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Iran

November 7, 2026

Tehran 3:58 pm

14°C

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

Esmail Qaani

Iran's Quds Force leader criticizes women without hijabs

Speaking about the protests in Iran for the first time, Esmail Qaani said that 'honorable women' wear headscarves.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the US Congress flanked by US Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on Dec. 21, 2022. -

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy criticizes Iran’s support for Russia during Congress speech

Iran has been accused of sending drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.

The Department of the Treasury building is seen in Washington, DC, on Aug. 29, 2022.

US targets Iran's prosecutor general, military officials with new sanctions

The US Treasury Department also designated a company manufacturing riot gear for Iran's law enforcement.

Dignitaries pose together in a photo at the start of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership.

Iranian, Saudi FMs meet in Jordan after months of stalled dialogue

The Iranian-Saudi dialogue stalled earlier this year amid the protests in Iran and political tensions in Iraq.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive with other dignitaries at the start of the "Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership" in Sweimeh by the Dead Sea shore in central-west Jordan on Dec. 20, 2022.

Iran FM talks nuclear deal as hard-liners defend bomb deterrence

Iran’s top diplomat spoke with the EU foreign policy chief on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, but the meeting was strained against the backdrop of deadly unrest at home and hard-liners' push for nuclear weapons.

A Tweet about the execution announced by Iranian authorities of Majidreza Rahnavard.

Iran judiciary urges swift carrying out of sentences

Despite backlash, Iran judiciary urges carrying out sentences “without delay.”

Protesters hold placards during a rally against Iranian regime outside the House of Representatives in The Hague on September 23, 2022, following the death of an Iranian woman after her arrest by the country's morality police in Tehran. (Photo by LEX VAN LIESHOUT/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

Bipartisan bill targets US visas for children of Iranian officials

New legislation aims to bring pressure on Iranian officials and their family members by denying them entry to the United States.

Iran nuclear

Analysis

Can Biden afford to give up on Iran nuclear deal?

US envoy's latest word is Iran is 'not interested,' but the EU reaffirms support for the JCPOA while an IAEA team comes to Iran.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

A participant holds a banner bearing an image of recently executed Iranian protester Mohsen Shekari.

As Iran's protests enter fourth month, ruthless judiciary dials up executions

As notorious judges lead kangaroo trials and "mock executions", activists are sounding the alarm that the Islamic Republic is using capital punishment as a fear-mongering tool to crush the protest movement.

A protester wearing a face mask holds her fist in the air as demonstrators gather in front of the Brandenburg Gate to march in solidarity with protesters in Iran on October 15, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Omer Messinger/Getty Images)

Iran top Central Bank official removed as unrest triggers currency crash

The dismissal of Iran's foreign exchange head follows the unprecedented depreciation of rial, following three months of anti-government protests.

Iranian Nazanin Daneshvar (R) founder of Takhfifan startup company watches her employees working at the desk in Tehran on July 1, 2015. Women are more likely to start businesses. Very present in senior positions of the Islamic Republic, they are needed in the private sector. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI / AFP / BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images)

The strength of Iran’s startup ecosystem put to the test amid protests

Bijan Khajehpour

Bijan Khajehpour

In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics

The UN voted to remove Iran from a women's rights body over Tehran's brutal crackdown of women-led protests. Twenty-nine members of the UN Economic and Social Council voted to expel the Islamic republic from the UN Commission on the Status of Women. (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran removed from UN women’s rights body after US push

Iran's removal from the 45-member Commission on the Status of Women comes as Tehran continues its brutal crackdown on its nationwide protests.