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Iran

April 30, 2026

Tehran 8:54 pm

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QESHM ISLAND, IRAN - APRIL 28: Boats navigate the sea on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's latest proposal for ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz calls on the United States to end its naval blockade of Iran's ports, and sets aside questions about what to do with Iran's nuclear program. The United States has not formally responded to the latest proposal, which was delivered by Iran's foreign minister to Pakistan two days ago. (Photo by Asghar Besharati/Getty Images

US blockade tests Iran's limits, but will global pain force Trump’s hand?

President Trump is doubling down on economic warfare against Iran, betting a naval blockade and sanctions can force a nuclear deal and end the war.

Local residents look on from outside a cordoned off area in the Golders Green neighborhood of north London on April 29, 2026, following the stabbing to two people nearby.

Iran-linked group claims stabbing in Jewish area in London: What to know

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya has been linked to a number of attacks on Jewish targets in Europe, as well as an anti-regime Iranian news outlet.

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.

Latest News

Trump speaks with Netanyahu, Putin as Iran pressure campaign escalates

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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 man looks from a shack surrounded by heavy flooding in Iran's northwestern city of Astara, Gilan province, after severe floods hit the northern part of the country, Sept. 18, 2023.

Floods in northeastern Iran leave at least 7 dead

The Persian Gulf region has experienced intense rainfall in recent weeks, and hundreds have been killed by floods in neighboring Afghanistan.

A military band welcomed the President with the Russian national anthem, and the Russian tricolor was hoisted over Tiananmen Square.

Saudi cautious as Iran looks to make gains from Putin’s China visit

As Putin was making his way to Beijing, Alexie Miller, chair of Russia’s Gazprom, was in Tehran, where he met First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber and Oil Minister Javad Owji, the company said.

AHMAD SHOURA/AFP via Getty Images

Jordan thwarts Iran-linked weapons plot as Hamas denies involvement

Iran and its proxies have threatened Jordan since the start of the Gaza war, including in relation to the kingdom helping shoot down missiles the Islamic Republic fired at Israel.

Javad Sadatinejad, who served as agriculture minister (2021-2023) in the administration of incumbent President Ebrahim Raisi, is seen in this undated image.

Iranian ex-official gets jail term in rare ruling in $3.7B corruption case

The former official was found guilty of involvement in the largest-ever embezzlement case in the country's history, which has been exposed at a time of unprecedented economic hardships for ordinary Iranians.

The cargo ship Inter Sydney, flying under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sails through the Shahid Beheshti Port in the southeastern Iranian coastal city of Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman, during an inauguration ceremony of new equipment and infrastructure on Feb. 25, 2019.

How Iran could benefit from Chabahar Port deal with India

India has been reluctant to move ahead with its plans for Chabahar due to US sanctions, despite an exemption.

Clemens Bilan/EPA-EFE/Pool/Getty Images

Culture

Iranian filmmaker Rasoulof says he's fled country after prison sentence

The crew for Mohammad Rasoulof’s latest film, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” was barred from traveling to Cannes for the premiere, their lawyer said.

This handout image supplied by the IIPA (Iran International Photo Agency) shows a view of the reactor building at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant as the first fuel is loaded, on Aug. 21, 2010 in Bushehr, southern Iran.

Understanding Iran's increasingly open rhetoric about atomic bombs

Several Iranian officials and military generals have recently abandoned earlier reservations on nuclear policy, sending out the message that the country could be turning into an atomic weapons possessor to deter Israel.

A motorcyclist rides past a high school at Panjgur district in Balochistan province on Jan. 17, 2024.

Analysis

China wades into Iran-Pakistan mediation, eyes infrastructure projects

With trilateral action, Beijing hopes to collectively combat terror groups trying to disrupt its mega-project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran's atomic energy department, and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi take part in a press conference in Isfahan on May 7, 2024.

Iran warns it will change ‘nuclear doctrine’ if threatened by Israel

The remarks come less than a month after an unprecedented Iranian drone attack in Israel and apparent retaliatory strikes in Iran’s Isfahan.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (L) welcomes Nechirvan Barzani, the regional president of Iraqi Kurdistan, during an official visit to Tehran on May 6, 2024. (Photo: KRG Presidency)

Analysis

In Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan President Barzani welcomed by Khamenei, IRGC

Nechirvan Barzani’s trip to Tehran follows tensions between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Islamic Republic over Kurdish armed groups and attacks by Iran-backed militias.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdoulahian meets with UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi in Tehran, Iran, May 6, 2024.

Iran urges IAEA to dodge US, Israeli 'pressure' over nuclear program

The visit by the UN nuclear watchdog's chief comes two months after he raised concerns about losing track of Tehran's enrichment program and its possible capabilities to produce nuclear weapons.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on April 29, 2024.

Why Iran is concerned about a possible Israeli-Saudi deal

The US government's pushes to revive diplomacy for Israel-Saudi normalization has fueled serious worries in Tehran, where officials were hoping the Gaza war would sabotage the efforts altogether.