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Iran

November 4, 2026

Tehran 2:20 am

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Explainer

War, oil, AI: What US midterms could mean for Middle East economies

Governments across the Middle East will be watching closely after the election amid fears the US-Israel-Iran war could spiral into a new cycle of violence.

A police officer monitors traffic as he stands under portraits of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran, on Oct. 21, 2026.

Iran executes two men in case tied to January protests: What to know

Iran has stepped up executions during the war with the US, and attacks on police are on the rise in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan.

Evan Vucci/Getty Images

Analysis

'All we can do is wait': Netanyahu's push for Iran strikes hangs on Trump’s post-midterm call

Amid the political deadlock following Israel's elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leverage on Washington to resume Iran strikes will depend on the US' own vote.

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

Latest News

Iran gives 2-day window for Hormuz deal as US mulls strikes: What to know

Iranian motorists drive past a poster of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in central Tehran on Nov. 1, 2026. I

Will Iran take up Vance lifeline to avoid another US attack?

US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Oct. 27, 2026.

Analysis

Who will blink first in latest US-Iran diplomacy efforts?

Tehran

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Limpet mine attack in Hormuz suggests Iran may be shifting tactics

Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait

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

Iranians participate in the 12th term parliamentary elections and the 6th term Assembly of Leadership Experts' voting at a Tehran polling station on March 01, 2024. The elections encompass both parliamentary and Assembly of Experts' ballots, crucial for Iran's leadership selection and oversight. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

What will post-election hardline domination mean for Iran's future?

Bijan Khajehpour

Bijan Khajehpour

In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran.

Regional water tensions in focus as Iran FM visits Turkmenistan

Severely hit by a worsening water crisis in recent years, Iran has been seeking to claim its share of water from reservoirs originating in its neighbors' territory.

A display of photos of protesters killed during a candlelight vigil on the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in Iranian custody, Washington, DC, Sept. 16, 2023

Iran continues crackdown on women as executions approach 100 for the year

Iran handed prison sentences to 11 activists defending women’s rights and has executed 98 people this year.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) receives Hamas' Doha-based political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Iran reassures Hamas of continued support as Haniyeh visits Tehran

The meetings in Tehran were held as Iranian officials celebrated a moment of triumph for Hamas after the United States allowed the UN Security Council to pass a Gaza cease-fire resolution.

A motorcyclist rides past a high school at Panjgur district in Balochistan province on Jan. 17, 2024. Pakistan recalled its ambassador from Iran on Jan. 17, and blocked Tehran's envoy from returning to Islamabad after an Iranian air strike killed two children in the west of the country on Jan. 16.

More attacks in Baluchistan regions of Iran, Pakistan following border dustup

Iran and Pakistan reconciled after their border conflict earlier this year, but clashes involving Baluchi separatists and unidentified armed groups remain an issue.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh speaks to protesters at the border fence with Israel, Gaza Strip, May 15, 2018.

Hamas’ Haniyeh heads to Iran for second time since Gaza war

Haniyeh's visit comes one day after the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Large oil tanker ship in the Persian Gulf, Iran.

Iran vows retaliation against tanker seizures as it bolsters naval presence

Iran has in recent months been flexing its naval capabilities in the Persian Gulf in anticipation of potential confrontations with the United States, which has dispatched reinforcements to push back on Iranian harassment of international vessels.

A view of refinery No. 2 (Phases 2, 3) of the South Pars Gas-Condensate field in Asalouyeh Seaport, north of the Persian Gulf in Iran.

What’s behind Iran’s $13B investment in domestic oil industry?

Iran’s oil exports are on the rise, particularly to China, though the country faces challenges in maintaining its oil production levels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Saint Petersburg on Oct. 11, 2022.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, others shower Russia’s Putin with congratulatory messages

Several leaders in the region have extended their congratulations to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin over his reelection, as Western countries condemned the Russian elections as unfair.

Azerbaijan's Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov meets with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Mehrabian in Tehran on March 15, 2024.

Iran-Azerbaijan ties still off track despite diplomatic gestures

Azerbaijan's energy minister visited Tehran for preparations to reopen his country's embassy, but such hot-button issues as the Nakhchivan corridor and Azerbaijan's affinity with Israel appeared as stumbling blocks on the path to effective normalization.

Iranian Navy boats take part in maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz, Jan. 3, 2012.

Are Iran-Russia-China naval drills 'symbolic' or security tilt to East?

While this marked the fifth consecutive year the three nations held joint naval exercises, current regional dynamics lent this edition "much deeper symbolism" than a routine drill.

In this photo taken on February 18, 2022 a Taliban fighter stands guard at the entrance gate of Afghan-Iran border crossing bridge in Zaranj. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP) (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran sends delegation to Afghanistan as Taliban-Tehran ties see boost

Iran’s relations with the Taliban are seeing a thaw after a period of tension over deportation of Afghans from the Islamic Republic last year.