Iran-US tensions

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Explainer

US strategic oil stockpile nears four-decade low as Iran war drags on

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 349.2 million barrels amid the global energy shock caused by the war in Iran.

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Trump vows continued ‘very hard’ strikes on Iran as negotiators leave Qatar

The US president's latest threats came just hours after Qatari mediators wrapped up talks early Thursday morning in pursuit of a final draft agreement to end the war.

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, prepares to take off from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026 at Sea.

Trump launches new airstrikes on Iran as deal stalls

A new wave of strikes aims not to restart war but rather to strengthen Washington's hand in long-sought negotiations, the Pentagon's top official claims.

A woman walks past a banner bearing the images of the late founder of the Islamic Revolution supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L).

US issues more Iran sanctions as Trump says strikes will resume

The sanctions are the latest to target Iran's weapons procurement networks.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Latest News

Suez Canal traffic soars as Hormuz disruptions reroute energy trade

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

US, Iran trade strikes after downing of Apache helicopter: What to know

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, makes an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury, Feb. 28, 2026

Breaking

Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 12:24 pm

Trump says Iran has ‘taken too long’ for deal, signals escalation

US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while aboard Air Force One en route to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin on June 5, 2026.

Analysis

From Beirut to Bab el Mandeb, Iran tests new deterrence strategy

People ride motorcycles past a large billboard showing portraits of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L), and slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) in central Tehran on June 8, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdoulahian speaks at a press conference in Tehran on February 23, 2022

Iran says nuclear talks at 'critical' stage

Agence France-Presse

By Agence France-Presse

KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images

Raisi says Iran's gas production strong despite US sanctions

Iran's president declared that US sanctions have failed to put a brake on his country's lucrative natural gas production.

US President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Oval Office at the White House on Aug. 27, 2021, in Washington, DC.

Analysis

Does Raisi need a nuclear deal more than Biden?

Also: The Iran talks in Vienna enter their final days, what comes next, and why neither president should expect an assist from the US Congress on Iran.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s supreme leader dismisses 'nonsense' nuke allegations

Iran’s supreme leader said there was no military side to his country’s nuclear program and stressed Iran's need for nuclear energy.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, arrives at the venue of the JCPOA meeting that aims at reviving the Iran nuclear deal, in Vienna on Feb. 8, 2022.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Differences persist as clock ticks on Vienna talks

Islamic State and Turkey; HTS's role in Islamic State leader's killing; Iran's message for Iraq; Gaza's dangerous landfills; Egypt's climate action; and more.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

Joe Snell

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti , Joe Snell

ALEX HALADA/AFP via Getty Images

Optimism in Iran as nuclear talks inch closer to 'last station'

Iranian negotiators appear to expect an imminent conclusion to the talks on reviving the nuclear deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett delivers a speech upon his departure to Bahrain, at Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, Feb. 14, 2022.

Israel’s Bennett in Bahrain to warn against Iran

During a first, historic visit, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett emphasizes that Israel and Bahrain share similar interests in constructing regional cooperation and in battling against Iran.

People queue outside Megasis, the first Iranian supermarket in Venezuela, in Caracas on July 31, 2020.

Direct Iran-Venezuela flights to begin next month

A Venezuelan official said the South American country wants to attract Iranian tourists.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

AFP via Getty Images

Iran hard-liners overjoyed with new missile

Iran’s hard-liners are having a moment of patriotic jubilation with the unveiling of a new long-range missile with a menacing name.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Feb. 9, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Republicans vow to hinder Biden on Iran

Netanyahu and Pegasus; Ukraine and Turkey; Idlib; Gaza’s Sufis; Egypt’s pickled mummy fetus; and more…in less than 1,100 words.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

Joe Snell

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti , Joe Snell

CARLOS BARRIA/AFP via Getty Images

Iran says US must make 'political' decision to rejoin deal

Both Iran and the United States are portraying each other as being opposed to making political concessions.

A Shahab-3 surface-to-surface missile is displayed next to a portrait of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a street exhibition by Iran's army and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard force to celebrate "Defence Week", marking the 41th anniversary of the start of 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, at the Baharestan Square in Tehran, on Sept. 25, 2021.

Iran to unveil new missile despite progress on nuclear deal

The announcement came amid signals that Iran and the West were slowly bridging gaps to make their way toward restoring the 2015 nuclear deal.