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June 13, 2026

Tehran 3:39 am

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US strikes on Indian-crewed tankers spark tensions with New Delhi

India summoned the US deputy chief of mission in Delhi on Friday to protest American strikes on commercial vessels off the coast of Oman.

US President Donald Trump talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset, Jerusalem, Oct. 13, 2025.

Analysis

'A complete disaster': Israel scrambles for clarity as Trump touts emerging Iran deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relayed Israel’s red lines to Trump, but given the current rift between the two leaders, the demands may be little more than a wish list.

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

TOPSHOT - People cross the street past a large billboard showing portraits of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) and slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) in central Tehran on June 8, 2026. Iran said on June 8 that the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East war will have consequences for ongoing talks with the United States to reach peace in the region. "It is perfectly natural that the diplomatic process initiated to put an end to this imposed war would be affected,

Iran-US draft deal would release $24B in funds, ensure Lebanon ceasefire: Iranian media

The draft circulating in Iranian state media, which Trump denied on Friday, would grant Tehran sanctions relief and access to billions in frozen funds while limiting final talks to nuclear issues and excluding its missile program and proxies.

Latest News

Culture

World Cup opens amid visa disputes for Iran, Iraq and Somalia

Members of the Iranian national soccer team including midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh (R) arrive at Tijuana International Airport on June 7, 2026, in Tijuana, Mexico.

Bessent says Iran's frozen assets will pay for Gulf damage, Hormuz tolls

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Explainer

US strategic oil stockpile nears four-decade low as Iran war drags on

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Trump weighs releasing billions to Iran after blasting past payments

President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One prior to departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York, on June 9, 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 president Hassan Rouhani arrives for a news conference in Tehran, Iran, May 22, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX371X2

Iranian judiciary chief attacks Rouhani over promise to free opposition leaders

Iran’s judiciary chief attacks the president over his campaign promise to free the leaders of the Green Movement.

The commander of the Iranian border guards Qassim Rezai speaks during a press conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Musatafa Abdulkarim, after signing a cooperation agreement between the two countries on April 22, 2015 in of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq. AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran blames Turkey for PKK-affiliate clash on border

An Iranian Kurdish militia's attack on Iranian border guards has further muddled the often contradictory actions of Turkey, Iran and their respective proxies and enemies who occasionally double up as both.

U.S. President Donald Trump (4-L) speaks with Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said (3-L) during a family photo with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders at their summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX36TI7

In wake of Trump visit, Saudi-led Sunni bloc already splintering

Less than two weeks after Trump's summit in Saudi Arabia, "Arab NATO" is showing signs of division due to fears of widening the regional political divide and doubts over Washington's reliability.

(Front R-L) Jordan's King Abdullah II, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan pose for a photo during Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX36UAJ

Trump visits Saudi Arabia, Kremlin shrugs

Russia may be keeping quiet publicly about Donald Trump’s relations with Saudi Arabia, but Trump’s recent trip to the kingdom raises some interesting questions for Moscow.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (R) stands with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a welcoming ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 23, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTS13IR3

Egypt-Saudi ties could be key to Trump’s Mideast 'ultimate deal'

Egypt's disputed transfer of the Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia may be one part of an overall peace deal involving Israel.

Iran follows Russia’s lead in backing Syria safe zones

Russia’s proposal legitimates Iranian military role in Syria; supreme leader hails victory for "Islamic democracy"; Turkish intervention in Sinjar could disrupt Mosul liberation plans; Egypt’s media crackdown.

An employee works at a residential building, currently under construction, in northern Tehran May 17, 2008. Negar Ehteshami just paid the equivalent of $6 million in rials in cash for a luxurious apartment. But it is not in New York or London. It is in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hers is a tale with echoes in much of the West: a house price surge fuelled partly by easy lending. Picture taken May 17, 2008. To match feature IRAN-HOUSING/ REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTX68C7

Iran's housing crisis aggravated by reluctant sellers

Iran's housing sector, once an engine of the Iranian economy, is unlikely to exit recession anytime soon, in part due to homeowners refusing to sell at a loss.

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani gestures during a news conference in Tehran, Iran, May 22, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX372F9

Iran questions US pivot back to region as Europe embraces Rouhani

While the United States is increasingly engaged in a war of words with Iran, the bigger story may be the impact Washington’s more hawkish line may have on Europe’s approach toward Tehran and the consequences of a suggested US pivot back to the Middle East not materializing.

US ambassador to Iraq Stuart E. Jones (R) delivers a speech in the presence of Iraqi Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Adel Fahad Shershab, at Iraq's National Museum during a ceremony where looted artefacts recovered by the US military during a recent raid in Syria are handed back to the Iraqi authorities, in the capital Baghdad, on July 15, 2015. AFP PHOTO / SABAH ARAR.
(Photo credit should read SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images)

US mulls how best to control pro-Iran factions in Mideast

The United States and the Gulf states seem to agree that Tehran and its allies need to be contained to keep Iran from aggressively expanding once the Islamic State is driven out of the region.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (R) kisses Hamas Gaza Chief Yehya Al-Sinwar during a ceremony announcing a new policy document, in Gaza City May 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTS14OXA

Boosting ties with Moscow will come at a cost for Hamas

Establishing a relationship with a superpower such as Russia bodes well for Hamas, but Moscow will expect flexibility on the movement's part in return.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech during Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX36UI6

Russia remains unconcerned by Trump's anti-Iran rhetoric

US President Donald Trump tells the Saudis what they want to hear, but Russian experts don't expect him to renege on the Iran deal.

U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) speaks to reports at the U.S. Capitol in Washington April 21, 2015. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan - RTX19PE3

Senate tones down Iran sanctions bill after input from Obama team

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee insists the bill it cleared May 25 doesn’t violate the nuclear deal.