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Iran

August 31, 2026

Tehran 11:54 am

35°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

The Suez Rajan is pictured in this undated photo.

US finally unloads Iranian oil from seized tanker

The Iranian oil aboard the Suez Rajan sat unloaded off the coast of the United States for months amid threats from Iran, causing concern in Congress.

Xi Jinping at BRICS

BRICS summit: which Middle East states could join powerful bloc?

China and Russia are seeking to expand the group and their global influence, and several MENA countries are in line to apply.

Iran's "Fattah" missile.

Iran claims to have produced key engine for supersonic missile tech

The announcement was the latest in a chain of advancements Iran has claimed in its missile technology in defiance of Western criticism and amid regional tensions.

President Joe Biden speaks at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Aug. 10, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Analysis

Is Biden’s reset on Iran paying off?

Republicans say no; four benchmark dates to watch.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

A woman walks in front of a mural painting depicting the Iranian flag, in the capital Tehran on August 6, 2018.

Republican senators claim 'dangerous precedent' set by Iran prisoner deal

Some Republicans call the deal a "ransom payment," but US officials say Iran could only access its frozen funds for humanitarian purchases under tight supervision.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi crown prince meets Iran's foreign minister in Jeddah

The sit-down between Mohammed bin Salman and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is the highest-level meeting between Saudi and Iranian officials since their countries resumed ties in March.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian gives a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart in Tehran on July 31, 2023.

Iran FM in Saudi Arabia for first visit since resumption of relations

Top Iranian and Saudi military officials also met in Russia in a further sign of detente between the two regional rivals.

A tugboat passes a ship docked on a stretch of the Houston Ship Channel, part of the Port of Houston, on March 6, 2019 in Houston, Texas.

US lawmakers question if Iranian 'intimidation effort' delaying seized oil transfer

American shipping companies have reportedly been reluctant to offload Iranian oil from a tanker anchored off the coast of Texas.

JOHNNY BUGEJA/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s oil exports to China hit 10-year high

Iran is growing politically and economically closer to China in light of US sanctions.

Iranian security forces deploy following an armed attack at the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in the city of Shiraz on Oct. 26, 2022.

Iran claims Israel behind shrine attack, pledges revenge

The shooting renewed debates on Iran's intelligence failures in thwarting deadly attacks in contrast to the official assertion that the country is an "island of stability" in a volatile Middle East.

'No guarantees’ as US prisoners in Iran await return home

A group of Americans held in Iran are closer than ever to returning home after more than two years of on-off negotiations, but it's not a done deal.

Namazi

Confusion around US-Iran prisoner swap as Tehran puts out its own narrative

Iran's official explanation of the prisoner swap agreement carried discrepancies with the one confirmed by the American side, most notably on how Tehran could potentially access and spend $6 billion in funds once unfrozen.