Iran-US tensions

A security personnel sits in a market after markets reopened in Islamabad on April 23, 2026, following heightened security measures amid the ongoing US-Iran peace talks.

Analysis

What UAE’s $3.45B pullback from Pakistan signals about Abu Dhabi's priorities

As Abu Dhabi pulls back long-rolled deposits while investing selectively, Pakistan faces an era of more conditional Gulf support tied to strategic alignment.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Ali Al-Zaidi

Analysis

US banking on Iraqi turnaround with nomination of Zaidi as new PM

Trump signals hope for a "tremendous new chapter” in US-Iraq ties with the nomination of Ali Al-Zaidi as prime minister.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Soldiers from Iran's land, navy, air force and special forces parade on the occasion of National Army Day in Tehran, capital of Iran on April 18, 2025, in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

How Iran is rebuilding its bruised military as ceasefire masks recalibration

Iran is using the fragile truce to recover by blending redeployment and reverse engineering into broader preparedness for renewed conflict.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Without exit strategy, Israel faces emboldened Hezbollah, limited options on Iran

While President Donald Trump remains undecided on striking Iran again, the Israeli military is sinking deeper into its Lebanon quagmire with a reinforced Hezbollah.

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

Latest News

Trump congratulates Iraq PM-designate Zaidi in call: What to know

Iraq's prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, at Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office on April 28, 2026.

Trump faces three paths ahead in Iran war as Hormuz standoff intensifies

This photo obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, on April 21, 2026.

In defiant message, Iran’s Khamenei threatens US but appeals to Gulf

AFP via Getty Images

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.

Iran accuses US fighter aircraft of harassing Iranian airliner over eastern Syria

An Iranian broadcaster says an Iran-to-Beirut commercial passenger flight had US jets make an aggressively close pass to it over Syria near the Iraqi border.

Iran downplays recent explosions, accuses US of cyberattacks

A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said "limited fires" are typical during the summer months.

What China-Iran deal means for Washington

China's reported multibillion economic and security deal with Iran could be a double-edged sword.

Iran’s Khamenei pushes Iraq on ousting US forces

The meeting between Iran's supreme leader and the Iraqi prime minister took place at a critical juncture in Iran-Iraq relations and amid the tug of war between Tehran and Washington over influence in Iraqi politics.

Zarif's visit to Baghdad foreshadows Iraqi PM's trips to Iran and Saudi Arabia

In today's Iran media review, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Iraq for the first time since Iran’s former Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani was assassinated by the United States in January.

A picture shows supertanker Grace 1 off the coast of Gibraltar on July 6, 2019. - Iran demanded on July 5, 2019 that Britain immediately release an oil tanker it has detained in Gibraltar, accusing it of acting at the bidding of the United States. Authorities in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory on Spain's southern tip at the western entrance to the Mediterranean, said they suspected the tanker was carrying crude to Syria in violation of EU sanctions. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP) (Photo cred

Oil tanker sanctioned by US, later found off Iran was hijacked, says captain

A missing crude oil tanker subject to US government sanctions over alleged involvement in Iran’s oil exportation was hijacked, according to the ship’s captain.

Ukraine rejects Iranian conclusion of 'human error' in downed passenger plane

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down by Iranian forces in January amid their strikes on US military positions in Iraq.

Intel: Democrats advance legislation to restrict Trump’s Middle East war powers

House Democrats advanced three provisions today that would broadly curtail President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct offensive military action across the Middle East — and the world — should they become law as part of the annual defense spending bill.

A Iranian man carries a portrait of slain Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, on the 40th day of his killing in a US drone strike, during commemorations marking 41 years since the Islamic Revolution, in the capital Tehran on February 11, 2020. - Thousands of Iranians massed for commemorations marking 41 years since the Islamic Revolution, in a show of unity at a time of heightened tensions with the United States. The celebrations mark the day that Shiite cleric Khomeini returned from exile and ousted the shah'

Intel: CENTCOM commander says Soleimani strike won’t deter Iran forever

The top commander of US military forces in the Middle East says he believes the assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani has only temporarily deterred Iran from pursuing its goal of pushing US troops out of the region.

TOPSHOT - Mourners carry the coffins of slain Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and eight others inside the Shrine of Imam Hussein in the holy Iraqi city of Karbala,during a funeral procession on January 4, 2020. - Thousands of Iraqis chanting "Death to America" today as they mourned an Iranian commander and others killed in a US drone attack that sparked fears of a regional proxy war between Washington and Tehran. (Photo by Mohammed SAWAF / AFP) (Pho

UN expert calls US killing of Soleimani 'unlawful'

The UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions called the US strike an “arbitrary killing” that threatens to undermine norms of military conflict between countries.

Iranian security and rescue staff work at the site of an explosion at the Sina At'har health centre in the upmarket northern neighbourhood of Tajrish in the capital Tehran on July 1, 2020. - Iranian police questioned four people as part of investigations into a powerful explosion that killed 19 people at a Tehran clinic the night before, state media reported. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Mysterious explosions escalate Israel, Iran tensions

Ahead of the US presidential elections, and on the backdrop of mysterious explosions, Israel prepares for various escalation scenarios on Iran’s part.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 09: Members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council participate in a meeting titled "Maintenance of International Peace and Security" on January 09, 2020 in New York City. Representatives from over 50 nations voiced their concerns about ongoing conflicts in the world including recent tensions between Iran and America. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Iran warns US of ‘firm response’ after Security Council meeting

In today's Iran media review, officials viewed the first in a series of UN Security Council meetings on the extension of an Iran arms embargo as a political defeat for Washington.