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Iran

September 19, 2026

Tehran 8:54 pm

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A picture of Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed during Israeli strikes on Tehran in June, is displayed Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government on Dec. 18, 2025.

Analysis

How a new Baluch militant coalition raises pressure on Iran-Pakistan border

Iran's military standoff with the US may be creating opportunities for Baluch groups to launch operations from the mountainous, sparsely populated frontier region with Pakistan.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march

Analysis

As Iran regime marks 200 days of war, is it also preparing for dissent?

Seven months into the war with the US, Iranian authorities staged a pro-government mobilization in Tehran, combining patriotic spectacle with a carefully calibrated demonstration aimed for domestic internal security capacity.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A pedestrian passes by the Treasury Building in Washington, DC on Jan. 18, 2023.

US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over Hormuz payments

The US government says the exchange was used to channel payments from an Iranian maritime-insurance scheme to the regime.

AFP via Getty Images

China presses Iran, US to reopen Hormuz as disruptions threaten oil supply

Conflicts in the region are disrupting two key routes for oil bound for China, with Iranian crude affected by the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi shipments facing growing risks in the Red Sea.

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Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

How far will Iran push Houthis against Saudi Arabia amid raging conflict?

Houthi fighters marching

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

Saudis could seek Russian bailout in Yemen

Saudi Arabia is eager to put an end to the Yemeni conflict, and Russian mediation is looking like its best option.

Turkey, Iran could unite to overcome their Kurdish worries

The emerging Iran-Turkey rapprochement, driven by their mutual desire to contain the Kurds, has led to agreements on military cooperation, but the odds appear to be against a formal military alliance.

Iran sees challenge of Kurdish referendum as opportunity

After being taken aback by the Kurdish independence vote, Iran is now evolving to view the referendum as an opportunity to forge practical cooperation with affected neighboring states.

Russians, Saudis look to spruce up relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi King Salman reached around their differences to sign lucrative agreements and improve relations, but the differences are still there.

How did haircuts, nail polish become part of Iran's Shiite mourning rituals?

Traditional Shiite mourning rituals for the holy month of Muharram are being altered in Iran by what some see as superficialiity and a lack of religious principle.

Erdogan's Iran visit sparks talk of Iraqi Kurdistan as 'new Israel'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Tehran to discuss the Kurdish independence referendum in northern Iraqi and expanding economic relations.

Members of Lebanon's Hezbollah wave Hezbollah and Lebanese flags during a rally marking the ninth anniversary of the end of Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel, in Wadi al-Hujeir, southern Lebanon August 14, 2015. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - GF10000174101

Congress takes aim at Lebanese politicians with Hezbollah bill

The US House of Representatives is expected to vote this month on legislation requiring the president to publicly report on Hezbollah allies’ net worth.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman walks past Russian honour guards during a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at Vnukovo airport outside Moscow, Russia October 4, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - UP1EDA41BJO47

King Salman goes to Russia

King Salman's visit to Russia is the first by a Saudi monarch, but the trip may be long on style and short on substance.

Foreign ministers, Sergei Lavrov (C) of Russia, Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) of Turkey and Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran, attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia, December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - LR1ECCK11GRTX

Kurdish referendum tests Iran-Turkey-Russia axis

The warming of ties between Iran and Turkey, driven by their alarm over the independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, has the prospect of paving the way for the reshaping of the regional order.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends opening ceremony of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Imam Hatip School in Istanbul, Turkey, September 29, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC19182BAB40

Erdogan, Rouhani stand together against Iraqi Kurdish state

The Turkish president's Iran visit opened with a joint news conference in which he and Iran's president repeated Turkey’s demands that the Kurdistan Regional Government annul the results of the referendum on Iraqi Kurdish independence.

Iranian media praise late Talabani as friend of Iran

Iranian media widely covered the passing of former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

Iraqi SWAT troopers stand guard on a street during Kurds independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RC1949AF51F0

Kirkuk residents face uncertainty amid referendum crisis

Kirkuk residents are fearful of the security and economic consequences of the Sept. 25 independence referendum as opposition to it persists.