Iran Deal

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrive to hold a press conference after a meeting in Tehran on October 19, 2026. The Russian foreign minister arrived in Iran on October 19, in his first visit since the outbreak of the Middle East war as Moscow seeks to play a mediating role. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How Lavrov's Tehran visit tests limits of Russia's influence over Iran

As Tehran looks for an off-ramp from renewed conflict, Moscow is positioning itself as a diplomatic partner while pushing Iran to deliver on long-delayed economic deals.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Ships are anchored off the coast of Khasab in Oman's Musandam Governorate, near the Strait of Hormuz, on Oct. 2, 2026.

IRGC claims it downed US drone, set two tankers ablaze near Hormuz

Iran has stepped up attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi upon his arrival in Tehran on Oct. 19, 2026.

Lavrov visits Tehran as Trump praises Russia's role on Iran: What to know

During a meeting with his Iranian counterpart earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin renewed Moscow’s offer to mediate between Tehran and Washington.

TOPSHOT - Smoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 14, 2026. Smoke could be seen rising from the direction of a major UAE energy installation on March 14, in what appeared to be the latest strike targeting the Gulf's petroleum facilities hours after the US struck Iran's Kharg Island. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /

Explainer

IMF projects Gulf rebound in 2027. Can energy production keep pace?

Restoring shipping access in the Strait of Hormuz is only part of the recovery, as Gulf producers also need to repair damaged infrastructure to avoid further disruption to production and exports.

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Analysis

Deal or war? Israel fears fallout from Trump’s next move on Iran

GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA - OCTOBER 05: U.S. President Donald Trump wraps up an appearance at a campaign rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds on October 05, 2026 in Grand Island, Nebraska. Trump is campaigning for incumbent U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Gov. Jim Pillen ahead of the November midterm elections. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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

Riyadh’s skies remain unsettled after deadly Houthi strikes

Cars drive past the gates of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sept. 19, 2026.

Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province witnesses uptick in attacks

A Baluch Iranian man rides a bicycle in Zahedan, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan on Dec. 18, 2025, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government.

Iran joins SCO drill as China resists direct intervention in US-Iran war

Kyrgyz servicemen take part in the "Eurasia-Antiterror 2023" joint military drills

An Iranian flag flutters in the wind as ships remain anchored on May 16, 2026 in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran.

US sanctions network smuggling Iranian LPG as talks falter

The sanctions come as President Donald Trump has offered mixed signals on prospects for a deal.

AFP via Getty Images

As Iran seeks leverage, can US enforce Lebanon-Israel ceasefire?

The US-brokered ceasefire plan is already showing cracks.

A general view shows the reactor building at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran on Aug. 20, 2010.

Iran's covert nuclear risk higher after war as IAEA access constrained: Report

Iran is estimated to possess about 440.9 kilograms, approximately 972 pounds, of uranium enriched to 60% purity, just below the 90% level considered weapons-grade.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on June 03, 2026, in Washington. The hearing was held to examine the State Department's budget request for fiscal year 2027.

After Gulf attacks, Rubio faces pushback on 'war is over' claim

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the latest US strikes on Iran are "completely defensive."

Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes on June 23, 2025.

UAE eyes first multifuel pipeline as Hormuz crisis drags on

State-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is considering building a refined oil products pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.

United Arab Emirates

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 02: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 02, 2026 in Washington, DC. In his first public hearing since the start of the war in Iran, Rubio is testifying on the State Department’s FY2027 budget request. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Rubio says Mojtaba Khamenei alive, ‘increasingly engaging’ with intermediaries

The top US diplomat said Iran’s uranium stockpile and enrichment levels are “highly technical matters” that could take months to resolve.

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on June 1, 2026, vessels sail at Suru Beach in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran suspends US talks over Israel’s Lebanon escalation, state media reports: What to know

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency also said Tehran could "activate other fronts," including closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Container rates climb as logistic firms scale up Hormuz alternatives

The Drewry World Container Index measuring container shipping prices has soared by more than 40% since the start of the US-Israel-Iran war.

United Arab Emirates

US President Donald Trump speaks alongside Secretary of state Marco Rubio during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 27, 2026.

As US and Iran near deal, Trump confronts familiar dilemma

It's unclear whether President Donald Trump will take the off-ramp as fellow Republicans rail against an interim deal that wouldn't immediately address Iran's nuclear program.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks during an election campaign rally ahead of the presidential vote in Tehran on June 15, 2024.

Explainer

From China to Qatar: Where Iran’s frozen assets are held

Tehran is reportedly demanding some $24 billion in frozen funds be unblocked as part of a peace deal with the United States.

Motorists drive their vehicles and pedestrians cross the street past a political billboard featuring President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz along Valiasr Square in Tehran on May 26, 2026.

US-Iran deal could take ‘a few days’ as roadblocks emerge, nuclear talks deferred

Mediators are scrambling to secure a deal that would end the war, while leaving unresolved the thorniest issues that predated it.

Iranians drive next to a billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi " Science is the power," at the Enqelab Square in Tehran, on Aug. 29, 2025.

US, Iran trade mixed signals on enriched uranium as Tehran weighs response

Speaking on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he would be willing to wait "a couple of days" for Tehran's response to the latest US proposal to end the war.