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Iran

September 13, 2026

Tehran 8:06 am

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Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities gather in Sanaa on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

As Houthis seize Bab el-Mandeb, Iran appraises value of new Red Sea card

Iran is celebrating the Houthis' rapid advance toward Bab el-Mandeb, but appears reluctant to act on the win.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

member of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces firing a heavy machine gun

Claude AI used for missile, influence projects in UAE, Iran, Yemen: Anthropic

Military and government actors across the Middle East — from Iran to Yemen to the United Arab Emirates — have used Anthropic's Claude AI model for war planning and influence campaigns.

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

Latest News

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

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

Brent crude sails past $100 as Middle East war intensifies

AFPTV / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) meets with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, upon his arrival to the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut, Lebanon November 7, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTX2SD04

Why Iranian-Saudi game in Lebanon is far from over

Iranian officials were quick to congratulate Michel Aoun on becoming president of Lebanon, while their Saudi rivals, not so pleased with his new position, took a little longer.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a concert, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, June 7, 2016. Sputnik/Kremlin/Mikhail Klimentyev/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTSGGFA

Russia emerges as a center of gravity for Israel

Given that Russia’s influence in the Middle East excluding Syria remains limited, Moscow is looking for other entry points — but can Israel offer such an opportunity?

Controversy flares over opening of EU office in Iran

Iran's Foreign Ministry has sparked confusion in sending mixed signals about the government's position on opening an EU office in Tehran.

Newly elected Lebanese president Michel Aoun (C) sits with former prime minister Saad al-Hariri (R), who is expected to lead the new Lebanese government, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (L) at the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut, Lebanon November 3, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTX2ROR8

What minefields await Lebanon's new president?

Michel Aoun was sworn in just a week ago, and he already faces a full agenda of crucial issues as Lebanon's president.

A woman carries a picture of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during an event to celebrate Lebanese President Michel Aoun's presidency, at the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut, Lebanon November 6, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTX2S4L6

Saudi Arabia losing ground to Iran

Saudi influence in the region has been on the decline for a number of reasons, and the kingdom has now suffered another setback in Lebanon with the election of President Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah.

Deputy of France's Peugeot Citroen (PSA) Jean-Christophe Quemard,(R) signs documents with CEO of industrial group Iran Khodro, Hachem Yekehzare (L), as Iran's Industry and Commerce Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh (2R) watches on in Tehran on June 21, 2016.
PSA is the first Western carmaker to announce a return to Iran since many economic sanctions were lifted in January when a landmark nuclear deal with world powers took effect.
/ AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty I

How Iran’s auto industry became the new domestic political football

Iranian hard-liners are targeting automotive sector policies in their latest attack on the administration of President Hassan Rouhani.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) delivers a speech to parliament before presenting the proposed annual budget in Tehran on December 7, 2014. Iran's parliament has adopted a law on December 4, to tax religious foundations and military-linked companies, a first for the Islamic republic that could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues, media reported. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran’s parliament shows its true colors

The Iranian parliament’s vote of confidence to Rouhani’s new ministers signals that the legislature is now in the hands of supporters of the administration.

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

Iranian students holding pictures of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stand in front of an anti U.S. mural, painted on the wall of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran November 4, 2011. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2TLUF

Anti-US talk dominates Iranian media on anniversary of hostage crisis

Across Iran, solemn speeches on the anniversary of the 1979 US Embassy takeover praised Tehran's defiance and expressed reservations about engaging with Washington.

A Houthi follower carries a mock missile as he shouts slogans during a demonstration against the United Nations in Sanaa, Yemen, July 5, 2015. Hundreds of supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels took to the streets of the Yemeni capital on Sunday to protest against the United Nations and its alleged support of Yemen's exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi - RTX1J485

What recent Houthi moves in Red Sea mean for Israel

Houthi assaults against US and UAE vessels should indicate to Israel that control of Red Sea waters might be at stake.

Women hold anti-U.S. banners during a demonstration outside the former U.S. embassy in Tehran November 4, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX1UOX7

Does Iranian law consider US a hostile state?

Although Iran and the United States have been in a near-constant state of hostility over the past 3½ decades, it is still unclear whether the United States is technically an "enemy state" according to Iranian law.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks at a news conference near the United Nations General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., September 22, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTSP0SP

Iran’s parliament gives green light to Rouhani’s new ministers

Iranian media diversely reacted to parliament’s confirming of the new ministers of education, youth affairs and sports, as well as culture and Islamic guidance.

The tomb of Cyrus the Great, a revered King of the Persian Empire, is seen at Pasargadae outside Shiraz, south of Tehran, September 24, 2007. REUTERS/Caren Firouz/File Photo - RTX2R70A

‘Cyrus the Great’ enters Iranian politics

The unexpectedly large gathering of devotees of Cyrus the Great in his resting place of Pasargadae on Oct. 28 sparks heated debate in Iran.