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Iran

August 31, 2026

Tehran 2:46 am

32°C

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian

Analysis

Can Iran turn postwar vulnerability into a regional security pact?

After a war that demonstrated both the reach and the limits of Iran's military deterrence, Iran's leadership is on the quest for security arrangements beyond the battlefield.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Ali Saeedi/Getty Images

Oil prices fall after Iran steps up truce efforts, US says Hormuz mines cleared

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in an interview on Thursday that Iran was preparing a list of conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Abbas Araghchi and Sheikh Mohammed al-Thani

Qatar PM meets Pezeshkian, Rezaee as Doha seeks US-Iran mediation

Iran has recently signaled a desire to re-engage with the US but is hampered by internal divisions, said one expert.

Latest News

Qatar PM heads to Tehran amid flurry of regional diplomacy

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed al-Thani

Iraq summons Iran envoy over 'Persian Gulf' post, Baghdad name origins: What to know

Fred TANNEAU / 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

his combination of pictures created on April 18, 2023 shows Sudan's army chief, Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (L), in Juba on October, 14, 2019 and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (R) known as Hemedti, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), addressing the media upon his return from Russia at Khartoum airport on March 2, 2022. - AKUOT CHOL,ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP via Getty Images

How Sudan could become an Iran-UAE proxy war

Iran’s efforts to establish a foothold in Sudan threatens its fragile ties with the UAE, which has its own interests in the war-torn country.

United Arab Emirates

Ebrahim Raisi waves after casting his ballot for presidential election, in Tehran, on June 18, 2021.

Iran officials scramble to reverse voter apathy ahead of key elections

Anxious about anticipated record lows in voter turnout, the Islamic Republic is widely campaigning to get the nation to ballot boxes amid pent-up grievances and growing discontent.

A pedestrian walks past a branch of a Lloyds Bank in London on Feb. 24, 2021.

Analysis

Iran's use of 2 UK banks to evade sanctions tests West's financial systems

The Financial Times reported earlier this week that Lloyds Bank and Santander UK provided accounts to companies with links to Iran’s intelligence services.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Harbor security stands guard during an inauguration ceremony of new equipment and infrastructure at Shahid Beheshti Port.

Can India use new Iran port deal to counter growing China-Pakistan ties?

The long-term deal to develop Chabahar Port signed between India and Iran in mid-January is a critical component of New Delhi's strategy to bypass Pakistan for access to Central Asian markets and counterbalance the growing cooperation between China and Pakistan.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was removed from Facebook and Instagram on Feb. 8, 2024, by Meta.

Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei banned from Facebook and Instagram

Khamenei remains active on X and has praised Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel on the platform.

A policeman stands guard in front of the Azerbaijan embassy in Tehran on January 27, 2023, following an attack. - Azerbaijan on January 27 said it was evacuating staff from its embassy in Tehran, blaming Iran for a "terrorist" attack in which the head of security was killed and two guards wounded. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran arrests several Azeris amid tensions with Azerbaijan

As Iranian-Azeri ties continue to be strained, Iran has arrested at least five ethnic Azeris accused of espionage and terrorism.

An Iranian Navy warship takes part in the "National Persian Gulf day" in the Strait of Hormuz on April 30, 2019.

Iran plans joint naval exercise with Russia, China as Red Sea tensions soar

The trilateral drills will be the first this year that Iran is holding with the two powers, as it remains under Western pressure over involvement in attacks on international navigation in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

MUSTAFA ABUMUNES/AFP via Getty Images

Sudan foreign minister visits Tehran amid reports Iran provided drones

The meeting comes after the two countries agreed to resume their diplomatic ties in October.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during the funeral ceremony for victims of twin explosions near the cemetery where the grave of Iran's former top military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani is located on Jan. 05, 2024, in Kerman, Iran.

Iran-Israel intel war rages as Tehran says it identified Israeli spies worldwide

The announcement came in the wake of a chain of Israel-blamed targeted assassinations of senior Iranian officers in Syria, which have left Tehran in a tight spot for revenge.

US President Joe Biden greets military personnel on arrival at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, on Feb. 2, 2024, to attend the transfer of the remains of three US service members killed in the drone attack on the US military outpost in Jordan.

Analysis

Biden should respond to Iran with more than military strikes

The United States could reset the terms of engagement with Iran ahead of a Gaza cease-fire.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

A picture taken on Nov. 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Iran begins building 4 more nuclear power plants amid IAEA warnings

Western officials have long suspected Tehran of looking to produce nuclear weapons, though Iran denies this.

HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s IRGC reportedly relocates forces from Syria ahead of expected US strikes

The move comes after a drone strike on a US post in Jordan killed three US soldiers and wounded dozens of others in an attack blamed on Iran.