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Iran

July 28, 2026

Tehran 11:48 pm

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A commercial vessel passes through an international shipping lane off Yemen's Hanish Island in the Red Sea on July 27, 2026.

Explainer

Tankers keep sailing Red Sea despite Houthi threats as Saudi oil lifeline faces strains

Roughly a dozen oil tankers were sailing in the vicinity of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as of Tuesday evening, following an uptick in traffic the day before as shippers bet on new US-Iran diplomacy.

A giant billboard depicts late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (2nd L), and his son Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, with Arabic writing that reads: "Thank you Iran," in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, on June 15, 2026.

Khamenei says Hezbollah's agenda 'strategic mandate' for Iran

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s comments come as Lebanon and Israel move forward with a US-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah in the south, though the Iran-backed group is resisting calls to turn over its weapons.

Trump Netanyahu

On eighth visit, Israel’s Netanyahu seeks to repair ties with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to focus on Iran in his Tuesday meeting with President Donald Trump, while the US leader is more likely to want to discuss Lebanon and Syria.

Latest News

Trump says Iran seeks talks after strikes halted

US President Donald Trump takes questions from the media during a bilateral meeting with President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office of the White House on July 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Iran summons French ambassador after detaining 2 diplomats: What to know

Iranian security forces stand guard in front of the French Embassy in Tehran in this undated image.

Oil falls 9.5% in steepest drop in months as Iran, US pause attacks

AMIRHOSSEIN KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

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

Iranian security forces deploy following an armed attack at the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in the city of Shiraz on Oct. 26, 2022.

Iran claims Israel behind shrine attack, pledges revenge

The shooting renewed debates on Iran's intelligence failures in thwarting deadly attacks in contrast to the official assertion that the country is an "island of stability" in a volatile Middle East.

'No guarantees’ as US prisoners in Iran await return home

A group of Americans held in Iran are closer than ever to returning home after more than two years of on-off negotiations, but it's not a done deal.

Namazi

Confusion around US-Iran prisoner swap as Tehran puts out its own narrative

Iran's official explanation of the prisoner swap agreement carried discrepancies with the one confirmed by the American side, most notably on how Tehran could potentially access and spend $6 billion in funds once unfrozen.

Naledi Pandor

Iran, South Africa sign agreement in Pretoria ahead of BRICS summit

The South African and Iranian foreign ministers have signed a cooperation deal ahead of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, which Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi will attend.

Iran flag

Iran moves US prisoners to house arrest ahead of planned exchange

Under a detainee deal negotiated between Washington and Tehran, several US citizens imprisoned in Iran have been transferred to house arrest in a step toward their full release.

An exhibition calling for an end to executions in Iran on Trafalgar Square on Oct. 10, 2020, in London, England.

Iran executes five men for gang rape

Drug-related executions are particularly on the rise in Iran, despite international criticism of Iran’s legal system.

MORTEZA SALEHI/TASNIM NEWS/AFP via Getty Images

Iran claims to develop technology for supersonic cruise missile

The announcement comes amid military tensions between Iran and the United States.

AFP via Getty Images

Iran says daily oil output to hit 3.5M barrels in September

Iran's oil output will reach 3.5 million barrels per day by Sep. 22, the state-run news agency reports.

Members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard show their skills in attacking a naval vessel.

Iran warns of more ship seizures in defiance of US Marines' Gulf deployment

Tehran ratcheted up its rhetoric against Washington in the wake of fresh American reinforcement in the Persian Gulf, prompted by the Iranian "harassment" of international commercial ships there.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

UK sanctions entities in Turkey, UAE, Iran for alleged role in Ukraine war

It is not the first time Britain has sanctioned companies from these countries for their alleged role in the 18-month-old conflict.

Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), left.

Why is US sending 3,000 Navy, Marines force to Persian Gulf?

The Pentagon has not yet specified the Marines' role in deterring Iran from interfering with commercial shipping and threatening neighboring Arab states.

ISSEI KATO/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s foreign minister meets Japanese counterpart in rare Tokyo trip

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's visit to Japan comes amid mounting tensions in the region over Iran’s nuclear activities and attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf.