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Iran

September 13, 2026

Tehran 3:43 pm

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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

An Iranian man takes a picture of a painting by 19th century painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec during the Modern Art Movement exhibition at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran August 29, 2005. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl MN/JJ - RTRLUWV

Tehran's famed modern art museum goes digital

After decades of carefully guarding its treasures, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is uploading its priceless collection of contemporary art.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and his Venezuelan counterpart Delcy Rodriguez hold a press conference following their meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran on April 20, 2015. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Post-nuclear deal, Iran looks to expand ties with Latin America

Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi discussed Iran’s economic goals in Latin America ahead of a trip by an Iranian delegation to the region.

Iraqi Shi'ite fighters salute to the shrine of Sayeda Zeinab, the granddaughter of Prophet Mohammad, at Sayeda Zainab area in Damascus May 25, 2013. Picture taken May 25, 2013. REUTERS/ Alaa Al-Marjani (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT) ) - RTX104SW

Will Iraq's Shiite militias flow to Syria after post-IS?

Expelling IS from Iraq will lead Iraqi Shiite militants to volunteer to fight in Syria, as the Syrian conflict continues to attract Sunni and Shiite fighters from around the world.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev arrive for their meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, August 8, 2016. REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool - RTSLUSE

Why Iran’s diplomatic success to its north isn’t replicated to its south

Under President Hassan Rouhani, Iran has managed to greatly improve its relations with its northern neighbors, but why has Iranian diplomacy succeeded in the South Caucasus and Central Asia and not in the Arab Middle East?

ISFAHAN, IRAN - JUNE 02: People spend an afternoon at Isfahan's Unesco-listed central square on June 2, 2014 in Isfahan, Iran. Isfahan, with it's immense mosques, picturesque bridges and ancient bazaar, is a virtual living museum of Iranian traditional culture. It's also the Iran's top tourist destination for both Iranian and domestic visitors. On June 4 Iran marks the 25th anniversary of the death of the Ayatollah Khomeini and his legacy of the Islamic Revolution. In the background of the photo is the Ima

Iran’s tourism sector growing, but is it enough?

Iran’s tourism industry has experienced a rebirth since the 2013 election of moderate President Hassan Rouhani. Yet the industry is still far from the realization of its full potential.

A Sukhoi Su-25 jet fighter flies during a drill at the Russian southern Stavropol region, March 12, 2015. Russia has started military exercises in the country's south, as well as in Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and in Crimea, annexed from Ukraine last year, news agency RIA reported on Thursday, citing Russia's Defence Ministry. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR4T448

Iran officials defend Russian use of Hamadan air base

Many Iranian officials were quick to downplay concerns about the legality of Russian jets using an Iranian airbase to strike targets in Syria.

Russian military jets are seen at Hmeymim air base in Syria, June 18, 2016. Picture taken June 18, 2016. REUTERS/Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defense Ministry via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX2H2BC

US says Russian use of Iran base unhelpful but won’t derail Syria talks

The United States said Russia’s use of an Iranian air base to fly long-range bombers to conduct airstrikes in Syria was unhelpful, but would not derail negotiations to reach a deal on Syria.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Iran?s Supreme National Security Council Director, in Damascus September 30, 2014,in this picture released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

Iran official: Moscow and Tehran are in 'strategic cooperation'

The secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council said that Russia’s use of Iran’s air base is a sign of further cooperation rather than an exceptional situation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) during a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on August 12, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey, Iran rekindle courtship but take things slow

Ankara appreciates Iran’s position regarding the failed coup attempt in Turkey, but talk of a strategic "axis" between the two countries appears premature.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY ALI NOORANI - A picture taken on September 12, 2015 shows cars driving past a sales office of Iranian auto manufacturer SAIPA group in the capital Tehran. A campaign to boycott "substandard and expensive" Iranian-made cars has fired up social media in the Islamic republic, where its supporters have been accused of anti-revolutionary treason. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian carmakers' good fortune unlikely to trickle down

The impending joint venture between European carmakers and Iranian manufacturers is good news for the Iranian automotive industry, but such developments may not benefit consumers unless competitiveness is restored.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu climbs out after a visit inside the Rahav, the fifth submarine in the Israeli Navy's fleet, after it arrived in Haifa port January 12, 2016. The Dolphin-class submarines, widely believed to be capable of firing nuclear missiles, were manufactured in Germany and sold to Israel at deep discounts as part of Berlin's commitment to shoring up the security of the country set in part as a haven for Jews who survived the Holocaust. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX221FW

Why Israel won't admit success of nuke agreement

The Israeli government can't admit that the nuclear agreement with Iran is being successfully implemented or Israel itself might have to face similar requirements.

Protesters carry Al-Qaeda flags during an anti-government protest after Friday prayers in the town of Marat Numan in Idlib province, Syria, March 11, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTSAD3X

Iranian military official: We will 'uproot' Jabhat al-Nusra

Jabhat al-Nusra's rebranding as independent of its parent organization al-Qaeda has not raised eyebrows in Tehran, where officials say only the group’s name has changed.