Iran-US tensions

A woman uses her mobile telephone as she walks past a mural painted on the outer wall of the former US Embassy in Tehran, dubbed the "Den of Espionage," on March 8, 2025.

Analysis

As Iran faces looming Trump deadline, is Khamenei shifting strategy?

Washington's warning to Iran over its support for Yemen's Houthi rebels has brought the two archenemies closer to the brink of a direct military conflict.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

The United States aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson, anchored off the coast at Tien Sa Port on March 5, 2018 in Danang, Vietnam.

Pentagon sends second aircraft carrier to Middle East as Trump warns Iran

The USS Carl Vinson is expected to vastly increase Washington's strike capabilities in the Gulf region as Trump gives Tehran a two-month deadline to reach a new nuclear agreement.

An Iran-made missile and its launchers are exhibited during a rally that marks the 46th anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, on February 10, 2025. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Exclusive

Israel to push Trump on Iran attack plan on high-stakes Washington visit

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi will lead the multiagency Israeli team to the talks with US national security adviser Michael Waltz and State Department and Pentagon officials in Washington next week.

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

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a guided tour of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before leading a board meeting, on March 17, 2025, in Washington.

Trump's Middle East strategy faces scrutiny as Gaza reignites

As the civilian death toll climbs in Gaza, can the self-proclaimed peacemaker president get both sides back to the negotiating table?

Latest News

US looks to bolster Middle East defenses as strikes against Houthis ramp up

An F18 Hornet fighter jet lands on the 330 meters navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on May 8, 2018.

US slaps sanctions on Iran's oil tankers, targets China 'teapot' refinery

The Iranian-flagged oil tanker Fortune is docked at the El Palito refinery after its arrival to Puerto Cabello in the northern state of Carabobo, Venezuela, on May 25, 2020.

Analysis

With rial in free fall, Trump’s warning to Iran over Houthis poses strategic dilemma

A man pays using Iranian rials at a shop, in Tehran on July 31, 2019. - The government in sanctions-hit Iran on Wednesday approved a plan to remove zeros from the rial and rename the currency -- something its people have long been doing to simplify transactions. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

US airstrikes against Yemen's Houthis: Game-changer or more of the same?

Yemenis brandish rifles and chant during a demonstration called for by the rebel Huthi movement in Sanaa on March 17, 2025. Huge crowds joined protests in rebel-controlled Yemen on March 17 after deadly US strikes killed dozens and sparked fears of a new cycle of violence in the conflict-torn country. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates President Anwar Gargash arrives to attend the opening ceremony of the Summit on peace in Ukraine, at the luxury Burgenstock resort, near Lucerne, on June 15, 2024.

UAE's Anwar Gargash visits Iran to deliver Trump's letter: What to know

Anwar Gargash's visit to Iran as an interlocutor would mark the Emirates' foray into mediating between Washington and Tehran, a role Abu Dhabi is uniquely placed to play.

TOPSHOT - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to the press, in front of the portrait of slain Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, after meeting with Syrian officials at the Iranian embassy in Damascus on October 5, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

As Iran set to receive Trump's letter, China to host talks on nuclear program

China will host a trilateral meeting with Russia and Iran in Beijing Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear program, amid renewed US efforts to renegotiate a new deal.

This handout photo, made available by the Iranian Army office on March 11, 2025, shows the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer Baotou during joint military drills between Iran, Russia and China in the Gulf of Oman.

Analysis

Iran flaunts joint Russia-China naval exercise as defiance of Trump, new order: What to know

Iran appears to be using the drills as a powerful signal that amid shifting dynamics under the new US administration, it will not be alone in defending its strategic interests.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iranian soldiers take part in the National Persian Gulf Day in the Strait of Hormuz, on April 30, 2019.

Iran, China, Russia hold joint naval drill despite Trump threats: What we know

The drill took place as the United States and Iran remain at odds over the latter’s nuclear program.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Nov. 23, 2015.

Analysis

With Trump 'down to final strokes,' can Russia convince Iran to engage?

The US president said he had written a letter to Iran's supreme leader before talking about "final strokes" with Tehran, but questions have been raised regarding whether Russia's potential mediation will resolve the standoff.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Two giant election banners showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shaking hands with US President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin and a caption reading "Netanyahu, in another league," Tel Aviv, July 28, 2019.

Analysis

Wary of Turkey and Iran, Israel tightens ties with Russia: What to know

Regional shifts, especially involving Iran, Syria and Turkey, are forcing Israel to reevaluate its complicated relations with Russia.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

B-52-bomber, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, is an eight-engine long-range bomber of the US Air Force.

Pentagon deploys more B-52 bombers to Middle East in warning to Iran

The United States sent another B-52 bomber over the Middle East this week – the third sortie this month – after the aircraft carrier USS Truman returned to the Red Sea.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Elbridge Colby, President Donald Trump's nominee to be under secretary of defense for policy, prepares for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 4, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Trump’s Pentagon policy chief pick signals more military pressure on Iran

Tossing aside his past arguments that the US can contain a nuclear-armed Iran, Elbridge Colby promised that if confirmed, he would provide the White House with military options to disrupt Tehran's nuclear program if diplomacy should fail.

Ultraorthodox Jewish men speak to soldiers standing on an armored personnel carrier in the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syria, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams, Feb. 27, 2025.

Analysis

As it courts Syria's Druze, will Israel counter Turkey or get cold shoulder?

Concerned over the growing influence of Turkey in Syria, Israel seeks ways to increase its own influence there, including renewing its partnership with the Druze.

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

Iran's Vice-President for strategic affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif gestures as he addresses the audience during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2025. (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran Reformists scramble as Zarif resigns, Hemmati impeached: What to know

This is the second time Mohammad Javad Zarif has submitted his resignation under Iran’s current president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

A general view shows the Milad Tower in Iran's capital, Tehran, on Feb. 23, 2025.

Analysis

Iran steps up crackdown on Sunni militancy: How far could it go?

The question of Sunni militancy, which stems from decades-long systematic marginalization of Iran's Sunni minority, has added to an array of challenges Tehran's radical Shiite government is currently grappling with.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

The Martyr Rais Ali Delvari warship is unveiled during a ceremony in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on February 27, 2025. (Photo by DEFA Press news agency)

Iran’s IRGC says advanced warship joins naval fleet amid US tensions

The addition appears to be Iran's latest strategic yet cautious positioning in the face of strain with the United States and Israel.