Defense Secretary

Trump tries to block book written by former aide, calls him a ‘liar’

Former US national security adviser John Bolton in his book has accused President Trump of seeking help from China for a win in 2020 presidential elections. The White House asked a federal court for a restraining order against its release.

James Mattis slams Trump for dividing Americans and threatening democracy

The criticism was all the more remarkable because Mattis has generally kept a low profile since retiring as defense secretary in December 2018 to protest Trump's Syria policy.

US defence chief Esper opposes use of Insurrection Act to quell unrest

Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he does not support invoking Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty forces to quell civil unrest, sparked by custodial killing of black American George Floyd.

British war veteran raises $22 million by walking for the health service

Tens of thousands of Britons pledged donations as Tom Moore, a retired army captain, pursued a his goal of finishing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday on April 30 to support health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

US seeking expanded Syrian occupation to secure oil

Experts and observers warn US President Donald Trump's desire to keep Syrian oil could promote the view that the US involvement in the Middle East is to extort revenue.

Hong Kong leader tells US not to 'interfere' after fresh protests

Carrie Lam, said she deeply regretted interference by foreign parliaments in the Asian financial hub's matters after fresh protests called on Washington to ramp up pressure on Beijing.

US spy chief adds to chain of high-profile departures

Here's the number of top officials in Trump Administration who resigned or were fired over the last two years, with Dan Coats’s resignation being the latest one.

Ratcliffe tapped to replace Coats as US spy chief

US President Donald Trump says he will nominate Republican Representative John Ratcliffe as the new US spy chief, as Dan Coats, the current director of national intelligence gets ready to step down on Aug 15.

The ongoing US-Iran tensions explained

The two archrivals have recently been firing off salvos against each other, increasing tension not only in the Gulf but also around the world.

Nuclear changes, more troops heighten US-Iran tensions

The United States ratcheted up pressure on Iran, announcing the deployment of 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East, as Tehran set a 10-day countdown for world powers to fulfil their commitments for a nuclear deal abandoned by Washington.

Can Oman pull the US and Iran back from the brink of confrontation?

Oman's goodwill and relationships with the Muslim world and the West could prove vital, as they have historically, to ensuring that US-Iran tensions don't boil over.

A timeline of the recent US-Iran standoff

The US has deployed military equipment and pulled non-essential staff from its embassy in Iraq amid tensions with Iran.