Sanctions

A February 6, 2025 photo shows the US Treasury in Washington, DC. Opponents to US President Donald Trump say he allowed Elon Musk -- the world's richest man and a major government contractor -- to break the law by accessing US Treasury payment systems that send out trillions of dollars and hold a welter of sensitive personal data. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

US sanctions Russia-based network for aiding Houthis as strikes continue

The sanctions target several individuals based in Russia accused of assisting Houthi official Sa’id al-Jamal, who has been under US sanctions since 2021.

A mockup of Iran-made Mohajer-10 drone is on exhibition during a rally that marks the 46th anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, on February 10, 2025. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

US sanctions UAE, China firms in crackdown on Iranian drone supplies

The Justice Department also announced criminal charges against two Iranian nationals and an Iranian company over their alleged roles in the drone-procurement network.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa delivers a speech in Damascus on March 29, 2025. Sharaa on March 29 announced a new transitional government dominated by close allies and including one woman, replacing caretaker authorities in place since the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

US says Syria's transitional government a possible step forward

The State Department voiced cautious optimism over the new cabinet, which includes members of Syria’s Christian, Alawite, Druze and Kurdish minorities.

Iranian rials are displayed in Tehran, on July 31, 2019.

Iran’s currency drops to more than 1 million rials to US dollar: What to know

This is yet another record low for Iran’s currency, as the country navigates intense sanctions and US pressure.

Latest News

US slaps sanctions on Iran's oil tankers, targets China 'teapot' refinery

The Iranian-flagged oil tanker Fortune is docked at the El Palito refinery after its arrival to Puerto Cabello in the northern state of Carabobo, Venezuela, on May 25, 2020.

Feature

Syria’s post-Assad economy falters as US stalls on sanctions relief

People gather to celebrate an iftar meal organized by a humanitarian organization, as they break their fast on March 4, 2025, amid the ruins of the Qaboun neighborhood of Damascus, Syria.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

US formally rebrands Yemen's Houthis as foreign terrorist organization

US President Donald Trump shows an executive order withdrawing his country from a number of United Nations bodies in the Oval Office of the White House on February 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order withdrawing his country from a number of United Nations bodies, including its Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and setting up a broader review of US funding for the multilateral organization. The executive order said it withdrew Washington from UNHRC and the main UN relief agency

US sanctions on Iran’s 'shadow' oil fleet target brokers in UAE, China

An oil tanker unloads imported crude oil at Qingdao port in China's eastern Shandong province on May 9, 2022. - China OUT (Photo by AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

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

LAURENS VAN PUTTEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

Senate blocks ICC sanctions bill after Israel arrest warrants

Democrats in the Senate voted on Tuesday to block a bill to place US sanctions on the International Criminal Court, which in November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

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)

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

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders from withdrawing from the World Health Organization to reversing one that sanctioned violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

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 sanctions Sudan's Hemedti, declares RSF committed genocide

The United States also placed sanctions on companies in the United Arab Emirates it said were procuring weapons for the Rapid Support Forces.

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

US unveils Syria sanctions exemption to bolster aid relief

The Biden administration stopped short of lifting the sweeping sanctions meant to punish the Assad regime.

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.