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Iran

October 31, 2026

Tehran 7:03 pm

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Tehran

Analysis

Who will blink first in latest US-Iran diplomacy efforts?

The prospects for a US-Iran deal may depend less on the scope for compromise than on whether either side can afford to make the first concession.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait

Limpet mine attack in Hormuz suggests Iran may be shifting tactics

UKMTO report of the first successful limpet mine attack on a commercial vessel in the Middle East since 2019 appeared to undermine the Pentagon's claims to have fully cleared and opened the Strait of Hormuz.

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell, New York City, Sept. 28, 2026.

Oil tops $114 as traders brace for Iran escalation after US midterms

On Friday, BP posted its highest profits in 18 years as a result of the Iran conflict, which has driven up oil and gas margins.

US President Donald Trump walks on stage

Analysis

Mediators scramble to avert US-Iran fighting after Trump's midterm restraint fades

Tehran has little incentive to make concessions that the Trump administration could tout as a win before next week’s election.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Latest News

CENTCOM chief briefs Trump on Iran strike options

US CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper speaks during a press briefing

Iran arrests 16 in connection with alleged US-Israel-linked cells: What to know

John Moore/Getty Images

Analysis

How wartime urgency pushed Iran to court Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan

A woman walks past a mural bearing the Iranian national flag

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Saudi Arabia’s KBS, top Turkish and Pakistani officials hold rare meeting in Iran: What to know

GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images

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

An oil tanker is seen off the port of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, on July 2, 2012. Iran has come up with several methods to foil the European insurance embargo on ships loaded with its crude, a sanction which may harm its vital exports as much as the EU oil embargo itself. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages)

Resumption of Iranian oil shipping off to slow start

While many are hailing Iran's first oil tanker reaching European shores as an important development, the country's energy sector must still overcome several more hurdles.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani uses a walkie-talkie at the frontline during offensive operations against Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province March 8, 2015. Picture taken March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT POLITICS) - RTR4TU0N

Will Raqqa be site for clash of titan generals?

Two admired military heroes of Iran and Turkey, both commanding elite military units in Iraq and Syria, could wind up confronting each other in northern Syria.

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

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a sermon during Friday prayers at Tehran University June 19, 2009. Khamenei on Friday demanded an end to street protests that have shaken the country since a disputed presidential election a week ago and said any bloodshed would be their leaders' fault. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN POLITICS ELECTIONS RELIGI

Iran's Khamenei strikes down Reformist call for ‘national reconciliation’

In Iran, a call by Reformists for “national reconciliation” receives a stern response from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani takes part in a press conference near the United Nations General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., September 22, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTSP0V5

Will Trump turn Rouhani into hawk?

Caught between US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and calls for a harsher stance at home, Iran’s moderate president must sooner rather than later find a way to solve this dilemma.

Do Iranian MPs want to send working women back home?

The Iranian parliament’s approval of a law to allow women to apply for early retirement after only working for 20 years triggers heavy criticism of the economic and social consequences.

Controversy surrounds hijab during Swedish visit to Iran

Iranian hard-liners took the government to task for allowing an event where female Swedish diplomats did not wear the hijab, while the Swedish women faced blowback at home too.

Russia’s strategic vision for Israel

Russia considers itself a potential major partner to Israel and a key player in bringing stabilization to the Middle East.

Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran attends the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich - RTSW1N5

Iran's Zarif criticizes hard-liners for leaks on nuclear talks

In an exclusive interview, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator criticized those attacking the nuclear deal.

Director Asghar Farhadi, Best screenplay award winner for his film "Forushande" (The Salesman), reacts on stage during the closing ceremony of the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 22, 2016. REUTERS/Yves Herman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSFF3F

How Iran may have just won a second Oscar

Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi’s boycott of the upcoming Academy Awards may conversely help him fetch a second Oscar.

Members of the Iranian revolutionary guard march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran September 22, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo - RTX2O269

Iran chooses Quds Force stalwart for new ambassador to Iraq

Iran has appointed a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official and Quds Force adviser to be its new ambassador in Iraq, raising concerns that Iran plans to strengthen Iraq's Shiite militias in the post-Islamic State era.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool - RTSY99P

What will Netanyahu tell Trump?

With combative coalition partners watching his every move, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might focus on the Iranian issue when meeting US President Donald Trump, as this will serve him well in the Israeli public opinion.

Behnam Partopour, a Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) student from Iran, is greeted by his sister Bahar (L) at Logan Airport after he cleared U.S. customs and immigration on an F1 student visa in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. February 3, 2017. Partopour was originally turned away from a flight to the U.S. following U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban. REUTERS/Brian Snyder TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2ZKDO

Iranian academics hit hard by Trump's travel ban

Beyond impacting travelers and their families around the world, the US president's move to ban citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from the United States has crushed academics at home and abroad.