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April 30, 2026

Tehran 1:43 am

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A pumpjack stands idle in the Huntington Beach oil field, with port cranes visible in the distance, on April 23, 2026, in Huntington Beach, California.

Oil surges past $120 to war-time high as Trump rejects Iran overture

Benchmark Brent crude surpassed $120 per barrel on Wednesday, reaching the highest levels yet seen during the US-Israel-Iran war.

President Donald Trump gives a speech during the State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn on April 28, 2026, in Washington.

Trump speaks with Netanyahu, Putin as Iran pressure campaign escalates

President Donald Trump spoke by phone separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing the situation in Iran and the possibility of extending the ceasefire.

An Iraqi money dealer counts Iranian rial banknotes bearing a portrait of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, at an exchange office in Baghdad on Feb. 3, 2012.

Iranian rial hits new record low as blockade, war take toll: What to know

The rial had another collapse in late 2025, triggering massive protests and riots in the country that were ended by a forceful government crackdown.

In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 3, 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea.

Pentagon: Iran war has cost US estimated $25B so far

A supplemental request won’t be delivered to Congress until the Pentagon fully assesses the war’s cost, a top budget official told House lawmakers.

Latest News

Analysis

How long can Iran's economy withstand Trump's naval blockade?

The Ateela 2 oil tanker boat navigates the sea on April 28, 2026, on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

First LNG tanker transits Strait of Hormuz since Iran war began

Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images

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

Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump, speaks during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

US presses charges in alleged Iran IRGC plot to kill Trump: What we know

The US Department of Justice unsealed on Friday the details of a criminal case in connection with an IRGC-backed plot to kill President-elect Donald Trump.

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Gaza and Lebanon for Iran: Inside Netanyahu’s gamble on Donald Trump

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clearly has high hopes for President-elect Donald Trump, but is nervously watching the new administration take shape.

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

Singaporean Air Force's F-15SG fighter jet and Apache helicopter perform during a preview of the Singapore Airshow in Singapore on Feb. 18, 2024.

Additional US F-15 fighter jets arrive in Jordan as Israel anticipates Iran attack

The Biden administration seeks to dissuade Iran from launching yet another retaliatory attack against Israel amid a drawn-out exchange of strikes that risk escalating into a wider conflict.

Islamabad

Iran defense official in Pakistan as talks advance on border security, Israel

Iran and Pakistan are working to strengthen cooperation on their shared border after an attack on police that killed 10, with Tehran claiming the unrest is linked to Israel.

US President Donald Trump (L) speaks with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C) as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2nd R) and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May smile during a family photo session at the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019. (Photo by KIM KYUNG-HOON / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read KIM KYUNG-HOON/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Beyond congratulations, Trump faces changed, eastward-looking Gulf

Gulf states are familiar with Donald Trump and his transactional nature but have also managed to forge their own regional alliances over the last four years.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

An Iranian holds a local newspapers with frontpage news on the US presidential vote outside a kiost in Tehran on Nov. 6, 2024.

'Unpredictable consequences:' How Iran reacted to Trump's victory

An Iranian government spokesperson was dismissive of Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.

A view of Zahedan from ShirAbad neighbourhood in Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran, on Dec. 3, 2018.

As IRGC begins offensive, Iran links Sunni militant attacks to 'Israeli plot'

The Revolutionary Guards said it was successfully advancing on a Sunni insurgency in the country's restive southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, claiming the militants had launched their most recent attack as part of an Israeli conspiracy to destabilize Iran.

ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images

Russia launches two Iranian satellites into orbit as ties grow

The launch from Russia is the latest sign of the growing ties between Tehran and Moscow in a range of sectors.

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump

From Iran to Turkey, how the Middle East is bracing for US elections

With the US presidential election just one day away, how is the Middle East anticipating the result?

An Iranian military truck carries parts of a Sayad 4-B missile past a portrait of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a military parade as part of a ceremony marking the country's annual army day, Tehran, April 17, 2024.

Iran’s IRGC plans 'complex' retaliation to Israel: What we know

Iranian leaders have decided to respond to last week's Israeli attack, but the nature and timing remain unclear amid conflicting reports.

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows a view of an oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

How Trump, Harris presidencies could impact Middle East oil markets

Trump has favored a more interventionist approach toward OPEC, while the Biden-Harris administration has used the US' strategic petroleum reserves to influence oil policy

This picture, created on Oct. 25, 2024, shows US Vice President and Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 25, 2024, and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in East Del Valle, Austin, Texas, on Oct. 25, 2024.

Analysis

What could a Trump or Harris election victory mean for Iran?

As the United States gears up for its 2024 election, Iran is watching intently, evaluating how either candidate's victory might impact such key issues as sanctions and nuclear diplomacy, as well as its regional politics and hostility toward Israel.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics