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Iran

June 12, 2026

Tehran 9:43 am

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Members of the Iranian national soccer team including midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh (R) arrive at Tijuana International Airport on June 7, 2026, in Tijuana, Mexico.

Culture

World Cup opens amid visa disputes for Iran, Iraq and Somalia

Iran says a number of team staff were denied entry into the US, with Trump administration officials touting efforts to prevent affiliates of designated terrorist groups from entering.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Bessent says Iran's frozen assets will pay for Gulf damage, Hormuz tolls

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that any damage Iran inflicts on Gulf allies will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian accounts.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Explainer

US strategic oil stockpile nears four-decade low as Iran war drags on

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 349.2 million barrels amid the global energy shock caused by the war in Iran.

President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One prior to departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York, on June 9, 2026.

Trump weighs releasing billions to Iran after blasting past payments

As mediators scramble to broker a peace deal, a key hurdle remains the release of Iranian assets frozen under US sanctions.

Latest News

Trump vows continued ‘very hard’ strikes on Iran as negotiators leave Qatar

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Trump launches new airstrikes on Iran as deal stalls

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, prepares to take off from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026 at Sea.

US, Iran trade strikes after downing of Apache helicopter: What to know

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, makes an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury, Feb. 28, 2026

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

Rouhani says US lost 'golden opportunity’ for bilateral dialogue

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the United States has lost a golden opportunity for dialogue with Tehran.

U.S. Marine M1 Abrams tanks from the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Marine Division take up defensive positions during a firefight near the main traffic checkpoint in Falluja June 24, 2004. A U.S. Marine Cobra helicopter gunship was shot down during the battle but the two pilots escaped uninjured. At least 15 insurgents were killed and three Marines injured in the fighting, a military spokesman said. REUTERS/Bob Strong RCS/acm - RP5DRHZSARAA

Military audit confirms US tanks ended up with Iran-backed militias

The US effort to assess Iraq’s military capabilities is plagued by weak oversight, an inspector general report found.

Iran’s Zarif: Nuclear deal only remaining Obama legacy Trump hasn't removed

Iran’s foreign minister plays down the likelihood that the Trump administration will tear up the nuclear deal.

Iraqi Kurds maneuver to get closer to Iran

Following the rupture caused by the Sept. 25 independence referendum, the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iran are moving to bolster ties.

Will Europe be there when Israel needs it?

If the Israeli government expects the international community to heed the “serious threat” posed by Iranian activity in the region, it must be prepared to discuss the serious threat posed by Israeli activity in the Palestinian territories it occupies.

Rouhani: Iran has no need to negotiate over its defense

In a speech at an event for the Iran-Iraq War, President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran has no need to negotiate over its defensive capabilities.

How Iran sees Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria

A complex series of considerations — including the ignition of blowback from Kurdish groups elsewhere in the region — has caused Iran to remain muted in its response to Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria.

Dropping interest rates could increase inflation in Iran

While high interest rates continue to keep liquidity locked into bank deposits, a nonholistic approach to job creation could lead lower interest rates to simply result in the return of high inflation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands as they attend an event marking the International Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the breakthrough the Nazi Siege of Leningrad in the World War II, at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre in Moscow, Russia January 29, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - UP1EE1T16MCI6

Israel presses Russia to help contain 'Iranian threat'

Israel is looking to Russia to help dial back Iran's ambitions to expand its presence and influence.

A construction worker transports bricks for the reconstruction of destroyed building in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq August 5, 2017. REUTERS/Marius Bosch - RC14F63418D0

Saudis see opportunities in helping to rebuild Iraq

Riyadh's role in restoring Iraq's war-torn areas will play up Saudi Arabia's presence there and, the Saudis hope, help stop the spread of Iran's influence.

A newspaper featuring a picture of U.S. President Donald Trump is seen in Tehran, Iran, October 14, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1FE8998310

Latest Iran poll suggests Trump rhetoric benefits hard-liners

The new poll also highlights Iranians' preoccupation with corruption, unemployment and climate change.

Will Brexit jump-start Iran-UK trade?

While bilateral trade has increased following the implementation of the nuclear deal, trade between Iran and Britain remains far below its potential.