Iran-US tensions

People walk and drive past a billboard covering the facade of a building on Vali-Asr square, depicting as postage stamps the disputed Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb islands that were seized by Iran in 1971, in Tehran on October 26, 2024. Residents of Tehran awoke and went about their business as planned on October 26 after their sleep was troubled by Israeli strikes that triggered blasts that echoed across the city. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran’s new military drills near disputed islands ratchet up tensions with UAE

By combining high-tech capabilities, publicized warnings to foreign vessels and historical framing of territorial sovereignty, Tehran is seeking to assertively position itself in a dispute that has resisted resolution for decades.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

The US National flag flies at half staff on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on December 4, 2025, in honor of Sarah Beckstrom, the National Guard member who was fatally shot the week before. An Afghan man accused of shooting two members of the National Guard near the White House, killing one, pleaded not guilty on December 2, 2025 to murder charges. Lakanwal is charged with first-degree murder for the death of Sarah Beckstrom, 20, a National Guard member from West Virginia, as well as ass

US strategy document names Iran 'chief' destabilizer, calls Syria 'potential problem'

The document frames US engagement as shifting away from energy and conflict and toward broader economic and defense partnerships.

currency exchange in Tehran

Iran currency dips to new low of 1.2M per dollar as sanctions bite: What to know

Since US President Donald Trump took office in January, the rial has plummeted.

People walk past electoral campaign posters ahead of Iraq's parliamentary elections in central Baghdad on Nov. 6, 2025.

Analysis

Iraq’s next PM? Shatri, Eidani, Kadhimi and others jostle for lead

A number of establishment figures are being circulated as potential candidates, though experts believe the Coordination Framework, a powerful Shiite coalition, will again have the final say.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

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Analysis

F-35s, chips but no security guarantees: What MBS achieved — and didn’t — in Washington

US President Donald Trump meets with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Jared Szuba

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

Analysis

How Iraq’s next government could shape the US-Iran rivalry

Supporters of incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani wave national flags in front of a screen displaying his portrait as they celebrate following the announcement of preliminary election results in Baghdad on Nov. 12, 2025.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Iran stops IAEA inspections following UN watchdog's reprimand

In this handout photo released by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) on November 10, 2025, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (L) is accompanied by AEOI chief Mohammad Eslami during a visit to a facility in Tehran. (Photo by Atomic Energy Organization of Iran / AFP)

Trump says US will sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia, first Arab country to acquire jets

This photograph shows a pilot disembarking a Belgium's newly purchased Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet for the first time, after arriving at the Florennes military airbase, southern Belgium on October 13, 2025. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)

This picture taken on Oct. 31, 2022 shows a view of an oil tanker, seized by Iranian naval forces at the Gulf port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

Turkey says tanker seized by Iran carrying Turkish oil purchased from Iraq

The ship was seized by the Iranian navy off the coast of Oman.

Crew members on Britain's HMS Diamond respond to Houthi missiles and drones in the Red Sea, Jan. 9, 2024.

Houthis’ largest attack yet in Red Sea poses test for US resolve

Yemeni rebels defied an ultimatum from the United States and its allies, targeting commercial shipping lanes and apparently a UK Royal Navy warship with their largest drone and missile barrage yet.

Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani meets with commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, Maj. Gen. Joseph Votel, on Jan. 9, 2024.

Coalition chief meets Iraqi Kurdistan president as Baghdad agitates against US presence

The Pentagon said it is in dialogue with Iraq’s government over the future of the US troop presence in the country as Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani faces pressure to expel American troops.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

What we know about US strike that killed Iraqi militia leader in Baghdad

The US assassination of a senior Harakat al-Nujaba commander threatened to rekindle opposition to the presence of American troops among factions in Baghdad.

Yemen's Houthi rebels on the Galaxy Leader cargo ship.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 4, 2024, 12:33 pm

US, allies put Houthis on notice over shipping attacks after Pentagon readies strike options

Washington and a dozen other nations issued their clearest warning yet since the Pentagon has readied plans to strike Houthi targets in response to the Yemeni faction's brazen attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

American aircraft carrier anchored in a harbor after offshore training exercises.

US pulls aircraft carrier from Mediterranean as Israel escalates in Lebanon

Israeli leaders test Hezbollah's restraint as the US Navy's largest aircraft carrier heads home following an extended deployment to deter Iran and its proxies.

An Iranian navy missile is displayed during the army day military parade, outside the mausoleum of the late founder of Islamic republic, Ayatollah Khomeini (poster) in Tehran, April 18, 2007.

Iran hails Houthi rebels, deploys warship as Red Sea simmers

As the Houthi spokesman visited Tehran, the Iranian army dispatched a leading destroyer to the Red Sea, where the United States has been mobilizing an international coalition to end disruptions by the Tehran-backed militant group.

11/24/2023 Tehran, Iran. Two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) armed military personnel are monitoring an area while standing guard next to an Iranian Majid anti-aircraft missile system during the Ela Beit Al-Moghaddas (Al-Aqsa Mosque) military rally in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

2023 in review: Iran sees opportunity in Gaza war, steps up crackdown at home

Iran's theocratic establishment engaged in a flurry of foreign diplomacy to try to ease the international isolation it is facing, while at home it intensified its crackdown on dissent.

Netanyahu and Biden

Analysis

2023 in review: Biden bets his Middle East strategy on Gaza war

By giving Israel carte blanche support for its war in Gaza, Biden is putting his national defense strategy — and its focus on multilateralism — to the test.

Jared Szuba

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi hold a meeting in Tehran on July 19, 2022. - Iran's president will host his Russian and Turkish counterparts for talks on the Syrian war in a three-way summit overshadowed by fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Sergei SAVOSTYANOV / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SAVOSTYANOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

What is behind Iran-Russia de-dollarization deal as sanctions bite?

The long-awaited agreement was one among several solutions the two countries have sought to salvage their battered economies, which remain cut off from key international banking systems.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

Naftali Bennett: Israel attacked Iran drone base, killed IRGC commander in 2022

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accused the current government of ignoring the war Iran is waging against it and letting its leaders off the hook.

Honor guards carry the coffin of Sayyed Razi Mousavi.

Funeral held for Iran's IRGC commander killed by Israel as Tehran vows revenge

Iran said Sayyed Razi Mousavi was killed in an Israeli strike in Syria. The death of the commander, who was mourned in Syria and Iraq, could ignite war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah.