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September 28, 2026

Tehran 9:03 pm

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Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march with riffles during a military rally named Jan-Fada in Tehran, Sept. 18, 2026.

Iran rallies thousands of volunteer fighters as talks with US stall: What to know

Iran has been leading a volunteer recruitment drive and providing military training to civilians as talks with the US remain stalled.

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on June 18, 2026, vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil rises amid Hormuz impasse, Trump attack threat

Oil rose after weekend reports suggested talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz had stalled.

A tugboat guides a ship at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

Analysis

Could Iran's 7-day Hormuz proposal culminate in diplomatic deal?

Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in seven days brings into focus the central challenge facing diplomacy with Washington: how to turn military leverage into a negotiated path without giving up too much in return.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

An Iran Air Airbus A300 prepares for boarding at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 16, 2016.

‘Free for all or for no one’: Iran warns neighbors over flight bans

Several countries in the region have suspended Iranian flights under US sanctions after Washington warned global companies they would no longer have access to the dollar system if they do business with Iranian airlines.

Latest News

Iran flights continue, UAE route closes on day 2 of US sanctions

Hector RETAMAL / AFP via Getty Images

Iran threatens to expand war to Indian Ocean: What to know

AFP via Getty Images

Fresh clashes leave 6 dead in Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan: What to know

Iranian security forces stand guard in the capital city on July 03, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

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

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

A construction worker uses a jack hammer to remove support pillars for the final floor of a high rise building in north Tehran April 15, 2010. The municipality said they had built one too many floors than their permit allowed. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has asked 5 million Tehranis to evacuate the capital since they know their sprawling metropolis is due for a

Rouhani tackles unfinished projects

Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s plans to create jobs by subsidizing projects with small and medium-sized enterprises were a failure, leaving the new president to pick up the slack.

France's President Francois Hollande delivers a statement to the media at the residence of Israel's President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem November 17, 2013. Hollande assured Israel on Sunday that France would continue to oppose an easing of economic sanctions against Iran until it was convinced Tehran had ended a pursuit of nuclear weapons. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15H77

France charm offensive alienates Palestinians

French President Francois Hollande's much publicized support for Israel will ensure the Palestinians keep France away from US-led peace talks.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at a news conference at the end of the Iranian nuclear talks in Geneva November 10, 2013. Kerry said on Sunday that world powers had come closer during negotiations with Iran in Geneva to a deal on reining in its nuclear programme and that "with good work" the goal could be reached. REUTERS/Jason Reed (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX157AB

Time to close deal with Iran

An agreement with Iran would be a win, if not a breakthrough, for US interests and allies in the Middle East. (Updated)

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also seen on a television monitor, addresses the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York October 1, 2013. Netanyahu said on Tuesday the only way to peacefully stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons is to combine tough sanctions with a credible military threat and that Israel was ready to stand alone in defending itself. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FHF1

Netanyahu tweet a low point in international discourse

The Israeli prime minister's insulting of Iran on Twitter shouldn't derail the Iran nuclear talks in Geneva.

NOOSH ABAD, IRAN - NOVEMBER 13: Iranian Shiite Muslims enact the story of killing Imam Hussein during the annual religious performance of "Taazieh" November 13, 2013 in Noosh Abad near the central city of Kashan, Iran. The event marks the mourning period of Ashura commemorations, in which Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam's Prophet Mohammed, was killed by armies of the caliph Yazid near Karbala in 680 AD. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Ashoura puts Iranian politics in context

The martyrdom of Imam Hussein permeates all aspects of Iranian life.

Human rights overlooked in nuclear talks

While the UN negotiates with Iran over the country's nuclear program, human rights is not on the agenda

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation Ali Akbar Salehi (L) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano, shakes hands under portraits of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L) and Iran's founder of Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (R), following their meeting in Tehran on November 11, 2013. Amano arrived in the Iranian capital to discuss Iran's nuclear programme after top world diplomats fail to clinch a long-sought deal to curb Tehran's nuclear act

Iran slows nuclear advances in possible goodwill gesture

Taken together, Iran’s pledge of new cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the slowdown in its overall nuclear program could facilitate agreement next week in Geneva.

Iranians embrace foreign cuisine

Foreign restaurants in Tehran are thriving despite international sanctions.

Al Ahli fans take part in a protest march in front of the general prosecutor's office in Cairo November 6, 2013. The protesters were calling for the release of their fellow fans, who were arrested earlier last month during clashes with security personnel as the club's handball team returned from Morocco after winning silver in the African Champions League handball tournament. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: SPORT HANDBALL CIVIL UNREST) - RTX152G1

Arab societies must build 'citizen-states'

The Arab state system needs to better apply to concepts of civil society.

Iranians slam France on nuclear talks

Iranian media, politicians and citizens have reacted harshly to what they perceive as French obstructionism in the nuclear negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) walks with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat into Kerry's third meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah June 30, 2013. Kerry squeezed in final meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Sunday as he wrapped up a fifth peace-brokering visit to the region with little sign of progress. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX116RH

Palestinians play resignation card to protest Israeli settlements

Unable to break off the talks, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to reshuffle his negotiating team to send a message to Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton speak during the third day of closed-door nuclear talks at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva November 9, 2013. REUTERS/Jean-Christophe Bott/Pool (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTX156EI

Iran’s red line on enrichment

Forget France and Israel; talks are probably stuck on Iran’s insistence on its right to enrich uranium on its own soil.