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July 21, 2026

Tehran 2:18 pm

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In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 3, 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea.

US launches fresh strikes on Iran, reinforces air assets in region: What to know

After weathering five months of airstrikes, the IRGC's strategy to deny the US Air Force safe harbor at runways across the region still shows lethal progress.

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Iran's economy faces renewed pressure as ceasefire collapses

Tehran briefly regained billions in oil revenue under June's truce, raising questions about how long the Islamic Republic can withstand a fresh economic siege.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart following a meeting in Baghdad on June 28, 2026.

Iran's Araghchi reveals Turkey's role in thwarting Kurdish offensive

The account offers Tehran's first public confirmation of reports that Ankara intervened to stop armed Iranian Kurdish groups from entering the conflict.

Amir Hossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

Oil tops $90 as Iran warns Hormuz 'will not be safe'

Tensions escalated further after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed on Monday that not a "single drop" of oil or gas would pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Latest News

Analysis

How Hormuz crisis is turning Fujairah into the UAE’s strategic lifeline

AFP

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Why Iran's Kurdish front is becoming a growing wartime concern

People wave flags of Kurdistan during a march in Erbil, Iraq, on April 21, 2026, expressing support for the unity of Iranian Kurdish parties and condemning Iranian missile strikes and military actions against Kurdish groups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Yemen's Houthis raise Red Sea stakes for Trump

Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement brandish their weapons as they rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon in Sanaa on April 10, 2026.

Iran strike damages Kuwait power, desalination plant: What to know

The sun sets behind overhead power lines in Kuwait City, June 19, 2024.

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

Russia consolidating its position in Iraq amid anti-Iran sanctions

Russian and Iraqi officials convened in Baghdad for another bilateral commission session to discuss energy and security cooperation amid US anti-Iran sanctions.

An aerial view of flooding in Khuzestan province, Iran, April 5, 2019. Picture taken April 5, 2019. Mehdi Pedramkhoo/Tasnim News Agency/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC1D283A8CB0

Iran floods further add to public mistrust of government organizations

In addition to causing extensive damage and loss of life, the recent flooding in Iran has also made it more difficult for some Iranians to trust government organizations when it comes to aid and relief efforts.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif delivers his statement, during the Geneva Conference on Afghanistan, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, November 28, 2018. Salvatore Di Nolfi/Pool via REUTERS - RC1CF2219DE0

Zarif says 'negotiating table is there'

Speaking to journalists at the Iranian mission to the UN, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif revealed details about correspondence with the Donald Trump administration over a potential prisoner exchange.

The reactor building at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, 1200 Kms south of Tehran, where Iran has began unloading fuel into the reactor core for the nuclear power plant on October 26, 2010, a move which brings the facility closer to generating electricity after decades of delay. AFP PHOTO/MEHR NEWS/MAJID ASGARIPOUR (Photo credit should read MAJID ASGARIPOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

US permits civil nuclear ties with Iran despite 'maximum pressure'

Iran’s economy struggles under sanctions, floods, mismanagement; Al-Monitor’s Jack Detsch recognized for "exemplary reporting."

A view shows the swearing-in ceremony for Iranian president Hassan Rouhani for a further term, at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, August 5, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC18FF0579A0

Hard-liners joined by Reformist in questioning use in staying in Iran nuclear deal

A prominent Iranian Reformist member of parliament publicly questioned the use of remaining in the nuclear accord as Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned of a plot to dupe US President Donald Trump into entering war with Iran.

Oil tankers wait to dock at Tupras refinery near the northwestern Turkish city of Izmit, Turkey, June 28, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1424A5EB80

Turkey seeks alternate oil sources as US ends Iran sanctions waivers

Ankara vowed to defy US sanctions on Iran, but figures show Turkey heeding US restrictions and curtailing oil imports from Iran.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and his wife Sara stand with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (C) in Jerusalem March 9, 2010, in this picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO). Biden assured Israel on Tuesday of Washington's commitment to its security and preventing Iran from producing nuclear weapons. REUTERS/Avi Ohayon/GPO/Handout (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL

Biden’s pro-Israel record could help with defense of Iran nuclear deal

The former vice president’s foreign policy experience and pro-Israel credentials could make him an effective supporter of the Iran deal but open him up to attacks from the left.

Iraq hopes for dilemma-less summer

Iraq’s new government faces potential problems and a cast of quirky characters.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sits for an interview with Reuters in New York, New York, U.S. April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - RC1B01849850

US offers cautious response to Zarif call for prisoner swap

The State Department's measured response to Iran's call for a prisoner swap is a departure from its "maximum pressure" campaign against the country.

A general view of the Arak heavy-water project, 190 km (120 miles) southwest of Tehran January 15, 2011. A group of ambassadors to the U.N. atomic watchdog toured an Iranian nuclear site on Saturday, state television reported, and Tehran accused the European Union of missing an historic opportunity by boycotting the visit. REUTERS/ISNA/Hamid Forootan (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY SCI TECH BUSINESS) - GM1E71G09FT01

Forget oil sanctions, end of nuclear cooperation waivers could quietly kill Iran deal

While the United States' stepping up of oil sanctions has gotten more attention lately, a greater threat to the nuclear deal involves the waivers allowing cooperation with Iran on nonproliferation.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the death anniversary of the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran, Iran, June 4, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RC16ADBF0A50

Iran leadership shrugs off US oil sanctions, pledges response

Iran's supreme leader says the US plan to cap the flow of his country's oil will lead nowhere, pledging a "response to the US hostility."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press conference at the US Department of State in Washington, DC on April 22, 2019. - The United States announced on Monday it will no longer grant sanctions exemptions to Iran's oil customers, potentially punishing allies such as India as it tries to squeeze Tehran's top export. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images)

Netanyahu gambles on Trump against Iran

Israel supports the American intention of increasing sanctions against Iran, though pushing Iran against the wall could fire up the Hezbollah front against Israel in Syria.