Iran-US tensions

Iranian motorcyclist pass by a banner of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, placed next to a ballistic missile in Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran, on September 26, 2024 on the sideline of an exhibition which marks the 44th anniversary of the start of Iran-Iraq war.

Analysis

As US nuclear talks stall, Iran ups military planning, turns to China for missile fuel

Amid uncertainties in the recent US-Iran nuclear diplomacy, Tehran is gearing up for a showdown with Israel, reportedly rebuilding its missile capabilities and threatening Israel with a devastating response.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump (R) attends a meeting with Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, during the G20 summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019.

Analysis

Russia's Putin offers Trump help on Iran, likely with strings attached

As Iran weighs the US proposal for a nuclear deal, Russia has volunteered to play a role facilitating future talks.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

A picture taken on Feb. 21, 2020 shows M1 Abrams Fighting tanks of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, as US military equipment arrives to the Port of Bremerhaven the United States for the Defender 2020 international military exercises.

US green-lights $325 million in sustainment for Kuwait’s M1 Abrams tanks

The Trump administration has notified Congress of a $325 million arms sale to Kuwait for tank maintenance, part of broader efforts to strengthen Gulf defense ties and streamline US arms transfers.

US soldiers patrol in Syria's northeastern city Qamishli, in the Hasakeh province, mostly controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, on January 9, 2025. (AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

US' Syria pullout continues amid looming Iran clash

The Trump administration is taking advantage of a rare moment of quiet following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in hope of disentangling the US military from nearly a decade of involvement in Syria.

Jared Szuba

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

Latest News

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Analysis

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

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

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

A US Navy Martin UAV drone hovers mid-air beneath a US Navy SH-60S Seahawk helicopter, while Bahraini Coast Guard ship Deraa 13 (L), US Coast Guard cutter Maui (C), and Royal Bahrain Naval Force (RBNF) Abdulrahman Al Fadhel (R) operate on Gulf waters during joint naval exercise between US 5th Fleet Command and Bahraini forces, on October 26, 2021. - The US and Bahrain navies conducted a joint exercise at sea, launching a series of drills integrating unmanned systems into regional maritime operations. (Phot

US not notified yet of UAE's withdrawal from Gulf maritime coalition

The announcement that the UAE had withdrawn its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces coalition appears to be Abu Dhabi's latest signal to Washington that it wants serious dialogue on security guarantees.

CENTCOM Chief Michael Kurilla meets with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Tel Aviv, May 30 2023 Credit: IDF spokesperson office.

CENTCOM commander visits Israel, observes multifront war exercise

Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla is on a wider tour of the Middle East as the Pentagon aims to build regional military capabilities to better deter attacks by Iran and its proxies.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Why did Shamkhani, Iran's powerful national security chief, resign?

Ali Shamkhani, the longstanding secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, has yielded his post to a prominent commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei meets with Oman’s Sultan, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, and his accompanying delegation on Monday, May 29, 2023.

Iran’s Khamenei hails thaw with Egypt, Saudi Arabia during Omani sultan visit

The potential rapprochement falls within Tehran's hard-liners' recent push on the reset button in Iran's ties with Arab rivals to reposition itself in the regional power play, avert economic collapse and fight off international isolation.

Raisi and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

Iran-Pakistan cooperation complicated by sanctions, porous border

Newly inaugurated power line and border marketplace mark progress, but sanctions hinder completion of long-delayed pipeline.

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Air Force General Charles Brown, Jr. (R), after nominating him to serve as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, May 25, 2023.

Meet Gen. CQ Brown: US Air Force chief tapped to be Pentagon's top general

Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown has pushed the Air Force to adapt in order to deter war with China while being ready to respond elsewhere in the world.

Washington Connection

Israel's new army chief of staff Herzi Halevi (C) speaks to a supporter following his official appointment ceremony in Jerusalem, on January 16, 2023. (Photo by Maya Alleruzzo / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli brass sounds alarm on Iran's readiness to launch nuclear attack

Israeli officials are watching tensely as intelligence indicates Iran is working on the detonation mechanisms needed for a nuclear bomb.

missile

Iran tests ballistic missile with 1250-mile range, capable of hitting Israel

The missile's declared range makes it capable of reaching Israel, which warned Tehran this week with military action over its ramped-up nuclear enrichment and regional activities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) welcomes his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi in Tehran on November 19, 2022. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Sultan of Oman to make first visit to Iran amid regional thaw

The visit comes amid Iran’s rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, and Oman's mediation between Egypt and Tehran.

Alireza Enayati, previously Tehran’s ambassador to Kuwait from 2014 to 2019. Enayati will be the next envoy to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Who is Alireza Enayati, Iran’s first ambassador to Saudi Arabia in 7 years?

Alireza Enayati previously served as the director-general for Persian Gulf Affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry and as Iran’s ambassador to Kuwait.

Ali Shamkhani (R), the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran extends his hand to Emmanuel Bonne (L), diplomatic advisor to the French president, in the Iranian capital Tehran on July 10, 2019. - Iran has breached a uranium enrichment cap set by a troubled 2015 nuclear deal and warned Europe against taking retaliatory measures, as France decided to send an envoy to Tehran to try to calm tensions. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran replaces security chief Shamkhani with IRGC official

Ali Shamkhani was heavily involved in Iranian foreign policy and will be replaced by a senior member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Breaking | Last Updated: May 19, 2023, 2:34 pm

New US sanctions target Russia-Iran military trade

The sanctions come days after the White House said Russia was seeking to replenish its supply of Iranian-made attack drones.