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June 12, 2026

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Members of the Iranian national soccer team including midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh (R) arrive at Tijuana International Airport on June 7, 2026, in Tijuana, Mexico.

Culture

World Cup opens amid visa disputes for Iran, Iraq and Somalia

Iran says a number of team staff were denied entry into the US, with Trump administration officials touting efforts to prevent affiliates of designated terrorist groups from entering.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Bessent says Iran's frozen assets will pay for Gulf damage, Hormuz tolls

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that any damage Iran inflicts on Gulf allies will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian accounts.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Explainer

US strategic oil stockpile nears four-decade low as Iran war drags on

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 349.2 million barrels amid the global energy shock caused by the war in Iran.

President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One prior to departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York, on June 9, 2026.

Trump weighs releasing billions to Iran after blasting past payments

As mediators scramble to broker a peace deal, a key hurdle remains the release of Iranian assets frozen under US sanctions.

Latest News

Trump vows continued ‘very hard’ strikes on Iran as negotiators leave Qatar

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Trump launches new airstrikes on Iran as deal stalls

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, prepares to take off from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026 at Sea.

US, Iran trade strikes after downing of Apache helicopter: What to know

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, makes an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury, Feb. 28, 2026

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

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks at a rocket warhead tip after a simulated test of atmospheric re-entry of a ballistic missile, at an unidentified location in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on March 15, 2016. REUTERS/KCNA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR A

Netanyahu's road to Iran runs through North Korea

Israel fears that if North Korea continues to develop its nuclear arsenal, Iran will no longer agree to restraints on its nuclear program.

A picture taken on November 10, 2016 in the Iranian capital Tehran shows local newspapers displaying articles on US president-elect Donald Trump a day after his election.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on November 9 there was "no possibility" of its nuclear deal with world powers being overturned by US president-elect Donald Trump despite his threat to rip it up.

/ AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranians react harshly to US visa ban

Iranian officials and media react harshly to US President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban the entry of Iranian citizens to the United States.

Women sit on a park bench in Tehran June 9, 2009. Iranians vote on Friday in the 10th presidential election since the 1979 Islamic revolution which toppled the U.S.-backed Shah. Three decades after the revolution, Reuters invited some older Iranians who witnessed the Shah's overthrow to look back at the changes they have lived through. To match feature IRAN-ELECTION/REVOLUTION REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR24JM3

Why pension funds in Iran could face bankruptcy tsunami

Years of mismanagement and populist legislation, coupled with an increasingly ageing population, have driven Iranian pension funds to the brink of mass bankruptcy.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during the 2017 "Congress of Tomorrow" Joint Republican Issues Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. January 26, 2017. REUTERS/Mark Makela - RTSXK0Z

British leader defends Iran deal in meetings with Republicans

British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to urge Donald Trump not to mess with the nuclear deal after delivering the same message to congressional Republicans.

U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (standing, L-R), Vice President Mike Pence and Staff Secretary Rob Porter welcomes reporters into the Oval Office for him to sign his first executive orders at the White House in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSWLVK

Iranian conservative, Reformist media jointly lash out at Trump’s planned visa ban

Donald Trump’s reported decision to at least temporarily ban Iranians from entering the United States has angered Iranians, leading a prominent actress to boycott the upcoming Academy Awards. Meanwhile, Iranian media are warning the government to prepare for the new US administration’s other possibly punitive measures.

An Iranian anti-narcotics policeman stands guard beside a display of confiscated drugs during a ceremony concluding anti-narcotics manoeuvres in Zahedan, 1,605 kilometers (1,003 miles) southeast of Tehran May 20, 2009. The head of the U.N. crime agency praised Iran during a visit on Wednesday for curbing the flow of smuggled heroin from Afghanistan and helping keep the drug off Western streets. Picture taken May 20, 2009. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN CRIME LAW POLITICS SOCIETY) - RTXKL1B

Debate over sterilizing homeless women addicts resurfaces in Iran

A proposal to sterilize homeless women who are addicted to drugs has stirred heated debate in Iran again, with conservatives using the issue to attack President Hassan Rouhani's administration.

King Salman of Saudi Arabia (front L) is pictured with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (front R) during a family photo session at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Istanbul Summit in Istanbul, Turkey April 14, 2016. Picture taken April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Onur Coban/Pool - RTX2A4TB

Are Iran, Saudi Arabia about to reconcile?

News has surfaced of Saudi King Salman having sent condolences after the death of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, as Kuwait’s foreign minister visits Tehran to reportedly deliver a message from the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) speaks during a news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in Baghdad, July 27, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad - RTX1M0DA

Will Iraq succeed in bringing Iran, Saudi Arabia closer?

Iraq has been stepping up its mediation efforts to achieve a Saudi-Iranian reconciliation amid a conducive political and economic environment.

An Iranian man holds a local newspaper displaying a portrait of Donald Trump a day after his election as the new US president, in the capital Tehran, on November 10, 2016.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on November 9 there was "no possibility" of its nuclear deal with world powers being overturned by US president-elect Donald Trump despite his threat to rip it up.

/ AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranians believe Trump will violate nuclear deal

A new poll shows Iranian dissatisfaction with economic gains since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action went into effect and apprehension about the policies of the new Trump administration.

Top Iranian cleric Ahmad Khatami (L) speaks with former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani during an opening session of the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body that supervises the performance of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran August 29, 2006.
REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN) - RTR1GSC2

Who will replace Rafsanjani as chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council?

The question of who will replace Rafsanjani as the chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council is being discussed in the Iranian media following the ayatollah's Jan. 8 death.

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

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, delivers the opening speech during the biannual meeting of the assembly in Tehran September 22, 2009. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN POLITICS) - RTR284SA

Will Rafsanjani’s death draw Iran, Egypt farther apart?

As Egypt paid its condolences to the death of former Iranian President Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, many observers do not expect Rafsanjani's death to affect the rapprochement attempts between both countries.

President-elect Donald Trump, left, and President Barack Obama arrive for Trump's inauguration ceremony at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S. January 20, 2017. REUTERS/J. Scott Applewhite/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSWLA4

Iranians ponder Obama’s legacy with rise of Trump

Barack Obama’s departure from the White House leaves Iranians divided about his legacy, with some calling his presidency a "great opportunity for Iran that is now gone."