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Iran

July 9, 2026

Tehran 11:56 pm

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Why US strikes on Iran rail bridge signal shift in Hormuz conflict

A US missile strike on the railway bridge linking Iran to Central and East Asia suggests the White House is once again flirting with politically coercive tactics after the June agreement failed to halt Iran's attacks on Hormuz shipping.

(Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

US strikes strategic railway bridge linking Iran to China: What to know

The railway bridge also links Tehran and other southern cities to Mashhad, where large crowds are gathering for the burial ceremony on Thursday of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian NOPO special police officers stand guard in front of a large portrait of Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at Valiasr square on July 3, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

As Trump declares deal 'over,' IRGC takes lead in shaping Iran's response

While President Donald Trump has declared the US-Iran memorandum over, Tehran's response suggests it is recalibrating — not abandoning — its strategy as military pressure increasingly eclipses diplomacy.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Feature

Armenia's Pashinyan keeps Iran close while wooing Trump, Turkey and Azerbaijan

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (R) shakes hands with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian during his visit in Yerevan on July 19, 2025. (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN / AFP) (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Oil soars more than 6% as Trump rules out Iran deal, threatens more strikes

A cargo ship is pictured off coast of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on June 28, 2026.

US airstrikes hit Iran after tankers attacked in Hormuz

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, prepares to take off from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026 at Sea.

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

Russia’s governor to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mikhail Ulyanov, is interviewed as he leaves after the Iran nuclear talks on April 6, 2021, in Vienna, Austria. Representatives from the United States, Iran, the European Union and other participants from the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are meeting both directly and indirectly over possibly reviving the plan.

Russia describes latest Iran nuclear talks as 'positive'

The talks in Vienna come less than a week after a suspected Israeli attack on an Iranian nuclear facility.

In this handout provided by the EU Delegation in Vienna, Representatives of the European Union, Iran and others attend the Iran nuclear talks at the Grand Hotel on April 15, 2021, in Vienna, Austria.

Iran says it's capable of enriching uranium with 90% purity

The Iranian president said his country possesses the know-how to enrich uranium at the weapons-grade 90% level, but he declared that Tehran is not in pursuit of nuclear bombs.

A man walks past a mural painted on the outer walls of the former US Embassy in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Sept. 29, 2020.

Iran not backing down in Middle East, US intel report says

The Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign did not stop Tehran's ambitions in the region, ODNI report suggests.

Men view the covers of local newspapers laid out at a stall in the Shemiran district of Iran's capital, Tehran, on April 14, 2021. Iran warned it would start enriching uranium up to 60% purity after an explosion it blamed on archenemy Israel hit its key nuclear facility in Natanz.

Iran says 60% uranium enrichment an answer to attack

President Hassan Rouhani says the recent decision to enrich uranium to 60% is in response to the alleged Israeli attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility.

Britain's Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State Dominic Raab (R) walks from the Foreign Office toward 10 Downing Street in central London on Jan. 6, 2020. The leaders of Germany, France and Britain on Sunday urged Iran to drop measures that go against the 2015 nuclear deal after Tehran announced it would no longer abide by a limit on enrichment.

European powers voice 'grave concern' over Iran's uranium enrichment plan

Following the alleged Israeli attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, Tehran has announced it will enrich uranium to 60% purity.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) meets with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell (R) in the capital, Tehran, on Feb. 3, 2020.

EU blacklist of Iran commanders strikes a nerve in Tehran

Tehran said the European Union cannot preach human rights and announced a halt in cooperation with the bloc on fighting terrorism and narcotics after the latter sanctioned Iranian commanders over human rights violations.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a press conference at the International Conference on the Legal-International Claims of the Holy Defense in the capital Tehran on Feb. 23, 2021.

Iran's foreign minister calls attack on nuclear site 'bad gamble'

Mohammad Javad Zarif said Sunday's explosion at the Natanz nuclear facility will "strengthen" Iran amid ongoing indirect talks with the United States on the nuclear deal.

Iranians holding national flags and pictures of the Islamic republic's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, take part in a pro-government demonstration in the capital, Tehran's, central Enghelab Square on Nov. 25, 2019, to condemn days of "rioting" that Iran blames on its foreign foes. In a shock announcement 10 days ago, Iran raised the price of petrol by up to 200%, triggering nationwide protests in a country whose economy has been battered by US sanctions.

Iran's authorities reopen wounds of 2019 deadly crackdown

One and a half years after they crushed the November 2019 protests with an iron fist, Iranian authorities are not just dodging responsibility, but they are also adding insult to injury.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami speaks during a pro-government rally in the capital, Tehran's, central Enghelab Square on Nov. 25, 2019. In a shock announcement 10 days ago, Iran had raised the price of petrol by up to 200 %, triggering nationwide protests in a country whose economy has been battered by US sanctions.

EU hits Iranian officials with sanctions over human rights abuses

The eight individuals sanctioned include the head of the Revolutionary Guards and the commander of the Basij forces.

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

US denies involvement in attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear site

Iran has blamed Israel for the attack on its Natanz nuclear site.

Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images

Iran hard-liners call for end to Vienna talks after attack on nuclear facility

The second attack on a nuclear facility in five months has prompted calls for Iran to quit talks on reviving the nuclear deal.

abbas araghchi in Vienna

White House faces tough task of tearing down Iran sanctions wall to save nuclear deal

In Trump's final days, the White House introduced a slew of new sanctions aimed at hindering a return to the nuclear deal. Yet since the designations were so blatantly politicized, the risk of undoing them is politically manageable.