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Iran

September 20, 2026

Tehran 1:22 am

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A picture of Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed during Israeli strikes on Tehran in June, is displayed Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government on Dec. 18, 2025.

Analysis

How a new Baluch militant coalition raises pressure on Iran-Pakistan border

Iran's military standoff with the US may be creating opportunities for Baluch groups to launch operations from the mountainous, sparsely populated frontier region with Pakistan.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march

Analysis

As Iran regime marks 200 days of war, is it also preparing for dissent?

Seven months into the war with the US, Iranian authorities staged a pro-government mobilization in Tehran, combining patriotic spectacle with a carefully calibrated demonstration aimed for domestic internal security capacity.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A pedestrian passes by the Treasury Building in Washington, DC on Jan. 18, 2023.

US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over Hormuz payments

The US government says the exchange was used to channel payments from an Iranian maritime-insurance scheme to the regime.

AFP via Getty Images

China presses Iran, US to reopen Hormuz as disruptions threaten oil supply

Conflicts in the region are disrupting two key routes for oil bound for China, with Iranian crude affected by the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi shipments facing growing risks in the Red Sea.

Latest News

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Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

How far will Iran push Houthis against Saudi Arabia amid raging conflict?

Houthi fighters marching

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 supporter of Iranian presidential candidate Saeed Jalili holds his picture during a rally in Tehran June 12, 2013. Picture taken June 12, 2013. REUTERS/Yalda Moayeri (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTX10M0X

Can Iran's conservatives agree on candidate for upcoming vote?

In Iran, the Principlist camp remains torn by internal strife and continues to fail to agree on a consensus candidate to run against President Hassan Rouhani. Yet, it is too soon to tell whether Rouhani will secure a second term.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waves as he stands next to a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after he registered for February's election of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the supreme leader, at Interior Ministry in Tehran December 21, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX1ZKHQ

Ahead of presidential vote, Khamenei attacks Rouhani’s economy

During Iranian New Year speeches, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani painted starkly different pictures of the Iranian economy, which is turning out to be a weak spot for the president’s re-election campaign.

An Iraqi soldier walks next to a wall painted with the black flag commonly used by Islamic State militants, during a battle with Islamic State militants near Arabi neighborhood, north of Mosul, Iraq, January 21, 2017. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTSWOU6

Iraq’s Sunnis eye post-IS future under regional cover

Under Arab and international sponsorship, Iraq’s Sunni leaders recently attended a conference in Turkey to discuss the future of Sunnis in post-IS Iraq, with the conference sparking Shiite outrage and dissent among other Sunni officials opposed to the Turkish role in Iraq.

The upcoming Iranian elections you haven’t heard about

As Iran is about to hold city council elections, conservatives are bracing themselves for a fierce competition with Reformists and moderates.

Khamenei warns against questioning of election results

In his annual Nowruz speech, Iran’s supreme leader urged the government to ramp up domestic production, while calling on ordinary Iranians to purchase locally made goods.

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani takes part in a press conference near the United Nations General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., September 22, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTSP0V5

Gloom surrounds Rouhani’s budget for new Iranian year

Despite the relative stabilization of the Iranian economy, the Rouhani administration has no choice but to seriously address the issues in the budgeting process if it wishes to realize its goals for economic growth.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in Washington, March 4, 2014. Netanyahu urged world powers on Tuesday not to allow Iran to retain the ability to enrich uranium, saying it must be stripped of all nuclear technologies with bomb-making potential. REUTERS/Mike Theiler (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)

Congress races to craft Iran sanctions bills ahead of AIPAC conference

Lawmakers hope to have bipartisan legislation ready when thousands of pro-Israel advocates descend on Capitol Hill next week.

U.S. soldiers gather near military vehicles at an army base in Karamless town, east of Mosul, Iraq, December 25, 2016. Picture taken December 25, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX2WHHJ

The coming Iran-US confrontation in Iraq

With the operation to seize Mosul from the Islamic State coming to an end, it appears that Iran and the United States are on the path to a showdown in Iraq.

Iran’s supreme leader calls for 'economy of resistance' in Nowruz message

As is custom, Iran’s supreme leader and president have issued video messages on the occasion of the Iranian New Year, expressing a need for further focus on economic matters.

A protester, holding a Bahraini flag, confronts a riot police armoured personnel carrier in an attempt to stop it from entering the village of Bilad Al Qadeem south of Manama, January 6, 2015.
Bahraini police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to scatter protesters who gathered outside the home of Sheikh Ali Salman, a Shi'ite Muslim opposition leader on Monday, witnesses said, after he was remanded in custody for a further 15 days. Around 100 protesters angry at the decision had assembled outside his house

Will Bahrain use military trials against Shiite leader's supporters?

Bahrain recently amended its constitution to expand military courts' jurisdiction, perhaps in anticipation of fiery protests once a verdict is announced in the trial of Sheikh Isa Qassim.

Israeli soldiers evacuate their comrade, playing the role of an injured person, as they drive past a Hezbollah flag during a combined forces drill in Shizafon military base, near Eilat in southern Israel June 7, 2016. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTSGDEV

Israel weighs response to Hezbollah rocket threat

For now, deterrence holds on Israel’s northern border; Iran ready to "fight to the last man" in Syria; Why does Erdogan go easy on Putin over Syrian Kurds?

An Iranian technician sits in a Peugeot 206 car on the final production line at the Iran Khodro auto plant, west of Tehran, on February 20, 2016. / AFP / BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Why French carmakers are real winners of Iranian protectionism

While Iran's steep import tariffs for vehicles are ostensibly designed to protect local industry, it appears that the primary benefactors are French carmakers.