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Iran

November 7, 2026

Tehran 11:40 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

Taliban, imam at Kabul mosque

Will the Taliban welcome al-Qaeda back to Afghanistan?

Afghanistan's economy is hanging by a thread; Iran makes the best of the Taliban; the "resistance" finds inspiration; five must reads on Afghanistan.

Raisi speaks at swearing-in at parliament

Iran's art community fears 'Stalin era' under Raisi

President Ebrahim Raisi's pick for the post of culture minister has drawn a furious backlash from Iran's art community members, who fear there will be a return to stifling cultural restrictions.

European External Action Service (EEAS) Deputy Secretary-General Enrique Mora (C) looks on as Iran's newly elected president, Ebrahim Raisi, speaks.

European powers blast Iran's 'troubling' nuclear violations

The United Kingdom, France and Germany urged Iran to return to the negotiating table following reports the country has accelerated its nuclear program.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran's official COVID-19 death toll surpasses 100,000

Iran's Health Ministry has also recorded more than 4 million cases, although experts believe the figure is deceptively low.

Taliban fighters stand guard in Herat

The Takeaway: Iran can live with Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

Also: Israel, the United States and Afghanistan; Turkey’s "remorse clause" and the Islamic State; Turks rally around trolled Olympian; Israeli-Palestinian fault lines; Gaza rocks out; and more … in just over 1,500 words!

A Taliban fighter walks past a beauty saloon with images of women defaced using a spray paint in Shar-e-Naw in Kabul on Aug. 18, 2021.

IRGC says Afghanistan exit a ‘lesson’ not to rely on US

An official from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps says the US exit from Afghanistan is a lesson for regional leaders.

Rafael Grossi

Iran ramps up uranium enrichment as nuclear talks stall

The UN International Atomic Energy Agency also has concluded that Iran is continuing to produce uranium metal in violation of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

Afghan chaos further incentive for India’s efforts to strengthen ties with Iran

The recent rise of the Taliban in Kabul has expedited New Delhi's efforts to boost ties with Iran, which is positioned to be India's main corridor to Afghanistan, yet major challenges remain.

Afghan people line up outside the Iranian embassy to get a visa in Kabul on Aug. 17, 2021, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

Iran's Kabul embassy 'operational' despite Taliban takeover

The statement suggested the Islamic Republic's apparent willingness to work with a new Taliban-led government as opposed to the Iranian public's fury against the extremist group's fast-paced takeover.

A picture taken on Nov. 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, during an official ceremony to kick-start works on a second reactor at the facility.

US blasts Iran's uranium metal production as 'unconstructive'

The State Department condemned Iran's violations of the deal following a UN watchdog report that found Tehran has produced 200 grams of uranium metal enriched up to 20%.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Whither US policy toward Iran?

The election of Iran's new president and the Taliban's stunning takeover in Afghanistan have somewhat shaken up the Iran nuclear deal talks, but the United States and Iran clearly know reinstating the deal is in both their favor.

Iran's Raisi calls US 'defeat' in Afghanistan opportunity for peace

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's comments came as the deteriorating security situation forced Tehran to draw down its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.