TAG · Foreign Affairs
The Norwegian Nobel Committee was set to announce the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate on Friday, October 9, according to The Guardian's Europe Live blog. Last year's laureate was Venezuelan opposition politician María Corina Machado, The…
2026-10-09 · 3 MIN READGreenland's delegation received applause and chanting in Nuuk on Wednesday after signing a security agreement with the United States and Denmark in New York. The pact, signed on Tuesday by Donald Trump, Greenlandic Prime Minister…
2026-09-24 · 3 MIN READUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in New York on Monday for the U.N. General Assembly's annual 'high-level week' and a Tuesday meeting on the sidelines with U.S. President Donald Trump focused on efforts to end the…
2026-09-22 · 4 MIN READThe Trump administration has proposed investing $5 billion in a new fund to help Middle East countries rebuild energy infrastructure damaged during the seven-month conflict with Iran and reduce their reliance on the Strait of Hormuz to…
2026-09-21 · 3 MIN READPresident Trump voiced support for Irish reunification during a Saturday meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Farmleigh House in Dublin, drawing a backlash that Martin later characterized to reporters as an "overreaction." The…
2026-09-13 · 3 MIN READJared Kushner met Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev on a Moscow tarmac over the weekend as part of the Trump administration's continued push to end the Russia-Ukraine war, The Wall Street Journal reported. Kushner traveled with…
2026-09-08 · 3 MIN READAt least two people were killed and at least ten others were injured in Kyiv on Tuesday after Russia resumed strikes on the Ukrainian capital, ending a three-day pause that had coincided with a weekend visit by U.S. peace envoys Steve…
2026-09-08 · 3 MIN READChinese President Xi Jinping met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo on Wednesday for talks marking 70 years of China-Egypt diplomatic ties. Xi arrived Tuesday evening and was greeted on the tarmac by el-Sissi and…
2026-09-03 · 3 MIN READOil prices slipped Thursday while Asian equity benchmarks advanced, tracking gains on Wall Street from the prior session. Brent crude fell to $95.26 a barrel after a week of renewed U.S.-Iran fighting pushed prices sharply higher, while…
2026-09-03 · 3 MIN READChinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for a three-day state visit, his first to Egypt in a decade. Xi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi on Wednesday and told him China supports Middle East countries exploring…
2026-09-02 · 3 MIN READThe USS Abraham Lincoln's crew of 5,000 began arriving in Pattaya, Thailand, on Wednesday for their first shore leave in nearly nine months, ending a record-setting 270 days at sea. Sailors came ashore in civilian clothes to a welcome from…
2026-09-02 · 3 MIN READSouth Korea's National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in Seoul on Tuesday that a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should be considered possible "at any time," citing signs of dialogue…
2026-09-01 · 3 MIN READUS envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow on Saturday and Kyiv on Sunday for talks aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he will meet the envoys on Sunday in what…
2026-09-04 · 3 MIN READJeremiah A Carew, a former senior officer at USAID, published an opinion essay in The Guardian one year after the Department of Government Efficiency's campaign against the foreign aid agency, arguing that the rapid cuts reflected decades…
2026-09-01 · 3 MIN READ
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in Athens on Monday that Lebanon's stability is essential to Europe's, calling on Greece to help ensure the full implementation of the June 26 U.S.-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel…
2026-08-31 · 4 MIN READVice President JD Vance is scheduled to speak Monday at the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual gathering in Las Vegas in a session the Associated Press reported would be closed to the news media. According to the AP, the gathering offers…
2026-08-31 · 3 MIN READDavid Maxwell, a retired U.S. Army Special Forces colonel who specializes in Northeast Asian security affairs, published an opinion column in UPI on August 29 opposing what he characterized as a proposed 'achievable' agreement between…
2026-08-29 · 5 MIN READOil prices held near $90 a barrel on Friday as the Trump administration told mediators the United States will not return to the temporary peace terms it agreed with Iran in June, the Wall Street Journal reported. The position follows an…
2026-08-28 · 3 MIN READThe Trump administration has told mediators it has no interest in returning to the terms of a memorandum of understanding it reached with Iran in June, people familiar with the matter said, leaving this week's efforts to restart talks…
2026-08-27 · 5 MIN READColombian President Abelardo de la Espriella on Wednesday formally ended predecessor Gustavo Petro's 'Total Peace' security strategy, revoking legal protections for peace-talk participants and ordering the extradition of five leaders of…
2026-08-27 · 3 MIN READPulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press photojournalist Slava 'Sal' Veder, best known for his 1973 photograph of a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel joyfully reuniting with his family after five years in a prisoner of war camp in Vietnam,…
2026-08-26 · 3 MIN READThree pro-Israel Democrats were named to key positions on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee this week, including the ranking Democratic seat on the Middle East and North Africa subcommittee, following primary victories over…
2026-08-26 · 3 MIN READCIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence services during an unannounced Tuesday visit to Moscow, the Kremlin confirmed Wednesday. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin did not participate in the…
2026-08-26 · 3 MIN READAsian equity benchmarks rose in early Wednesday trading as investors tracked ongoing talks over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which remains largely shut down because of the war in Iran. Oil prices also fell, with benchmark U.S. crude…
2026-08-26 · 3 MIN READRafael Behr, a Guardian columnist, wrote in an opinion piece published August 26 that the war against Iran had not ended but had “turned cold.” He argued that if sanctions fail, a diplomatic climbdown is the only remaining move because the…
2026-08-26 · 3 MIN READSouth Korea's Foreign Ministry readout of a late Monday phone call between Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not explicitly mention denuclearization, even as President Lee Jae Myung's government has…
2026-08-25 · 3 MIN READLed by a petition signed by 86 parliamentarians, Lebanon is pressing to keep UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon or secure a U.N.-backed replacement force as the mission's mandate approaches expiration at the end of 2026. The campaign…
2026-08-25 · 4 MIN READPope Leo XIV on Saturday hailed the Republic of San Marino as a model of political freedom and civic responsibility during a one-day visit to the world's oldest surviving republic. Addressing local authorities, the pope praised its…
2026-08-22 · 3 MIN READArmy Secretary Dan Driscoll is expected to step down from his role by the end of the year, if not sooner, after months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to people familiar with the discussions. His departure would…
2026-08-21 · 3 MIN READPresident Trump is pushing aides for a meeting as soon as this fall with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, U.S. officials said, seeking to revive a diplomatic effort from his first term to convince Kim to abandon his country's nuclear…
2026-08-18 · 3 MIN READSIM International announced Friday that Kevin Rideout, a U.S. missionary kidnapped in Niger's capital in October 2025, has been released and is in the care of U.S. officials. The Christian NGO said Rideout is in good health and will soon…
2026-08-14 · 4 MIN READHundreds of Navajos were recruited by the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II to create a code based on their then-unwritten language, a program that played a vital role in U.S. victories in the Pacific War. On Aug. 14, a crowd is…
2026-08-14 · 4 MIN READIran has replaced its top security official with another commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, a spokesman for President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday. Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei,…
2026-08-09 · 3 MIN READThe leaders of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defense agreement Friday in Mecca, establishing a collective defense clause that commits each nation to treat an attack on one as an attack on all three. Turkish President…
2026-08-07 · 3 MIN READIsrael escalated its attacks on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon after two soldiers were killed by an explosive device, complicating the latest round of U.S.-brokered talks between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats in Rome. The round, which…
2026-08-06 · 5 MIN READCrude oil futures fell sharply on Aug. 5 after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States could be close to an agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. West Texas Intermediate settled down 5.7% at $75.77 a barrel…
2026-08-05 · 4 MIN READNissan Motor, Marriott International and Clorox reported effects from the Iran conflict on vehicle sales, travel demand, energy, commodities, freight and supply chains. The companies described higher costs and weaker demand in parts of…
2026-08-04 · 3 MIN READGold prices edged higher in European trading Monday after President Trump refrained from launching fresh attacks on Iran, easing concerns about inflation and further interest-rate hikes and sending oil lower. New York gold futures rose…
2026-08-03 · 4 MIN READIsraeli attacks killed at least 14 Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday, including four children, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. The strikes came as the top envoy for President Donald Trump's Board of Peace said his team is working…
2026-08-03 · 4 MIN READOusted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro published a statement on his official Telegram account urging "sincere dialogue" as a new round of U.S.-backed negotiations between Venezuela's government and opposition formally opened Saturday.…
2026-08-03 · 3 MIN READEuropean energy stocks opened sharply lower Monday after President Trump said new talks with Iran would begin Monday, sending oil prices down. Brent crude fell 5.2% to $83.41 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate declined 3.3% to $73.94…
2026-08-03 · 3 MIN READThe Rim of the Pacific exercise concluded Friday in Hawaii with a record 30 nations and roughly 30,000 personnel participating, as U.S. allies deepened military cooperation in the face of increased Chinese aggression and North Korea's…
2026-08-01 · 3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump announced Thursday that a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and for Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but both sides immediately disputed the terms and scope of the agreement, raising questions about…
2026-07-31 · 3 MIN READChina has maintained oil imports from the Middle East during the Iran conflict by leveraging its relationships with Iran and Iran-backed Houthi rebels, allowing it to bypass blockades at two strategic shipping chokepoints, according to…
2026-07-28 · 3 MIN READOil prices fell for a second consecutive day Monday as the lull in U.S.-Iran hostilities opened space for diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran and Oman seeking an agreement to resume flows through the chokepoint.
2026-07-28 · 3 MIN READNATO countries have launched at least 24 projects to bring the production of explosives and propellants back to the West, a response to the Ukraine war's exposure of the alliance's reliance on a fragile global supply chain, according to…
2026-07-28 · 3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump said Monday that the United States paused airstrikes on Iran at Tehran's request, but Iran's Foreign Ministry denied any new bilateral negotiations, saying it is only holding talks with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz.
2026-07-27 · 3 MIN READThe average cost of 500 litres of home heating oil in Northern Ireland has jumped by £98.78 (29%) to £445.37 in the three weeks to July 26, according to Consumer Council for Northern Ireland figures, as the escalation of fighting between…
2026-07-26 · 3 MIN READThe U.S. military has paused its airstrikes on Iran after nearly two weeks of intensifying bombing, while diplomatic efforts have pushed forward to try to avert a return to all-out war. The conflict is set to reach its five-month point…
2026-07-26 · 3 MIN READDefence Secretary Wes Streeting said the UK should not be intimidated by "sabre-rattling" threats from Iran, adding that Britain stands ready to respond to any attack while maintaining its refusal to join offensive US military operations…
2026-07-26 · 3 MIN READIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to attend Sen. Lindsey Graham's funeral in Washington is uncertain amid White House hesitancy, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing the Times of Israel. The funeral is set for Tuesday at…
2026-07-23 · 3 MIN READU.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila on Wednesday, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific while acknowledging the…
2026-07-22 · 3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump plans to attend the dignified transfer of four U.S. service members killed in the Middle East at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday, the White House said. The visit will be the third such ceremony Trump has attended…
2026-07-22 · 3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump directed his administration Tuesday to allow U.S. airline carriers to resume direct commercial flights to Lebanon, reversing a suspension that had been in place since 1985 following the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.…
2026-07-21 · 3 MIN READU.S., Israeli and Lebanese officials are pursuing novel proposals to disarm Hezbollah, including training the Lebanese army to confront the group and seeking Syrian cooperation to cut its supply lines, according to officials and analysts…
2026-07-21 · 4 MIN READLebanon and Israel concluded two days of U.S.-brokered negotiations in Rome on Wednesday, reaching agreement on a process for implementing the first pilot zones for Israeli withdrawal and Lebanese army deployment. A U.S. official described…
2026-07-15 · 3 MIN READFrench President Emmanuel Macron used France’s Bastille Day parade on Tuesday to display European military unity and announce a technology transfer agreement with Ukraine, hosting dozens of allied leaders and 500 soldiers from the…
2026-07-14 · 3 MIN READThe U.S. Navy has requested information from major South Korean shipbuilders on their ability to design and build destroyers and fleet support vessels, a move that could open the world's largest naval market to South Korea's shipbuilding…
2026-07-14 · 4 MIN READAn opinion piece by author Moustafa Bayoumi describes the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's foreign policy as "hawkish ideology" that left, in Bayoumi's words, a "legacy of destruction." The piece, published Tuesday in The Guardian, presents a…
2026-07-14 · 4 MIN READLebanon and Israel are preparing to implement the first two pilot zones in southern Lebanon as an early test of the June 26 U.S.-brokered framework agreement, according to a diplomatic source familiar with the negotiations. The pilot…
2026-07-10 · 4 MIN READCardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik said Friday that a potential visit by Pope Leo XIV to North Korea depends on the position of the North Korean authorities and the state of relations between the United States and North Korea, adding that he…
2026-07-03 · 3 MIN READU.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Qatar's prime minister for a second day Wednesday as indirect talks between the United States and Iran entered their second day in Doha. Iran and Qatar have said there will be no direct…
2026-07-01 · 3 MIN READLebanese officials and diplomatic sources describe the United States as Lebanon's sole guarantor for securing an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and ending the decades-long conflict between the two countries, according to the…
2026-06-30 · 4 MIN READPresident Donald Trump said Monday that the United States and Iran will hold talks Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, after both sides traded strikes in the Gulf over the weekend. Iran did not confirm whether it would participate in the meeting.
2026-06-29 · 3 MIN READIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Sunday that attempts to circumvent Iran's authority over the Strait of Hormuz will delay the waterway's reopening and increase tensions, a dispute The Wall Street Journal reported threatened…
2026-06-28 · 3 MIN READPanama formally offered its territory as a neutral venue for talks between the United States and Cuba, Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha announced Monday at the opening of the Organization of American States General Assembly in Panama…
2026-06-23 · 3 MIN READThe first round of face-to-face negotiations between the United States and Iran concluded early Monday with mediators Qatar and Pakistan announcing "encouraging progress" and agreement on a roadmap toward a final deal within 60 days. The…
2026-06-22 · 3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump threatened to resume military strikes against Iran on Sunday, warning that if the country closes the Strait of Hormuz it "won't have a country," even as Vice President JD Vance met Iranian officials in Switzerland…
2026-06-22 · 3 MIN READU.S. Vice President JD Vance said Sunday the United States is looking "to transform our relationship" with Iran as renewed talks began at a lakeside resort in Switzerland, though he warned the negotiations would not bring an immediate…
2026-06-21 · 4 MIN READThe United States is working with Qatar on a plan to make $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets available for humanitarian spending, people familiar with the matter said, an early financial incentive under the recently signed deal to end the…
2026-06-20 · 3 MIN READIsrael and Hezbollah renewed a fragile ceasefire on Friday after 24 hours of cross-border violence that killed at least 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers, derailing a scheduled US-Iran meeting in Switzerland and grounding Vice…
2026-06-20 · 3 MIN READFighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified overnight, leading the White House to cancel planned U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland and deepening a standoff between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over war…
2026-06-19 · 3 MIN READPresident Trump has delivered the same retort to political allies offering strategic advice in recent weeks: 'I’m the president and you’re not.' The comment reflects a pattern of unilateral decision-making that has confounded Republicans,…
2026-06-19 · 3 MIN READU.S. Central Command announced Thursday that American forces have lifted the naval blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, implementing a key condition of a ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran as negotiators…
2026-06-18 · 3 MIN READNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un will examine the emerging U.S.-Iran agreement not as a Middle East development but as a case study in coercion, timing and regime survival, according to a retired U.S. Army colonel and Northeast Asia…
2026-06-18 · 3 MIN READPresident Trump has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “f—ing crazy” during recent phone calls and accused him of prolonging the Iran war, according to people familiar with the calls, as the two leaders’ relationship reaches…
2026-06-18 · 3 MIN READIsrael and Hezbollah carried out strikes against each other in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, as leaders prepared to sign the Iran-United States cease-fire agreement Friday. President Donald Trump criticized the Israeli attacks at a press…
2026-06-17 · 3 MIN READVice President JD Vance has embarked on a multi-media campaign to build support for President Trump's Iran peace deal, facing sharp skepticism from hawkish conservatives who warn the accord may hand Iran a victory.
2026-06-17 · 3 MIN READVice President JD Vance said Monday that the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran to end the war is "a very general document" and that many specifics remain to be negotiated, as Republican senators expressed…
2026-06-16 · 3 MIN READ
