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Iran

September 11, 2026

Tehran 12:59 pm

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Pedestrians walk past a wall mural along a street in downtown of Tehran on Aug. 31, 2026.

Analysis

Could Iran’s nuclear ambitions harden as war escalates?

A new report has raised alarm about the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran’s Pickaxe mountain tests limits of Trump’s military options

A secretive Pentagon innovation agency has hastened to test munitions that may penetrate deeper than the GBU-57 bombs dropped on Iran’s two main enrichment facilities.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

Iran's IRGC set to declare new ‘sanctions zone’ beyond Hormuz: What to know

The latest Iranian effort to assert control over waterways in the region follows heavy US strikes targeting oil tankers.

AFPTV / AFP via Getty Images

Brent crude sails past $100 as Middle East war intensifies

The Iran war escalated this week as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked four southern Saudi Arabian cities and oil facilities.

Latest News

US strikes Iranian tankers after attempted attack on Navy ship

Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait off the coast of Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas on September 7, 2026. Iran's top negotiator threatened on September 6 of a more forceful response to any further US attacks after Tehran targeted American warships in their latest round of clashes. The exchanges of fire, which began with US raids last week, come amid a deadlock in the six-month war between the two foes. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

What Houthi setbacks in Yemen mean for Iran's regional influence

Forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

Israel braces for Iran attack as Trump’s economic squeeze on Tehran intensifies

TOPSHOT - Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system are pictured over Tel Aviv on February 28, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with Israel's public broadcaster reporting that the Iranian supreme leader had been targeted, as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

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

US hits 27 Iranian airlines with latest sanctions

A picture take on September 14, 2017 shows an Airbus A340 of Mahan Air at the tarmac at Dubai's International Airport. (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/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

U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi and the Iran

Iran's Intelligence Ministry, judiciary clash over sentenced nuclear negotiator

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry denies claims by Iran’s judiciary that a sentenced Iranian nuclear negotiator was a spy.

An Iraqi Kurdish man holds a Kurdish flag in Erbil, Iraq October 4, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1CAD913850

Iran wary of Trump’s plans in Iraqi Kurdistan

Iranian concerns about the Trump administration’s plans for Iraqi Kurdistan appear to be tempering Tehran’s fury with Erbil over the Sept. 25 independence referendum.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

IRGC detains brother of Iran’s first vice president

Fresh controversy erupts in Iran with the arrest of the brother of the first vice president.

Iran's parliament speaker moves to position himself as Rouhani’s successor

Moderate-conservative parliament Speaker Ali Larijani’s public appearance next to former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami raises debate on whether he’s preparing to succeed President Hassan Rouhani.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

Head of the Mohammad Rasulallah Revolutionary guard's base Hossein Hamedani (R), Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani (L) and Revolutionary guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari attend a conference to mark the martyrs of terrorism in Tehran September 6, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - GM1E7961ELB01

Trump prompts Rouhani administration, IRGC to close ranks

Despite their many differences, the Rouhani administration and the IRGC are showing a unified stance amid talk of a US plan to designate the Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.

Iranian universities enter Iraq

The collapse of Iraq’s educational system in the years since the US-led invasion has paved the way for foreign actors to step in to fill the void.

Former president Mohammad Khatami arrives to vote during the Iranian presidential election in northern Tehran June 12, 2009. REUTERS/Chavosh Homavandi/jamejamonline (IRAN POLITICS ELECTIONS) - GM1E56C1HCI01

Iran’s former president under more restrictions

In Iran, former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami has reportedly been banned from public appearances for a period of three months.

Iranian conservatives more divided than ever

Five months after their defeat against Hassan Rouhani in Iran’s presidential elections, Iranian conservatives appear more divided than ever.

Saudis could seek Russian bailout in Yemen

Saudi Arabia is eager to put an end to the Yemeni conflict, and Russian mediation is looking like its best option.

Turkey, Iran could unite to overcome their Kurdish worries

The emerging Iran-Turkey rapprochement, driven by their mutual desire to contain the Kurds, has led to agreements on military cooperation, but the odds appear to be against a formal military alliance.

Iran sees challenge of Kurdish referendum as opportunity

After being taken aback by the Kurdish independence vote, Iran is now evolving to view the referendum as an opportunity to forge practical cooperation with affected neighboring states.

Russians, Saudis look to spruce up relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi King Salman reached around their differences to sign lucrative agreements and improve relations, but the differences are still there.