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Iran

November 4, 2026

Tehran 7:31 pm

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Explainer

War, oil, AI: What US midterms could mean for Middle East economies

Governments across the Middle East will be watching closely after the election amid fears the US-Israel-Iran war could spiral into a new cycle of violence.

A police officer monitors traffic as he stands under portraits of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran, on Oct. 21, 2026.

Iran executes two men in case tied to January protests: What to know

Iran has stepped up executions during the war with the US, and attacks on police are on the rise in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan.

Evan Vucci/Getty Images

Analysis

'All we can do is wait': Netanyahu's push for Iran strikes hangs on Trump’s post-midterm call

Amid the political deadlock following Israel's elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leverage on Washington to resume Iran strikes will depend on the US' own vote.

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

Latest News

Iran gives 2-day window for Hormuz deal as US mulls strikes: What to know

Iranian motorists drive past a poster of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in central Tehran on Nov. 1, 2026. I

Will Iran take up Vance lifeline to avoid another US attack?

US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Oct. 27, 2026.

Analysis

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

Tehran

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Limpet mine attack in Hormuz suggests Iran may be shifting tactics

Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait

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

Did Iranian TV censor Rafsanjani?

Iran's national media has been accused of editing out coverage of Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from a commemoration for the hajj stampede victims.

Behind the Obama-Zarif handshake

Senior Iranian officials reveal new details of the historic handshake between Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and President Barack Obama.

Four ministers secretly warn Rouhani about the economy, but why?

Four ministers wrote a letter to President Hassan Rouhani warning him that the economic situation in Iran could lead to a serious crisis.

Vlad and Yuri: How Putin is applying the lessons of Afghanistan to Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin is using his regional allies to create "Alawistan," an enclave isolated from the rest of Syria.

Saudi policemen look at monitor screens showing footage from cameras set up around the holy places, during a tour for journalists, on the second day of Eid al-Adha in Mina near the holy city of Mecca September 25, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood - RTX1SG86

Saudis investigate Mina stampede

Since the deadly Mina incident, Iranian officials have been criticizing Saudi Arabia for its mismanagement of hajj affairs and its approach that seems focused on containing Muslim anger and avoiding a direct confrontation with Iran.

U.S. President Barack Obama extends his hand to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTX1SYBB

Obama prepared to work with Putin to broker Syria transition

Despite widespread condemnation of Russian airstrikes in Syria, signs of progress on UN-brokered talks on a political transition; Iran’s ties with Saudi Arabia and Egypt; the trend toward counterterrorism; United States should not treat Iraq as a "weak partner."

Congress to probe war in Yemen

A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Oct. 5.

Saudi security forces block the way to an area where a stampede occurred at the camp city at Mina, near the holy city of Mecca September 24, 2015. At least 717 pilgrims from around the world were killed on Thursday in a crush outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi authorities said, in the worst disaster to strike the annual haj pilgrimage for 25 years. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood - RTX1SAS4

Hajj disaster lost chance for Saudi-Iranian engagement

Rather than functioning as a platform for cooperation, the deadly stampede in Mina has only worsened the war of words between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

An Iranian worker works on a production line of carmaker Iran Khodro, west of Tehran June 20, 2011. Unusually for the Middle East, Iran has developed its domestic car industry for five decades and produced 1.6 million vehicles last year, about half of them made by Iran Khodro which aims to export around 10 percent of its production this year. Even with sanctions, which have scared off some suppliers from exporting to Iran, and a limp economy, Iran Khodro says sales rose 18 percent in 2010 and plans a 13 pe

Can Iran shield its embattled auto sector?

Amid a parliamentary move to hike car import tariffs, debate surfaces on the wider problem of what to do about Iran's troubled auto sector.

US-Iraqi relations need a reset

US-Iraqi relations have had their ups and downs since the 2003 invasion and withdrawal of US troops in 2011, and currently require a reassessment to establish a solid partnership between the two parties.

Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington March 1, 2015. Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu has come under almost unprecedented criticism from the U.S. administration and in Israel for his planned speech to Congress on Tuesday, as international talks with Iran are under way to secure a deal on Teheran's nuclear program. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4RMVE

Senate bill splits Iran deal advocates

Nuclear deal skeptics seek to put the screws on Tehran without blowing up the agreement.

Is Syria bringing Iran, Egypt together?

Egypt's seemingly shared interests with the Syrian government may provide grounds for improved relations with Iran.