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Iran

May 8, 2026

Tehran 10:26 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

Police guard the Grand Hotel on the day the JCPOA Iran nuclear talks are to resume on April 27, 2021, in Vienna, Austria. Representatives from the United States, Iran, the European Union and other participants from the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are meeting both directly and indirectly over possibly reviving the plan. The JCPOA was the European-led initiative by which Iran agreed not to pursue a nuclear weapon in exchange for concessions, though the United States, under the administ

Rouhani claims US has agreed to lift key Iran sanctions

Iran's president said the United States has agreed to remove substantial economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic following marathon talks in Vienna.

Raisi and Larijani

Raisi, Larijani likely top candidates for Iran's presidential election

Iran's Guardian Council, an unelected body that gets to decide a final list of candidates, is winnowing down the number of candidates allowed to run in the June 18 election.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

As Iran's election campaign picks up, boycott gains momentum as well

Only one month out from Iran's presidential election, calls are growing for a boycott of the vote, widely seen as an undemocratic process with dim prospects of genuine change.

A handout photo made available by the office of Iran's supreme leader shows Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei greeting Ismail Haniya (L), Palestinian Hamas premier in the Gaza Strip, during a meeting in Tehran, Feb. 12, 2012.

Hamas representative in Iran: latest round of fighting is strategic shift for group

Khaled al-Qaddumi claims that while the militant group and the Islamic Republic share common goals, the fighting was not instigated by Tehran.

Hossein Dehghan

Khamenei calls for more younger people in Iran's next administration

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the next administration in Iran could utilize “revolutionary and pious youth.”

Former Revolutionary Guards' official Saeed Mohammad registers his candidacy for Iran's presidential elections at the Interior Ministry in Tehran on May 11, 2021.

Iran begins registering candidates for key presidential poll

Candidates vying for presidency in Iran were given five days to register their bid in an election that is expected to revolve around the economy and the fragile nuclear deal.

Raisi and Ghalibaf seen on poster

Iranian presidential election market opens on PredictIt

Users of the popular prediction exchange website can now place bets on Iran’s upcoming elections in addition to bets on Israeli politics.

Zachary Pearson- U.S. Navy via Getty Images

Iran denies US Navy’s account of run-in in Persian Gulf

Iran has accused the US Navy of “false narratives” and “unprofessional behavior” in the latest run-in with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

A handout photo provided by the Iranian army official website shows an Iranian naval ship parading during the last day of a military exercise in the Gulf, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, southern Iran, Sept. 12, 2020.

US Navy fires 30 warning shots to ward off Iran’s speed boats

IRGC fast boats harassed US Navy ships once again amid nuclear talks in Vienna.

US Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) speaks during a news conference with members of the Democratic Women's Caucus prior to State of the Union at the US Capitol on Feb. 4, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Top Democrats urge Biden to lift sanctions on Tehran in good faith

Prominent Democratic National Committee members urged President Joe Biden to relieve sanctions on Iran as the window closes for a return to the nuclear deal.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart in Iraq's capital Baghdad on April 26, 2021.

Iran's Zarif denies bid for presidency

In a meeting with a powerful parliamentary commission on the recently leaked audiotape of himself, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he would not run for president.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saied Khatibzadeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran on Feb. 22, 2021.

Iran confirms talks with rival Saudi Arabia

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Iraq-mediated talks focused on bilateral and regional issues.