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Iran

September 30, 2026

Tehran 8:26 am

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A woman crosses a street near a giant billboard erected on the facade of a building depicting a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps placing his foot on a US sea drone, reportedly seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, in Vanak Square in Tehran, on Sept. 24, 2026.

Analysis

As Iran’s grip on Hormuz weakens, what leverage does Tehran have left?

Six months into the war, Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz is weakening. The world is slowly learning to live with it, oil flows are recovering, alternative routes are expanding and Tehran's own economy is bearing the cost of keeping the waterway under pressure.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles are seen on display beside a large portrait of Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei at Baharestan Square in Tehran on Sept. 28, 2026.

After indirect talks, new US sanctions target Iran's weapons supply

The latest sanctions come after the two sides held another round of indirect talks over a possible deal to end the war.

Saudi stocks hit wartime low as Aramco slides, Gulf oil exports rebound

Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All-Share Index fell 1.17% on Tuesday, dragged down by oil giant Aramco, as investors digested signs that Gulf oil exports are recovering.

A man counts Iranian rial notes

Iran’s rial hits record low as pressure on oil exports mounts

The rial was trading at more than 2.5 million to the dollar in Tehran's open market on Tuesday.

Latest News

Iran’s IRGC slams Trump as Ghalibaf threatens oil infrastructure

Ghalibaf

Iraq announces Iran flights to resume: What to know

An Airbus A321 airliner arrives at the Mehrabad international airport during the delivery of the first batch of planes to the Iranian state airline Iran Air in the capital Tehran on Jan. 12, 2017.

New US aircraft carrier heads to Middle East as Iran war stretches on

In this handout released by the US Navy on July 15, 2010, the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) transits the Pacific Ocean.

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

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

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

Iran's coach Carlos Queiroz looks on during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup semi-final football match.

Culture

Who is Carlos Queiroz, the man who could be Iran’s coach at the World Cup in Doha?

Iranian state media reported that the veteran Portuguese coach will again lead the Iranian men’s national soccer team in Doha this year. However, the deal may not be complete yet.

GENT SHKULLAKU/AFP via Getty Images

Iran condemns Albania for severing relations

Albania accused Iran of conducting a cyberattack against its government. The eastern European country hosts an Iranian dissident group, which has harmed bilateral relations.

A handout picture provided by the Iranian Army official website on September 11, 2020, shows an Iranian navy warship during the second day of a military exercise in the Gulf, near the strategic strait of Hormuz in southern Iran.

Cameras missing from US Navy drones briefly seized by Iran, Pentagon says

It remains unclear whether Iran's navy took the cameras or whether they became dislodged when hauled onto the deck of the frigate IRIN Jamaran in the Red Sea last week.

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

Iran revokes death penalties handed to three protesters

The executions were reduced to jail terms in a controversial case that had drawn a furious public backlash.

Baquer Namazi

Baquer Namazi, American held by Iran, requires life-saving surgery

The Namazi family urged Iran to grant furlough to Siamak Namazi so that he can be by his ailing father’s side as he undergoes emergency surgery.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

US calls Iran’s latest nuclear deal offer 'not constructive'

Iran insisted it put forward “a constructive approach aimed at finalizing the negotiations.”

Congress Iran nuclear

Bipartisan lawmakers pressure Biden over Iran nuclear deal

House members opposed to the emerging nuclear deal with Iran are requesting the administration provide them with the full text of any proposed agreement.

MAXIM SHEMETOV/AFP via Getty Images

Tehran FM demands 'more robust' US guarantees for nuclear deal

Iranian news outlets are emphasizing the uncertainties facing the nuclear deal as the country's top diplomat said more guarantees were still needed from the United States for the accord's revival.

AFP via Getty Images

Khamenei heaps praise on Iranian administration

After one year in office, Iran’s president has received public support from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni.

Navy drone

US Navy thwarts Iran's attempt to capture sea drone in Gulf

The seizure comes as the US Navy has increasingly deployed unmanned technology to help monitor weapons smuggling and other maritime activity in Middle Eastern waters.

Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Rasit Meredow (C) attends the multilateral conference on Afghanistan, Tehran, Iran, Oct. 27, 2021.

Iran’s trade with Turkmenistan on pace to double this year

Iran is seeking more trade with its neighbors and other countries in Central Asia.

ASAAD NIAZI/AFP via Getty Images

Iran urges dialogue amid Iraq turmoil

Iranian authorities have called on Iraqi factions to seek political solutions as Baghdad streets saw deadly clashes between members of the Shiite Sadrist movement and their Tehran-backed rivals.