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Iran

November 7, 2026

Tehran 10:33 am

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Alexey BABUSHKIN / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Iran turns to Putin as war, US election reshape strategic calculations

A Kremlin meeting with Iran's top security official coupled with reports of new arms deals amid looming war demonstrate Tehran's push to turn vulnerability into strategic leverage.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Tump

Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

As Trump weighs Iran strikes, possible nuclear opening emerges

Sticking points include Iran's highly enriched uranium and lack of access for international inspectors.

Latest News

Russia to provide Iran with 90 missile launchers as military ties grow: Reports

Russian Mil Mi-8 military helicopters fly over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy, northeastern Hasakeh province, Syria, Feb. 4, 2021.

Turkey says soldier killed by gunfire from Iran at border: What to know

A sign marking the border of Turkey in Van, Turkey, on March 14, 2026.

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

Analysis

Iran cheers Democrats’ midterm victory but fears Trump's next move

Iranians walk along a building installed with a giant poster depicting Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a rally in front of the former US embassy to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, in Tehran on Nov. 4, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem October 20, 2013. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX14HME

Netanyahu's European Double Standard

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demands that Europe "be strict, be strong” vis-a-vis Iran and its nuclear project, while his government continues to violate international law in the occupied territories.

Iran's 'Cable Guys' Provide Service For Contraband Satellites

While technically illegal, satellite dishes in Iran are ubiquitous, creating a niche market for the men who install them.

Iranian women, all wearing headscarves in line with strict Islamic rules imposed after the 1979 revolution which gave birth to the Islamic republic following the overthrow of the pro-West monarchy in Iran, cross a street central Tehran on October 17, 2013. Washington and Tehran were upbeat after Iran agreed to hold fresh nuclear talks next month and made a "breakthrough" proposal to allow spot checks on its nuclear sites. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranians Look for ChangeIn US Policies

Iranians express mixed reactions to developments in US-Iran relations.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (L) speaks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during a photo opportunity before the start of two days of closed-door nuclear talks at the United Nations offices in Geneva October 15, 2013. Iran will face pressure on Tuesday to propose scaling back its nuclear programme to win relief from crippling sanctions as talks between world powers and Tehran resume after a six-month hiatus. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool (SWITZERLAND - Tags: ENERGY PO

Iran’s Zarif on Nuclear Proposal: Secrecy Is Sign of Seriousness

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismisses reports about the contents of Iran’s latest nuclear proposal.

Hakan Fidan 222.JPG

Who's Out to Get Turkey’s Spymaster?

The pressure on Turkish Intelligence head Hakan Fidan may be a sign of concern over a shift in Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s policies toward Syria and Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif addresses a news conference following nuclear negotiations with European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is leading talks with Iran on behalf of the six world powers, at the United Nations in Geneva October 16, 2013. Iran called two days of nuclear talks with six world powers, United States, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and China, that ended on Wednesday "fruitful" and said it hoped for a new phase in relations. He said two sides had for t

Iran’s New Nuclear Proposal

Iran offers to freeze its 20% enrichment of uranium but still wants to complete a reactor that could yield plutonium, another potential bomb fuel.

The Roots of Radicalism In Political Islam

Sunni and Shiite fundamentalists have both sought to return to their own ideal version of history while rejecting modernity.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal (L) talks with Qatar Foreign Minister Khalid Al Attiya following their meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and members of the Arab Peace Initiative at the United States Embassy in Paris, September 8, 2013. REUTERS/Susan Walsh/Pool (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13CWG

Saudi Arabia Shifts to More Activist Foreign Policy Doctrine

The kingdom should give priority to a regional initiative in Syria and a collective security framework for maintaining order in the Arab world.

View of the Israeli nuclear facility in the Negev Dest outside Dimona August 6, 2000. Mordechai Vanunu, a former nuclear technical, spilled Israel's nuclear secrets to a British newspaper in 1986 and a short while later was abducted to Israel to stand trial. He is currently in the 13th year of an 18-year jail term. Vanunu claimed Israel had built 200 atomic bombs at the Dimona site. Today, August 6, is the 55th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in Japan where some 200,000 people were killed, le

How Long Will Israel Stay Off the Nuclear Hook?

The agreement on Syria's chemical weapons, and prospects for a deal on Iran's nuclear program, will bring even more attention to Israel's not signing either the Non-Proliferation Treaty or the Chemical Weapons Convention.

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

An Iranian taxi driver (R) pays for fuel at a petrol station in northwestern Tehran December 19, 2010. The price of gasoline will rise four-fold in Iran in the coming days, state television announced late on Saturday, as the most politically sensitive part of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's subsidy cuts plan takes effect. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS

What to Do About Iran's Subsidy Reforms?

The current Iranian program lacks financial stability.

A weapons dealer checks AK-47 rifles before selling it to smugglers transferring it to Syria, at his house near the city of Mosul, 390km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, February 16, 2012. The weapons dealers sell a rifle for about $1000. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT) - RTR2XY8B

Smugglers Easily Cross Iraq’s Border

Despite the efforts of Iraq and the six countries bordering it, Iraq’s borders are easily navigated by professional smugglers.

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

A demonstrator holds a picture of assassinated scientist and member of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Dariush Rezaeinejad, during a ceremony to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, in Tehran's Azadi square February 11, 2012. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on the anniversary of the revolution that the Islamic Republic would soon

Iran's Nuclear Martyrs

A visit to the graves of two of Iran's nuclear scientists, who were assassinated, reveals popular support for the country's nuclear stance.