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Iran

May 19, 2026

Tehran 10:11 pm

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A bride and group couple rides in a military jeep arriving for a public mass wedding ceremony at Imam Hossein Square in Tehran on May 18, 2026. Iran said on May 18 that it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that diplomatic exchanges continue despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive. Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict which the US and Israel launched on February 28, but they have held only a sin

Analysis

Israel pushes for full Iran blockade as it awaits Trump's next move

Israel’s preferred strategy, sources told Al-Monitor, calls for a comprehensive naval, economic, land and air blockade of Iran, alongside tighter sanctions and covert activity aimed at destabilizing the regime.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A tugboat guides the Russian oil tanker Anatoly Kolodkin as it arrives at the oil terminal in the port of Matanzas, northwestern Cuba, on March 31, 2026.

US extends Russian oil sanctions waiver as Iran war squeezes supply

The waiver temporarily lifts sanctions on Russian oil for 30 days.

Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images

Oil swings as UAE nuclear plant strike, Iran diplomacy push roil markets

International benchmark Brent crude futures whipsawed on Monday as markets digested a dangerous new escalation alongside signs of diplomatic progress.

Latest News

Iran confiscates assets of 129 alleged ‘traitors’ in West Azerbaijan province

Amid FARAHI / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Pakistan’s six corridors offer Iran a trade lifeline, could outlast Hormuz crisis

Iranian cargo trucks cross into the Pakistan-Iran border at Taftan, Balochistan province, on June 18, 2025, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Analysis

From hoarding to unemployment: Iran's economy buckles under US pressure

Women shop from a street vendor at Enghelab Square in the capital Tehran on Nov. 11, 2025.

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

An Iraqi Kurdish man holds a Kurdish flag in Erbil, Iraq October 4, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1CAD913850

Iran wary of Trump’s plans in Iraqi Kurdistan

Iranian concerns about the Trump administration’s plans for Iraqi Kurdistan appear to be tempering Tehran’s fury with Erbil over the Sept. 25 independence referendum.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

IRGC detains brother of Iran’s first vice president

Fresh controversy erupts in Iran with the arrest of the brother of the first vice president.

Iran's parliament speaker moves to position himself as Rouhani’s successor

Moderate-conservative parliament Speaker Ali Larijani’s public appearance next to former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami raises debate on whether he’s preparing to succeed President Hassan Rouhani.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

Head of the Mohammad Rasulallah Revolutionary guard's base Hossein Hamedani (R), Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani (L) and Revolutionary guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari attend a conference to mark the martyrs of terrorism in Tehran September 6, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - GM1E7961ELB01

Trump prompts Rouhani administration, IRGC to close ranks

Despite their many differences, the Rouhani administration and the IRGC are showing a unified stance amid talk of a US plan to designate the Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.

Iranian universities enter Iraq

The collapse of Iraq’s educational system in the years since the US-led invasion has paved the way for foreign actors to step in to fill the void.

Former president Mohammad Khatami arrives to vote during the Iranian presidential election in northern Tehran June 12, 2009. REUTERS/Chavosh Homavandi/jamejamonline (IRAN POLITICS ELECTIONS) - GM1E56C1HCI01

Iran’s former president under more restrictions

In Iran, former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami has reportedly been banned from public appearances for a period of three months.

Iranian conservatives more divided than ever

Five months after their defeat against Hassan Rouhani in Iran’s presidential elections, Iranian conservatives appear more divided than ever.

Saudis could seek Russian bailout in Yemen

Saudi Arabia is eager to put an end to the Yemeni conflict, and Russian mediation is looking like its best option.

Turkey, Iran could unite to overcome their Kurdish worries

The emerging Iran-Turkey rapprochement, driven by their mutual desire to contain the Kurds, has led to agreements on military cooperation, but the odds appear to be against a formal military alliance.

Iran sees challenge of Kurdish referendum as opportunity

After being taken aback by the Kurdish independence vote, Iran is now evolving to view the referendum as an opportunity to forge practical cooperation with affected neighboring states.

Russians, Saudis look to spruce up relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi King Salman reached around their differences to sign lucrative agreements and improve relations, but the differences are still there.

How did haircuts, nail polish become part of Iran's Shiite mourning rituals?

Traditional Shiite mourning rituals for the holy month of Muharram are being altered in Iran by what some see as superficialiity and a lack of religious principle.