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July 14, 2026

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US President Donald Trump gestures as he steps off Air Force One to board the new Qatari-gifted Boeing plane, en route to the United States following his participation in the NATO Summit at Royal Air Force Mildenhall on July 8, 2026, in Mildenhall, England.

Trump says US to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site

Satellite imagery has detected recent construction at the underground facility.

The Liberian-flagged container vessel MSC Reef is seen docked along a pier at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman, on June 28, 2026.

Explainer

Trump’s Hormuz playbook echoes Iran’s attempts to monetize waterway

On Monday, Trump declared that the United States would become the "guardian" of the strategic waterway, reimpose a blockade on Iranian shipping and seek reimbursement equivalent to 20% of all cargo transiting the strait.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Oil climbs after US strikes Iran, Trump vows to control Strait of Hormuz

US Central Command said in a statement early on Monday that it struck dozens of Iranian targets overnight as Iran targeted American bases across the Gulf.

U.S. President Donald Trump returns to Joint Base Andrews on July 09, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump, switched from the old Air Force One to the new Air Force One while stopping in the U.K. at RAF Mildenhall Air Force Base was returning from his visit to Ankara, Turkey where he attended the NATO summit. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Trump says US to resume naval blockade of Iran's ports

President Donald Trump countered Iran's attempts to collect tolls on shipping via the Strait of Hormuz by announcing the US would do so at a rate of 20% for all cargo transiting the waterway.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Iran is making infrastructure next front in Mideast conflict

A view of the B1 bridge is pictured, a day after it was destroyed by a strike in Karaj, around 20miles (35kms) southwest of Tehran, April 3, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

How Iran war could impact oil markets in 2027

Igor IVANKO / AFP via Getty Images

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

COVID-19 crisis pushes Bahrain to resume flights from Iran after 4-year halt

The tiny Gulf kingdom of Bahrain is bringing hundreds of Shiite pilgrims home from Iran, with which it has no diplomatic ties and normally no direct flights.

Worst-case report: 75% of Iranians may contract coronavirus

A state-funded Iranian research center predicted that in a worst-case scenario, some three-fourths of the country’s population could ultimately contract the coronavirus.

Iran condemns Trump’s halt of WHO funding

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blasted the United States in a tweet April 15, condemning the US president for suspending funding to the World Health Organization.

Coronavirus resurging in Iran hotspots amid partial reopening

At least three Iranian provinces are experiencing a resurgence of the coronavirus after the government partially relaxed lockdown measures.

Is coronavirus good for health of Turkish-US relations?

The coronavirus could offer Recep Tayyip Erdogan an opportunity to defer a fresh crisis with Washington over the Russian S-400 air defense systems, which he had pledged to activate in April but whose cost has now grown on multiple fronts.

Iran welcomes Iraq’s new prime minister

In today’s Iranian media roundup, officials and news outlets have reacted to the appointment of Iraq’s new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi with praise and expressions of confidence.

Iraqi PM-designate meets with officials in push to form ‘government that serves the public’

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi hopes to announce his proposed Cabinet soon.

A destroyed house is seen at a site which the Houthi-led authorities say was hit by a Saudi-led air strike at the old quarter Sanaa, Yemen September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi - RC14219730A0

Will Iran back UN-Saudi initiative for cease-fire in Yemen?

For Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, Yemen is too big to fail; for Iran, it’s a penny stock investment to keep the kingdom bogged down in a quagmire.

A flag of Islamic State militants is pictured above a destroyed house near the Clock Square in Raqqa, Syria October 18, 2017. Picture taken October 18, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro - RC159E696010

Islamic State spreading terror once again in Syrian desert

The Islamic State is taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic and resuming its activities against regime forces in the Syrian desert.

TEHRAN, IRAN - APRIL 08: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY â MANDATORY CREDIT - "PRESIDENCY OF IRAN / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (C) speaks during the National Committee Against the Coronavirus (COVID-19), in Tehran, Iran on April 08, 2020. (Photo by Iranian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Iran's coronavirus stimulus: too little, too late

Iran's decision to withdraw 1 billion euros from the country's sovereign wealth fund will do little to boost the economy, already distressed by corruption and the impact of global sanctions.

A volunteer from Basij forces wearing a protective suit and face mask sprays disinfectant as he sanitizes a bus station, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) fears, in Tehran, Iran April 3, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2YWF9E0PWW

Khamenei blames Western culture, atheism for coronavirus response failings

In a rare speech, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized the West for its poor response to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, as cases continue to grow in Iran.

A female prison guard stands along a corridor in Tehran's Evin prison June 13, 2006. Iranian police detained 70 people at a demonstration in favour of women's rights, the judiciary said on Tuesday, adding it was ready to review reports that the police had beaten some demonstrators. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - GM1DSVACQPAA

Iran releases jailed UK resident Aras Amiri on furlough

Tehran furloughs an imprisoned woman who had been working for Britain’s cultural outreach agency as Iran's official coronavirus death toll reaches 4,110.