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May 12, 2026

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A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Panamanian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

Breaking | Last Updated: May 11, 2026, 4:31 pm

US hits China-linked Iran oil trade with sanctions ahead of Trump trip

The sanctions come after the United States rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war.

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 2: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on May 2, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago resort. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

Trump calls Iran response 'piece of garbage,' set to meet military advisers

A US Navy nuclear submarine reached port in Gibraltar on Sunday in an unsubtle signal from the Pentagon.

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was not surprised by President Donald Trump’s suspension of Project Freedom and move toward talks with Iran, but analysts say Washington may not be fully weighing Israel's concerns in negotiations with Tehran.

Latest News

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

CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

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

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.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

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.

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

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

Getty

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

UN Security Council rejects US-sought extension on Iran arms embargo

The resolution failed by a 2-2 vote with 11 abstentions.

Intel: Iran’s navy boards oil tanker near Strait of Hormuz, US says

A Liberian-flagged ship was seized by Iranian forces in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US-led maritime security coalition.

Iranian official reveals claims of corruption at highest levels

Accusations of corruption have led to speculation that a former Iranian official under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration may seek the presidency.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif listens as Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly September 25, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Don Emmert / AFP) (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)

Zarif says UN will vote down US proposal on Iran arms embargo

Iran's top diplomat expressed doubt that the United States' last-minute efforts at the UN Security Council will succeed in extending an arms embargo against Iran.

What are vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris' views on the Middle East?

Joe Biden's running mate has views on Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Syria that fall in line with the Democratic party establishment.

Iran’s hard-line parliament set to impeach two Rouhani allies

The impeachment bid is the latest in a series of measures the new hard-line parliament had promised to take against President Hassan Rouhani in the closing year of his term.

TOPSHOT - Demonstrators protest against Iran's President Hassan Rouhani outside the United Nations headquarters, where Rouhani addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York on September 22, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran arrests alleged spies for UK, Germany, Israel

Iran executed men it said spied for the United States and Israel last month.

Iran suspends newspaper after critical coronavirus coverage

The newspaper had just published an interview that accused the government of covering up the scale of Iran's coronavirus outbreak.

Iran says it will not pay to replace Ukraine jet shot down near Tehran in January

No agreement has yet been reached on compensation for victims' families, but Iran says it won't pay for the aircraft itself.

Gulf states ask UN to extend arms embargo on Iran

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) sent a letter to the UN Security Council amid US efforts to extend the weapons ban.

Rouhani says Iranians must change lifestyles due to coronavirus

President Hassan Rouhani urged Iranians to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously and think of it as a long-term issue.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MARCH 23: The YouTube and Netflix app logos are seen on a television screen on March 23, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan passed a new law on March 22 extending the reach of the country's radio and TV censor to the internet. The new law will allow RTUK, the states media watchdog, to monitor online broadcasts and block content of social media sites and streaming services including Netflix and YouTube. Turkey already bans many websites inc

Google closes YouTube accounts linked to Iranian government

Facebook took similar actions against apparent Iranian misinformation.