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September 28, 2026

Tehran 3:28 am

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A tugboat guides a ship at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

Analysis

Could Iran's 7-day Hormuz proposal culminate in diplomatic deal?

Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in seven days brings into focus the central challenge facing diplomacy with Washington: how to turn military leverage into a negotiated path without giving up too much in return.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

An Iran Air Airbus A300 prepares for boarding at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 16, 2016.

‘Free for all or for no one’: Iran warns neighbors over flight bans

Several countries in the region have suspended Iranian flights under US sanctions after Washington warned global companies they would no longer have access to the dollar system if they do business with Iranian airlines.

Hector RETAMAL / AFP via Getty Images

Iran flights continue, UAE route closes on day 2 of US sanctions

All flights by Iranian carriers to the UAE have been canceled, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.

AFP via Getty Images

Iran threatens to expand war to Indian Ocean: What to know

An adviser to Iran's supreme leader has threatened to open a new front in the Indian Ocean if the US resumes its strikes against Iran.

Latest News

Fresh clashes leave 6 dead in Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan: What to know

Iranian security forces stand guard in the capital city on July 03, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Rubio: US-Iran talks 'positive,' no breakthrough yet

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Cargo vessel attack in Hormuz kills 1 as world leaders gather at UN

The Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier vessel Manta Ursula is pictured moored in Muscat on July 25, 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

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta (L) speaks with U.S. Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Ivo Daalder (C) and European Union Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Pierre Vimont before a NATO Defense Ministers meeting with non-NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) contributing nations at NATO headquarters in Brussels February 22, 2013. Panetta is attending meetings and holding bilateral meetings with other NATO defense officials. REUTERS/Chip Somodevil

EU Official Says Iran 'Undoubtedly' Has New Approach to Nuclear Talks

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Pierre Vimont, deputy to High Representative Catherine Ashton, says it's “still rather difficult to conclude that they have presented a new policy.”

Fuel trucks are seen at Haj Umran border crossing with Iran, in northeastern Iraq July 20, 2010. Despite a pledge by Iraqi Kurdistan to crack down on the flow of fuel being smuggled to Iran, the only real impediment truck drivers say they face are long lines that force them to wait for days to cross. Picture taken July 20, 2010. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW ENERGY TRANSPORT IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2GMNI

Border Smuggling Rises In Iranian Kurdistan

As sanctions continue to take their toll on Iran's economy, more Iran Kurds are risking their lives as border couriers to make a living.

United Nations Peace Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi (L) sits in a car as he leaves a hotel in Damascus October 28, 2013. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST) - RTX14RFN

Brahimi Talks Syria in Iran

Lakhdar Brahimi, UN-Arab League joint representative, tries to enlist Iranian help in the Geneva II conference on Syria.

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal (C) visits the Islamic University in Gaza City December 9, 2012. Hamas's vow to vanquish Israel after claiming "victory" in last month's Gaza conflict vindicates Israel's reluctance to relinquish more land to the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. Meshaal made a defiant speech before thousands of supporters in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, promising to take "inch-by-inch" all of modern-day Israel, which he said he would never recognise. REUTERS/Suha

Why Did Iran Postpone Meshaal Visit?

The "resistance" axis of Iran, Syria and Hezbollah are not in agreement over welcoming Hamas back into the fold.

Shuafat refugee camp is seen behind a section of the controversial Israeli barrier in the West Bank near Jerusalem July 27, 2013. Israeli and Palestinian officials put forward clashing formats for peace talks due to resume in Washington on Monday for the first time in nearly three years after intense U.S. mediation. It is unclear how the United States hopes to bridge the core issues in the dispute, including borders, the future of Jewish settlements on the West Bank, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the

Peace Demands Palestinians Recognize Israel as 'Jewish State'

Former Israeli Cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser responds to Nabeel Kassis: Only recognition of Israel as the home of the Jewish nation, alongside a Palestinian state, can lead to a historic compromise.

U.N. envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi (R), is welcomed by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari after arriving at Baghdad International Airport October 21, 2013. International envoy for Syria Brahimi was in Baghdad on Monday to discuss dates for peace talks aimed at ending the war in Syria. Brahimi said no date had yet been set for the long-delayed conference. International efforts to end the 2-1/2 year conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people have stuttered. But a deal last month for Syria to get r

Syria’s Race Against Time

UN-Arab League Joint Representative Lakhdar Brahimi presses for Geneva II, while Saudi women are on the road again.

Iran Opens First Alcohol Rehab Center

The official permit for an alcohol rehabilitation center provides a window on the illegal trade and consumption of alcohol in Iran.

A boy stands near an Israeli flag in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ofra, north of Ramallah July 18, 2013. Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, which have ebbed and flowed for two decades, last broke down in late 2010, after a partial settlement halt meant to foster talks ended and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to extend it. Palestinians familiar with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' thinking speculated he might now forgo the demand for a settlement moratorium given

Why Palestinians Should Not Recognize Israel as Jewish State

A former Palestinian negotiator argues that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state is an attempt to discourage agreement.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaks during Baghdad Day celebrations at al-Zawra park in Baghdad November 15, 2008. REUTERS/Mahmoud Raouf Mahmoud (IRAQ) - RTXAMED

Will US, Iran Back Maliki In Iraqi Elections?

While the US and Iran both support Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, sectarian violence is nonetheless on the rise.

Arab League Secretary General Nabil El-Araby speaks at a news conference on the Syrian crisis, after the Arab foreign ministers meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo September 2, 2013. Arab states on Sunday urged the international community to take action against the Syrian government over a chemical gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX134KS

Iran Export-Led Growth Strategy Depends on Sanctions Relief

The government of President Hassan Rouhani is seeking to boost Iranian exports in order to grow the economy.

Lebanese Army soldiers patrol in front of a poster depicting Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah in the Sunni Muslim Bab al-Tebbaneh neighbourhood, in Tripoli, northern Lebanon October 23, 2012. Four people were killed and 15 wounded in overnight gun battles in the Lebanese city of Tripoli in a second night of fighting between Sunni and Alawite gunmen loyal to different sides in the war in neighbouring Syria, a military source said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY)

Saudi Decision on Security Council Is About Syria

Saudi Arabia’s decision to decline a Security Council seat expresses anger in some Sunni Muslim quarters about the Syria war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem October 20, 2013. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX14HME

Netanyahu's European Double Standard

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demands that Europe "be strict, be strong” vis-a-vis Iran and its nuclear project, while his government continues to violate international law in the occupied territories.