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Matthew Lee

A vendor sells caps supporting Cuba and US President Donald Trump Trump, as a small group of Cubans gather to hold signs and wave flags hours after federal prosecutors announced charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro, May 20, 2026, in Miami, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
May 22, 2026, 4:13 am
Trump, Rubio hint at possible US military action in Cuba amid doubts over diplomacy
Washington’s top diplomat says it’s unlikely deal over disputes will be reached ‘given who we’re dealing with,’ day after US announced charges on Cuba’s former ruler Raul Castro
By Matthew Lee and Will Weissert
President Donald Trump, fifth left, attends a group photo session with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, fourth right, with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, second right, Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, left, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, third left, Kuwait's Crown Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, second left, Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, right, during the GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
March 31, 2026, 10:08 am
Gulf allies privately pushing Trump to keep up war until Iran decisively defeated
Saudi Arabia and UAE leading calls to continue war, seeking end to Iran’s nuclear capabilities, support for proxies, and control over Strait of Hormuz; Oman and Qatar favor talks
By AAMER MADHANI, Samy Magdy, Matthew Lee and SAM MEDNICK
US Army AH-64E Apache helicopters are pictured at Joint Base Andrews, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
January 31, 2026, 11:22 am
US approves $6.7 billion arms sale to Israel, $9 billion Patriot missile deal for Saudis
State Department announces major weapons packages amid Iran tensions and Gaza ceasefire talks; bulk of deal will see Israel buy 30 Apache gunships and 3,250 light tactical vehicles
By Matthew Lee
Jared Kushner speaks during a news conference following a military briefing with US Vice President JD Vance at the Civilian-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, October 21, 2025. (Nathan Howard/The New York Times via AP, Pool, File)
December 22, 2025, 11:42 am
In Gaza and Ukraine, Trump again leaning on Jared Kushner for difficult diplomacy
US president’s son-in-law, key figure in 2020 Abraham Accords but absent at start of Trump’s 2nd term, now teaming up with Steve Witkoff to tackle difficult conflicts
By Matthew Lee and AAMER MADHANI
President Donald Trump meets Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House, November 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
November 19, 2025, 9:18 pm
Business and bromance: Takeaways from MBS’s red carpet visit to Washington
Trump greeted the Saudi crown prince with F-35 jets, economic deals and gold-plated dinner, as the US received no commitments about normalization with Israel
By Matthew Lee
US President Donald Trump (left) speaks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before posing for a family picture with Gulf leaders during a gathering of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh on May 14, 2025. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
November 16, 2025, 6:08 pm
Trump faces uphill battle to persuade Saudi crown prince to normalize Israel ties
US president’s push to bring ally into Abraham Accords expected to be high on agenda for White House meeting with crown prince, though analysts suggest it’s currently a long shot
By AAMER MADHANI and Matthew Lee
US State Department employees applaud as their colleagues walk outside of the State Department headquarters in the Harry S Truman Building, July 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
July 12, 2025, 5:44 am
US State Department fires over 1,300 employees under Trump administration plan
Dismissals are part of major reorganization of department, which proponents have touted as a streamlining measure and critics say will weaken America’s global leadership
By Matthew Lee, Farnoush Amiri and MANUEL BALCE CENETA
Iran's first drone-carrier warship in the Persian Gulf, February 6, 2025. (Sepahnews via AP)
May 7, 2025, 11:46 am
Trump plans to rename Persian Gulf, officials say
In nod to Arab allies, US to adopt ‘Arabian Gulf,’ a label viewed by Iranians as a slight to their historic connection to the body of water
By Matthew Lee
A bouquet of white flowers placed outside the headquarters of the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, is pictured, in Washington, February 7, 2025. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
February 27, 2025, 8:08 am
Trump administration says it’s slashing 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts
Nonprofits owed money say contracts are already being terminated en masse, charge move is aimed at getting around court order to temporarily lift funding freeze
By Ellen Knickmeyer, Mark Sherman and Matthew Lee
(L to R) US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban, the Russian president's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attend a meeting together at Riyadh's Diriyah Palace on February 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein / POOL / AFP)
February 18, 2025, 2:36 pm
Top Russian and US officials discuss ending Ukraine war, but Kyiv not at the table
Ukrainian president says his country won’t accept any outcome; European allies fear they could be left out of efforts to resolve Russia’s 3-year-old invasion of neighbor
By Matthew Lee, BARAA ANWER and Dasha Litvinova
US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. (AP/Evan Vucci, File)
February 12, 2025, 11:35 pm
Upending US policy on Ukraine, Trump says he and Putin agreed to start talks to end war
US president says he and Russian leader agreed in a phone call to work closely to wrap up conflict, potentially meet in person; Hegseth says Ukraine NATO membership ‘unrealistic’
By Matthew Lee, Eric Tucker and Zeke Miller
In this image grab taken from handout video footage released by the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 23, 2023, fighters ride in the back of a technical vehicle (pickup truck mounted with a turret) in the East Nile district of greater Khartoum. (AFP PHOTO / HO / SUDAN RAPID SUPPORT FORCES (RSF))
January 7, 2025, 9:07 pm
Biden administration says Sudan’s rebel forces committing genocide, sanctions leader
Blinken says RSF militia has systematically murdered men and boys, even infants, on an ethnic basis, and deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape
By Matthew Lee
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers a statement to the press after meeting with the foreign ministers of the Arab Contact Group on Syria in Jordan's southern Red Sea coastal city of Aqaba, December 14, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via AP)
December 15, 2024, 5:11 am
Blinken: US officials have directly communicated with Syria’s blacklisted new rulers
In Jordan to meet regional counterparts, US top diplomat doesn’t go into detail about contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel group that ousted Assad
By Matthew Lee
Vast crowds of Syrians gather during a celebratory demonstration following the first Friday prayers since Bashar Assad's ouster, in Damascus's central square, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
December 13, 2024, 5:01 pm
Thousands celebrate in Damascus after first Friday prayers since fall of Assad regime
Insurgency leader Ahmad al-Shara calls on Syrians to ‘show happiness without shooting bullets and scaring people’; US seeks interim government that’s ‘inclusive and non-sectarian’
By Albert Aji and Matthew Lee
People celebrate holding a large Syrian opposition flag at Umayyad Square in Damascus on December 9, 2024. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
December 10, 2024, 10:44 pm
US says will recognize new Syrian regime if it renounces terror, supports women
US also mulling removing terror label from HTS if group takes steps to moderate, protect women and minorities, says new government must destroy chemical, biological weapons
By Matthew Lee, AAMER MADHANI and Zeke Miller
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