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Iran

November 7, 2026

Tehran 10:28 pm

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Analysis

Iran turns to Putin as war, US election reshape strategic calculations

A Kremlin meeting with Iran's top security official coupled with reports of new arms deals amid looming war demonstrate Tehran's push to turn vulnerability into strategic leverage.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Tump

Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

As Trump weighs Iran strikes, possible nuclear opening emerges

Sticking points include Iran's highly enriched uranium and lack of access for international inspectors.

Latest News

Russia to provide Iran with 90 missile launchers as military ties grow: Reports

Russian Mil Mi-8 military helicopters fly over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy, northeastern Hasakeh province, Syria, Feb. 4, 2021.

Turkey says soldier killed by gunfire from Iran at border: What to know

A sign marking the border of Turkey in Van, Turkey, on March 14, 2026.

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

Analysis

Iran cheers Democrats’ midterm victory but fears Trump's next move

Iranians walk along a building installed with a giant poster depicting Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a rally in front of the former US embassy to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, in Tehran on Nov. 4, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

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

Sabena Siddiqui

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

A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Benjamin Houghton

In Durham, reporting on China in the Middle East

Rahim Rahimov

In Baku, reporting on Middle East-Caucasus ties

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi watches combat drones alongside high-ranking officials and commanders during a military parade marking the country's annual army day in Tehran on April 18, 2023.

New US sanctions target network supporting Iran's drone program

Since September, the Biden administration has issued multiple rounds of sanctions targeting Iran’s drone and missile programs.

US Treasury Department

UK sanctions Lebanon art dealer accused of financing Hezbollah

Already sanctioned by the United States back in 2019, Lebanese art dealer Nazem Said Ahmad was sanctioned by the British government on Tuesday.

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi watches combat drones alongside high-ranking officials and commanders during a military parade marking the country's annual army day in Tehran on April 18, 2023.

Iran flaunts military hardware on Army Day as it threatens Israel

At a moment of escalating war of words, Iran's president said Israel will face destruction should it strike his country, which the Jewish state has long considered as an existential threat.

Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers in China

Analysis

Saudi-Israeli normalization drifts further away as Riyadh courts Iran

The planned visit by a Hamas delegation to Riyadh reflects Saudi Arabia's new diplomatic priorities, which do not include normalization with Israel.

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

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel meet with Reza Pahlavi, son of late Iranian Shah, Jerusalem, April 17 2023.

Son of Iran’s shah Pahlavi arrives in Israel on controversial visit

Reza and Yasmine Pahlavi arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday in a visit that could further fuel tension between Iran and Israel

A woman walks with an umbrella at Enghelab Square in Iran's capital Tehran on December 5, 2022. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

China's Saudi-Iran deal clouded by uncertainty on protests, nuclear talks

The evolution of the Saudi-Iranian agreement hinges the factors that led to it: Iran’s nuclear program and political unrest, future of Russia’s war in Ukraine, US-China relations, and whether these will lead to a new world order.

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Cyberattacks strike Israeli banks as Iran celebrates Quds Day

A group called "Anonymous Sudan" took responsibility for coordinated cyberattacks on Israeli banks and the Israel Post.

(L-R) Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose for a photo before a trilateral meeting on Syria in Tehran on July 19, 2022. (Photo by Sergei SAVOSTYANOV / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SAVOSTYANOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey hopes Iran will play constructive role in Syria thaw

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu acknowledged difficulties so far but called on Iran to make a constructive contribution to the high-level talks between Turkey, Syria and Russia.

A man pulls a cart loaded with boxes in Tehran on February 21, 2023. - Iran's currency plunged to new lows on January 20 amid fresh European Union sanctions, crossing the psychologically important rate of 500,000 rials to a dollar in foreign exchange markets. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

China’s growing role in Middle East won’t solve Iran’s economic woes

Bijan Khajehpour

Bijan Khajehpour

In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics

A Taliban security personnel take pictures of his colleague using a mobile phone at the Wazir Akbar Khan hilltop overlooking the Kabul city on April 4, 2023.

Iran, Russia, China FMs meet, see opportunity in post-US Afghanistan

The summit in Uzbekistan brought together regional powers who have been competing in the vacuum left by the US departure from Afghanistan.

Here are the biggest Middle East disclosures in the leaked intel docs

Turkey, Israel and the United Arab Emirates are among the Middle East countries named in a major leak of classified US intelligence documents.

The US Central Command Commander General Michael Kurilla speaks at the 18th IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain's capital on November 19, 2022. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

CENTCOM eyeing artificial intelligence to counter Iran’s drones, says Kurilla

The top commander of US forces in the Middle East expressed concerns over China's inroads the region and told Al-Monitor he wants to turn up the heat at the next Red Sands exercise in Saudi Arabia to simulate more complex drone attacks.

Washington Connection