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Iran

May 7, 2026

Tehran 7:51 pm

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Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on May 6, 2026. Credit: Telegram

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

China understands how badly Trump wants an exit from the conflict. But timing is critical: if no agreement is reached before Trump arrives in China on Wednesday, Beijing would be better positioned to set the agenda.

Joyce Karam

An Iranian woman holds up an image of Iran's new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

Iran president says he held official meeting with Mojtaba Khamenei: What to know

The president’s announcement marks the first public confirmation of a meeting between a senior official and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly since the start of the war.

Latest News

Iran, China discuss Hormuz reopening amid potential US-Iran talks

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second right, talks to his Iranian Counterpart Abbas Araghchi, left, during the bilateral meeting in Beijing, Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

Rubio warns Iran of 'total defeat' if it refuses deal

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on May 5, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Analysis

Iran's Gulf gambit: Attacking the UAE to shift US calculations

A billboard with the image of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wraps the front of a building in Tehran on May 5, 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 nuclear

Pessimism prevails as Iran nuclear talks resume

Ahead of the new round, Iran’s foreign minister expressed doubt that the Western sides were ready to accept Tehran’s demands, while the United States spoke of “additional measures” if diplomacy was heading toward failure.

Dubai skyline

US to warn UAE banks, firms against sanctioned Iran dealings

The Wall Street Journal reports that US officials will warn petrochemical companies, private firms and banks of "extreme risk" for noncompliance.

Iran minister

The Takeaway: What to expect in next round of Iran nuclear talks

Iran’s dismal economy; Saudi defense reforms; Sudan-Ethiopia border dispute; Israeli settlements increase in Hebron; Mosul’s robot waiter; Luxor’s long-lost fertility goddess.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran security head claims US seeks to resurrect Islamic State

A top Iranian official attributed the ouster of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq to Tehran-backed militias while claiming that Washington seeks to revive the extremist group.

Iranian diplomat and political deputy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran Ali Bagheri Kani, in London, on Nov. 11, 2021.

Iran says window for talks not 'open forever' as Vienna dialogue resumes

Iran insists that it wants the original terms of the nuclear deal fully implemented.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani (R), and members of his delegation are seen leaving the Coburg Palais in Vienna on Dec. 3, 2021.

Iran's chief negotiator says burden is on West, not Iran, for next move in nuclear talks

Ali Bagheri Kani may wait for the other side to bring "something to the table" now.

In this handout provided by the EU Delegation in Vienna, Representatives of the European Union (L) and Iran (R) attend the Iran nuclear talks at the Grand Hotel on April 06, 2021 in Vienna, Austria.

Iran official says Tehran relied on prior agreements at Vienna talks

An Iranian official has said that their country’s draft of recommendations was based on the nuclear deal and did not discard the previous round of talks.

rugs

How feasible is Raisi’s economic roadmap for Iran?

The ministry of finance's new set of economic goals and timelines outlines lofty ambitions but ignores the current limits that sanctions place on Iran's international trade.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani.

Israel weighs options, timing of possible military strike on Iran

Despite deadlock in Vienna, expert/technical talks may have a faint pulse.

Ghaani

Iran's Quds Force chief warns US as hopes for nuclear accord fade

Esmail Ghaani implied that Iran is able to strike at the US in ways it once could not.

VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP via Getty Images

Iran accuses Israel of poisoning nuclear talks

Iran's sharp rebuke followed reports that Israel had shared intelligence with Western partners alleging that Iran's nuclear enrichment has nearly reached weapons-producing levels.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, on Aug. 25, 2021.

Bennett urges Blinken to end Iran talks over 'nuclear blackmail'

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called for an "immediate cessation of negotiations" in Vienna.