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Iran

November 7, 2026

Tehran 12:26 pm

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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

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani speaks with a Reuters correspondent during a private interview in Tehran February 6, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi RH/CJF/AA - RTRMHK5

Iran’s New President Side Steps Questions About Talks With US

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani treads carefully in answers to questions about US-Iran relations in his first press conference.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu draws a red line on the graphic of a bomb used to represent Iran's nuclear program as he addresses the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 27, 2012. The red line he drew represents a point where he believes, the international community should tell Iran that they will not be allowed to pass without intervention. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR38I7P

Is Netanyahu Preparing To Bomb Iran?

Is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “the weakest leader Israel has ever had,” about to make the historic decision to bomb Iran?

Mohammad Nahavandian, head of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, looks on during an interview with Reuters in his office in Tehran February 20, 2010. Western-backed sanctions on Iran to crimp its disputed nuclear activities will not have the desired impact as the country increasingly turns to Asian and regional countries, Nahavandian said. To match interview IRAN-ECONOMY/SANCTIONS REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR2ALV8

Rouhani's US-Educated Chief of Staff Knows East and West

Hassan Rouhani's chief of staff is a US-educated technocrat who is close to Iran's religious and merchant classes.

Prince Bandar bin Sultan (R), secretary-general of Saudi Arabia's National Security Council, and Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin enter a hall for a signing ceremony in Moscow July 14, 2008. Picture taken July 14, 2008. RUSSIA/RIA Novosti/Alexei Druzhinin/Pool (RUSSIA) - RTX7XR3

Russia Considers Saudi Angle in Syria

The visit of Bandar bin Sultan, director-general of Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency, to Moscow last month was all about Syria.

What to Wear in Tehran: The Evolution of Islamic Chic

The once-drab Iranian hijab has blossomed into colorful and figure-hugging styles that satisfy the letter if not the spirit of Islamic law.

Iran’s New President Promises To Seek 'Better Life' for All Iranians

Hassan Rouhani took the oath of office on Aug. 4 as Iran’s 11th president and repeated pledges to try reduce Iran’s isolation and relieve its economic distress.

Supreme Leader Khamenei AsksAll Iranian Factions to Help Rouhani

Barbara Slavin reports from Tehran, where Hassan Rouhani officially became the Islamic Republic's 11th president on Aug. 3, 2013.

Olivier Fitoussi/Israel Sun photo
Credit must be given

בביקור רישמי ראשון מסוגו בחסות Project Interchange/AJC ובתיאום עם משרד החוץ באו לישראל שרי חוץ ונציגי ממשלה מהאיים הקריבים גרנדה, סיינט קיטס ונוויס ונפגשו עם רה"מ בנימין נתניהו. פקידי הממשלה מהקריבים יתמקדו בביקורם בשיתוף פעולה בתחומי החקלאות, טכנולוגית בריאות הציבור ובבדיקת נושא השיטור הקהילתי. הם נפגשו עם הנשיא שמעון פרס, שר החוץ אביגדור ליברמן ורה"מ הפלשתינאי סלאם פאייד. במשך ביקורם הם יקבלו סקירות ממומחים בעלי שם עולמי.

In a first-ever official v

Engel: Sanctions, Not Rouhani, Only Chance for Iran Deal

Eliot Engel, ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, discusses sanctions on Iran, his support for missile strikes against Syrian airfields and the need to maintain US military assistance to Egypt.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers speaks at the Reuters Cybersecurity Summit in Washington May 15, 2013. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) - RTXZNBS

House Intel Committee Chairman Not Hopeful on Iran's Rouhani

Mike Rogers, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chairman, says claims of Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani’s moderation are more marketing than reality.

More Iran Sanctions A Mixed Bag for Netanyahu

The Israeli prime minister may still have to defer his “mission accomplished” moment in Iran.

Iran’s New Culture Minister Key Figure in Rouhani’s Cabinet

While some are skeptical over the proposed culture minister who is the son of a hard-line ayatollah, many expect an improvement in the ministry under his leadership.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem July 14, 2013. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX11MDX

For Netanyahu, Peace Talks Revolve Around Iran

The overlapping Israeli-Palestinian talks with negotiations between the West and Iran might offer a hint as to what really motivated Prime Minister Netanyahu to return to negotiations.