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Iran

September 14, 2026

Tehran 6:31 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

Why does Rouhani want a second JCPOA?

Talk of a second, domestic Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or "Barjam 2," among rival Iranian factions is stirring heated debate in the Islamic Republic.

Iran optimistic after Syrian forces retake Palmyra

The recapture of Palmyra by the Syrian government has Iranian officials and media optimistic about the direction of Syria’s civil war.

Ahmad Sheikhzadeh (C), a consultant to the Iranian mission to the United Nation, leaves Brooklyn Federal Court in New York, March 23, 2016. Sheikhzadeh, 60, is accused of charges related to sanctions violations, money laundering and tax matters, his lawyer Steve Zissou said at the hearing. REUTERS/Pearl Gabel - RTSBYWL

Is this Iranian man charged in US actually a 'hostage'?

After an Iranian man was charged in a US court for violating laws on Iran, a conservative analyst accused the United States of seeking to obtain the release of two Iranian-Americans held in Iran.

A plaque is displayed outside the Iranian embassy in central London, Britain August 20, 2015. Britain will reopen its embassy in Iran this weekend nearly four years after protesters ransacked the elegant ambassadorial residence and burned the British flag. The move to restore full diplomatic relations marks a thawing of ties with Iran since it reached a nuclear deal with the United States, China, Russia, Germany, France and Britain. REUTERS/Paul Hackett - RTX1OYJ1

MP says Iran shuttered embassies over lack of funding

According to one Iranian parliamentarian, financial issues were behind Iran's closing of a number of embassies, for which the Foreign Ministry has long complained of a lack of funding.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri (R) looks at weapons with Iran's Defense Minister Mohammad Najar (2nd R) at a military exhibition in Tehran November 28, 2010. REUTERS/Ministry of Defence/Vahid Reza Alaei/Handout (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A

Is Iran becoming a major regional arms producer?

If the current trajectory of arms deliveries continues, it appears that countries such as Iran, Russia and China are set to become the Middle East’s main weapons suppliers.

Head of Iran's state TV skips 10 days of work ... or did he?

Iran's national television is once again caught up in rumors, this time about the resignation of its president.

Is corruption suspect's US arrest bad news for Erdogan?

The US arrest of Reza Zarrab, allegedly a key figure in Turkey’s bribery and corruption scandal, has set off alarm bells in Ankara.

Banking sanctions take center stage as Iranian rhetoric toughens

There is a strong and shared interest between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and US President Barack Obama that ordinary Iranians imminently see — and feel — in the normalization of Iran’s economic engagement with the world.

After criticism, Rouhani defends his economic performance

After receiving criticism for not yet having implemented the resistance economy, President Hassan Rouhani answered back that his administration has already fulfilled many economic promises.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu during a joint news conference in Istanbul January 4, 2014. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX1724F

Is Turkey swaying back toward Iran?

The recent visits of Turkey’s prime minister to Iran and the Iranian foreign minister to Turkey may indicate a turning point in relations between these two important neighbors.

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) afternoon general session in Washington March 21, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RTSBJTM

Trump no longer 'neutral' on Israel

Republican and Democratic presidential candidates vied to prove their pro-Israel credentials before the annual AIPAC convention, with Ted Cruz threatening to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles and Hillary Clinton channeling her inner Queen Esther and Golda Meir.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal (R) attends a rally in Tehran university February 2, 2009. A delegation from Hamas, headed by its leader Meshaal, arrived in Tehran on Sunday as part of a regional push to reinforce support for the Palestinian group after the Israeli invasion of Gaza. The portraits on the left are that of Late Leader Ayatollah Rouollah Khomeini (L) and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN) - RTXB5LP

Why Hamas closed down Iranian charity in Gaza

The Gaza Interior Ministry’s decision to shut down an Iranian-affiliated charity association in the Gaza Strip raised questions on whether this move will affect the fragile and fluctuating ties between Hamas and Iran.