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Iran

October 23, 2026

Ostān-e Tehrān 1:33 am

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Explainer

What Iran’s threats to Hormuz internet cables mean for Gulf

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to cut crucial internet and communications routes in the region if US aggression escalates.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

US sanctions law firm based in Panama, Greece over Iran shipping ties

The Treasury Department accused Karnakis and Karnakis of registering shipping companies linked to Iran's so-called shadow fleet.

Latest News

Analysis

How Lavrov's Tehran visit tests limits of Russia's influence over Iran

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrive to hold a press conference after a meeting in Tehran on October 19, 2026. The Russian foreign minister arrived in Iran on October 19, in his first visit since the outbreak of the Middle East war as Moscow seeks to play a mediating role. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

IRGC claims it downed US drone, set two tankers ablaze near Hormuz

Ships are anchored off the coast of Khasab in Oman's Musandam Governorate, near the Strait of Hormuz, on Oct. 2, 2026.

Iran says deal reached with Iraq to expel Kurdish separatists: What to know

Safin HAMID / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

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

Iranian boys ride their bicycles in Adimi village in Hamoon wetland near the Zabol town in southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, bordering Afghanistan, Feb. 2, 2015.

Top Sunni cleric laments Iran's discrimination against minorities

In his scathing criticism, Mawlawi Abdul-Hamid also recognized the ongoing protests in Khuzestan province, which in his view, should not be reduced to the water crisis.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint-press conference with Kuwaiti foreign minister in Kuwait City on July 29, 2021.

Blinken: Iran nuclear talks ‘cannot go on indefinitely’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments came as negotiations over the landmark accord remain stalled.

A police officer patrols in front of banners put up by members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

US condemns violence against protesters in Iran

The US condemnation comes as rights groups accuse Iranian authorities of a violent crackdown on protests that erupted earlier this month over severe water shortages in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.

Khamenei

Iran's supreme leader says 'cowardly' US cannot be trusted

As Iran awaits a new president set to take office Aug. 3, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the West cannot be relied upon in future negotiations.

Ghalibaf

Iran protests gain momentum despite deadly crackdown

The protests that rocked the oil-rich province of Khuzestan have spread to other areas despite the government's iron-fist response and severe internet disruptions.

Iranians use internet at a cybercafe in the center of the Iranian capital Tehran on May 14, 2013.

Iran's parliament suspends controversial internet bill

Iran's parliament has decided to temporarily suspend a controversial bill that would block Iranians from major social media websites.

Muweis canal of Nile River in northern Egypt

How water has become a flashpoint in the Middle East

Al-Monitor reporting shows the increased risks and relevance of water security for Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia; Iran and Iraq; and Israel and Jordan.

2019 ahvaz street scene

Khamenei calls largely Arab province of Iran 'loyal' amid protests

Protesters in oil-rich Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran want clean drinking water, among other things.

An Iranian woman surfs the internet at a cybercafe in central Tehran on Jan. 24, 2011.

Watchdog: Internet disrupted in Iran amid water protests

The internet is heavily restricted in Iran, and the government initiated an internet blackout in 2019 during widespread protests in the country.

Iran's former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses reporters at the Interior Ministry headquarters.

Ahmadinejad accuses 'ring' in Iran intelligence of espionage

The serious allegation marked a new episode in the ex-president's confrontations with the Revolutionary Guards and its powerful intelligence branch.

An Iranian man rides a motorbike at Enghelab Square in the center of the capital, Tehran, on July 20, 2021, as authorities tighten restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tehran begins another round of coronavirus lockdowns

Iran has announced a new wave of restrictions in red zones as well as the capital.

Ali Rabiei

Iran spokesman says powerful body rejects nuclear deal with US

The statement by the spokesman for the moderate government confirmed a push by hard-liners in Tehran to make it impossible for a deal between the outgoing Rouhani government and the US administration to get final approval.