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Iran

September 13, 2026

Tehran 9:17 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

Moroccan King Mohammed VI (L) meets with his Saudi counterpart, King Abdullah, at the former's palace in Bouskoura on the outskirts of Casablanca on September 11, 2012 AFP / PHOTO / AZZOUZ BOUKALLOUCH (Photo credit should read AZZOUZ BOUKALLOUCH/AFP/GettyImages)

Will warming ties with Iran impact Morocco’s relationship with Saudi Arabia?

Morocco announced the appointment of an ambassador to Tehran, ending a seven-year break in diplomatic ties. But concerns are emerging about the reaction of Saudi Arabia, an ally to the kingdom and enemy of Iran.

Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks as Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton listens during their third and final 2016 presidential campaign debate at UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Joe Raedle/Pool - RTX2PM4L

Iran's Rouhani breaks his silence on US presidential race

For the first time, Iran’s moderate president has spoken about the US presidential election — but even his criticism is dismissed by his hard-line opponents.

Iranian soldiers participate in military manoeuvres on the outskirts of the northeastern Iranian town of Torbat-E-Jam, near Mashhad, on November 17, 2015. Iran started military manoeuvres to respond to possible attacks by armed groups, such as the Islamic State (IS) group, a military commander said according to ISNA. AFP PHOTO / ISNA / HOSSEIN HOSSEINZADEH (Photo credit should read HOSSEIN HOSSEINZADEH/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran’s new challenge: The Islamic State in Persia?

Though Iran has announced that it has killed the Islamic State’s "emir" in the country, it continues to face serious security threats from a variety of militants.

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

Does Rouhani want to scrap Iran’s 5-year development plans?

With the government’s sixth Five-Year Development Plan mired in controversy and yet to be approved after nine months, some Iranian economists now say these plans are a thing of the past.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waves as he stands next to a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after he registered for February's election of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the supreme leader, at Interior Ministry in Tehran December 21, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX1ZKHQ

Cabinet shakeup rattles Iran

Following a week of whispering, three controversial members of the cabinet of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani have stepped down.

Why religious singers are gaining power in Iran

Eulogists or religious singers are the latest actors to gain prominence on Iran’s ever more crowded political stage.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.FILE PHOTO: A IranAir Boeing 747SP aircraft is pictured before leaving Tehran's Mehrabad airport September 19, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File photo - RTX2GZM9

The real reason Boeing, Airbus deals with Iran matter

Beyond being the first major aircraft sales with Iran in decades, the Boeing and Airbus deals are groundbreaking because they may entice major Western banks to resume dealings with the Islamic Republic.

Cast member Golshifteh Farahani poses during a photocall for the film "Paterson" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSEJ46

Iranian actor calls for famous actress in exile to be welcomed back

A well-respected actor has shocked Iran by saying in a TV interview that Golshifteh Farahani, the renowned Iranian actress living in exile in France, should be respected for her choices and allowed back in Iran.

(From L-R), Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Staffan de Mistura, UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, Turkey's Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, speak togethe

How Syria is pushing Egypt and Iran closer

Converging views on Syria appear to be leading to real mutual support between regional powers Iran and Egypt.

Video surfaces of detained US businessman in Iran

A year after the arrest of Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi, a video has appeared on social media with new footage of him.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani attends a meeting during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit at the Foreign Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha - RTSRK1N

Why Rouhani won't halt costly cash handouts anytime soon

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is unlikely to discontinue the monthly cash handouts paid to most Iranians any time soon, despite the payouts' steep costs.

Ron Arad, an Israeli air force navigator missing since he bailed out over Lebanon in 1986, is seen in this undated handout picture released by Israel's Channel One on July 13, 2008. Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah group will exchange prisoners beginning on Wednesday under a U.N.-mediated deal, Israel's Prisons Service said on Sunday. A report on Arad's fate was handed over to Israel as part of the agreement. REUTERS/Handout ISRAEL OUT. ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL. FOR EDITORIAL U

30 years on, fate of Israeli air force officer remains a mystery

Three decades after IDF navigator Ron Arad ejected from his jet in Lebanon, Israelis still cannot be sure of his fate and cannot heal from the trauma that left such a deep scar on both the military and civil society.