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Iran

September 14, 2026

Tehran 3:43 pm

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Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities gather in Sanaa on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

As Houthis seize Bab el-Mandeb, Iran appraises value of new Red Sea card

Iran is celebrating the Houthis' rapid advance toward Bab el-Mandeb, but appears reluctant to act on the win.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

member of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces firing a heavy machine gun

Claude AI used for missile, influence projects in UAE, Iran, Yemen: Anthropic

Military and government actors across the Middle East — from Iran to Yemen to the United Arab Emirates — have used Anthropic's Claude AI model for war planning and influence campaigns.

Pedestrians walk past a wall mural along a street in downtown of Tehran on Aug. 31, 2026.

Analysis

Could Iran’s nuclear ambitions harden as war escalates?

A new report has raised alarm about the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran’s Pickaxe mountain tests limits of Trump’s military options

A secretive Pentagon innovation agency has hastened to test munitions that may penetrate deeper than the GBU-57 bombs dropped on Iran’s two main enrichment facilities.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Latest News

Iran's IRGC set to declare new ‘sanctions zone’ beyond Hormuz: What to know

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

Brent crude sails past $100 as Middle East war intensifies

AFPTV / AFP via Getty Images

US strikes Iranian tankers after attempted attack on Navy ship

Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait off the coast of Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas on September 7, 2026. Iran's top negotiator threatened on September 6 of a more forceful response to any further US attacks after Tehran targeted American warships in their latest round of clashes. The exchanges of fire, which began with US raids last week, come amid a deadlock in the six-month war between the two foes. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

What Houthi setbacks in Yemen mean for Iran's regional influence

Forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government

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

A U.S. soldier from the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division stands guard at a military base north of Mosul, Iraq, February 14, 2017. Picture taken February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RC1D165D9880

Will Iraq ask US troops to leave the country?

US President Donald Trump's recent statement about the role of US troops in Iraq — to keep an eye on Iran — has caused a strong backlash among Iraqi politicians who see this statement as an interference in Iraqi matters.

U.S. Army General Joseph Votel, commander of the U.S. Central Command, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC16CAAD3ED0

Pentagon walks back Trump idea of using Iraq base to counter Iran

US officials downplayed the role of US bases in Iraq to counter Iran after the president pledged to stay in the country to "watch" Tehran’s activities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif addresses a news conference following nuclear negotiations with European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is leading talks with Iran on behalf of the six world powers, at the United Nations in Geneva October 16, 2013. Iran called two days of nuclear talks with six world powers, United States, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and China, that ended on Wednesday "fruitful" and said it hoped for a new phase in relations. He said two sides had for t

Why Europe just made Rouhani’s effort to exit FATF blacklist even harder

The E3’s seeming tying of the launch of its new trade mechanism to Iran’s passing of controversial bills has energized hard-line calls for refusal to accede to the FATF’s action plan.

Hard-liners force Iran's parliament speaker to abort speech

Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani had to cancel a speech scheduled to mark the upcoming 40th anniversary of the country's Islamic Revolution after hard-liners mobilized a harsh unwelcome.

Islamic Jihad, the new lord of Gaza?

The Islamic Jihad has been making it clear to Hamas, Egypt and Israel that the rules of the game have changed in Gaza over the past few months.

Iranian and Afghan boys study in a classroom at the Be'sat school in Kerman, Iran, October 23, 2016. Picture taken on October 23, 2016. REUTERS/Gabriela Baczynska - S1AEUJFKZUAB

Iran's education minister teaches lesson to country's powerful publishers

Iranian education minister’s campaign against the country’s unchallenged educational book publishers seems to be getting him top marks among the public.

Nikolai Patrushev (R), Secretary of the Security Council of Russia (R) listens during the first meeting of national security secretaries of Afghanistan, China, Iran, India and Russia, in the Iranian capital Tehran on September 26, 2018. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Top Russian security officials tour Egypt, Gulf to discuss Syria, Libya

Over the space of a week, top officials in the Russian security apparatus toured Saudia Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt with some intriguing proposals on Syria and Libya.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini take part in meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Brussels, Belgium, May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Pool - RC16D13AE4C0

Why Europe's payment channel may be too little to keep Iran in JCPOA

Iran is inching closer than ever to withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as it finds European steps toward maintaining the deal too little, too late — a perception exacerbated by more European non-nuclear sanctions.

Detained Iranian environmentalist says she was tortured

After a year behind bars, eight Iranian environmentalists appeared in court with the presence of court-approved lawyers.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC1926A26F60

Trump: Israel’s friend in words, not in deeds

US President Donald Trump's isolationist policies in Syria and Afghanistan, coupled with placating gestures toward the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, rather than a push for peace with the Palestinians, are endangering Israel’s security.

The Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) Leaders are seen ahead of their Summit meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 9, 2018. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC1819A5F470

GCC states boxed in by US sanctions on Syria

The United States creates dilemmas for GCC in Syria; Qatar steps up with $500 million Lebanon investment; Netanyahu seeks Arab photo-op in Poland.

Race for reconstruction heats up as Syrian war winds down

As the conflict in Syria winds down and reconstruction begins, Iran is racing alongside other friends and rivals for a role in the future Syrian economy.