Iran-US tensions

Russian Sukhoi Su-35S fighter aircrafts, Su-34 military fighter jets and Su-30SM jet fighters fly over downtown Moscow during a military parade on June 24, 2020.

Analysis

Russian leak signals Su-35s for Iran moving to production: What to know

Recently leaked documents suggest 16 fighters are already on Russian assembly lines, with deliveries slated through 2027. For Tehran, it would be the first meaningful fighter upgrade in decades.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

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.

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Analysis

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

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

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

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)

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps speedboats cruise past an oil tanker off the port of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, on July 2, 2012.

Iran says it seized ships in Gulf for alleged fuel smuggling

The seizure and arrest of the foreign crew members occurred south of the disputed Abu Musa island, according to Iranian state media.

TOPSHOT - Protesters hold pictures of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, during a demonstration outside the US consulate in Istanbul, on January 5, 2020, two days after top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was killed by a US drone strike. - A US drone strike killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani at Baghdad's international airport on January 3, dramatically heightening regional tensions and prompting arch enemy Tehran to vow "revenge". (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty

Iran court orders US to pay $49 billion over Soleimani assassination

Qasem Soleimani led Iran’s elite Quds Force until he was assassinated by the United States in Baghdad in 2020 in response to attacks on US forces in Iraq.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel of Cuba, left, and President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran reviewing the honor guard during a welcoming ceremony in Havana on June 15, 2023.

Cuba, Iran ink economic agreements as Khamenei hosts Diaz-Canel

In its revolutionary foreign policy, Iran has for decades gone out of its way to unite like-minded nations — with a special focus on leftist nations — for an idealistic global campaign to weaken the American hegemony.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Iran-backed militias test new front with Washington’s Syrian Kurdish allies

A US base in northeast Syria has been attacked twice so far by rockets launched in the last month from within the country, and officials with the Syrian Defense Forces point to Iran-backed Shiite militias.

A picture taken during an organized tour by Yemen's Houthi rebels (onboard) on Nov. 22, 2023.

Spread thin, US Navy seeks allies' help following Houthi attacks on shipping

With Israel's war in Gaza poised to drag on, Washington is turning to allies to help relieve the burden on the US Navy in pushing back on Iran-backed attacks against commercial shipping in Gulf waterways.

INTERNATIONAL WATERS RED SEA, YEMEN - NOVEMBER 20: This handout screen grab captured from a video shows Yemen's Houthi fighters' takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo in the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, on November 20, 2023 in the Red Sea, Yemen. On Monday, the Houthi movement in Yemen released footage and photos of the Houthi-run coastguard taking over the Israeli-linked Galaxy Leader Vessel in the Red Sea, which had 52 people onboard. Galaxy Leader is owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd in the Isle of Man and is li

US threatens response after Houthi missiles hit cargo ships in Red Sea

Iran-backed factions across the Middle East opened a new volley of attacks targeting Israeli-linked cargo vessels in the Red Sea and US troops in Iraq and Syria since Israel's truce with Hamas collapsed on Friday.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard boats attack a naval vessel during a three-day military drill in the Gulf on April 22, 2010.

What is scope of Iran-Oman joint military drill near Hormuz?

The drill was held only days after the Pentagon dispatched one of its largest aircraft carriers to the strategic waters, causing unease in Tehran amid risks of potential confrontations stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.

USS Eisenhower

US Navy shoots down Iran-made drone fired from Yemen

The shooting follows a separate incident in the Persian Gulf in which an Iranian drone came within 1,500 yards of the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier.

This picture taken on July 8, 2021, shows a view of the Ain al-Assad air base hosting US forces in Iraq.

Gaza truce brings halt in Iran-linked attacks on US troops in Iraq, Syria

Pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas coincides with tentative reprieve for US troops hunting down the remnants of the Islamic State group as Iran-backed militias hold their fire.

Russian army Mi-24 helicopters fly above a warship at the Turali range on the Caspian Sea coast in the Republic of Dagestan in Southern Russia on September 23, 2020 during the "Caucasus-2020" military drills gathering China, Iran, Pakistan and Myanmar troops, along with ex-Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus. - Up to 250 tanks and around 450 infantry combat vehicles and armoured personnel carriers will take part in the September 21 to 26 land and naval exercises that will involve 80,000 people including

Iran unveils new Deylaman warship capable of launching cruise missiles

The new warship is part of Iran’s efforts to increase its military presence in the Caspian Sea.

Houthi Movement via Getty Images

How risky is US-Houthi escalation after Navy thwarts tanker hijacking?

The Iran-backed rebels are risking new levels of escalation as they jockey for clout in talks with Saudi Arabia as Israel's war in the Gaza Strip grinds on.

US jets

Pentagon expands strikes on Iran-backed groups amid Iraq backlash

Iraq's government slammed US airstrikes that targeted Kata'ib Hezbollah command centers as 'an unacceptable violation of sovereignty' as Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani seeks to balance his support base with Baghdad's ties with Washington.