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Iran

May 10, 2026

Tehran 12:02 am

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China’s overland trade routes offer Iran wartime economic lifeline: What to know

Cargo rail traffic between China and Iran has reportedly surged since the US blockade began in April as Tehran seeks overland trade alternatives to help buy time.

A woman walks past a banner featuring Iran's late supreme leaders, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C), next to newly elected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in Tehran on April 19, 2026.

Analysis

Why Iran's wartime behavior risks lasting rupture with Gulf states

Iran's rhetoric and policies toward Gulf states have sharply escalated, raising questions about whether years of painstaking regional rapprochement can survive mounting distrust and maritime confrontations.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images.

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

The findings cast doubt on Israel’s wartime gains and put pressure on Netanyahu’s campaign strategy ahead of elections.

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

Getty

US strikes Iran tankers as UAE reports fresh missile, drone attacks

Strikes on Iranian tankers and fresh exchanges in the Gulf escalate tensions as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a deal proposal.

Latest News

What to know about Iran's 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' to control Hormuz traffic

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, the Iran-flagged tugboat Basim sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

US sets expectations for Iraq’s next PM to confront Iranian militias

Popular Mobilization Forces

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on May 6, 2026. Credit: Telegram

Joyce Karam

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

Iran's newly elected President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during his swearing-in ceremony at the Iranian parliament.

Iranian president expresses 'heartfelt amity' toward UAE

Despite past tensions, Iran and the UAE look to better ties to defuse friction in the Persian Gulf.

Iran's newly elected President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during his swearing in ceremony at the Iranian parliament in the capital Tehran on Aug. 5, 2021.

Raisi reasserts Iran's regional policy in swearing-in ceremony

The new head of state reiterated Iran's controversial regional policy, even as it has been at the very core of tensions between the Islamic Republic's hard-line establishment and the West.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price speaks during a briefing at the State Department August 2, 2021, in Washington, DC.

US urges Iran to return to nuclear talks as Raisi sworn in

Talks over reviving the nuclear deal remain on hold — a process the Biden administration warned "cannot go on indefinitely."

Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi is pictured during his first press conference since his election on the weekend in Tehran, on June 21, 2021.

The Takeaway: Does Raisi sink prospects for Iran nuclear deal?

Maybe not, but diplomacy just got harder; also, Egypt pushes plans to address climate and water crises; Sudan calls out Ethiopia on recent floods; Russia says it is helping save Syria’s heritage; Turkish cleric takes issue with dress code for Olympic women; remembering Beirut’s port explosion; more!

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

US believes Iranians seized oil tanker off UAE coast

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said early Wednesday that the intruders had left the vessel, which is now safe.

Hossein Salami

Iran calls Gulf of Oman accusations 'psychological warfare'

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned of a "destructive" response to any attack.

MV Mercer Street oil tanker

Pentagon doesn't rule out response for Gulf shipping attack

Iran's conflicts with its neighbors once again loom over Biden's ambitions to return to the Iran deal.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Raisi pledges to save Iran from sanctions, restore public trust

The new Iranian president said he will push to get harsh sanctions lifted without hinging Iran's battered economy on the West.

Antony Blinken

Blinken vows ‘collective response’ for ship attack blamed on Iran

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States is confident that Iran carried out the attack on the Israeli-linked oil tanker.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran's outgoing health minister asks for military-enforced lockdown

Iran's health minister asked for a two-week lockdown to be enforced by the military to stop the spread of COVID-19.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

UK, Romania summon Iranian ambassadors over ship attack

Iran, which has denied involvement in the attack on the Israeli-linked oil tanker, responded by summoning the British chargé d'affaires in Tehran.

A nurse stands by the CIRA-03 robot prototype built as part of a self-funded project to assist physicians in running tests on suspected COVID-19 coronavirus patients.

Middle East economic outlook hinges on vaccinations

Five countries to watch: Tunisia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Oman.