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July 18, 2026

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People wave flags of Kurdistan during a march in Erbil, Iraq, on April 21, 2026, expressing support for the unity of Iranian Kurdish parties and condemning Iranian missile strikes and military actions against Kurdish groups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Analysis

Why Iran's Kurdish front is becoming a growing wartime concern

A Friday Iranian strike on a Kurdish dissident base underscores Tehran's concern that its oldest internal security challenge has now become a wartime vulnerability.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement brandish their weapons as they rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon in Sanaa on April 10, 2026.

Yemen's Houthis raise Red Sea stakes for Trump

With President Donald Trump ratcheting up his threats, will Iran play its Houthi card?

The sun sets behind overhead power lines in Kuwait City, June 19, 2024.

Iran strike damages Kuwait power, desalination plant: What to know

Kuwait, the world’s most water-stressed country, urged residents to reduce electricity and water use following the attack.

Latest News

Ahmadinejad denies alleged Mossad plot to install him as Iran leader: What to know

BEIRUT, LEBANON - OCTOBER 13: Lebanese people wave flags and hold portraits of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (not pictured) as he arrives in southern suberb of Beirut on October 13, 2010 in Lebanon. The controversial visit is seen as a boost for key ally Hezbollah. According to reports Mr Ahmadinejad may visit the border with Israel - the site of recent deadly clashes between Israeli and Lebanese forces. (Photo by Salah Malkawi/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

A general view shows buildings in Tehran, Iran August 3, 2017. Picture taken August 3, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1A118A8860

Iran's Supreme Court upholds death sentences for corruption

Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of two individuals charged with economic crimes in what the judiciary hopes is a “warning” to others.

US warns Lebanon that Hezbollah Cabinet pick would cross ‘red line’

The Trump administration might take limited measures that are not likely to alter the fundamentals of US policy in Lebanon should Hezbollah get the Health Ministry in the new Cabinet formation.

A general view of the Damavand summit northeast of Tehran, Iran, May 19, 2006. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File Photo - S1BETELLNFAA

Tehran set for yet another mayor amid Reformist infighting

Tehran is set to get yet another mayor amid ongoing infighting among the Reformists. The question is whether the next internal mayoral vote will put an end to the bickering.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C) in Tehran, Iran November 1, 2017. Sputnik/Dmitry Azarov/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - UP1EDB1169X0K

Khamenei instructs Iranian scholars to look eastward

In a speech, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei encouraged young scientists to look east rather than west for academic connections.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Education Minister Naftali Bennett with pupils during a visit at the "Tamra HaEmek" elementary school on the first day of the school year, in the Arab Israeli town of Tamra, Israel September 1, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - S1AETYTKZEAA

Netanyahu ignores Iran's scientific, educational advances

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised himself for security achievements, but neglected to address the worrying decline in Israeli research and higher education.

Iranian women watch the practice session of Iran's national soccer team from behind the railings as they banned from entering the stadium at Azadi (freedom) sport complex in Tehran, Iran May 21, 2006. WORLD CUP 2006 PREVIEW REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl - GM1DSQRUFHAA

Big score for Iranian women as doors open to men's soccer games

For the first time since 1979, Iranian women are allowed to watch men's soccer matches in Tehran despite stubborn and stiff opposition from hard-liners.

President Hassan Rouhani speaks at the Iranian Parliament in the capital Tehran, on August 28, 2018. - It was the first time Rouhani had been summoned by parliament in his five years in power, with MPs demanding answers on unemployment, rising prices and the collapsing value of the rial, which has lost more than half its value since April. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Why Iran must seriously act to address rent seeking

While the top elites of the Islamic Republic are recognizing the need to address mismanagement of the Iranian economy, the core issue remains the rent seeking that is thwarting genuine reform.

Zeyzoun thermal station is pictured after fighters from a coalition of rebel groups called "Jaish al Fateh", also known as "Army of Fatah" (Conquest Army), took control of it from forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, activists said, in al-Ghab plain in the Hama countryside July 29, 2015. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah - GF20000007888

Iran sets sights on Syrian reconstruction projects

Iran is ready to help rebuild Syria, and seems especially interested in getting the power back up and running, but restructuring projects will remain stalled until a political solution is reached.

Iraqi students take an English language exam at a bookstore in Kirkuk, Iraq, July 24, 2018, Picture taken July 24, 2018. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed - RC1F5E5EA660

India, Iran or Turkey: Iraqi students look abroad for post-grad studies

Stiff competition for a very limited number of seats at public universities and high fees at private institutions are pushing Iraqi students to pursue post-graduate studies abroad.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the Innovation and Industry Forum during an official visit in Bern, Switzerland, July 3, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse - RC17EB456B20

Rouhani touts meeting with top economists on containing crisis

Iran's president held a meeting with the country's top economists to discuss the ongoing crisis, but some hard-liners have lambasted the secrecy surrounding the talks.

A general view of Palangan village (bottom, C) in Kurdistan province about 660 km (412 miles) southwest of Tehran May 11, 2011. Iranian Shi'ite and Sunni Kurds live in harmony with each other in Palangan, although Sunni is the religion of the majority of the people. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: CITYSCAPE SOCIETY RELIGION) - GM1E75C0SHZ01

IRGC masses troops on Iraq border amid rising tensions with Kurdish groups

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is beefing up its control of Iran’s border with Iraqi Kurdistan a month after its missile strike on the headquarters of the main armed Iranian Kurdish opposition group.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

Men read newspapers and magazine headlines in Tehran, Iran October 14, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC181F519590

Iranian papers ask US outlets to condemn sanctions

Four of Iran's biggest newspapers ran a joint editorial asking their Western counterparts to speak up about the impact of US sanctions on Iran.