Sanctions

US President Donald Trump meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Feb. 13, 2025.

Analysis

India’s Chabahar dilemma: US sanctions on Iran threaten key port

India faces a delicate diplomatic challenge as US sanctions threaten its strategic investment in the Chabahar port, a vital trade link to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

drones

Iran unveils new drones in military drill: What to know

Amid heightened tensions with the United States and Israel, Iran is flexing its military might.

Iranian Basij militia members display their drones during military drills on Jan. 10, 2025, in Tehran, Iran.

Iran unveils underwater suicide drone as US tensions grow: What we know

The showcasing of the unmanned aerial vehicle follows the unveiling of a new drone carrier warship and plans to develop a supersonic cruise missile.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he signs an executive order to create a US sovereign wealth fund in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 3, 2025.

Analysis

Will Trump’s maximum pressure on Iran restart talks or force escalation?

President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum to impose “maximum pressure” on Iran, a campaign that — during his first term — levied intense sanctions on the country in hopes of bringing it back to the negotiating table for nuclear talks.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Latest News

Senate blocks ICC sanctions bill after Israel arrest warrants

LAURENS VAN PUTTEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

Trump revokes sanctions on Israeli settlers in West Bank: What we know

A car belonging to Palestinian villagers set on fire during clashes after the Israeli settlers stormed the village of Qusra in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Photo by Wahaj Bani Moufleh / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by WAHAJ BANI MOUFLEH/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

US sanctions Sudan's Hemedti, declares RSF committed genocide

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemedti), now de facto deputy military leader, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022.

US unveils Syria sanctions exemption to bolster aid relief

The US Treasury Department building is seen in Washington, on Jan. 19, 2023.

Vehicles move past as people queue outside the main headquarters of the Central Bank of Syria to exchange US dollars at prices lower than the black market.

Who is Maysaa Sabrine, first woman to lead Central Bank of Syria?

Syria’s new leadership has appointed Maysaa Sabrine to head the country’s central bank, the first woman to do so in the institution’s history.

Traffic flows on a main road past electricity transmission towers in Tehran, on Dec. 16, 2024.

Iran's energy crisis shuts 80 power plants as rial plummets: What to know

Amid freezing temperatures and increased demand for heat, Iran is facing an acute energy crisis that has all but shut down the country.

Bavar missiles are displayed during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of the outbreak of Iran's 1980-1988 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, in Tehran on Sept. 21, 2024.

Analysis

Two months on, Iran’s ‘inevitable’ retaliation against Israel stalls, fueling frustration

The Islamic Republic is facing questions about its regional strength, and ferocious criticism from its loyalists, as it rethinks a promised response to Israel's October missile attack amid massive defense setbacks and fears of a yet more devastating cycle of escalation.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) speaks with Russia's energy giant Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller as they visit the Lakhta Centre skyscraper, the headquarters of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom in Saint Petersburg on June 5, 2024. (Photo by Kirill MOROZOV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL MOROZOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey, Hungary receive US sanctions waiver to pay Russia's Gazprombank

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar says the exemption has been granted.

A convoy carrying humanitarian aid arrives in Syria after crossing the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, on Sept. 19, 2023.

Web of sanctions hinders US aid to post-Assad Syria

A patchwork of preexisting sanctions on Syria complicates any effort by the US government to surge aid to the war-battered country.

Members of the Syrian community in Berlin hold flags of Syria and Germany as they celebrate the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, Dec. 8, 2024.

Analysis

EU seeks channels with HTS as it grapples with post-Assad Syria

The European Union will need a creative solution to establish communications with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a designated terror organization and the caretaker government in Syria.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

An anti-government fighter covers his ears as a multi-barrel rocket launcher fires against regime forces, in the northern outskirts of Syria's west-central city of Hama on Dec. 4, 2024.

Analysis

Rebel offensive to force Syria onto Trump’s agenda

With just over a month before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Syria’s forgotten war has reignited.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Senior Iranian and Chinese officials held talks in Tehran on expanding bilateral ties in various areas, particularly in the economic field.

Senior China delegation in Iran to discuss 'strategic partnership,' economic ties

Iran hosted a Chinese delegation on Tuesday and Wednesday in a step to solidify a 2021 strategic partnership agreement, but can the two countries’ partnership weather the upcoming Donald Trump presidency?

A man walks past a mural depicting slain commander of the IRGC's Quds Force Qasem Soleimani in Caracas, Venezuela, on April 26, 2024.

Iran defense chief visits Venezuela, talks energy, trade: What we know

Iran and Venezuela are working to repair oil ties after the reimposition of US sanctions on the South American country and the looming return of President Donald Trump to the White House.

Israeli settlers walk through a street in Hebron's old city. Security is reinforced for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, West Bank, on Oct. 22, 2024.

US unveils new West Bank sanctions amid calls to target Israeli ministers

The latest sanctions come after nearly 90 Democratic lawmakers urged the administration to penalize Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Iran, Russia link payment networks in bid to bypass sanctions

The financial partnership connects the national payment frameworks, aiming to boost trade and tourism between the two sanctioned nations — yet key challenges remain.

Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan on Oct. 22, 2024.

Iran's Pezeshkian slams Israel at start of BRICS summit in Russia

The summit in the Russian city of Kazan is the first since Iran, Egypt and the UAE joined BRICS as full members.