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May 13, 2026

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US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.

Analysis

Ahead of Trump-Xi summit, Iran looks to China as guarantor — but with reservations

Tehran is closely watching the Trump-Xi meeting to determine whether China will continue acting primarily as a protector or if it will gradually emerge as the power capable of pressuring Iran into a narrower strategic corner.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

TTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages

Kuwait unveils Iran IRGC infiltration plot, arrests 4: What to know

According to Kuwaiti authorities, four suspects arrested earlier this month after attempting to enter the country illegally via the sea confessed to belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and planning attacks against Kuwait.

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Panamanian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

US hits China-linked Iran oil trade with sanctions ahead of Trump trip

The sanctions come after the United States rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war.

Latest News

Trump calls Iran response 'piece of garbage,' set to meet military advisers

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 2: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on May 2, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago resort. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

China’s overland trade routes offer Iran wartime economic lifeline: What to know

CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images

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 Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iran's counterpart Javad Zarif shake hands after a news conference following their meeting in Moscow, Russia, September 2, 2019. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina? TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1972936350

Intel: Why Russia boosts Iran even as Tehran pares nuclear deal commitments

Despite their differences on Syria, Russia needs a stronger Iran as its partner.

Will PMU form an air force unit?

Iran-backed PMU factions are trying to form a PMU air force unit with Iranian support, but the top PMU leader says no.

The interplay between exchange rates and inflation in Iran

While the Iranian rial has strengthened against the dollar, inflation remains high, and the budget deficit is not helping the matter.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks to the news media after giving a television interview at the White House in Washington, U.S. December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis - RC1936F926B0

As Trump mulls Iran diplomacy, Mnuchin plays more visible role

As US President Donald Trump mulls Iran diplomacy, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is playing a more visible role.

Child marriage nullified after social media outrage in Iran

After video of an 11-year-old bride surfaced online, a popular backlash prompted the authorities to investigate and prosecute the groom, the officiant and the girl's father.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi (R) speaks as the head of the country's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, listens during a nuclear deal review meeting in Tehran August 9, 2015. Dozens of companies tied to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, a military force commanding a powerful industrial empire with huge political influence, will win sanctions relief under a nuclear deal agreed with world powers. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIR

Iran set for 'extraordinary' breach of nuclear deal commitments

Iran says it is gearing up to take a crucial step toward further reducing its compliance with the nuclear deal, as officials see no immediate tangible outcome from talks with the European signatories to the accord.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, head of Iran's Judiciary, listens to the opening speech during the Assembly of Experts' biannual meeting in Tehran September 14, 2010. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION CRIME LAW) - GM1E69E15YO01

Is hard-line Ayatollah Larijani facing the beginning of his end?

Iran's powerful Larijani family has made many enemies over the years, a legacy that might be catching up with at least one member, Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani.

TEHRAN, IRAN - SEPTEMBER 3: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY MANDATORY CREDIT - "IRANIAN PRESIDENCY / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivers a speech during the parliamentary session held to receive votes of confidence for 4 ministers at the Iranian Parliament, in Tehran, Iran on September 3, 2019. (Photo by Iranian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Rouhani dismisses bilateral talks with US, claims economic recovery

Iran's president has dismissed any bilateral dialogue with the US government, saying Washington's "maximum pressure" campaign has failed to bring Iran to its knees.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iran's counterpart Javad Zarif shake hands after a news conference following their meeting in Moscow, Russia, September 2, 2019. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina? - RC1701538170

Intel: How Russia and Iran are drawing closer on Gulf, Syria

The Russian and Iranian foreign ministers met in Moscow to discuss regional issues and opportunities for cooperation.

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during a joint press conference at the end of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, August 26, 2019. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer - RC128C49AAC0

Rouhani says he doesn’t want photo-op with Trump — but maybe he should

French President Emmanuel Macron, the man in the middle, is appealing to both sides for compromise.

Members of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) carry their weapons as they shout slogans at their headquarters in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq July 2, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RC1F77CF3350

Will Iran retaliate after recent Israeli attacks?

Israel seems to be provoking Iran by striking the latter's proxies in Iraq and Lebanon. But Tehran is not showing willingness to directly engage in an all-out war with Tel Aviv.

U.S. President Donald Trump stands behind a U.S. Space Command flag with Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Mark Esper at an event to officially launch the United States Space Command in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., August 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1E707D9440

Pentagon touts Space Command as boon to Middle East role

The Donald Trump administration's launch of a Pentagon command to defend US space orbiting satellites could give Middle East commanders a boost in protecting their eyes and ears on the battlefield.