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Iran

September 20, 2026

Tehran 8:16 am

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A picture of Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed during Israeli strikes on Tehran in June, is displayed Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government on Dec. 18, 2025.

Analysis

How a new Baluch militant coalition raises pressure on Iran-Pakistan border

Iran's military standoff with the US may be creating opportunities for Baluch groups to launch operations from the mountainous, sparsely populated frontier region with Pakistan.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march

Analysis

As Iran regime marks 200 days of war, is it also preparing for dissent?

Seven months into the war with the US, Iranian authorities staged a pro-government mobilization in Tehran, combining patriotic spectacle with a carefully calibrated demonstration aimed for domestic internal security capacity.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A pedestrian passes by the Treasury Building in Washington, DC on Jan. 18, 2023.

US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over Hormuz payments

The US government says the exchange was used to channel payments from an Iranian maritime-insurance scheme to the regime.

AFP via Getty Images

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.

Latest News

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

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)

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

Analysis

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

Houthi fighters marching

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

Supporters of moderate cleric Hassan Rohani celebrate his victory in Iran's presidential election on a pedestrian bridge in Tehran June 15, 2013. Rohani won Iran's presidential election on Saturday, the interior ministry said, scoring a surprising landslide victory over conservative hardliners without the need for a second round run-off. REUTERS/Fars News/Amir Hashen Dehgani (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL

Khamenei, Iran Choose Statesman Rouhani

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has acquiesced to the will of the people and a perhaps more conciliatory political posture with the election of Hassan Rouhani.

A supporter of moderate cleric Hassan Rohani gestures with a picture of him as she celebrates his victory in Iran's presidential election on a street in Tehran June 15, 2013. Rohani won Iran's presidential election on Saturday, the interior ministry said, scoring a surprising landslide victory over conservative hardliners without the need for a second round run-off. REUTERS/Fars News/Sina Shiri (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL US

Chances for Nuclear Deal Rise With Rouhani

The victory by moderate cleric and experienced negotiator Hassan Rouhani revives chances for progress in nuclear negotiations provided the United States is also willing to compromise.

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

A member of the Revolutionary Guard Colonel Hamid Ahmadi speaks with journalists about military operations against PJAK (Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan) during a news conference in Tehran August 17, 2011. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR2Q0QK

Iranian Kurdish Struggle Linked to Turkey, Syria

Iran is not admitting that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps units are operating in Syria.

Supporters carry campaign posters for Iranian presidential candidate Saeed Jalili on the streets of Tehran June 12, 2013. Picture taken June 12, 2013. REUTERS/ISNA/Mehdi Ghassemi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTX10M61

What Will Happen on Election Day In Iran?

Iran has set procedures for conducting elections, but this year a new committee, composed of allies of the supreme leader, will oversee counting the votes.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari (R) welcomes Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili (C) at the headquarters of the foreign ministry in Baghdad, August 8, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR36FB9

Iran Focused on Elections, Syria, Not Iraq

Baghdad has some breathing room as Iran has been preoccupied with elections and the war in Syria.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary and chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili listens during a news conference in Almaty February 27, 2013. Iran said nuclear talks with world powers were a "positive step", after two days of negotiations that ended in Almaty on Wednesday. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov (KAZAKHSTAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTR3EC8O

Why Iran’s Supreme Leader Wants Jalili for President

With his loyalty to the supreme leader and lack of ties to established groups, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili appears to have Khamenei’s backing.

Babara pix.jpg

Iranian Activism Abroad Mirrors Low-Key Election Campaign

Iranians in the US and Europe try to mobilize support for free and fair elections to highlight restrictions in Iran's June 14 presidential vote.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
A man looks at the headline of a newspaper at a news stand in Tehran March 4, 2012. Hardliners allied with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei maintained their lead in the country's parliamentary vote, with partial results on Sunday showing supporters of the president trailing behind. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR2YT

Does Khamenei Have A Favored Candidate?

The perception of being Khamenei's candidate could mean 12 million votes in Iran’s presidential election.

Iranians sit next to electoral posters of Hassan Rohani (L) and Mohsen Rezai (C) in the religious city of Qom some 130 kilometres south of the capital on June 9, 2013. Iran elects on June 14 a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose eight years in office have been marked by stiff Western sanctions over Tehran's controversial nuclear drive and the economic turmoil they have caused. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian Press Mostly Quiet In Run-up to Election

The crackdown on the media which started five months before the election has effectively stifled critical press inside Iran.

A general view of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, some 1,200 km (746 miles) south of Tehran October 26, 2010. Iran has begun loading fuel into the core of its first nuclear power plant on Tuesday, one of the last steps to realising its stated goal of becoming a peaceful nuclear power, state-run Press TV reported on Tuesday. REUTERS/IRNA/Mohammad Babaie (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTXTUIA

Iran’s Next President and The Third Nuclear Strategy

US President Barack Obama and Iran’s next president should expand the nuclear talks to include regional security matters, including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

Nabilloah Bagheriha of Iran's Persepolis (L) fights for the ball with Rivaldo Vitor Borba Ferreira of Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor during their AFC Champions League soccer match at Tehran's Azadi stadium May 27, 2009. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN SPORT SOCCER) - RTXOLC7

Sports an Issue in Iran's Elections

Iran's sports clubs have become politicized in recent years and are an issue in the presidential contest.

Iran's former chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani attends a meeting of Iran's Assembly of Experts in Tehran on March 5, 2013. Iran's Assembly of Experts is an 86-seat body that selects the supreme leader and supervises his activities and holds sessions twice a year. AFP PHOTO/ ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

New Poll on Iranian Election Shows Rouhani as Front-Runner

Iran's presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani's outspokenness on important issues could propel him to the presidency at the last minute.