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Iran

September 15, 2026

Tehran 4:35 pm

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VTB Bank in Moscow

US hits major Russian bank VTB with Iran-linked sanctions

State-controlled VTB becomes one of the most prominent global names yet caught up in Washington’s ongoing effort to squeeze Iran's economy.

Milak border crossing near the town of Zabol, Iran

Third Sunni cleric killed in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province: What to know

Iran says it is stepping up its crackdown on armed groups in the impoverished province as Sunni clerics have been reported killed there and in the predominantly Kurdish northwest.

AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Saudi pipeline shutdown exposes shrinking global oil-supply buffers

Oil prices have climbed to their highest since May as disruptions to flows through the Strait of Hormuz and the temporary shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline tighten global supply.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

A sailor from the navy of Yemen's Aden-based internationally recognized government stands at a machine-gun position aboard a vessel patrolling a shipping lane off Hanish Island in the Red Sea on July 27, 2026.

Oil tops $109 after Houthi strikes, Saudi pipeline shutdown

The Houthi militia said on Monday that it fired dozens of drones and ballistic missiles at military targets in Saudi Arabia in retaliation for airstrikes by Riyadh in Yemen.

Latest News

Analysis

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

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

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

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

Analysis

Could Iran’s nuclear ambitions harden as war escalates?

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

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Analysis

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

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)

Jared Szuba

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

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

Khamenei says no talks with current US administration

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would not negotiate with the Trump administration.

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah carry flags and pictures of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad during a rally marking al-Quds Day, (Jerusalem Day) in Maroun Al-Ras village, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon June 8, 2018. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RC150991C950

Hezbollah's role evolving in Syria as Assad nears victory

As the forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad move in on the last major rebel stronghold, speculation is turning to what the future might hold for Hezbollah in Syria.

Syrians wave Iranian, Russian and Syrian flags during a protest against U.S.-led air strikes in Damascus,Syria April 14,2018.REUTERS/ Omar Sanadiki - RC151A9ED3D0

Iran readjusts its Syria strategy amid Russia’s changing role

Having achieved military victory in the key southwestern region of Syria, Iran is actively maneuvering to redefine its approach to securing its aims in the war-torn country.

Iran-Iraq tensions rise as Tehran demands war compensation

Tensions between Baghdad and Tehran grow after Iraq's prime minister said his country would abide by US sanctions against Iran, while the latter demands compensation for damages in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War.

Did Trump’s double-speak ‘blow’ chances of Rouhani meeting?

The Iranian and US presidents are slated to address the UN General Assembly on the same day next month — but the prospect of direct talks between the two leaders remains dim given the harsh rhetoric and contradictory stances of the US administration.

Syrians gather at a site of car bomb in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on August 2, 2018. - Idlib is the last of four "de-escalation" zones agreed by world powers in 2017 where the rebels still have a major presence. Strategically important Idlib province shares a border with rebel-backer Turkey and is adjacent to Latakia, a regime stronghold on the Mediterranean. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey’s time running out in Idlib

Syrian Kurds could be a wild card in a possible showdown between Damascus and Ankara; Russia keeps the peace, for now, on the Israel-Syria border; Israel may have opened a new front of secret assassinations; the political economy of Iran’s protests.

The interest group economics wreaking havoc on Iran's currency

Absent tackling such root issues as banking and financial sector reform, Iran’s political economy is likely to continue to shape government policy to the detriment of the economy and the society as a whole.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 20, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC16A27D6260

Will Iraq comply with US-imposed Iran sanctions?

Iraq is willing to abide by US sanctions against Iran, according to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, yet pro-Iranian parties and militias slammed Abadi, calling for support for Iran against these sanctions.

Iranian media stunned by Iraqi PM's compliance with US sanctions

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's decision to cooperate with US sanctions has surprised a number of analysts and media in Iran.

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

Iran's presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi (3rd R) joins a crowd of supporters in Tehran June 17, 2009. REUTERS/Demotix (IRAN POLITICS ELECTIONS CONFLICT) - GM1E56I0IW301

Freeing Green Movement leaders is losing value as trump card for Tehran

While the Iranian political establishment could once have energized the disheartened public via the release of the detained Green Movement leaders, such a step is no longer likely to have the same impact it once would have had.

Why Iran isn't concerned over US plans for 'Arab NATO'

Contrary to what some may have expected, Iran does not appear concerned about US efforts to set up an "Arab NATO" — and for good reasons.

Talk of referendum on Trump meeting goes viral in Iran

The idea of holding referendums in Iran is generating lots of posts on social media, especially a vote on President Hassan Rouhani possibly meeting with Donald Trump, a topic on which the print media is largely steering clear.