Sanctions

Smoke rises as fire burns, in an alleged site of IRGC's missile launch targeted by Israel on the mountains of Shiraz, Iran on June 21, 2025. Israel attacked Iran in early hours of June 13, and the exchange of fire between the two countries continues ever since. (Photo by Hiroon / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HIROON/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel likely to strike Iran in 2026, European diplomats say

Israel might opt to strike Iran again next year if it assesses that the Tehran-based government is resuming high-level uranium enrichment.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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.

Supporters of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood take part in a protest in the village of Sweimeh, near the Jordanian border with the occupied West Bank, on May 21, 2021.

Analysis

Trump’s Muslim Brotherhood move rekindles US debate over Islamist movement

The executive order targeting Muslim Brotherhood chapters comes after President Trump weighed designating the entire movement in his first term.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Syria signs deals with ConocoPhillips, Novaterra Energy: What to know

Syria signed a memorandum of understanding with US energy companies ConocoPhillips and Novaterra Energy to develop and explore gas fields as Damascus works to revive the country’s battered natural gas sector.

Latest News

Trump buys time with Syria sanctions waiver as Congress wrestles over repeal

A man holds a Syrian flag across the street from the White House after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with US President Donald Trump at White House in Washington on Nov. 10, 2025.

Analysis

Sharaa in Washington: Can US charm offensive boost Syria’s reconstruction?

DAMASCUS, SYRIA - JULY 16: Members of Syria's civil defense work amid the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on Syria's defence ministry headquarters on July 16, 2025 in Damascus, Syria. A spokesperson from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Wednesday that Israeli airstrikes have targeted the headquarters of Syria's defence ministry and a site near the presidential palace in Damascus. The strikes come amid an escalation in conflict between Syrian government forces and Druze militia in the southern Sy

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

UN Security Council votes to lift sanctions on Syria's Sharaa

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visits with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (off frame) during the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on Sept. 24, 2025.

Iran doubles down on Venezuela support as Trump ups threats: What to know

A woman waves an Iranian flag during a rally against Israel's attacks on Iran, in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to call for world peace in Caracas, on June 19, 2025.

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.

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.

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

Targets of the sanctions include a refinery allegedly purchasing Iranian oil from a vessel linked to Yemen's Houthi militant group.

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.

Feature

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

Three months after Syria's rebel takeover, all eyes are on Ahmed al-Sharaa and whether he can stabilize the economy as promised.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

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 formally rebrands Yemen's Houthis as foreign terrorist organization

Critics say the Houthis' blacklisting will hamper aid delivery in the war-torn country.

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

The latest sanctions come after President Donald Trump pledged his administration would drive Iran's oil sales down to zero.

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.