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May 10, 2026

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China’s overland trade routes offer Iran wartime economic lifeline: What to know

Cargo rail traffic between China and Iran has reportedly surged since the US blockade began in April as Tehran seeks overland trade alternatives to help buy time.

A woman walks past a banner featuring Iran's late supreme leaders, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C), next to newly elected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in Tehran on April 19, 2026.

Analysis

Why Iran's wartime behavior risks lasting rupture with Gulf states

Iran's rhetoric and policies toward Gulf states have sharply escalated, raising questions about whether years of painstaking regional rapprochement can survive mounting distrust and maritime confrontations.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images.

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

The findings cast doubt on Israel’s wartime gains and put pressure on Netanyahu’s campaign strategy ahead of elections.

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

Getty

US strikes Iran tankers as UAE reports fresh missile, drone attacks

Strikes on Iranian tankers and fresh exchanges in the Gulf escalate tensions as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a deal proposal.

Latest News

What to know about Iran's 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' to control Hormuz traffic

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, the Iran-flagged tugboat Basim sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

US sets expectations for Iraq’s next PM to confront Iranian militias

Popular Mobilization Forces

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on May 6, 2026. Credit: Telegram

Joyce Karam

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

Hashd al-Shaabi (paramilitary forces) fighters set the U.S. Embassy wall on fire as they protest to condemn air strikes on their bases, in Baghdad, Iraq December 31, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC2E6E95X08Z

Pro-Iranian militias behind US Embassy attack in Baghdad

The attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad by Iran-backed militias has escalated the tension between Iran and the United States.

Iran's Rouhani under fire over 'peace time' promises

Iran's hard-liners have opened a new front line against President Hassan Rouhani after he tried to justify the failure of campaign pledges he made before the current "war time."

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks about airstrikes by the U.S. military in Iraq and Syria, at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 29, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner - RC2C5E95ZX9Q

US position in Iraq in jeopardy after strikes

American strikes inside Iraq after the Pentagon alleged an Iran-backed group attacked US forces there have caused more political turmoil for some 5,000 US troops sent to the country to fight the Islamic State.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks about airstrikes by the U.S. military in Iraq and Syria, at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 29, 2019. With him are U.S. Army General Mark Milley and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. REUTERS/Tom Brenner - RC2C5E9P88JE

Intel: How Trump laid legal groundwork to strike Iran after Iraqi militia attacks

Iraqi people walk on a U.S. flag in a protest after an airstrike at the headquarters of Kataib Hezbollah militia group in Qaim, in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq December 30, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC2Q5E9X7DV4

Iran condemns US attack in Iraq

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has condemned the US attack on PMU forces in Iraq and said Iraq has a right to respond.

PMU react angrily to US attack on Kataib Hezbollah facilities near Syrian border

US strikes on Kataib Hezbollah near the Syrian border have sparked debate over whether the attack infringed on Iraq's sovereignty. Al-Monitor spoke to the PMU commander for western Anbar, where dozens of fighters officially under his command were killed.

Iranian sculptor builds statues for humanity, not auctions

For over four decades, Iranian Kurdish sculptor Hadi Ziaoddini has sought to keep his art human and untainted by profit and politics.

Iraq on brink of abyss: What happens next?

The steadily increasing crisis in Iraq is getting deeper over time, opening the space for a total political collapse.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif walks with Iranian professor Massoud Soleimani as he arrives at Mehrabad airport, in Tehran, Iran December 7, 2019. West Asia News Agency (WANA) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2JQD93R47U

Will Iran take up Trump’s offer to ‘make a deal together’?

President Donald Trump may be ready for another deal with Iran, and if so, Tehran’s leaders should take him up on it.

Turkish troops in Syria threatened at Idlib outposts

Turkey could be seriously sidelined by a highly effective operation undertaken recently by Syrian forces.

People walk near a burnt bank, after protests against increased fuel prices, in Tehran, Iran November 20, 2019. Picture taken November 20, 2019. Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2CGD9NYPCE

Tehran clamps down as Iran mourns protesters

The Iranian authorities prepared for events commemorating 40 days since the November protests with arrests, internet disruptions and a heavy police presence.

Could Congress' latest Syria sanctions bill backfire?

The congressional bill will exacerbate the economic situation in Syria and ultimately increase Syria’s dependency on Iran.