Breaking World News

Iran and US Closing in on Deal to End War

World Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, May 22, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iran and US Closing in on Deal to End War

The United States and Iran could strike a deal to end the Middle East war as early as Sunday, Washington's top diplomat said, while Tehran insisted the…

Asharq Al Awsat
World European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Marius Burgelman)

EU's Kallas: Russia Showing 'Reckless Nuclear Brinkmanship' in Latest Attacks on Ukraine

Russia's latest attacks against Ukraine, which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said involved an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, showed 'reckless…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A person poses for photo holding a Taiwan flag at a rally to support government plans to increase defense spending in Taipei, Taiwan May 23, 2026. (Reuters)

Taiwan, China Coast Guards in Standoff at Top of South China Sea

The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards were engaged in a tense standoff for the second day near the strategically located Pratas islands at the top of the…

World  Supporters of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the former Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairman reinstated by a court decision, scuffle with supporters of ousted party chairman Ozgur Ozel as they try to enter the party’s headquarters in Ankara, Türkiye, May 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Türkiye Orders Police to Evict Ousted Opposition Leadership from Headquarters

Turkish ‌authorities ordered police to evict the leadership of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) from their headquarters on Sunday,…

World  US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at a joint presser with India’s Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar (not pictured) following their talks in New Delhi, India, May 24, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via Reuters)

Rubio Says Announcement Possible Later Sunday on Iran War

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said an announcement was possible later Sunday on a deal with Iran that could formally end the Middle East war, insisting…


World This US Navy handout photo released on May 8, 2026 by US Central Command Public Affairs, shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) implementing a maritime blockade against the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Herby while the latter was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, on April 24, 2026. (US Navy / AFP)

Macron Says France ‘Never Envisaged’ Sending Warships into Strait of Hormuz

President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said that France had "never envisaged" a naval deployment in the Strait of Hormuz but rather a security mission that would…

World Israeli left-wing activists demonstrate in Tel Aviv's HaBima Square against the ongoing war with Iran and against the Israeli government on May 9, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli Attorney General Opposes Appointment of Next Mossad Chief

Israel's attorney general on Sunday opposed the appointment of the next head of the Mossad spy agency, due to take office in June, in a letter to the Supreme…

World  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Iran War ‘Not Over,’ Uranium Must Be Removed, Says Netanyahu

Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium must be "taken out" before the US-Israeli war against Iran can be considered over, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin…

World  08 May 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters ahead of departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House. (Jen Golbeck/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

Trump Says US Would Need Two Weeks to Hit All Iran Targets

US President Donald Trump has said in an interview aired Sunday that it would only take two weeks to hit "every single target" in Iran, adding that the country…

World A drone engine lies near as Ukrainian rescuers and local people inspect the site of a Russian strike on a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 07 May 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (EPA)

Russia Accuses Ukraine of Violating US-Brokered Three-Day Truce

Russia accused Kyiv of breaking a US-brokered ceasefire on Sunday, while Ukrainian officials said that one person had been killed and more injured by Russian…

World An Iranian woman walks a mosque decorated with a banner depicting Iran's current leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in the capital Tehran on May 9, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) /

Iran's Supreme Leader Briefs Military Chief on 'New Guiding Measures'

The head of Iran's armed forces unified command met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and received from him "new guiding measures to pursue military operations…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 8, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Iran Responds to US Peace Proposal as Drones Hit Gulf

Iran responded to Washington's latest peace proposal on Sunday, after drones threatened several Gulf region targets and Tehran warned it would not hold back…

Asharq Al Awsat
World In this photo provided by Ukraine's 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade press service, a Ukrainian soldier prepares an FPV drone to fire towards Russian positions in Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (Iryna Rybakova/Ukraine's 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP)

Ukraine Reports Battlefield Clashes, Drone Strikes Despite Ceasefire

Ukrainian officials reported ‌on Sunday Russian drone strikes and nearly 150 battlefield clashes over the past 24 hours despite a US-brokered ceasefire…

World This satellite image obtained from Copernicus Sentinel Data 2026 on May 8, 2026, appears to show an oil slick spreading off the coast of Kharg Island, a key oil export terminal for Iran. (Handout / Copernicus Sentinel Data 2026 / AFP)

Feared Iran Oil Slick Smaller, May Be from Infrastructure, Says Group

Iran's oil infrastructure may be the source of a suspected slick off a key island export terminal, but satellite images showed it was "much reduced" Saturday,…

World A worker clear rubble with an excavator as a police officer and local residents gather at the site of overnight suicide bombing at a security post in Fatah Khel, in Bannu, a district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Aamad Khattak)

14 Dead in Pakistan Suicide Attack. Pakistan Taliban Splinter Group Claims Blast

The death toll from a suicide attack on a security post in northwest Pakistan rose to 14 police officers, authorities said early Sunday. A self-proclaimed…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in central Moscow, Russia, 09 May 2026. EPA/ALEXANDER NEMENOV / POOL

Putin Says He Thinks Russia-Ukraine War is Coming to an End

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that he thought the Ukraine war was coming to an end, remarks that came just hours after he had vowed victory…

Asharq Al Awsat
World 09 May 2026, United Kingdom, London: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer with former prime Minister Gordon Brown on the steps of 10 Downing Street. Photo: International Pool/PA Wire/dpa

UK PM Starmer, Weakened by Local Elections, Is Challenged by Former Minister

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, reeling from a crushing local election defeat, faced a new setback to his leadership on Saturday when a former minister…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A rescuer looks on Mount Dukono Volcano during its eruption in North Halmahera, Indonesia, 09 May 2026. (EPA)

Two Singaporeans Confirmed Dead in Indonesia Volcano Eruption, Bodies Found

Two Singaporean nationals missing for days were confirmed dead on Sunday from the eruption of Mount Dukono on Indonesia's Halmahera island, the local rescue…

World FILE PHOTO: Cruise ship MV Hondius docks off Cape Verde port, as passengers were not allowed off the ship, while health authorities investigated suspected cases of hantavirus aboard the vessel, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, May 4, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Hantavirus Ship Evacuees Begin Returning Home

Occupants of a cruise ship struck by a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has sparked international alarm began arriving home from Spain's Canary Islands on…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A woman walks next to a banner with a picture of Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, May 8, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Report: Iran Supreme Leader Healing from Serious Injuries

US intelligence assesses that Iran’s new supreme leader is playing a critical role in shaping war strategy alongside senior Iranian officials, according to…

World This US Navy handout photo released on May 8, 2026 by US Central Command Public Affairs, shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) implementing a maritime blockade against the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Herby while the latter was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, on April 24, 2026. (Photo by US NAVY / AFP)

Iran's Guards Threaten US Mideast Sites as Trump Awaits Tehran Response

Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened Saturday to target US sites in the Middle East if its tankers come under fire, Iranian media reported, as Washington was…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Crew members of the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, MV Hondius, wait their turns for a first interview with epidemiologists, during the voyage to Spain’s port of Tenerife, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo)

WHO Chief Tells Tenerife People that Risk from Hantavirus-hit Ship 'Low'

The WHO chief told the people of Tenerife Saturday that the risk to them from an arriving cruise ship hit with a deadly hantavirus outbreak was "low". "I need…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Frontier airlines planes are parked at the boarding gates at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida, US, July 19, 2024. REUTERS/Octavio Jones/File Photo

Frontier Airlines Plane Suffers Engine Fire, Reportedly Hits Pedestrian in Denver

A Frontier Airlines passenger jet abandoned its take-off for Los Angeles late on Friday after suffering an engine fire and reportedly striking a pedestrian on…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day military parade on the Red square in Moscow, Russia, 09 May 2026. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

Putin Attends Scaled-back WW2 Victory Parade

Russia held its most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years on Saturday due to the threat of attack from Ukraine, where victory for Moscow's forces has proven…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 8, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

US, Iran No Closer to Ending War

The US and Iran appeared no closer on Saturday to finding an end to their war after the two sides traded fire in the Gulf amid a tenuous ceasefire, while a US…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILE PHOTO: A message reading "AI artificial intelligence," a keyboard, and robot hands are seen in this illustration taken January 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Report: Iran Influencing US Public Opinion Through AI

Iran is gaining ground in the information war with a succession of viral AI-made videos that aim to widen divisions in the US and blur the line between…

Asharq Al Awsat (New York)
World This screen grab from a video posted on the X account of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) on May 8, 2026, shows a vessel after being struck at the direction of Commander General Francis L. Donovan on May 8, 2026.. (Photo by US Southern Command / AFP)

US Says 2 Dead, One Survivor in Latest Eastern Pacific Boat Strike

The US military said on Friday it had struck another boat alleged to be trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people and leaving one…

Asharq Al Awsat
World  US President Donald J Trump makes remarks at an event he is hosting for a group including Gold Star Mothers and Angel Mothers to honor Mother’s Day 2026, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 08 May 2026.  EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL

Trump Announces 3-day Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire

US President Donald Trump said Friday the leaders of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners,…

Asharq Al Awsat
World An Iranian woman walks next to a huge anti-US billboard carrying a sentence reading in Persian “The Strait of Hormuz remains closed” at the Engelab (Revolution) square in Tehran, Iran, 08 May 2026. (EPA)

Adviser to Iran Supreme Leader Compares Control of Hormuz to ‘Atomic Bomb’

An adviser to Iran's supreme leader compared control over the Strait of Hormuz to having an "atomic bomb" on Friday, and vowed not to relinquish it. Adviser…