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Iran

May 16, 2026

Tehran 12:45 pm

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Women shop from a street vendor at Enghelab Square in the capital Tehran on Nov. 11, 2025.

Analysis

From hoarding to unemployment: Iran's economy buckles under US pressure

Iran's fast-rising inflation is driving aggressive state market controls, exposing deeper structural strains from war, sanctions and declining consumer confidence.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Explosions rattled buildings in Dubai and a large cloud of smoke hung over a central area of the Middle East financial hub on March 13, 2026.

Analysis

How the Iran war is exposing a growing Saudi-UAE divide

Reports on Emirati and Saudi strikes suggest Gulf monarchies moved beyond passive defense — but followed sharply different strategies.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

US President Donald Trump talks to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he departs the Al Bateen Executive Airport on May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Analysis

‘A reckless act’: Netanyahu sparks UAE fury by claiming secret visit

Just as UAE-Israeli relations were deepening through cooperation against Iran, the Israeli prime minister publicly embarrassed Abu Dhabi by revealing his March visit.

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

Latest News

Uptick in Chinese tankers transiting Hormuz amid Trump-Xi summit

Jag Vasant, an Indian-flagged tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) that transited through the Strait of Hormuz amid the Middle East war, remains docked at an offloading terminal along the coast in Mumbai on April 1, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Iran looms large over Trump’s China visit, but breakthrough unlikely

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump (C) is escorted by China's Vice President Han Zheng (R) upon his arrival at Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing on May 13, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

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 state TV woos audiences with American-style shows

Iranian versions of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and "America's Got Talent" are now on state TV, but seem to draw more criticism than ratings.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a news conference with Iraq's President Barham Salih (not pictured) at Salam Palace in Baghdad, Iraq March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC1E8AE10620

Rouhani’s Iraq visit raises important questions for Israel

Does Israel see Rouhani's visit to Iraq as strengthening his hand in Iran? One answer could be that while Rouhani was in Baghdad, hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi was elected deputy chief of the Assembly of Experts.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is seen during a meeting with tribal leaders in Kerbala, Iraq, March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-Deen - RC18FCCF2B90

What Rouhani’s visit to Iraq tells us about Iran’s Syria policy

The Iranian president’s recent visit to Iraq and a possible first trip to Syria since his taking office in 2013 indicate a growing role for the Rouhani administration on regional files.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a meeting with tribal leaders in Kerbala, Iraq, March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-Deen - RC1138FEB880

Rouhani wants criminal cases against US officials over sanctions

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has floated the idea of lodging criminal cases against US officials over sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Tal Afar wary and wedged between Iran, Turkey and PKK

The Turkmen-majority city of Tal Afar remains sparsely populated and wary of outsiders a year and a half after being taken from the Islamic State. Geopolitical considerations and the nearby presence of the PKK, the Syrian border, the desert and mountains mean that operations continue in the area despite apparent calm.

Part of a campaign poster of Benny Gantz, a former Israeli armed forces chief and the head of a new political party, Israel Resilience, is seen in Jerusalem, January 29, 2019 REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC14E2E1BA00

How Iran interferes in Israel’s election campaign

The Israeli press published a report last week claiming that the cell phone of Blue and White leader Benny Gantz was hacked by Iran. Now it seems that former Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s cell phone was also targeted by Iranian intelligence.

Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), speaks during an electoral rally for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region on April 29, 2018. (Photo by SAFIN HAMED / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

Barzani: Russia key to settlement between Assad and Syrian Kurds

Manbij leaders prefer the United States, but would rather deal with Russia and Syria than Turkey; Amberin Zaman gets exclusive access to a prison for IS terrorists; did HTS force the resignation of a Syrian opposition leader?; Syrians protest Turkish truckers; Rouhani’s meeting with Sistani is "crowning achievement" of trip to Iraq.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pauses as he speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, U.S., March 15, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC1A4CD7AAF0

Pompeo to push anti-Iran message in trip to Kuwait, Israel, Lebanon

In his trip to Israel and Lebanon this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will emphasize the threat from Iran and Iranian-backed proxies.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shakes hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) during a photo opportunity ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi - RC1353D19310

Iran, India eye closer cooperation amid tensions with Pakistan

Rising tensions between Iran and Pakistan is pushing decision-makers in Tehran and New Delhi closer to each other, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the region.

Goods wait to be loaded on dhows bound for Iran along the creek in old Dubai, United Arab Emirates November 5, 2018. Picture taken November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Christopher Pike - RC1B41189A80

Trump officials warn more Iran sanctions are coming

State and Treasury department experts today warned a roomful of businesspeople that trade that is legal now may not be in the near future.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visits the shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf, Iraq, March 13, 2019 . REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RC1527D5C9D0

Iranian media: Sistani's meeting with Rouhani endorsement of ‘moderation’

President Hassan Rouhani’s audience with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani signaled an approval of the president’s moderate positions both at home and abroad, according to Iranian media.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran

A clergyman sits at his bookshop in Tabriz historic market, 633 km (393 miles) northwest of Tehran, early morning August 28, 2011. The Tabriz market was located along the Silk Road trade route and comprised of interlinked structures and spaces for various commercial, religious and educational uses. This market has been registered as a UNESCO heritage site on July 31, accord

Can books be used for punishment?

The sentencing of a veteran Iranian dissident to a jail term and to copy three books by hand has brought the phenomenon of “alternative sentences” to the fore.