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Iran

September 21, 2026

Tehran 5:20 pm

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 17: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz speaks to the media on November 17, 2025 in New York City. The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution authored by the US that welcomes the establishment of a Board of Peace (BoP) as a "transitional governance administration" in Gaza and authorizes the BoP to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) in the region. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images)

Interview

Waltz: ‘Door open’ to Iran talks, more countries eye Abraham Accords

Speaking at Al-Monitor Live New York, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said that several more regional states have expressed their interest in joining the Abraham Accords.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

What to expect as UN General Assembly convenes amid Iran war

The US State Department denied visas to Palestinian officials seeking to attend the UN summit, yet authorized the Iranian delegation's travel to New York.

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

Latest News

US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over Hormuz payments

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

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

AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

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

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

(Front R-L) Jordan's King Abdullah II, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan pose for a photo during Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX36UAJ

Trump visits Saudi Arabia, Kremlin shrugs

Russia may be keeping quiet publicly about Donald Trump’s relations with Saudi Arabia, but Trump’s recent trip to the kingdom raises some interesting questions for Moscow.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (R) stands with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a welcoming ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 23, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTS13IR3

Egypt-Saudi ties could be key to Trump’s Mideast 'ultimate deal'

Egypt's disputed transfer of the Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia may be one part of an overall peace deal involving Israel.

Iran follows Russia’s lead in backing Syria safe zones

Russia’s proposal legitimates Iranian military role in Syria; supreme leader hails victory for "Islamic democracy"; Turkish intervention in Sinjar could disrupt Mosul liberation plans; Egypt’s media crackdown.

An employee works at a residential building, currently under construction, in northern Tehran May 17, 2008. Negar Ehteshami just paid the equivalent of $6 million in rials in cash for a luxurious apartment. But it is not in New York or London. It is in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hers is a tale with echoes in much of the West: a house price surge fuelled partly by easy lending. Picture taken May 17, 2008. To match feature IRAN-HOUSING/ REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTX68C7

Iran's housing crisis aggravated by reluctant sellers

Iran's housing sector, once an engine of the Iranian economy, is unlikely to exit recession anytime soon, in part due to homeowners refusing to sell at a loss.

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

Iran questions US pivot back to region as Europe embraces Rouhani

While the United States is increasingly engaged in a war of words with Iran, the bigger story may be the impact Washington’s more hawkish line may have on Europe’s approach toward Tehran and the consequences of a suggested US pivot back to the Middle East not materializing.

US ambassador to Iraq Stuart E. Jones (R) delivers a speech in the presence of Iraqi Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Adel Fahad Shershab, at Iraq's National Museum during a ceremony where looted artefacts recovered by the US military during a recent raid in Syria are handed back to the Iraqi authorities, in the capital Baghdad, on July 15, 2015. AFP PHOTO / SABAH ARAR.
(Photo credit should read SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images)

US mulls how best to control pro-Iran factions in Mideast

The United States and the Gulf states seem to agree that Tehran and its allies need to be contained to keep Iran from aggressively expanding once the Islamic State is driven out of the region.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (R) kisses Hamas Gaza Chief Yehya Al-Sinwar during a ceremony announcing a new policy document, in Gaza City May 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTS14OXA

Boosting ties with Moscow will come at a cost for Hamas

Establishing a relationship with a superpower such as Russia bodes well for Hamas, but Moscow will expect flexibility on the movement's part in return.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech during Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX36UI6

Russia remains unconcerned by Trump's anti-Iran rhetoric

US President Donald Trump tells the Saudis what they want to hear, but Russian experts don't expect him to renege on the Iran deal.

U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) speaks to reports at the U.S. Capitol in Washington April 21, 2015. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan - RTX19PE3

Senate tones down Iran sanctions bill after input from Obama team

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee insists the bill it cleared May 25 doesn’t violate the nuclear deal.

Picture released on October 1980 of Iraqi soldiers standing in front of tanks and looking at Khorramshahr, near Chatt-el-Arab, in Iran, as fights between Iran and Iraq started again despite the cease-fire. (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

Expulsion of Iraqi forces has lessons for Iranians today

On the anniversary of the liberation of a southwestern city from invading Iraqi forces, Iranian officials see lessons for today.

Voters stand in a queue to cast their ballots during the presidential election in a Jewish and Christian district in the center of Tehran, Iran, May 19, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX36KPS

Iran's election results a win-win for Khamenei

Even though the conservative candidate in Iran's presidential candidate did not win, Ayatollah Khamenei is looking for ways to spin the election as a victory for the conservatives.

CORRECTION - Russian mediator Alexander Lavrentiev, Iranian deputy foreign minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attend the signing of a memorandum on creating safe zones in Syria during the fourth round of Syria peace talks in Astana on May 4, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Stanislav FILIPPOV / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Stanislav FILIPPOV has been modified in AFP systems in the following m

Why Iran wants 'de-escalation' zones in Syria

While the establishment of "safe zones" has never been part of Russia's or Iran’s plans, their agreement to create "de-escalation zones" at this juncture serves the interests of both countries.