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April 29, 2026

Tehran 11:49 pm

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A pumpjack stands idle in the Huntington Beach oil field, with port cranes visible in the distance, on April 23, 2026, in Huntington Beach, California.

Oil surges past $120 to war-time high as Trump rejects Iran overture

Benchmark Brent crude surpassed $120 per barrel on Wednesday, reaching the highest levels yet seen during the US-Israel-Iran war.

President Donald Trump gives a speech during the State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn on April 28, 2026, in Washington.

Trump speaks with Netanyahu, Putin as Iran pressure campaign escalates

President Donald Trump spoke by phone separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing the situation in Iran and the possibility of extending the ceasefire.

An Iraqi money dealer counts Iranian rial banknotes bearing a portrait of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, at an exchange office in Baghdad on Feb. 3, 2012.

Iranian rial hits new record low as blockade, war take toll: What to know

The rial had another collapse in late 2025, triggering massive protests and riots in the country that were ended by a forceful government crackdown.

In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 3, 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea.

Pentagon: Iran war has cost US estimated $25B so far

A supplemental request won’t be delivered to Congress until the Pentagon fully assesses the war’s cost, a top budget official told House lawmakers.

Latest News

Analysis

How long can Iran's economy withstand Trump's naval blockade?

The Ateela 2 oil tanker boat navigates the sea on April 28, 2026, on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

First LNG tanker transits Strait of Hormuz since Iran war began

Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images

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

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2L) meets with Iran's conservative Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (2R) on the sidelines of a BRICS (the bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) parliamentary forum in Saint Petersburg on July 11, 2024.

Iran advances de-dollarization among BRICS members to counter US dominance

As a new addition to the BRICS group of nations, Iran has been promoting an ambitious campaign within the alliance to counter US influence over global markets and alleviate the impacts of American sanctions on its own economy.

Newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a visit to the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, on July 6, 2024, in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

Will Iran join global financial watchdog FATF under Pezeshkian?

Pezeshkian has promised better days for Iran, but will he revive the once-thwarted negotiations required to make change happen?

Ali Dadpay

TEHRAN, IRAN - JULY 6: Newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian gestures during a visit to the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on July 6, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. Masoud Pezeshkian, considered the reformist candidate among the six approved contenders for the country's presidency, won office on Friday after a runoff election. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

After Pezeshkian win, Iran nuclear diplomacy hinges on US election

Iran’s president-elect, Masoud Pezeshkian, says he wants to negotiate with the United States, but is the feeling mutual?

Newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a visit to the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran on July 6, 2024.

Iran's Pezeshkian assures Russia’s Putin, Hezbollah chief of continued support

Masoud Pezeshkian's messages indicate that Iran's strategic ties with Russia and militia allies are unlikely to change under his presidency, as the agenda largely rests with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 04: Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines speaks during a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. Haines testified alongside Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier and took questions on the intelligence communities annual threat assessment. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Top intelligence official warns Iran meddling in Gaza protests inside US

The director of national intelligence said "actors tied to Iran's government" are encouraging the protests and "even providing financial support" to those participating.

Iranian reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian (C-R) and Iran's former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (C-L) gesture after voting in Tehran on July 5, 2024. Polls opened on July 5 for Iran's runoff presidential election, the interior ministry said, pitting reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili in the race to succeed Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May helicopter crash. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Can Iran's new president challenge country's powerful hard-liners?

From the revival of the nuclear deal and fixing the battered economy to easing hijab restrictions and improving women's rights, the Reformist president has made ambitious promises to the disillusioned electorate.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iranian reformist presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian (C) gestures while surrounded by supporters outside a polling station in Tehran on July 5, 2024.

Polls close in Iran's presidential runoff: Estimates of nearly 50% turnout

Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and hard-liner Saeed Jalili faced off in Friday's vote after many Iranians boycotted the first round of the voting.

Presidential candidates Masoud Pezeshkian (L) and Saeed Jalili are seen in a screen grab from Monday's debate.

Iran’s Jalili, Pezeshkian spar over sanctions as calls for boycott grow

Iran's supreme leader remained silent on the record-low turnout seen last week, and state media went out of their way to draw in more voters to prevent further embarrassment.

An Iranian woman casts her vote at a polling station in Tehran during Iran's presidential election on June 28, 2024.

Analysis

Iran's record low voter turnout stirs debates on eroding legitimacy

Amid widespread boycotts and despite the state's media campaigns to bring out voters, Iran's presidential election registered the lowest ever turnout for the theocratic establishment that has long invested in public support to boost its legitimacy abroad.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Saeed Jalili, ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator and Iran's presidential candidate, waves to the crowd after casting his vote at a polling station in Tehran during Iran's presidential election on June 28, 2024.

Polls close in Iran's election with vote marred by apathy, discontent

The four candidates, who are all approved by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are running at a time of economic crunch and discontent with the government inside Iran.

An Iranian cleric walks past a banner and posters with the image of presidential candidate, conservative Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, as he walks along a street days before the national snap elections, in Tehran on June 26, 2024. Six candidates are vying in the June 28 snap elections to succeed the ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2024. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran election: With 4 candidates left, hard-liners rally behind Ghalibaf, Jalili

Hard-liner Saeed Jalili and Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian topped two recent polls, though many Iranians say they don't plan to vote amid widespread opposition to the government.

ABDEL GHANI BASHIR/AFP via Getty Images

Iran claims Saudi Arabia won't let Iranian pilgrims vote

Iranian worshippers resumed Umrah pilgrimages to holy sites in Saudi Arabia in April after the two countries resumed relations last year.