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Iran

November 8, 2026

Tehran 11:11 am

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People vote on Election Day during the midterm elections

Analysis

From sanctions relief to deterrence: How Iran reads US elections

Iran's negotiators now view US elections through the lens of political pressure and the costs of conflict, while even Javad Zarif frames diplomacy as part of deterrence.

Jamshid Jamshidi

By Jamshid Jamshidi

Alexey BABUSHKIN / AFP via Getty Images

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.

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 Quds Force denies deaths in Israeli airstrikes in Syria

The Afghan Fatemiyoun also denied members were hit, but said Syrian army personnel were killed.

Iranians walk past a poster depicting late Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani (R) and nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, assassinated last month, in the capital Tehran, on December 30, 2020. - On January 3, Iraq will mark a year since a US drone strike killed Soleimani, head of the elite external operations of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, alongside Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq's powerful Tehran-aligned Hashed Al-Shaabi paramilitary network, nearly sparking a conflict that ma

Iran to manufacture uranium metal in latest violation of nuclear deal

Tehran officials informed the United Nations' nuclear watchdog that assembly equipment is being prepared to produce the nuclear fuel.

Rouhani compares Trump to Shah of Iran

President Hassan Rouhani said in a recent speech that despite all the pressure, US policy toward Iran has failed.

US labels deputy head of Iraq’s PMU a terrorist

The United States accused Abu Fadak of involvement in kidnappings and of attempting to align Iraq's security institution's with Iran's foreign policy.

Iran kicks off naval missile drills in Gulf of Oman, to renew patrols in Red Sea

Iran's Navy will resume patrols in the Red Sea, the Chief of Staff of the armed forces said

Pompeo, Israel send message to Iran with bold airstrikes in Syria

In a rare acknowledgement, a US official said Washington provided intelligence support for the strikes.

Iran offers to help Iraq reconstruct damaged archaeological masterpiece

Iran has expressed interest in helping repair the Taq Kasra, the remains of a pre-Islamic Persian palace in Iraq with a historically significant archway.

Iran’s Rouhani expects economic relief after Trump departure

Iran’s president assured his nation of economic relief “in the months to come” following the “overthrow” of his outgoing US counterpart, Donald Trump.

Mask-clad school children hold Iranian national flags as they sit distanced apart from each other in the yard of a school while attending a speech by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani by video conference, at Nojavanan school in the capital Tehran on the first day of schools re-opening on September 5, 2020, while in the background a billboard is seen showing a boy holding a flag together with Qasem Soleimani, the late commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) next to a Farsi quote by the country's s

Khamenei's vaccine ban paints dismal picture of Iranian health care

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed shortcomings in health care systems across the globe, and Iran is no exception.

Fate of seized South Korean tanker, crew out of Iran’s hands, says foreign minister

The decision is the latest in a growing financial dispute between Tehran and Seoul ignited by US sanctions.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the National Press Club in Washington,DC on January 12, 2021. - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged Tuesday that arch-enemy Iran has become a new "home base" for Al-Qaeda worse than Afghanistan, an assertion questioned by experts. (Photo by Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW HARNIK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Pompeo dubs Iran new 'home base' of al-Qaeda

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Tehran of enabling the terrorist group by providing safe havens and logistical support.

Iran says it won’t expel nuclear watchdog inspectors

Government officials stressed that international watchdog inspectors will not be expelled from Iran’s nuclear sites, rejecting a senior lawmaker’s statement that such a plan was in the pipeline if the United States failed to lift sanctions against Tehran.