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September 8, 2026

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The former chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohsen Rezaei, takes part in a demonstration against American "crimes" following the killing of IRGC Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a US strike on his convoy at Baghdad international airport, Tehran, Iran, Jan. 3, 2020.

Iran to announce new Gulf restricted zone, Hormuz route: What we know

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the restricted zone would begin at the point where the US blockade of Iranian ports starts and extend into the Gulf.

A man walks past a mural depicting oil pumps and the Venezuelan flag, with portraits of Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar (L) and former late President Hugo Chavez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 3, 2026.

Analysis

Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order?

Washington’s growing role in controlling the Latin American country's crude riches could help reshape an energy order centered on OPEC as the Hormuz crisis pressures Gulf exports.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

mural of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Analysis

How Iran's campaign against US bases is forging a new Gulf defense network

Iran's targeting of Gulf states is fueling a regional security architecture designed to counter the Islamic Republic.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Amir Yaryab

Who is Amir Yaryab, IRGC’s cyber commander in US crosshairs?

The US State Department has offered up to $10 million for information on Amir Yaryab, who oversees a key part of Iran’s cyber operations.

Latest News

Analysis

Playing for time: Despite US pressure, Israel stalls Lebanon talks until after election

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

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

US sanctions Turkey-based bank over Iran ties

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Saudi oil exports hit nine-year low as tanker attacks threaten recovery

A commercial vessel passes through an international shipping lane off Yemen's Hanish Island in the Red Sea on July 27, 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

A man walks through the old city of Damascus, Syria, September 12, 2018. Picture taken September 12, 2018. REUTERS/Marko Djurica TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1AD454BD80

Damascus puts on elections while Russia is busy with geopolitics

While Moscow has been busy with the situation in Idlib, Damascus has held municipal elections, where its candidates won.

A prison guard stands along a corridor in Tehran's Evin prison June 13, 2006. Iranian police detained 70 people at a demonstration in favour of women's rights, the judiciary said on Tuesday, adding it was ready to review reports that the police had beaten some demonstrators. - PBEAHUNMBAM

Mandatory hijab hunger strike enters 50th day

An Iranian activist, Farhad Meysami, under arrest in Evin Prison for openly opposing mandatory veiling, has been on a hunger strike for 50 days.

Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrims run between the Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas shrines as part of a ritual of the Ashura ceremony in Karbala, Iraq September 20, 2018. REUTERS/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-Deen - RC1A6C155200

Iranians lash out at preferential treatment of pilgrims

While many Iranians have criticized the authorities’ decision to allow visa fees for the Arbaeen pilgrimage to be paid at the secondary foreign currency market rate, the move could, in reality, be filling the administration’s coffers.

Iran's rich, influential religious singers eclipse clerics

As Iran's traditional eulogists grow in fame and influence, they have drawn criticism from the clerics who used to have the main voices in religious ceremonies.

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 16: Director of Policy Planning Brian Hook fields questions from journalists during the announcement of the creation of the Iran Action Group at the Department of State on August 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. The Trump administration announced the forming of an Iran Action Group that will coordinate and manage U.S. policy toward Iran after withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. (Photo by Rod Lamkey/Getty Images)

Trump’s Iran envoy blasts Tehran missile work, downplays prospects for NY meeting

Brian Hook, the US special envoy on Iran, said any new agreement with Iran would have to curb Iran’s transfer of ballistic missile technology.

Iranian singer's 'sickening' anti-Islam post embarrasses hard-liners

An Iranian singer supported by the country's hard-liners has become a source of embarrassment after he greatly offended Shiite Islam in a social media post.

Iran pursues opposition by bombing Iraqi Kurdistan

Tehran is expanding its influence in Iraq, taking a tougher stance against its exiled Kurdish opposition in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iran-India logistical cooperation set to jump amid scaled-back energy ties

India is well-versed in the game of balancing ties with Iran and the United States and is set to use the current situation over sanctions to promote logistical cooperation with Tehran while limiting oil imports from Iran.

A currency exchange dealer counts U.S. dollar banknotes at his shop in a shopping centre in northern Tehran, January 17, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMAATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - GF20000097640

What rial devaluation means for Iranian government

While the devaluation of the rial has had a negative impact on Iranian society, it has the potential to help key economic players — including the government and the Central Bank — to gain a new and sustainable balance in their finances.

Women stand next to a picture of war veterans as they visit a war memorial site in Khoozestan province near the Iraqi border, 1,345 km (841 miles) southwest of Tehran, March 19, 2009. Iranians visit the main battlegrounds of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88) during the last week of the Iranian calendar to remember martyrs who died in the war. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN ANNIVERSARY CONFLICT POLITICS) - GM1E53J1LIZ01

Backlash in Iran as some wartime veterans circumvent new retirement law

A number of Iran's senior public sector workers are reportedly taking advantage of a new law that exempts highly disabled veterans from mandatory retirement.

PMU steps up role in Iraq's security after Basra rioting

Following violent protests in Basra in which PMU offices were set on fire, the PMU now plans to carry out security tasks in southern Iraq, which will expand its influence there.

A picture taken on September 3, 2018 shows a general view of the Iraqi parliament during a meeting in the capital Baghdad. - Iraq's parliament convened today with a populist cleric who triumphed in May elections allying with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to try to form a government and sideline pro-Iran rivals. (Photo by SABAH ARAR / AFP) (Photo credit should read SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran 1, US 0: Iraq chooses a parliament speaker

After a long delay, the Iraqi parliament has finally elected its speaker and in doing so confirmed the rising influence of Iran.