Iran-US tensions

US President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2025.

Trump travel ban bars entry from Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen

The president issued a number of travel bans largely aimed at Middle Eastern countries during his first term, and the new one targets countries the administration says have insufficient vetting procedures and internal security risks.

An oil tanker unloads imported crude oil at Qingdao port in China's eastern Shandong province on May 9, 2022.

Iran oil exports to China fall sharply amid US sanctions, weakened demand

China is by far Iran’s largest customer for oil, snapping up around 90% of the Islamic Republic’s shipments.

ranians pass by a mural that depicts the two Supreme Leaders of Iran near Enghelab (Revolution) Square in downtown Tehran, Iran on April 8, 2025.

As US proposal takes shape, Iran mulls response to nuclear compromise

Iran says it will soon respond to what the White House described as a "very detailed and acceptable proposal."

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

If Iran rejects Trump’s nuclear deal, will Israel seize moment to strike?

With the Israeli military ready to attack Iranian nuclear sites, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will face a dramatic choice if Tehran rejects the deal Washington is proposing.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

Iran, Egypt, IAEA hold nuclear talks as Tehran mulls US proposal: What to know

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (C) meets with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi (L) and Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Cairo on June 2, 2025.

Analysis

With clock ticking, Iran shows mix of defiance, engagement in nuclear talks

A picture taken on Sept. 7, 2019, shows traffic driving past a political mural at Vali Asr Square in the Iranian capital Tehran.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

Rebuffed by Trump, has Netanyahu missed his chance to strike Iran?

This satellite image shows a nuclear reactor facility near Bushehr, Iran, that the United States believes could along with others in Iran be used to make nuclear weapons, Jan. 13, 2002.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Analysis

US, Iran may punt on enrichment issue to keep talks alive

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Memorial Amphitheatre in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on May 26, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq (R) officially welcomes Iranian President Mahmoud Pezeshkian at Muscat's Al Alam Palace, on May 27, 2025.

Analysis

Iran's delegations visit Oman, Russia as 'temporary' nuclear deal floated

With US-Iran nuclear talks stalled over nonnegotiable red lines, Tehran is ramping up diplomacy — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Oman and Security Chief Ali Akbar Ahmadian arrived in Russia — to push for a deal on its own terms.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A woman walks past an anti-US mural near the former US Embassy in Tehran, on May 11, 2025.

Analysis

As US-Iran nuclear talks hit deadlock, can Gulf consortium offer solution?

The two sides remain at odds over the central issue of uranium enrichment, blocking progress at the highest level.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

An Iran-made missile and its launchers are exhibited during a rally that marks the 46th anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, on February 10, 2025. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran steps up military posturing as nuclear talks stall, Israel threatens

Iran's top commanders boasted readiness to respond to potential Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities amid near-zero progress in the negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

NATANZ, IRAN - APRIL 9: A general view of the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, is seen on April 9, 2007, 180 miles south of Tehran, Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced yesterday, April 9, that Iran has stepped up their Uranium enrichment programme, with up to 3,000 isotope separating centrifuges now in operation. The news has brought condemnation from the International Community and the UN. Iran?s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani confirmed the scaling-up of activity but declined to e

Analysis

'It'd be suicidal': Will Israel strike Iran’s nuclear sites without US support?

With Iran's supreme leader skeptical of reaching a nuclear deal with the United States, former Israeli officials doubt the wisdom of Israel striking Iranian facilities without US buy-in.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks with Al-Monitor president Andrew Parasiliti at an Al-Monitor Global Institute event in Washington, DC, May 22, 2025.

US backs more energy investment in Kurdistan region: Energy secretary

Speaking at the Al-Monitor Global Institute event, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright signaled American support for further investment in Iraqi Kurdistan’s hydrocarbon resources.

People walk near anti-US mural with the slogan "Down with the USA" and skulls replacing the stars on the flag, in Tehran, on May 20, 2025.

What's next for US-Iran nuclear talks as Khamenei holds firm on enrichment?

As American bombers withdraw from the region and threats of a military strike ease, the Iranian leader hardened his stance, vowing that Tehran will pursue its nuclear enrichment program "without anyone's permission."

Sun setting at the back of large buildings under construction of Tehran at dusk.

Analysis

Iran's industries risk collapse as grid falters, nuclear talks drag on

After Iran's leadership lashed out at President Donald Trump's recent castigating remarks about the country's energy crisis, key industrial units said they were on the verge of full bankruptcy due to government-ordered blackouts.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant Affairs and Special Envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn delivers a statment ahead of a meeting of the Syria constitution-writing committee on October 29, 2019 at the United Nations Offices in Geneva. (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

Joel Rayburn commits to helping lift Syria sanctions, boxing in Iranian influence

In a hearing with Senate lawmakers, the White House’s pick to become the State Department’s top diplomat on the Middle East argued for capitalizing on Iran’s losses in Syria and Lebanon while stressing that the Islamic Republic should not have the ability to enrich uranium domestically.

US President Donald Trump looks on as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets the crowd during the Saudi-US investment forum at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center in Riyadh on May 13, 2025. Saudi Arabia on May 13 promised billions of dollars in deals with the United States from defence to artificial intelligence as it threw a lavish welcome for President Donald Trump on the first state visit of his second term. (Photo by Fayez NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty I

Analysis

Trump’s Gulf tour alarms Iran as it fears isolation, shifting alliances

Sanctions-hit Iran is anxiously watching Trump clinch multibillion-dollar trade deals with regional heavyweights, yet it is finding a moment of relief in the "sidelining" of Israel.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump gestures as he walks to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, May 12, 2025.

Analysis

Netanyahu scrambles as Trump skips Israel visit, gap widens on Gaza, Iran

Despite pleas on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s part, President Donald Trump will not pass through Israel during his Gulf tour.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

President Donald Trump boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on May 12, 2025, in Washington.

Analysis

With US-Saudi defense pact stalled, Trump eyes civilian nuclear deal

Negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program have placed the Trump administration's strategic approach to the Middle East in a holding pattern.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

US President Donald Trump (L) bids farewell to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he leaves the White House after a meeting on April 7, 2025, in Washington.

Analysis

How Trump's Gulf tour and release of Edan Alexander expose rift with Netanyahu

The US-Hamas deal for the release of Edan Alexander is just one of a series of issues where the gaps between Washington and the Netanyahu government keep growing.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs