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Iran

November 7, 2026

Tehran 2:45 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 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad talks during a news conference at the end of his visit to Cairo, February 7, 2013. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3DGQ9

Ahmadinejad Declares 'Viva Spring' in Iran

Outgoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seeks a populist mantle to retain leverage in Iran and possibly determine his successor, writes Mehdi Jedinia.

Iran's presidential election candidates Mehdi Karoubi (R) and Mirhossein Mousavi embrace after a TV debate in Tehran June 7, 2009. Iranians vote on June 12 in an election that pits hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against two moderate challengers and one fellow conservative. REUTERS/IRIB (IRAN POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR24F76

Karroubi's Son: Iranian Regime Afraid of Green Movement Return

Speaking days before the second anniversary of his father’s detention, Mohammad Karroubi urges the Obama administration and the international community to focus more on Iran’s poor record on human rights but expresses optimism about upcoming nuclear talks which, he hopes, will lead to easing of economic sanctions.

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) shake hands after the president announced Kerry's nomination as Secretary of State to succeed Hillary Clinton, at the White House in Washington December 21, 2012. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3BTVQ

Week in Review: US Resets Diplomacy in Middle East

Al-Monitor’s coverage and analysis of a newly assertive US diplomacy toward the peace process, Iran and Syria.

Major-General Amos Yadlin, Israel's chief of military intelligence, speaks at the annual Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference in Tel Aviv December 15, 2009. Israel is parlaying civilian technological advances into a cyberwarfare capability against its enemies, Yadlin, a senior Israeli general, said on Tuesday in a rare public disclosure about the secret programme. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS SCI TECH) - RTXRVGO

Former Aman Chief Offers Realism on Threats to Israel

Former IDF intelligence chief Amos Yadlin has discounted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scare tactics and argues that in terms of conventional threats, Israel’s situation has never been better, reports Ben Caspit.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah January 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3D4HR

Abu Mazen Thanks Ahmadinejad For Iran's Support

The embrace between the Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the wrong gesture, writes Shlomi Eldar.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd L) walks towards a helicopter at the conclusion of his visit in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights November 14, 2012. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces are faltering against rebels, some of whom are dug in on the eastern foothills of the Golan Heights, Israel said on Wednesday. The violence near the Golan has jarred the Jewish state, which this week twice shot back after stray Syrian fire hit its side - the old foes' first armed engagement over the str

Israel Rewrites Rules of Game To Deal With Syria

Prime Minister Netanyahu is grappling with the profound strategic challenges posed by the potential disintegration of Syria, including dealing with chemical weapons and the prospects for a regional conflict, writes Ben Caspit.

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

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) speaks with Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after Ahmadinejad's visit to Latin American countries January 14, 2012. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS)

Iran, Israel and Their Red Lines Over Syria

Meir Javedanfar writes that a transfer of Syria’s chemical-weapon stockpiles to Iran may be a better option that the weapons falling into the hands of groups linked to al-Qaeda.

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

Israel Must Invest to Deter Iran

Alon Ben David writes that investing in preparing a military option against a potential Iranian nuclear weapon is not an "adventurous fantasy."

A general view of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, is seen during a session boycotted by the opposition parties in Jerusalem June 17, 2009. Israel's parliament is expected to give its initial approval to the 2009 and 2010 state budgets later on Wednesday. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR24QNR

Israel Defense Budget Can Be Cut

Idan Grinbaum calls for a serious public debate and major cuts in the Israel defense budget.

Former state representatives of the U.S. and Germany address a news conference in Berlin, February 3, 2010. Pictured are L-R: Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, Germany's former President Richard von Weizsaecker, Germany's former Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and Germany's former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS)

Shultz Opposes Containment, Backs Diplomacy With Iran

Venerable US statesman and former secretary of state George Shultz has modest goals for Egypt and Syria, but urges a combination of bilateral diplomacy and more robust action short of war to deal with Iran.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives to the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem January 27, 2013. REUTERS/Ariel Schalit/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3D101

Israel's Prime Minister Has Several Fronts to Worry About

Warnings that Syria's chemical weapons may fall into the wrong hands are raising concerns in Israel of a regional conflict, writes Ben Caspit.

Iran Cracks Down on Journalists Ahead of Elections

Omid Memarian talks to reporters in Iran who escaped arrest about the most aggressive raid on independent media since 2009, and about attempts to sever contact with the outside world.