Iran-US tensions

FADEL SENNA / AFP via Getty Images

UAE battles tanker oil spill as war's environmental toll mounts

Gulf oil spills have become more frequent since the beginning of the US-Israel-Iran war on Feb. 28.

United Arab Emirates

Amir Levy/Getty Images

Analysis

How Netanyahu could attack Iran to force Israel into unity government after elections

While a strike against Iran before the Oct. 27 elections appears unlikely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could launch one immediately afterward to pressure his rivals into joining a wartime unity government.

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

Jewel SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images

How Israel’s election could shape next phase of Iran war

Most of the Israeli prime minister's main rivals in the Oct. 27 election agree that Israel's war to overthrow the Iranian regime should continue, but only he claims to have President Donald Trump's blessing to do so.

MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

What Iran’s threats to Hormuz internet cables mean for Gulf

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to cut crucial internet and communications routes in the region if US aggression escalates.

Latest News

Gulf oil exports surpass prewar levels despite escalating tanker attacks

The Chinese-flagged container shipping vessel Hui Fa transits the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the emirate of Sharjah east of the UAE, on Oct. 13, 2026.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

US moving away from Middle East security guarantor role, Barrack says

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 25: U.S. ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on September 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump has signaled that the U.S. might lift a ban on F-35 sales to Turkey during Erdogan's first visit to the White House since 2019. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Analysis

How Lavrov's Tehran visit tests limits of Russia's influence over Iran

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrive to hold a press conference after a meeting in Tehran on October 19, 2026. The Russian foreign minister arrived in Iran on October 19, in his first visit since the outbreak of the Middle East war as Moscow seeks to play a mediating role. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

IRGC claims it downed US drone, set two tankers ablaze near Hormuz

Ships are anchored off the coast of Khasab in Oman's Musandam Governorate, near the Strait of Hormuz, on Oct. 2, 2026.

This photo taken on March 8, 2026 shows Iranian players running towards their positions at the start of the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 football match between Iran and the Philippines on the Gold Coast.

Trump praises Australia for aiding Iran women’s soccer team amid asylum calls

Pressure is growing on Australia to allow the athletes to stay after a commentator threatened them over their refusal to sing the national anthem amid the war.

In this photo illustration, a smartphone displays the crude oil price in USD after markets in the UK opened on March 9, 2026, in London, England.

G7 readies strategic reserves after oil nears $120 amid Iran war

It is the first time oil prices have passed $100 in nearly four years as the key producers in the energy-rich Middle East curb output amid the conflict.

A group of Peshmergas of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) walks during military training near one of their bases in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on March 1, 2025.

Analysis

Turkey cautious but unfazed by US plan to mobilize Iranian Kurds against regime

Plans to involve Iranian Kurdish armed groups in the US-Israeli campaign against Tehran raise potential security, ethnic and refugee spillover risks for Turkey, but officials in Ankara appear largely unfazed.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters affiliated with PAK train on Jan. 18, 2026, near Erbil, Iraq.

Why Israel's looking to Kurds to make gains against Iran regime

Israeli-Kurdish relations are rooted in a common struggle against Islamic extremism and the Kurds’ strategic presence across Turkey, Syria and Iran.

Rouzbeh Fouladi / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Meet Mojtaba Khamenei, hard-liner with IRGC ties, likely Iran’s next supreme leader

The late supreme leader's son has long operated behind the scenes in Iran’s political system and has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Plumes of smoke rise following an explosion on March 5, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

Iran’s other battle: The regime’s wartime fight for control at home

Despite US and Israeli bombs dropping from the air, Iran's leadership is imposing a stifling security environment, deploying Basij militias, checkpoints and a constant stream of wartime messaging to prevent regime collapse.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Missiles produced by Iran's armed forces are displayed near a row of Iranian flags during commemorations to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution on February 11, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

Russia has aided Iran’s targeting US military in Gulf: Officials

Satellite imagery is believed to have assisted Iran in its planning attacks on US military assets.

Jared Szuba

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

President Donald Trump departs following an event celebrating the 2025 MLS Cup in the East Room of the White House on March 5, 2026

Analysis

US war aims murky as Trump eyes role in Iran’s postwar future

While his officials insist the war isn't about regime change, President Donald Trump says he wants a hand in picking Iran's next leader.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Christopher Pike/Getty Images

UAE to freeze billions in Iranian assets following strikes

The UAE's move to freeze Iranian assets will hit Iran’s economy hard, as it is straining under high inflation, unrest and now a war.

United Arab Emirates

Osama Al Maqdoni / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

CIA, Mossad bolster Iran’s Kurds as US, Israel seek to ignite military revolt

Israel hopes Iran’s Kurds, and other minorities, will mobilize to help bring down the Iranian regime.

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

Attendees take a picture of French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe as he delivers a speech during a visit to the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum on February 10, 2018, on Saadiyat island in the Emirati capital, to launch the French-Emirati "Year of Cultural Dialogue". (Photo by KARIM SAHIB / AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

What we know about UAE blocking X accounts accused of misinformation

A number of X accounts including Al Arabiya Breaking are now not accessible in the Gulf state as Abu Dhabi navigates regional turmoil.

United Arab Emirates

Plumes of smoke rise following an explosion on March 5, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Next phase of US airstrike campaign in Iran to target missile manufacturing

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has plans to prevent Iran’s remaining enriched uranium from being weaponized by remnants of the regime, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested.