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Iran

September 11, 2026

Tehran 8:45 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

Iranian FM who opposed US embassy takeover dies

Iranian officials and newspapers across the spectrum expressed their condolences on the death of former Foreign Minister Ebrahim Yazdi.

Will Zarif, Tillerson meet for session on nuclear deal?

A possible Iranian request for a meeting about the nuclear deal would set up the first talk between the Iranian and American foreign ministers since the election of President Donald Trump.

Oil swaps bring Iran, Caspian neighbors together

Iran’s newfound focus on oil swaps with its northern neighbors could provide strong mutual benefits at an opportune point in time.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) shakes hands with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry during a joint press conference following their meeting in Moscow, on March 16, 2016. AFP PHOTO / VASILY MAXIMOV / AFP / VASILY MAXIMOV (Photo credit should read VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Moscow, Cairo discuss boosting ties

Representatives of Russia and Egypt seemed pleased with the outcome of their meetings this week, as they touched base on current regional developments and talked through their perspectives.

A view shows buildings in Doha, Qatar, June 9, 2017. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon - RTX39V40

What Iran-Qatar reset means for Syria

Iran adds another “Sunni” power to its regional network; Turkey ponders next moves in Idlib; Israel presents the “big picture” on Iran in Washington and Sochi, Russia; Akiva Eldar on Israel’s silence over Charlottesville.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (L) speaks during a joint news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in Baghdad, Iraq August 23, 2017. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTS1CY8B

Reality disrupts Turkey's dream-team triad

Iran and Iraq show no inclination to join Turkey's potential operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gestures as he leaves a news conference in Istanbul, Turkey May 9, 2011.REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo - RTX2DZ1N

Questions abound over future of Ahmadinejad

Despite his increasing isolation, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been reappointed as a member of the Expediency Council.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks to the media in Tbilisi, Georgia, April 18, 2017. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili - RTS12PQO

Iran urges IAEA to remain independent amid US pressure

Iran’s foreign minister wrote a letter to the IAEA warning it not to fall for US pressure regarding the nuclear deal.

Iranian and Afghan girls gather at the Emam Hasan Mojtaba school in Kerman, Iran, October 23, 2016. Picture taken on October 23, 2016. REUTERS/Gabriela Baczynska TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2QSS1

Education key battleground as Rouhani’s second term begins

As President Hassan Rouhani begins his second term, education emerges as a key political battleground.

Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), speaks during news conference with Iraqi Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani in Baghdad, Iraq, September 29, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTSQ39J

Iraq's Hakim moves out of Iran's shadow

Ammar al-Hakim has left Iraq's Supreme Islamic Council and formed a new political party against Iran's wishes, indicating he is adopting an independent stance.

Mohsen Hashemi (C), the son of late former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, attends his father's mourning ceremony at Jamaran mosque in Tehran, on January 8, 2017.
Rafsanjani died in hospital on January 8 after suffering a eart attack. Rafsanjani, who was 82, was a pivotal figure in the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997. / AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Reformists officially take over Iran’s capital city

After 14 years, Reformists have taken over Iran’s capital city, increasing the cooperation between the incumbent moderate government and the Tehran municipality.

KRG doubles down on independence vote after Baghdad meeting

A visit by a Kurdish delegation to Baghdad amid strong regional and international objections to a Kurdish independence referendum failed to convince the Iraqi government of the merits of the vote.