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June 18, 2026

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Achraf Hakimi #2 of Morocco shoots and misses a chance against Gabriel Magalhaes #3 of Brazil during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match between Brazil and Morocco at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 13, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Culture

Morocco, Egypt impress with notable draws despite winless World Cup start for Mideast teams

Several teams from the Middle East and North Africa could advance to the knockout stage under the new format, and Morocco climbed in the rankings despite a tie in its opener.

Explainer

Sanctions relief and reconstruction: How China benefits from Trump-Iran deal

It is no exaggeration to say that every provision of the 14-point deal favors China.

Latest News

How Iran stands to win major financial relief in Trump-backed deal

A shop owner counts Iranian banknotes at a store in the capital Tehran on Jan. 7, 2026.

Explainer

Oil’s slide wavers as Trump warns US-Iran deal ‘not final’

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on Feb. 9, 2026.

After US-Iran deal, Ghalibaf says Tehran seeks deeper ties with China

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks with Tehran's Chamber of Commerce, June 17, 2026.

Read the full 14-point US-Iran deal

Trump

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

Soleimani: US power in region has declined

Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani addressed Iran's Assembly of Experts about regional issues including Iraq, US influence and the wars in Syria and Yemen.

US veterans fight over Iran deal

Congress is getting mixed messages from Americans who’ve battled Tehran.

State Department: Middle East needs 10-year plan including pressure on Iran, improved US relations with Sunni countries

The international community allotted the Iran agreement at least 10 years, a time frame that, according to a State Department official, may be necessary "to stabilize the region and to implement the two-state solution."

Turkey’s protracted PKK problem

Although many Kurds do not like the leftist and secular agenda of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the PKK has shown great resilience, in part as the result of the fragmented Iraqi and Syrian states and political missteps by Turkey.

DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA - JULY 2: US and Saudi officials spread debris 29 June on plastic sheets as they continue to gather evidence in the 25 June bombing outside the Khobar Towers complex in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The explosion killed 19 and injured some 260. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

With Khobar bomber's arrest, Saudi Arabia deals blow to Iran

With the recent arrest of the Khobar Tower bomber, Saudi-Iranian tensions have been elevated to new levels.

Iranian clerics, filmmakers face off over religious movie

In Iran, controversy erupts as "Resurrection," an award-winning film about a Shiite imam, is banned over objections from senior clerics.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waits for his microphone to be adjusted to start delivering a speech during a press conference in the capital Tehran on August 29, 2015. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Will Rouhani serve a second term?

Iran's Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said in an interview that only a quarter of the president's term has passed and that he will serve eight years as president.

Iranian ambassador to the UAE: Iran wants to remove tensions with neighbors

Mohammad Reza Fayyaz, the Iranian ambassador to the UAE, blames Saudi Arabia for many of the problems in the region.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter meets with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul Aziz (R) at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, July 22, 2015. Carter flew into Saudi Arabia for meetings on Wednesday with King Salman and his security leadership to reassure the kingdom of America's support after Washington struck a nuclear deal with its arch-rival Iran. REUTERS/Carolyn Kaster/Pool - RTX1LBXR

Saudi king wants Obama to tackle Iranian 'mischief'

King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud will make clear during his White House visit that Riyadh’s lukewarm support for the Iran nuclear deal depends on the United States keeping Tehran in check.

People shout slogans during a demonstration against corruption, poor services and power cuts in Baghdad, Iraq, August 21, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad - RTX1P4DI

Protesters in Iraq and Lebanon demand accountability

Demonstrations in Iraq and Lebanon may signal new round of "Arab Springs"; Will Saudi capture of Khobar towers mastermind affect US policy toward Iran?

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

An engineer looks at the Phase 4 and Phase 5 gas refineries in Assalouyeh, 1,000 km (621 miles) south of Tehran, January 27, 2011. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN - Tags: ENERGY BUSINESS) - RTXX5W1

Rouhani faces ballooning expectations at home in post-sanctions era

Economic expectations are high in Iran following the recent nuclear deal, but President Hassan Rouhani has warned against "immediate, but harmful" interests.

Fighters loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad rest on a hill after regaining control of Tal Fatima, a town south of Damascus, in the Daraa countryside March 1, 2015. Government forces say they've regained control of this and many other villages in the south - wresting them back from rebel hands.A general made the announcement on state television, saying a large number of Nusra Front fighters were killed and their weapons destroyed. The gains were said to happen on Friday and Saturday in a large offens

Syrian Shiites take up arms in support of Assad's army

Syria's tiny Shiite community is taking greater steps toward arming itself as the civil war grinds on.