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Iran

August 17, 2026

Tehran 8:10 pm

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Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 10, 2026, off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran.

Iran says understanding reached with Oman over new Hormuz route map

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran on Monday that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.”

Smoke rises after explosions were heard and air defences activated near the airport in Erbil, on July 24, 2026.

Explainer

Why Iran targeted Barzani family stronghold in Iraqi Kurdistan

Iran’s Kurdish opposition groups have turned Iraqi Kurdistan into a frontline in the war.

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence on Aug. 14, 2026 in Garden City, New York.

Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it 'gets in the way' of US-Iran deal

The US president also threatened to "blow up" the Gulf partner in May.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Iran is intensifying wartime crackdown in restive Baluchistan

A Baluch Iranian man rides a bicycle

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Explainer

What would BRICS Bank membership mean for Iran's reeling economy?

Motorists drive vehicles past a billboard depicting Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei along a street in central Tehran on August 8, 2026. Hopes for an imminent US-Iran deal to end the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz added to optimism that oil and gas, along with other key products, would again start flowing freely after more than five months of war. But oil prices turned higher ahead of the weekend in the absence of any confirmation of an accord, amid reports that Iran was planning to block US and Is

Oil spills off Oman, Iran's Qeshm Island reap environmental havoc amid war

A photograph obtained from the Iranian Students’ News Agency shows an oil slick along the southern coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, August 13, 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

picture of Qatar Energy's operating facilities on March 3, 2026, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar.

Analysis

How fast can Gulf energy production rebound after US-Iran ceasefire?

The truce could pave the way for lost oil and LNG supplies to flow back to global markets, but restoring Gulf energy production to normal levels could take months, if not longer.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

TOPSHOT - Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, in Tehran, on April 8 2026. The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday barely an hour before US President Donald Trump's deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

Trump ceasefire leaves Netanyahu flustered as Iran gains politically

US President Trump’s decision on a ceasefire with the Tehran regime leaves Israel far away from its Iran war objectives.

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

President Donald Trump pauses as he finishes speaking about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington.

Trump agrees to halt war for 2 weeks if Iran reopens Hormuz

Gas prices over $6.00 are displayed at a Shell station across from the Marathon Petroleum Corp's Los Angeles Refinery on April 02, 2026, in Carson, California.

EIA hikes 2026 oil price forecasts 22% as Hormuz fuels long-term market fallout

In its latest update, the agency said international benchmark Brent crude is now expected to average $96 per barrel in 2026, up from $79 previously, with higher prices now expected to last through 2027.

A family sits against the backdrop of a dockyard in Khor Fakkan in the Gulf emirate of Sharjah, off the coast of the Gulf of Oman, on Feb. 25, 2026.

Iran threatens energy shock, ups Gulf strikes ahead of Trump deadline: What to know

Majid Mousavi, head of the IRGC Aerospace Force, declared the start of a “new phase” of the war in response to US threats to target key Iranian civilian infrastructure.

A view of the damaged B1 bridge, a day after it was destroyed by an airstrike, on April 3, 2026, west of Tehran in Karaj, Iran.

Israel, seeking wider war, hits Iranian railways, bridges as Trump deadline nears

Since the Trump administration announced its deadline, Israel has prepared for a potential US escalation, including airstrikes on civilian infrastructure or ground operations.

The Foreign Minister chaired the Security Council session on cooperation between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United Nations.

China, Russia veto scaled-back Hormuz resolution at UN Security Council

The vote came hours before the US deadline for Iran to reopen the global chokepoint.

The Dubai skyline with the landmark Burj Khalifa skyscraper (R) is pictured as a smoke plume rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport on March 16, 2026. Flights were gradually resuming at Dubai airport on March 16, previously the world's busiest for international flights, the airport operator said, after a "drone-related incident" sparked a fuel tank fire nearby, as Iran kept up its Gulf attacks. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /

Gulf nations in line of fire brace for Iran escalation: What to know

A bridge linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain was briefly closed as Iran escalates its attacks in the Gulf ahead of a looming US deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

United Arab Emirates

Motorists ride scooters near a large political banner, depicting missiles being fired behind Iranian demonstrators in solidarity with the government, at Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026.

US strikes Iran’s Kharg Island as Trump threatens 'whole civilization'

Iranian outlets reported several explosions on the island, which is crucial to the country’s oil industry, just hours ahead of a US deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli soldiers patrol a street in Hebron's Old City in the occupied West Bank on January 23, 2026, deployed as settlers entered the area under army protection. (Photo by Mosab Shawer / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Four Israeli soldiers arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran: What to know

Since the Oct. 7 attacks, several Israelis have been prosecuted for spying for Iran, but this is the first case involving active-duty soldiers.

TOPSHOT - A view of the B1 bridge is pictured, a day after it was destroyed by a strike in Karaj, around 20miles (35kms) southwest of Tehran, April 3, 2026. US President Donald Trump said on April 2 the tallest bridge in Iran had been destroyed, hours after threatening to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages." (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

With Trump's goals unmet, can strikes on Iran's economy force a deal?

Ordering the US military to destroy Iran's road transit system and electrical grid risks war crimes that may harden Iranian resistance after five weeks of bombing has failed to deliver Trump’s strategic objectives.

Indian vessel Nanda Devi, carrying liquefied petroleum gas, arrives at Vadinar Port in the Jamnagar district of Gujarat state on March 17, 2026, after Iran allowed it to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a

From France to India: Who is Iran allowing through the Strait of Hormuz?

Ships from Qatar turned around on Monday after sailing toward the Strait of Hormuz, while a growing number of countries have received permission to traverse the waterway.