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Iran

October 19, 2026

Tehran 9:41 pm

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi upon his arrival in Tehran on Oct. 19, 2026.

Lavrov visits Tehran as Trump praises Russia's role on Iran: What to know

During a meeting with his Iranian counterpart earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin renewed Moscow’s offer to mediate between Tehran and Washington.

shoppers walking through the Tajrish Bazaar, a traditional market in Tehran

Analysis

As Iran’s oil lifeline runs dry, can it outlast Trump's economic siege?

The country's last barrels of crude stockpiled beyond the reach of a US naval blockade fell to zero in October, raising the stakes for Tehran amid mounting economic distress.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a press conference in Tehran on November 30, 2025.

Analysis

Turkey turns to Iran to contain Houthis as Saudi defense commitments grow

Ankara is trying to contain the fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis through Tehran’s help, but Iran may see an advantage in allowing the Houthis to maintain pressure on the kingdom.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

US President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Oncenter Convention Center in Syracuse, New York, on Oct. 9, 2026.

Window for diplomacy with Iran may be closing as Trump again threatens Pickaxe Mountain

Israel still wary of Damascus, writes Ben Caspit from Israel; our correspondent in Tehran and Amberin Zaman explain how Iran and Turkey look to exploit Azerbaijan’s headscarf controversy; Qatar’s top diplomat offers energy assistance to Lebanon, Beatrice Farhat reports from Beirut.

Latest News

Analysis

How much oil can cushion another Middle East supply shock?

A vessel transits the Gulf of Oman

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Analysis

How hijab dispute is opening new front in Iran-Azerbaijan tensions

A woman walks past a wall painting in the colours of the Iranian flag in Tehran on February 25, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Trump rules out US troops in Iran, leaves Pickaxe Mountain strike on the table

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 7, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Female commander in Iran's Basij units assassinated: What to know

People attend the funeral ceremony of Mahan Setareh, a member of the paramilitary Basij force who was killed in the recent Israeli attacks on June 26, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. A cease-fire between Israel and Iran has brought an end to 12 days of daily aerial attacks that started with Israel's strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites on June 13. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/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

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Iran releases 1 Danish, 2 Austrian citizens after Oman mediation

The newest release of European dual nationals follows a prisoner swap between Iran and Belgium also mediated by Oman.

Foreign ministers of BRICS nations pose for a family photo with representatives from Africa and the global South during a summit in Cape Town, South Africa, June 2, 2023.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE attend BRICS meeting in South Africa as bloc mulls expansion

Iran, which has applied for observer status in BRICS, is finessing non-Western states to remedy its battered economy.

BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images

Attack on Iran-Pakistan border leaves 2 dead

Security issues are complicating Iran’s relations with Pakistan, and there has also been violence on the Iran-Afghanistan border recently.

PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

Iran executions spike by 76% with 142 people hanged in May: Report

A new report reveals that Iran carried out 307 executions in 2023 as rights groups' pleas fall on deaf ears.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Why did Shamkhani, Iran's powerful national security chief, resign?

Ali Shamkhani, the longstanding secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, has yielded his post to a prominent commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei meets with Oman’s Sultan, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, and his accompanying delegation on Monday, May 29, 2023.

Iran’s Khamenei hails thaw with Egypt, Saudi Arabia during Omani sultan visit

The potential rapprochement falls within Tehran's hard-liners' recent push on the reset button in Iran's ties with Arab rivals to reposition itself in the regional power play, avert economic collapse and fight off international isolation.

Raisi and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

Iran-Pakistan cooperation complicated by sanctions, porous border

Newly inaugurated power line and border marketplace mark progress, but sanctions hinder completion of long-delayed pipeline.

This photograph taken on Feb. 8, 2023, shows a large banner with a portrait of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele.

Iran, Belgium complete prisoner swap mediated by Oman

Belgian national Olivier Vandecasteele was released from prison in Iran in an Oman-mediated exchange deal.

Israel's new army chief of staff Herzi Halevi (C) speaks to a supporter following his official appointment ceremony in Jerusalem, on January 16, 2023. (Photo by Maya Alleruzzo / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli brass sounds alarm on Iran's readiness to launch nuclear attack

Israeli officials are watching tensely as intelligence indicates Iran is working on the detonation mechanisms needed for a nuclear bomb.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (4th R) attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd L) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on February 22, 2019. (Photo by HOW HWEE YOUNG / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read HOW HWEE YOUNG/AFP via Getty Images)

From roads to routers: The future of China-Middle East connectivity

Latest Trend Report: China is deepening its engagement in the Middle East, and the region, by and large, is welcoming it.

missile

Iran tests ballistic missile with 1250-mile range, capable of hitting Israel

The missile's declared range makes it capable of reaching Israel, which warned Tehran this week with military action over its ramped-up nuclear enrichment and regional activities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) welcomes his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi in Tehran on November 19, 2022. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Sultan of Oman to make first visit to Iran amid regional thaw

The visit comes amid Iran’s rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, and Oman's mediation between Egypt and Tehran.