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Iran

November 7, 2026

Tehran 2:37 pm

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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

Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary and chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili smiles before talks in Almaty February 26, 2013. World powers began talks with Iran on its nuclear programme in the Kazakh city of Almaty on Tuesday, in a fresh attempt to resolve a decade-old standoff that threatens the Middle East with a new war. REUTERS/Stanislav Filippov/Pool (KAZAKHSTAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTR3EATB

Iran Celebrates Limited Victory After Latest P5+1 Talks

Some Iranian conservatives seem to view the latest round of talks with the P5+1 as a win, writes Meir Javedanfar, who predicts that the supreme leader and his supporters will claim that the world has acknowledged Iran's strength.

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama announces the winner of the best picture Oscar via video link at the 85th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 24, 2013. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) (OSCARS-SHOW) - RTR3E97I

Iran Reacts Angrily to 'Argo' Oscar

Tehran rejects depictions of Iranians in "Argo," which received the Academy Award for best picture, writes Saideh Jamshidi.

Director and producer Ben Affleck accepts the Oscar for best picture for "Argo" at the 85th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 24, 2013. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) (OSCARS-SHOW) - RTR3E97K

'Argo' Oscar Spurs Ex-Hostages To Call For Sustained Iran Talks

Bruce Laingen and John Limbert, who were hostages in Iran from 1979-81, say they hope the movie "Argo" will encourage diplomacy with Iran and not just dredge up old grievances.

Newspapers are displayed at a newsstand on January 24, 2012 in the Karakoy neighborhood of Istanbul. Turkish newspapers criticized the January 23 vote by the French Senate making denial of the Armenian genocide a crime. The French Senate on January 23 approved, by 127 votes to 86, the measure which makes it an offence punishable by jail in France to deny that the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on January 24 slammed as discr

Iran's Foreign Envoy Slams Turkish Media

Outgoing Iranian Ambassador to Ankara Bahman Hosseinpour accuses the Turkish media of ulterior motives in spoiling the relations between two countries, writes Tulin Daloglu.

A Shi'ite cleric stands at the shrine of Hazrat-e Massoumeh, granddaughter of Prophet Mohammad, while attending a ritual mourning for Imam Hussein as he marks Arbain in Qom, about 120 km (75 miles) south of Tehran, February 16, 2009. Imam Hussein, who was Prophet Mohammad's grandson, died in a seventh century battle. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTXBP2W

Controversial Iraqi Cleric Arrested in Iran

The arrest in Iran of prominent Shiite cleric Ahmad Qabanji, known for his progressive interpretation of Islam, has sparked fury among his supporters, writes Ali Abel Sadah.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
An Iranian student holds a placard as she attends a demonstration, before a ceremony to form a human chain around the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF), to show her support for Iran's nuclear program in Isfahan, 450 km (280 miles) south of Tehran, November 15, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS EDUCATION ENERGY) - RTR2U1NL

New IAEA Report Shows Iranian Nuclear Advances

Iran has made several nuclear advances ahead of talks next week in Kazakhstan, according to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, reports Barbara Slavin.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi (L) attend a news conference in Ankara January 19, 2012. Iran's foreign minister warned Arab neighbours on Thursday not to put themselves in a "dangerous position" by aligning themselves too closely with the United States in the escalating dispute over Tehran's nuclear activity. Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, used for a third of the world's seaborne oil trade, if pending Western moves to ban Iranian cr

Turkey-Iran Ties Strained By Iraq, Syria

Tehran and Ankara are struggling to keep up appearances as differences over Iraq and Syria begin to take a toll on their bilateral relationship, writes Semih Idiz.

North Korean soldiers attend a rally celebrating the country's third nuclear test at the Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang February 14, 2013 in this picture taken and released by the North's official KCNA news agency. North Korea conducted nuclear test on Tuesday. Korean characters read,"(We) celebrate ardently success of the third underground nuclear test!". REUTERS/KCNA (NORTH KOREA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY

Israel Fears North Korea to Become Nuclear Supplier of Middle East

The nuclear test conducted by North Korea delivers a message to Iran and to other potential customers in the region, writes Alon Ben David: Why work hard to develop a bomb if you can simply buy one off the shelf?

A man looks at the new Apple Iphone 3G in a computer centre in northern Tehran November 1, 2008. The unlocked Apple Iphone 3G retails from $900 to $1200. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTXA5AF

Fatwa Issued Against 3G Internet Operator in Iran

Iranian grand ayatollahs and conservative parliamentarians are moving to shut down a new 3G mobile Internet operator because of its video capability, reports David Jones from Iran.

Israeli Officials Consider 'Point of No Return' With Iran

Nadav Eyal looks at the decisions facing both the United States and Israel should the forthcoming round of nuclear negotiations with Iran fail.

A picture of Hessam Khoshnevis is placed at the condolences hall at the Iranian Embassy at Beirut February 14, 2013. Khoshnevis, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, has been killed inside Syria by rebels battling Iran's close ally President Bashar al-Assad, Iranian officials and a rebel leader said on Thursday. Syrian rebels have repeatedly accused Tehran of sending fighters to help Assad crush the 22-month-old uprising, a charge Iran has denied. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UN

Assassination Will Not Weaken Iran’s Support for Assad

Meir Javedanfar speculates that the assassination of a senior member of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (IRGC) will not sink Iran’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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

An election official sits in front of an image of Iranian warriors at a mosque, used as a polling station, during the parliamentary election in central Tehran March 2, 2012. Iranians voted on Friday in a parliamentary election which is expected to reinforce the power of the clerical establishment of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over hardline politic

Iranians Support Nuclear Program, Blame West for Sanctions, Says Poll

A recent Gallup poll in Iran reveals that Iranians support the government’s nuclear ambitions and blame the West for sanctions, writes Mohammad Ali Shabani.