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September 17, 2026

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China presses Iran, US to reopen Hormuz as disruptions threaten oil supply

Conflicts in the region are disrupting two key routes for oil bound for China, with Iranian crude affected by the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi shipments facing growing risks in the Red Sea.

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Senior Israeli intelligence sources told Al-Monitor that Israel seeks to avoid involvement in the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, despite concerns that Yemen could further unravel and that Iran is backing the group.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Houthi fighters marching

Analysis

How far will Iran push Houthis against Saudi Arabia amid raging conflict?

As Iran-backed Houthis broaden attacks on Saudi Arabia, Tehran's delicate calculation is exploiting the current conflict without being dragged into an escalation of its own making.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia's balancing act with US, Iran, Houthis risks collapse

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities shout slogans during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 10, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Exclusive

Houthi top diplomat says no intention to shut down Red Sea shipping, group open to talks

Houthi

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

US hits major Russian bank VTB with Iran-linked sanctions

VTB Bank in Moscow

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

Ayatollah Khamenei’s media team live-blogs his surgery

The decision to publicize the Iranian supreme leader's prostate surgery appears to prevented the spread of rumors regarding the supreme leader's health.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani addresses the audience during a meeting in Ankara June 10, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3T16B

Rouhani speaks out against harsh enforcement of veil

During speeches in the Iranian city of Mashhad, President Hassan Rouhani has criticized the strict enforcing of veiling laws.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki reviews the honour guard upon his arrival in Moscow April 9, 2009. Maliki is to meet Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev during his visit to Russia. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin (RUSSIA POLITICS) - RTXDTLO

Iranian-Saudi agreement on Iraq may be near

While key issues remain, Iran and Saudi Arabia are reportedly close to agreeing on the formation of an Iraqi government, clearing the way to focus on another regional crisis.

Iraqi women walk past a poster depicting images of Shi'ite Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at al-Firdous Square in Baghdad February 12, 2014. An Iraqi daily newspaper stopped publishing after two bombs were planted in the entrance to its headquarters in Baghdad on Monday and after threats from an Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia. Editors and reporters at Assabah AlJadeed said they had received death threats from the influential Asaib al-Haq militia in response to what it had described as an "insu

Ayatollah Khamenei urges Iran to prepare for 'new world order'

Iran’s supreme leader has said that Western influence in the world is waning and Iran must “prepare ourselves to play a role” in the new order that emerges.

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Reformists lose Tehran city council chairmanship

Reformists have lost the chairmanship of Tehran city council, an important position, in a possible indicator for future elections.

A member of the Kurdish Peshmerga force fires a dushka at Sulaiman Pek front line in the northwest of Tikrit city August 31, 2014. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR44FEB

Despite limitations, Iranian Kurds support Iraqi Kurds

Iranian Kurds have been moved by images of Iraqi Kurds fleeing the Islamic State and have attempted to contribute and help.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.
Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi-Kani (C, top table) gives the opening speech during Iran's Assembly of Experts' biannual meeting in Tehran March 6, 2012. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2YWR0

Reformist cleric skips Assembly of Experts session

The 16th session of Iran's Assembly of Experts, which supervises and chooses the supreme leader, has convened without its speaker due to illness and one member who abstained in protest over Basiji persecution.

Israeli soldiers observe the Syrian side of the Quneitra border crossing between the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and Syria, August 29, 2014. U.N. officials shuttled along the rocky frontier between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Friday, trying to establish the whereabouts of 44 United Nations peacekeepers seized by al-Qaeda-linked militants inside Syria. Israeli forces took up positions at Quneitra, a fortified crossing between Syria and the Golan, barely 400 meters (437 yards) from Nu

Fighting on Golan border puts Israel on the spot

Israel has intercepted a drone over the Golan Heights, but turned a blind eye to a Syrian warplane near its border, highlighting the complex reality of the war in Syria and the difficulty in calculating what is in Israel's best interest.

Former prime minister Saad al-Hariri (R) speaks during a meeting with the members of the "14 March Alliance" as former President Amin Gemayel (2nd R) and Samir Geagea (2nd L), leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces listen in Beirut August 8, 2014. Al-Hariri returned to Lebanon on Friday for the first time in three years, on a visit seen as reasserting a moderate influence over the Sunni community following a deadly incursion by Islamist militants. REUTERS/Dalati Nohra/Handout via Reuters (LEBANON - Tags: P

Hariri’s visit sign of Iranian-Saudi rapprochement

Saad Hariri's return to Lebanon coincided with a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and appears to be part of Riyadh's plan to invest in fighting terrorism and promoting moderate Islam.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) during a meeting at the Xijiao State Guesthouse in Shanghai, May 22, 2014. REUTERS/Kenzaburo Fukuhara/Pool (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3QAM1

After minister's impeachment, critics of Rouhani grow louder

Iranian Science Minister Reza Faraji-Dana has been impeached for alleged ties to the 2009 election protests.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY MOHAMMAD DAVARI
An Iranian couple inpect the box of an IPhone they just bought at a computer shop selling Apple products in northern Tehran on June 1, 2013. The United States lifted a ban on sales of communications equipment to Iranians and opened access to Internet services and social media, in a bid to help the Iranian people avoid government controls. The US State Department said the action will allow Iranians to skirt "attempts to silence its people by cutting off their communic

Iran cleric explains he's not opposed to 'filtered' 3G phones

Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi has clarified his position on mobile Internet access after his ruling that 3g phones were un-Islamic made international news.

Iraqi Kurdish regional President Masoud Barzani (R) shakes hands with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Arbil, north of Baghdad, August 26, 2014. Iran supplied weapons and ammunition to Iraqi Kurdish forces, Kurdistan President Barzani said Tuesday at a joint news conference with Iranian foreign minister Zarif in Arbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR43TA5

Iran helps Iraq's Kurds but Baghdad still priority

Iran has provided the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq with arms to fight the Islamic State but is wary of alienating Baghdad.