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Iran

September 8, 2026

Tehran 11:23 am

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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

Will Iranian Kurds be on front lines of US conflict with Iran?

The US administration appears to increasingly be looking at armed Iranian Kurdish opposition groups as part of its campaign to economically and militarily pressure Iran.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

U.S. President Donald Trump and Acting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hold a news conference after participating in the NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium July 12, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman - RC195AB27C30

More fire and fury: Trump, Pompeo offer mixed messages on Iran

Iranian Americans are unsure whether the Donald Trump administration intends to press for regime change in Iran or pursue eventual diplomatic outreach.

Rouhani, Trump in a war of words

A war of words erupted between the Iranian and American presidents, signaling an increase in tensions and unleashing recriminations.

Will Iran, Russia step up energy cooperation to blunt US sanctions?

Amid rising US pressure, Tehran and Moscow might be on the cusp of a new era of economic cooperation, particularly in the energy sector.

The art of the deal in Helsinki – the next chapter

More than 11% of internally displaced people have returned to areas retaken by Syrian government forces this year.

Iranian MPs are seen during a meeting of the Iranian parliament for the impeachment of the Minister of Labor on March 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Violence against women at center of debate on landmark bill in Iran

A landmark bill to expand the legal definition of violence against women remains stalled amid objections from the Iranian judiciary.

Putin envoy tells Iran that cooperation in Syria will continue

Iranian and Russian officials have insisted that despite pressure from outside countries, the two countries will continue to support the Syrian government.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY OF CYRIL JULIEN
A partial view of the Kalantari port in city of Chabahar on May 12, 2015. Chabahar, located on the coast of Sistan-Baluchistan (south-east), is open to the Oman Sea and the Indian Ocean. It is Iran's gateway to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the east, the Central Asian countries to the north, and Turkey and the Gulf countries in the west. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Sanctions threaten Iran's dream of becoming Eurasian transport hub

Lack of financing and the potential collapse of the nuclear deal threaten Iranian plans to complete the infrastructure necessary for the International North-South Transport Corridor.

Tehran court lifts curtain on widespread corruption at bankrupted lender

An Iranian court has shed further light on the extent of fraud at a bankrupt credit and financial institution, with former officials and local celebrities now dragged in.

Meet the new generation of Iranian hard-liners

A young generation of hard-liners is beginning to challenge the old guard, taking tougher positions on political issues while being more open on cultural affairs.

Drought, inefficiency lead to major power shortage in Iran

Blackouts return to Iran’s electricity grid in the face of prolonged drought and record power consumption.

Is Iran’s youngest minister biting off more than he can chew?

Iran's minister of communications and information technology is advancing the agenda of his transparency initiative, but Iranian officials are pushing back.