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Iran

May 8, 2026

Tehran 8:01 am

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In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, the Iran-flagged tugboat Basim sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

What to know about Iran's 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' to control Hormuz traffic

The establishment of an entity seeking to control maritime transportation in the Strait of Hormuz is the latest sign that Iran wants to formalize authority in the strategic waterway.

Popular Mobilization Forces

US sets expectations for Iraq’s next PM to confront Iranian militias

The Trump administration is cautiously sizing up Iraq’s new prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, as a potential partner in pushing back on Iranian influence.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on May 6, 2026. Credit: Telegram

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

China understands how badly Trump wants an exit from the conflict. But timing is critical: if no agreement is reached before Trump arrives in China on Thursday, Beijing would be better positioned to set the agenda.

Joyce Karam

An Iranian woman holds up an image of Iran's new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

Iran president says he held official meeting with Mojtaba Khamenei: What to know

The president’s announcement marks the first public confirmation of a meeting between a senior official and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly since the start of the war.

Latest News

Iran, China discuss Hormuz reopening amid potential US-Iran talks

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second right, talks to his Iranian Counterpart Abbas Araghchi, left, during the bilateral meeting in Beijing, Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

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

Kanopus-V satellite

Iran to acquire Russian high-resolution recon satellite

Russia is set to give Iran a satellite that could spy on Tehran's potential military targets.

Ebrahim Raisi

Who is Ebrahim Raisi, the front-runner in Iran's presidential race?

Here’s what you need to know about Ebrahim Raisi, the conservative cleric seen as the heavy favorite to replace outgoing President Hassan Rouhani.

Putin and Rouhani

Rouhani praises Putin, hails expanded ties with Russia

Rouhani's expression of gratitude came a few weeks after his foreign minister was caught in a leaked audio, complaining about Russian attempts to put a spike in the wheel of the 2015 multilateral talks that culminated in the Iran nuclear deal.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran's hard-liners take page from China's election playbook

Iran's hard-liners have long been disillusioned with a system in which all citizens are encouraged to vote.

China's President Xi Jinping (C) speaks during a meeting with delegates of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization security secretary summit at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China, May 22, 2018.

China-Iran cooperation goes slow in context of nuclear talks

Beijing and Tehran are deepening ties across sectors, but progress will depend on the Vienna talks and Iran’s elections.

The flag of the European Union is on display at the Grand Hotel on the day the JCPOA Iran nuclear talks are to resume on May 25, 2021, in Vienna, Austria.

Iran nuclear deal talks to resume in Vienna this weekend

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said talks aimed at reviving the nuclear deal will resume this weekend in Vienna.

Abbas Araghchi, political deputy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, leaves the 'Grand Hotel Wien' after the closed-door nuclear talks in Vienna on June 2, 2021, where diplomats of the UK, the EU, China, Russia and Iran hold their talks.

Rouhani lashes out at hard-line media over criticism of US nuclear talks

The US and Iran are unlikely to reach an agreement at the Vienna nuclear talks before the June 18 Iranian presidential elections.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran expects to restore oil output within month of US lifting sanctions

A senior official at the National Iranian Oil Company said that if the United States lifts sanctions on Iran, the country expects to restore its crude oil output to pre-sanctions levels in a matter of months.

Women supporters of Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi hold up his posters during an election campaign rally in the city of Eslamshahr, about 25 kilometers south of the center of the capital, Tehran, on June 6, 2021. The 60-year-old ultra-conservative Raisi, widely seen as the favorite to win the June 18 presidential election, heads the judiciary and is a "hodjatoleslam," one rank below that of ayatollah in the Shiite clerical hierarchy.

Poll highlights deep voter apathy ahead of Iran election

An Iranian polling organization found that only one out of three eligible Iranians were planning to vote in the upcoming presidential election, suggesting it will be marred by the lowest turnout ever in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Police guard the Grand Hotel on the day the JCPOA Iran nuclear talks are to resume on May 25, 2021, in Vienna, Austria.

Blinken: Iran's nuclear 'breakout time' a matter of weeks if violations continue

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers it was unclear if Iran is "willing and prepared" to resume compliance with the nuclear agreement.

Twitter photo of Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour.

Hezbollah founder dies of coronavirus in Iran

Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour died in northern Tehran at the age of 75, local media reported.

An Iranian man watches candidate Ebrahim Raisi speaking during the first televised debate between presidential candidates, at a fresh produce shop in the capital, Tehran, on June 5, 2021.

Iranian media pushes for high election turnout

Despite a moderate candidate doing well, the election debates have failed to generate enthusiasm.