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May 1, 2026

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This photo obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, on April 21, 2026.

Trump faces three paths ahead in Iran war as Hormuz standoff intensifies

As the Hormuz standoff intensifies, Trump must choose between military escalation, a limited diplomatic deal, or continuing a pressure campaign against Iran.

AFP via Getty Images

In defiant message, Iran’s Khamenei threatens US but appeals to Gulf

The address was Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s third since coming to power and included a pledge to rid the Gulf of the US.

QESHM ISLAND, IRAN - APRIL 28: Boats navigate the sea on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's latest proposal for ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz calls on the United States to end its naval blockade of Iran's ports, and sets aside questions about what to do with Iran's nuclear program. The United States has not formally responded to the latest proposal, which was delivered by Iran's foreign minister to Pakistan two days ago. (Photo by Asghar Besharati/Getty Images

US blockade tests Iran's limits, but will global pain force Trump’s hand?

President Trump is doubling down on economic warfare against Iran, betting a naval blockade and sanctions can force a nuclear deal and end the war.

Latest News

Iran-linked group claims stabbing in Jewish area in London: What to know

Local residents look on from outside a cordoned off area in the Golders Green neighborhood of north London on April 29, 2026, following the stabbing to two people nearby.

Oil surges past $120 to war-time high as Trump rejects Iran overture

A pumpjack stands idle in the Huntington Beach oil field, with port cranes visible in the distance, on April 23, 2026, in Huntington Beach, California.

Trump speaks with Netanyahu, Putin as Iran pressure campaign escalates

President Donald Trump gives a speech during the State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn on April 28, 2026, in Washington.

Iranian rial hits new record low as blockade, war take toll: What to know

An Iraqi money dealer counts Iranian rial banknotes bearing a portrait of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, at an exchange office in Baghdad on Feb. 3, 2012.

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

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian shake hands during a joint news conference as part of their meeting in Moscow, on Aug. 31, 2022.

Iran FM in Russia to talk Syria-Turkey reconciliation while vowing to boost Assad's military

Prior to the Moscow meeting, Tehran pledged readiness to equip Syria with the latest Iran-made weaponry, the shipment of which has been eased by the 2020 expiry of a UN arms embargo on the Islamic Republic.

Protesters chant slogans next to a hangman's noose as they wear a photograph of Majid Reza Rahnavard, 23, during a demonstration by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran outside the German Foreign Ministry on December 12, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. Iranian authorities said Rahnavard was executed by hanging earlier today as punishment for killing two Iranian security members during recent street riots. Popular protests have been ongoing in Iran since the September death of Mahsa Amini. (Phot

Iran executes two men accused of blasphemy for 'insulting Islam'

Iranian authorities have executed at least 150 people this year alone, according to human rights organizations.

Iran women soccer

Iran’s female athletes raise voices over entrenched discrimination

Despite triumphs on the international stage, Iranian women's sports face persistent obstacles at home in terms of pay, training facilities and social discrimination.

Raisi syria

Iranian president’s visit to Syria sends message ahead of Arab League vote

While Raisi claims leadership for Iran in keeping Assad in power, his foreign minister’s book offers background and insights into Iran’s Syria policy.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) speaks with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi in Damascus on May 3, 2023. - Raisi congratulated al-Assad on May 3 for "achieving victory" in the country's 12-year-long civil war, in which Tehran has been a major ally. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria, Iran expand agreements, praise China after Assad-Raisi meeting

Syria and Iran signed a number of agreements during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s historic visit and Raisi invited Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to visit Iran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (c)accompanied by the Chief of General Staff of the Israeli army Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi (R) visits an Israeli military base near the city of Petah Tikva, on January 30 2019. (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP) (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

US watchful for surprise Israeli attack on Iran as nuclear crisis intensifies

With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu taking Israel’s security hostage over his sour relations with the White House, Washington is no longer sure what to expect from Israel on Iran.

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

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony in Beijing, China, February 14, 2023. Iran's President Website

Iran official sacked as fears of China's economic influence grow

While the comment infuriated the sitting government, to many it was an honest slip of the tongue about the extent of the crisis in Iran's cash-strapped economy, stirring up also speculation on Chinese "colonial-style" influence.

Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant (L).

Israel's defense chief: Iran has enough uranium for five nuclear bombs

On an official visit in Greece, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warns against Iran’s continued efforts to advance its nuclear program.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

Iran's president meets Palestinian Hamas, Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria

The meeting between Raisi and Palestinian officials comes days after Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel in response to the death of Islamic Jihad prisoner Khader Adnan.

The Tahbaz and Shargi families demonstrating in front of the White House on May 3, 2023.

Prisoners’ families appeal to Biden as Iran tensions heat up

Their families’ pleas come as tensions between Iran and the United States remain high over Tehran’s rapidly accelerating nuclear program, its violent protest crackdown and supply of armed drones to Russia.

Iranian employees of Saipa auto plant assemble a Tiba (Gazelle) car in the central city of Kashan on May 9, 2010. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated the largest automobile factory in the Middle East with a capacity of producing 150,000 cars a year, creating 4,000 jobs directly and 20,000 indirectly in the region. The Saipa factory will produce a new small car called Tiba costing between 80 and 90 million Rials (8,000 to 9,000 USD) for lower-middle class population. AFP PHOTO/ISNA/ALIREZA SOTA

Iran's SAIPA signs $497 million car deal with Russia, Belarus

Iranian carmaker SAIPA will export vehicles to Belarus and Russia following a similar agreement with Venezuela.

This US Navy handout screenshot of a video shows fast-attack craft from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy swarming Greek-owned oil tanker Niovi as it transits the Strait of Hormuz

Iran's IRGC seizes second oil tanker in Gulf waters in six days, says US Navy

The incident happened off UAE coast of Fujairah and involved a Panama-flagged Niovi vessel.