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Iran

July 31, 2026

Tehran 2:15 pm

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A woman stands next to Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles displayed at Azadi Square in Tehran on July 24, 2026.

Iran’s new calculus: Strike first, talk later

An increasingly emboldened Tehran has put President Donald Trump in a bind.

This aerial photo shows a tanker unloading imported crude oil at a terminal port in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province on June 25, 2026. (Photo by CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images) / China OUT

China cuts deal with Houthis, adjusts for long US war with Iran

China is cutting its own deals and gaining wartime leverage as the Trump administration scrambles to contain the war and reopen Hormuz.

In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 3, 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea.

US carries out strikes in southern Iran after IRGC attack on Jordan airbase

The US says the strikes were retaliation for an attempted IRGC ballistic missile attack on a US airbase in Jordan as Iranian state media report explosions in the country's south.

Latest News

Oil jumps 8% as US-Iran war pressures Saudi Arabia, explosions hit Egypt

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on July 24, 2026, in New York.

Exclusive

Saudi Arabia to announce Red Sea coalition to counter Houthi threats

Houthi soldiers stand guard on a missile carrier during an official military parade marking the ninth anniversary of the Houthi takeover of the capital, Sanaa, on Sept. 21, 2023.

Amberin Zaman

Jared Szuba

By Amberin Zaman , Jared Szuba

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

MARZIEH SOLEIMANI/IRNA/AFP via Getty Images

Iran credits Russia with 'constructive' role in nuclear talks despite holdups

Iran is downplaying last-minute demands from Russia and blaming the United States for delays in the nuclear talks.

Khamenei

Khamenei defends Iran's regional strategic influence

In defiance of western criticism over Iran's controversial regional activities, the country's leader defended its interventions in the wider Middle East as a tool that deepens strategic influence.

US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testifies.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Russia, Iran major cyberthreats targeting US, says intel community

Turkey as alternative European gas route; Russian Syrian mercenaries in Ukraine; Palestinians claim double-standard in Western response to Ukraine; Egypt balances US, Russia in dealing with Ukraine war.

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Joe Snell

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn , Joe Snell

Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora arrives at the Coburg Palace, venue of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) meeting that aims at reviving the Iran nuclear deal, in Vienna on Feb. 8, 2022.

Iranian negotiator back in Vienna for 'final days' of talks

Iran’s lead negotiator made a brief trip to Tehran to consult before returning to Vienna.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani arrives at the Coburg Palais, venue of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) meeting aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal, in Vienna on Dec. 27, 2021.

Iran negotiator returns home amid uncertainties in Vienna talks

Hope seems to be fading in Iran for an agreement on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers after Russia sought separate sanctions relief guarantees in its own favor.

US President Joe Biden announces a ban on US imports of Russian oil and gas, March 8, 2022, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC.

Biden bans Russian oil imports as Iran talks hit snag

The embargo on Russian energy supplies comes as negotiators in Vienna appear close to striking a deal that would ease sanctions on Iran’s oil sector.

JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images

Iran says Ukraine war will not impede nuclear talks

Iran is seeking details on comments made by Russia about sanctions and the nuclear talks.

Iran prisoners

Analysis

Will there be an Iran nuclear deal? What you need to know

The Biden administration, consumed by Russia-Ukraine crisis, may be close to the end on one of its top foreign policy priorities.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Ahmadinejad

Former Iranian president Ahmadinejad praises Ukraine’s ‘resistance,’ rebukes Islamic Republic’s support for Russia

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has criticized the Iranian government on several occasions since leaving office.

afael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

IAEA chief to visit Tehran as nuclear talks near finish line

Despite what was reported as complicated, last-minute conditions set by the Iranian side, informal statements by Russian and European negotiators indicated that the talks in Vienna were reaching a conclusion.

US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) .

Iran accuses Lindsey Graham of calling for assassination of Iranian scientists

The Republican lawmaker told reporters in Jerusalem last month that he would “expect more accidents” to befall Iranian scientists in an apparent reference to alleged Israeli assassinations of the country’s nuclear scientists.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi delivers a speech during a parliament session on the occasion of Parliament Day in Tehran on Dec. 1 2021.

Iran’s NSC meets with lawmakers over nuclear deal

Iranian media is accusing Western media of playing the blame game in the final days of the nuclear talks.