A focused view of neutral reporting on Middle East, brought together across publishers.
Explore all topics →
Iran escalated domestic repression during the US-Israeli military campaign, arresting more than 4,000 people, executing dozens and reducing internet access to near zero, a US-based human rights group has said.
On May 14, Jerusalem Day – Israel’s annual celebration of its 1967 capture of occupied East Jerusalem – tens of thousands of ultra-nationalist Israelis marched through the Old City chanting ‘death to Arabs’ and ‘may your villages burn’, while attacking Palestinian shops and residents.
Pakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a squadron of fighter jets, and an air defense system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defense pact, Reuters reported on Monday, citing security and government officials.
United States President Donald Trump said he postponed a planned attack on Iran after requests from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, adding that “serious negotiations are now taking place” behind the scenes.
El paisaje de Dubái, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, el 11 de marzo de 2026, con el Burj Khalifa en el centro. (AP Foto/Fatima Shbair, Archivo)
Putin’s trip is widely seen as a move to boost the nations’ energy relationship as the Iran war disrupts global supply
Putin’s trip is widely seen as a move to boost the nations’ energy relationship as the Iran war disrupts global supply
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised navy personnel for raiding a Gaza-bound flotilla on Monday.
The number of UK job vacancies has fallen to its lowest level in five years and unemployment has ticked higher as the initial impact of the Iran war on businesses starts to be seen.
Syria has welcomed the EU's decision to lift sanctions on seven Syrian government entities, including the Interior and Defence Ministries.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s then chief operating officer, Guy Ross, tells court he was concerned for Jewish colleague
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the “contradictory and excessive behaviours” of the United States remain a serious obstacle to diplomacy, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.
A drone strike targeted the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant on Sunday, sparking a fire on its perimeter. There were no reports of injuries or radiological release, but it highlighted the risk of renewed war as the Iran ceasefire remains tenuous.
Last Saturday, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al Saadi appeared in a New York federal court on six counts of providing material support to designated foreign terrorist organisations and conspiring to bomb a place of public use.
A new exhibition from the University of Haifa opened last weekend at the Silk Road Virtual Museum, an international initiative that tells the story of the Silk Road through dozens of heritage sites and archaeological finds from across the region.
Iran does not intend to "surrender" as it enters into diplomatic dialogue with the Unietd States, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a Twitter/X post on Monday.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, baja por las escaleras del Air Force One a su llegada a la Base Conjunta Andrews, Maryland, el viernes 15 de mayo de 2026. (AP Foto/Luis M. Alvarez)
In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, US President Donald Trump says he delayed planned military strikes on Iran after appeals from Gulf leaders to allow more time for negotiations.
Washington: Donald Trump said he was holding off on a planned attack on Iran at the request of US Gulf allies, and talked up the prospects of an imminent deal to end the war, saying it was different to previous stalled peace efforts.
Australian Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi criticised the Australian government’s response to Israel’s interception of a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza, accusing Israeli forces of carrying out “piracy and kidnapping in international waters”.
LONDON — European stocks are expected to open in mixed territory on Tuesday as traders assess the geopolitical landscape and developments in the Middle East.
Hundreds of people gathered outside Greece’s foreign ministry in Athens on Monday to protest the Israeli interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla near Cyprus.
The AI rally continued this earnings season. But companies building the underlying hardware powering the boom warned that the Iran war is putting pressure on their supply chains and profitability.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was urgently seeking confirmation about the welfare of Australians believed to have been detained after Israeli forces intercepted Gaza-bound flotilla vessels in international waters on Monday.
Israeli forces intercepted dozens of boats on Monday that were attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in war-torn Gaza, according to flotilla organisers.
SBS also declines to adopt International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition, which some claim conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism
While thousands of Muslims prepare to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, Palestinians in Gaza have been deprived yet again of the opportunity to fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam, as Israel retains control over the Rafah border.
Australian Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi criticised the Australian government’s response to Israel’s interception of a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza, accusing Israeli forces of carrying out “piracy and kidnapping in international waters”.
A second South Korean activist was detained by the Israeli military while sailing toward the Gaza Strip on Monday, months after another Korean activist was detained during a similar voyage in October, a human rights group said.
President Donald Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
Readers discuss a potential positive consequence of Middle East volatility, the Russian leader’s coming visit to Beijing, and AI’s impact on China’s real economy
Readers discuss a potential positive consequence of Middle East volatility, the Russian leader’s coming visit to Beijing, and AI’s impact on China’s real economy
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, May 18, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Israel’s education minister appears to have found a political response to a national schooling crisis: Challenge the data and the body that produced it before the public can fully reckon with the depth of the failure.
The 2025/26 Saudi Pro League title race heads into its final round on Thursday with the champions still to be determined.
The Washington Post reported, citing a Pakistani official, that Iran wants the war to end before any announcement of a nuclear agreement is made.
Sumud Global Flotilla organisers say 38 ships holding 319 activists from dozens of nations were around 250 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza when they were intercepted
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Finland have opportunities to pursue mutual benefits amid supply chain jitters caused by the Middle East crisis based on their "complementary interests," Finland's economic minister said Tuesday.
The New York Times reported that Iran is embedding missiles beneath mountains and revising its military tactics in preparation for a possible new phase of confrontation.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government has secured three shipments of jet fuel totalling more than 600,000 barrels, or about 100 million litres.
Products & ServicesOpen Products & Services section
Latest updatesIran war latest: Trump says Gulf allies persuaded him to call off planned attack against Iran
As fuel prices have climbed amid the conflict with Iran, airfares have followed. Meanwhile, with more people facing a cost of living crisis, the rates for hotels, experiences and even airport sandwiches seemingly creep up every time you look. This means that for many the idea of travelling in 2026 feels like a luxur…
The war may be officially paused but for residents of the Gaza Strip the sense of danger has not lifted.
The first attack targeting an Arab nuclear site has sent a symbolic warning to the United Arab Emirates and its allies, even as Iran and the US remain in negotiations to end the Middle East war, analysts say.
Hello, this is Dylan Butts writing to you from Singapore. Welcome to another edition of the CNBC Daily Open.
PARIS (Reuters) -- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday announced another 30-day extension of a sanctions waiver allowing purchases of Russian seaborne oil to aid "energy-vulnerable" countries hit by the Iran war, reversing plans not to grant an extension.
Hezbollah said on Monday that its fighters carried out 14 attacks against Israeli forces inside southern Lebanon, using explosive drones, rockets and artillery shells.
Qatar condemned the Israeli army’s interception of the Global Freedom Flotilla and the detention of activists aboard aid boats bound for Gaza, describing the operation as a “flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian values, and maritime security”.