Iran-US tensions

Egyptian soldiers man an infantry fighting vehicle

Explainer

As parliament approves, what's driving Egypt's 'defensive' support to Saudi Arabia?

Egypt, which has one of the region's largest militaries, is reliant on Saudi investment and ties the kingdom's security to its own.

GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia’s KBS, top Turkish and Pakistani officials hold rare meeting in Iran: What to know

In first such gathering, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman will join Pakistani army chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin for talks with Iranian officials amid fears of renewed US and Israeli attacks against Iran.

Motorists drive past an anti-US billboard in Tehran on Aug. 24, 2026.

Analysis

From Hormuz to data centers: How Iran’s threats are raising stakes of renewed war

As the prospect of renewed conflict looms, Tehran is escalating warnings that another war would impose prohibitive costs on Washington, its allies and global markets.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

FADEL SENNA / AFP via Getty Images

UAE battles tanker oil spill as war's environmental toll mounts

Gulf oil spills have become more frequent since the beginning of the US-Israel-Iran war on Feb. 28.

United Arab Emirates

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Analysis

How Netanyahu could attack Iran to force Israel into unity government after elections

Amir Levy/Getty Images

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

How Israel’s election could shape next phase of Iran war

Jewel SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

What Iran’s threats to Hormuz internet cables mean for Gulf

MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images

Gulf oil exports surpass prewar levels despite escalating tanker attacks

The Chinese-flagged container shipping vessel Hui Fa transits the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the emirate of Sharjah east of the UAE, on Oct. 13, 2026.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Nasrallah calls for regional action against US military

The head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, called for expelling US troops from the region in response to the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, adding that US military assets will be targeted.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a news conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (not pictured) in Budapest, Hungary November 7, 2019. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo - RC2F6D90DV3Y

What has Erdogan learned from Soleimani's killing?

As tensions between Tehran and Washington escalate, Turkey has to make difficult choices.

U.S. President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania Trump, delivers remarks to U.S. troops in an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, December 26, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1B49CC86F0

Iranian missiles strike coalition installations in Iraq

Iran fired 15 ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases housing US and coalition troops on Tuesday night, a US Central Command spokesperson confirmed to Al-Monitor, in a possible escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran after a Pentagon drone strike killed a top Iranian military leader last week.

A drone and armored vehicles serve as a backdrop as U.S. Vice President Mike Pence delivers remarks to U.S. troops at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq November 23, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC29HD9HDU3K

Iraqi base housing US troops hit as Iran tensions escalate

Iran launched an attack against Iraqi bases housing American troops with over a dozen ballistic missiles.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo takes questions during a news conference in the Press Briefing Room at the State Department in Washington, U.S., January 7, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner - RC24BE9BAMTN

Pompeo mocks claim Soleimani was part of Iraq-brokered Iran-Saudi indirect talks

The US secretary of state discounted the Iraqi prime minister's claim that on the day Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in Baghdad, he was going to pass on an Iranian message as part of indirect Iranian-Saudi communications.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, joined by fellow Democrats, speaks during a news conference about legislation the House has passed at the Capitol in Washington, U.S., December 19, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott - RC2JYD99KMA3

Inside the Trump-Pelosi tug of war over Iran war powers

President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are tangling over the legal authorities necessary to attack Iran.

A U.S. Army soldier from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Task Force-Iraq, mans an observation post at Forward Operating Base Union III in Baghdad, Iraq, December 31, 2019. U.S. Army/Maj. Charlie Dietz/Task Force-Iraq Public Affairs/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2P6E92P5WW

US questions whether Iraq can boot American troops

After Iraq's parliament urged US troops to leave the country Sunday, the White House and some Iraqi lawmakers are raising questions about whether Iraq's caretaker prime minister has the authority to kick out US forces.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his delegation meet with President of the Kurdistan region in Iraq Nechirvan Barzani in the VIP terminal at Erbil International Airport in Erbil, Iraq November 23, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC29HD9C15KU

Iraq's Kurds weigh opportunities, risks in wake of Soleimani killing

Can the Kurdistan Regional Government help out the United States as it faces Iraqi anger over the Soleimani killing, and does the KRG want to risk doing so?

Turkey-backed Syrian rebel fighters pause before crossing into Syria, near the border town of Akcakale in Sanliurfa province, Turkey, October 17, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC129277BCC0

Is Turkey 'big winner' after Soleimani killing?

Some observers assert that the killing of the Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani will increase US reliance on Turkey for its future military operations in the Middle East and enhance Turkey's overall geopolitical positioning, but such thinking may prove to be wishful thinking.

Iranian people attend a funeral procession and burial for Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, who was killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, at his hometown in Kerman, Iran January 7, 2020. Mehdi Bolourian/Fars News Agency/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2XAE9ME6Q8

Deadly stampede kills scores at burial of Iran's Soleimani

Scores of mourners died in a stampede that marred and briefly delayed a massive burial for the Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani assassinated in a US airstrike last week.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks to U.S. troops in an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq December 26, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1801320710

US withdrawal from Iraq is Israel’s worst-case scenario

The leaked letter published this week about the United States considering withdrawing from Iraq and Syria generated great concern within the Israeli security establishment.

A member of Iraqi security forces walks near burning tyres at the reception room of the U.S. Embassy, during a protest to condemn air strikes on bases belonging to Hashd al-Shaabi (paramilitary forces), in Baghdad, Iraq January 1, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC207E9KASMJ

US-Iran tensions shift Iraq from brink of reform to brink of war

After its assassination of a major player in Iraq, the United States must now engage with the anti-government, pro-reform nationalist protesters in Iraq in order to push against Iranian influence in the country.