Vaughn Cockayne

Iranian protests stall following violent police crackdown and internet blackout

Iranian authorities have seemingly succeeded, for the time being, in quelling nationwide anti-government protests after a brutal crackdown left more than 2,000 protesters dead.

January 16, 2026

Arab nations, Israel urge Trump to hold off on military strikes in Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined the chorus of voices from the Arab world on Wednesday urging President Trump to hold off on U.S. military action in Iran, according to new reporting.

January 15, 2026

Treasury targets Iran’s chief security official with sanctions

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control on Thursday announced new sanctions targeting the top official in Iran's Supreme Council for National Security in response to Tehran's brutal crackdown on protesters the past two weeks.

January 15, 2026

Tehran uses electronic warfare to target Starlink, as Iranians try to skirt internet blackout

The Iranian government has begun a campaign of GPS spoofing attacks on SpaceX's Starlink internet terminals in an unprecedented effort to cut its citizens off from the rest of the world, according to new reports.

January 15, 2026

Pentagon awards first contracts for AI-powered drone interceptors under Replicator 2 program

The Department of Defense awarded two new contracts to acquire artificial intelligence-driven interceptor drones intended to help U.S. forces counter small, unmanned aerial systems, the first acquisitions as part of the second phase of the Pentagon's Replicator program.

January 15, 2026

Senate Foreign Relations Committee calls for U.S. leadership in protecting religious freedom

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and other Republican senators on Tuesday introduced a resolution calling for continued U.S. leadership in protecting religious freedom around the world.

January 14, 2026

U.S. moves select personnel from Qatari base as Tehran, Washington threaten strikes

The Pentagon has begun moving nonessential military personnel out of the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar following threats from Tehran that Iran may carry out retaliatory strikes on U.S. military bases in the region, according to reports on Wednesday.

January 14, 2026

Omani foreign minister: Iran is not in turmoil, regime far from collapse

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi insisted on Tuesday that the Iranian regime is fully intact this week despite enduring weeks of intense, nationwide protests aimed at overthrowing the Islamic republic.

January 13, 2026

FLASHBACK: Broad-based Iranian protest movement yet to answer who rules if the mullahs fall

The nationwide protests exploding in the streets of Iran have emerged as one of the greatest threats to the clerics who rule the country since the founding of the Islamic republic in 1979, but after four decades of hard-line theocratic leaders, it's not clear who will take over if the mullahs fall.

January 13, 2026

Greenland prefers Denmark to the U.S., prime minister says

Greenland once again affirmed its desire to remain under Denmark's domain, with the Arctic nation's prime minister insisting that his country is not for sale.

January 13, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announces AI strategy to streamline research and development

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized bureaucratic barriers hampering artificial intelligence development and delivery and promised to break them down in a speech Monday at SpaceX's Starbase launch site.

January 13, 2026

Trump imposes 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran

President Trump on Monday imposed a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran amid Tehran's violent crackdown on mass protests.

January 12, 2026

High-ranking Iranian official says Tehran is ready for war, negotiations with U.S.

Iran's top diplomat declared Monday that his country isn't looking for conflict but is "prepared for war," as President Trump is suggesting U.S. military strikes to stop the Islamic republic from killing protesters.

January 12, 2026

Trump reportedly given options for Iran military strike as more than 500 Iranian protesters killed

More than 500 protesters are estimated to have been killed in Tehran's crackdown on the anti-regime street protests that have swept the nation in recent days and Iran on Sunday vowed to strike American bases and targets in Israel if President Trump attempts to intercede with U.S. military action.

January 11, 2026

Italian PM Meloni: U.S. military intervention in Greenland would be unacceptable

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday added to the chorus of European voices speaking out against U.S. military intervention in Greenland, adding it would be disastrous for Washington and NATO.

January 9, 2026

Wide-ranging protests in Iran put Islamic republic in precarious position, experts say

Iran's leadership is facing an existential challenge this month, experts said Wednesday, as widespread protests expanded this week across most of Iran's provinces, spurred on by a severe economic downturn in recent months.

January 8, 2026

China behind major jump in cyberattacks on Taiwan, report finds

China stepped up its cyberattacks on vulnerable sections of Taiwan's critical infrastructure in 2025, according to an analysis from Taiwan's National Security Bureau released this week.

January 8, 2026

Russian Foreign Ministry: European troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets

Any European troops sent to Ukraine in a peacekeeping mission would be considered "legitimate targets" by Russian forces, the Kremlin announced Thursday.

January 8, 2026

Former deputy national security adviser rejects criticism that Trump policy means global retreat

Critics are off the mark when they claim the Trump administration's foreign and national security policy is centered on the idea of "retreating globally," according to Nadia Schadlow, a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute who served as a key adviser to Mr. Trump during his first term.

January 7, 2026

4 killed in clashes between Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters in Aleppo

Clashes between Syrian government troops and the Syrian Democratic Forces on Tuesday left four people dead and others wounded in Aleppo, as Damascus scrambles to integrate the Kurdish-led rebel militia into the regular army.

January 7, 2026