Iran-US tensions

US President Donald Trump looks on after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on April 9, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Analysis

How Iran’s nuclear gains complicate Trump's desire for a 'stronger' deal

President Trump says he's seeking an Iranian nuclear deal stronger than the one he trashed in his first term. But with Iran's nuclear program more advanced than ever before, is that even possible?

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

AFP via Getty Images

Iran oil exports to China soar in March to 1.9M bpd despite US sanctions

The United States and Iran will hold negotiations on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program on Saturday as Tehran hopes to achieve sanctions relief.

Bushehr

US imposes new Iran sanctions ahead of Oman talks as Tehran touts nuclear gains

Iranian officials met their Russian and Chinese counterparts on Tuesday to discuss the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program as Tehran prepares for negotiations with Washington.

Iran

Analysis

Economic pressure, B-2 bombers and isolation: How Iran accepted talks with Trump

Under severe economic strains and growing military threats from the United States, Iran agreed to negotiate its nuclear program, but the talks' potential outcomes remain shrouded by deep uncertainties.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Senate confirms Elbridge Colby as Pentagon’s next policy chief

Elbridge Colby, President Donald Trump's nominee to be undersecretary of defense for policy.

From 2008 to today: Expectations and timeline of US-Iran talks

A woman walks along Karim Khan Zand Avenue in Tehran, on April 8, 2025.

Pentagon vows to ramp up Houthi strikes as Trump pursues Iran talks

B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber flies over the 133rd Rose Parade Presented By Honda on Jan. 1, 2022 in Pasadena, California.

Trump says US, Iran in 'direct talks' over nuclear program

President Donald Trump arrives to speak during a "Make America Wealthy Again" trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC.

A pickup truck is carrying two Iranian missile mockups during a rally that marks the 46th anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 10, 2025.

Iran's IRGC unveils underground facility housing thousands of ballistic missiles

As it navigates crises at home and abroad, Iran has released video footage of an underground “missile city” in an attempt to flex its military might.

Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, speaks to the press outside of the White House on March 6, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Israel’s Dermer meets Witkoff, discusses Iran and Gaza during US visit

The Iranian nuclear program and the now-defunct Gaza ceasefire are expected to take center stage during Dermer's visit. He is expected to meet with senior Trump officials.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Iranian rials are displayed in Tehran, on July 31, 2019.

Iran’s currency drops to more than 1 million rials to US dollar: What to know

This is yet another record low for Iran’s currency, as the country navigates intense sanctions and US pressure.

A woman walks past a billboard bearing portraits of slain Iranian IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani (C), Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah (2nd R), Palestinian Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar (R), and Ismail Haniyeh (L), and head of Hezbollah's executive council Hashem Safieddine (2nd L), with the slogan in Farsi reading 'God wrote our duty, to help the oppressed' at Tehran's Enghelab square on January 22, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran not building nuclear weapon despite strategic losses: US intel

A report by Washington’s top intelligence office suggests Tehran will struggle to rebuild its proxy militia bulwark after Israeli attacks, but the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has not yet authorized the creation of a nuclear weapon.

Jared Szuba

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

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gives a joint press conference with Russia's foreign minister at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Tehran on Feb. 25, 2025.

Analysis

What’s at stake for Iran-Armenia ties as Araghchi visits Yerevan?

Iran is looking to bolster regional alliances amid Turkey’s rise in influence and remains opposed to the Zangezur Corridor plan, according to experts.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

A woman uses her mobile telephone as she walks past a mural painted on the outer wall of the former US Embassy in Tehran, dubbed the "Den of Espionage," on March 8, 2025.

Analysis

As Iran faces looming Trump deadline, is Khamenei shifting strategy?

Washington's warning to Iran over its support for Yemen's Houthi rebels has brought the two archenemies closer to the brink of a direct military conflict.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

The United States aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson, anchored off the coast at Tien Sa Port on March 5, 2018 in Danang, Vietnam.

Pentagon sends second aircraft carrier to Middle East as Trump warns Iran

The USS Carl Vinson is expected to vastly increase Washington's strike capabilities in the Gulf region as Trump gives Tehran a two-month deadline to reach a new nuclear agreement.

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)

Exclusive

Israel to push Trump on Iran attack plan on high-stakes Washington visit

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi will lead the multiagency Israeli team to the talks with US national security adviser Michael Waltz and State Department and Pentagon officials in Washington next week.

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

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a guided tour of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before leading a board meeting, on March 17, 2025, in Washington.

Trump's Middle East strategy faces scrutiny as Gaza reignites

As the civilian death toll climbs in Gaza, can the self-proclaimed peacemaker president get both sides back to the negotiating table?

An F18 Hornet fighter jet lands on the 330 meters navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on May 8, 2018.

US looks to bolster Middle East defenses as strikes against Houthis ramp up

The Trump administration green-lit a $100 million sale of air-to-air missiles for Saudi Arabia as the Pentagon weighs deployments of additional air defense assets to the region.

The Iranian-flagged oil tanker Fortune is docked at the El Palito refinery after its arrival to Puerto Cabello in the northern state of Carabobo, Venezuela, on May 25, 2020.

US slaps sanctions on Iran's oil tankers, targets China 'teapot' refinery

Targets of the sanctions include a refinery allegedly purchasing Iranian oil from a vessel linked to Yemen's Houthi militant group.

A man pays using Iranian rials at a shop, in Tehran on July 31, 2019. - The government in sanctions-hit Iran on Wednesday approved a plan to remove zeros from the rial and rename the currency -- something its people have long been doing to simplify transactions. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

With rial in free fall, Trump’s warning to Iran over Houthis poses strategic dilemma

Iran is once again facing the difficult prospect of distancing itself from another regional proxy ally after the US president's warning suggested possible direct US attacks on the Islamic Republic.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics