, 2024 in Waterford, Michigan. Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP

Kamala Harris Reactivates Campaign Social Media Account

Former US vice president Kamala Harris on Thursday relaunched -- and rebranded -- one of her main presidential campaign social media accounts in a push to…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A resident with a dog walks near an apartment building damaged during a Russian overnight drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

US, Russia Agree to Reestablish Military Dialogue after Ukraine Talks

The US and Russia agreed Thursday to reestablish high-level military dialogue for the first time in more than four years in another sign of warming relations…

Asharq Al Awsat
World In this photo taken on August 18, 2019, an Iranian flag flutters on board an oil tanker that entered Syria’s Baniyas Port. (AFP File Photo)

Iran Seizes 2 Foreign Oil Tankers in Persian Gulf, State Media Says

Iran seized two foreign oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on Thursday, state television reported, claiming the vessels had been smuggling fuel. The report did…

Asharq Al Awsat
World German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan(not pictured) at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)

Germany's Merz Urges Iran to 'Truly Enter Talks' with US

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Iran's leadership to "truly enter talks" on Thursday, the eve of their planned negotiations with US envoys, saying there…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen during news coverage about a video call between the two leaders, on a giant screen outside a shopping mall in Beijing on February 4, 2026. (AFP)

China Says Expiration of US-Russia Arms Treaty Regrettable

The Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday that the expiration of the US-Russia arms treaty was regrettable, ‌and ‌urged ‌the ⁠US to &zwnj…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Alex Saab (Reuters)

Maduro Ally Saab Arrested in Venezuela

Venezuelan official Alex Saab, a former businessman once held in the US, was arrested in Venezuela on Wednesday as part of a joint operation between US and…

Asharq Al Awsat