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November 9, 2026

Tehran 2:56 pm

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People vote on Election Day during the midterm elections

Analysis

From sanctions relief to deterrence: How Iran reads US elections

Iran's negotiators now view US elections through the lens of political pressure and the costs of conflict, while even Javad Zarif frames diplomacy as part of deterrence.

Jamshid Jamshidi

By Jamshid Jamshidi

Alexey BABUSHKIN / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Iran turns to Putin as war, US election reshape strategic calculations

A Kremlin meeting with Iran's top security official coupled with reports of new arms deals amid looming war demonstrate Tehran's push to turn vulnerability into strategic leverage.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Tump

Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

As Trump weighs Iran strikes, possible nuclear opening emerges

Sticking points include Iran's highly enriched uranium and lack of access for international inspectors.

Latest News

Russia to provide Iran with 90 missile launchers as military ties grow: Reports

Russian Mil Mi-8 military helicopters fly over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy, northeastern Hasakeh province, Syria, Feb. 4, 2021.

Turkey says soldier killed by gunfire from Iran at border: What to know

A sign marking the border of Turkey in Van, Turkey, on March 14, 2026.

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

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

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, Mohammad Bagheri (R) is welcomed by Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces Hulusi Akar during his official visit at the Turkish General Staff headquarters in Ankara, on August 15, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran army chief's Turkey tour ends in promises of military cooperation

Regional rivals Turkey and Iran are exchanging visits by top officials, brought together by deeply ingrained fears that Western powers are covertly egging on their respective Kurdish populations to weaken and dismember them.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (R) talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 19, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RTS17RSB

Saudi Arabia engages Iraq at Iran's dismay

Iraq's rapprochement with Arab Sunni countries including Saudi Arabia is putting increased pressure on Iran.

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani gestures during a news conference in Tehran, Iran, May 22, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX372F9

Iranians mock Rouhani over explanation for no female ministers

Iranians take to social media to mock President Hassan Rouhani over his explanation for failing to abide by his campaign promise to appoint female ministers to his Cabinet.

Iranian pilgrims wait at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran as they depart for the annual haj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, in Tehran, Iran, July 31, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi / TIMA via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS ñ THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RTS19T5G

Iranian return to hajj could help end Saudi deadlock

The resumption of Iranian participation in the annual hajj pilgrimage may help pave the way for an end to the diplomatic deadlock between Riyadh and Tehran.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivers remarks on the 2016 International Religious Freedom Annual report at the State Department in Washington, U.S. August 15, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTS1BW4D

Trump administration presses Middle East on religious freedom

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson committed the United States to fighting for religious liberty around the world with the release of the annual International Religious Freedom Report.

NAJAF, IRAQ - MAY 2: Shiite cleric Sayed Moqtada al-Sadr sits in his offices beneath a portrait of his late father Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq el-Sadr May 2, 2003 in Najaf, Iraq. A day earlier Iraqi Shiites gathered in the city to mark the anniversary of the death of Mohammed. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

What’s next for GCC-Iraq ties after Sadr's UAE visit?

Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has made trips to Saudi Arabia and the UAE to meet with Gulf leaders, but improving Iraq-GCC ties will be no easy task.

Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Erbil, Iraq July 6, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTX3AAQA

Turkey faces Kurdish quandary in Iraq, Syria

Ankara is finding it difficult to devise a holistic approach to the region’s Kurdish question.

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, Mohammad Bagheri (R) salutes the honor guards as he is welcomed by Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces Hulusi Akar (L) during his official visit at the Turkish General Staff headquarters in Ankara, on August 15, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish, Iranian brass meet in Ankara

Iran and Turkey's top military leaders are beginning three days of meetings today in Ankara, and coverage so far suggests the two rivals are feeling marginalized and eager to work together to promote their shared interests.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) reads the oath of office as Judiciary Chief Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi looks on during Ahmadinejad's swearing-in ceremony in Tehran August 5, 2009. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN POLITICS) - RTR26F4I

Moderate appointed to head Iran’s Expediency Council

Iran’s supreme leader appointed moderate Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi as chairman of the Expediency Council.

Iranian film sheds new light on security services

Addressing the turbulent years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, "Midday Adventures" addresses a divisive part of Iranian history from a new perspective.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (C), Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem (R) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia, October 28, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2QTRQ

Russia re-examines relationship with Iran

As the military situation shifts in Syria, so does Tehran’s once-symbiotic status with Moscow.

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C front) listens to his supporters during the funeral ceremony of Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi, who was killed in Saudi Arabia in a stampede at the haj pilgrimage, after Friday prayer in Tehran November 27, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX1W3E5

Ahmadinejad camp brazenly assaults Iranian judiciary

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s inner circle launches a rare and brazen frontal assault on the judiciary.