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Iran

May 6, 2026

Tehran 7:20 pm

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on May 5, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Rubio warns Iran of 'total defeat' if it refuses deal

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Iran "to make a sensible choice" and resume negotiations.

A billboard with the image of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wraps the front of a building in Tehran on May 5, 2026.

Analysis

Iran's Gulf gambit: Attacking the UAE to shift US calculations

Tehran is escalating pressure on the United Arab Emirates through strikes and rhetoric, signaling a strategy to widen the conflict and indirectly force Washington to ease its blockade on Iranian ports.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Parker Song / Getty Images

Iran’s Araghchi heads to China as US presses Beijing over Hormuz: What to know

The visit comes ahead of President Donald Trump's long-awaited trip to Beijing next week.

Latest News

EU says energy costs tied to Hormuz crisis have surged past $35B

Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP via Getty Images)

Few ships pass Hormuz despite US efforts to break Iran's hold

Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz on June 23, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel fears Trump seeking Hormuz win while sidestepping Iran nuclear issue

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Valentine's Day display in Tehran

Iran rolls out matchmaking app to curb declining birthrate

The Hamdan app aims to create "healthy" families and pair "bachelors seeking permanent marriage” with a wife.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) meets with the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi

Zarif's final defense for Iran deal infuriates hard-liners

Iran's foreign minister faced scathing attacks from hard-liners in parliament after his upbeat assessment of the status of the nuclear talks.

KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images

Iran says US prisoner swap negotiations underway

The Iranian comments followed US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley's pledge that the United States would not accept a partial deal that does not bring home all four detained Americans from Iran.

Pompeo and Jansa

Pompeo speaks at conference by controversial Iran opposition group

Slovenia's prime minister and other former US officials also speak at virtual event held by Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.

Cannes

Why Iranian celebrities took a break from politics

Unlike in previous years, Iran's celebrities went quiet during the June election.

A picture shows vials of the locally made Iranian COVID-19 vaccine during the start of the second phase of trials in the capital, Tehran, on March 15, 2021.

Iran denies 'US sabotage' against homemade vaccine project

The denial added to the chaos and confusion surrounding Iran's piecemeal rollout, which has reached only 2.3% of its population.

A picture obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim on January 31, 2021, shows Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) meeting with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (C) of the Taliban in Tehran.

Iran hosts Afghan government, Taliban for talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif celebrated the looming US withdrawal from Afghanistan during the event.

pmu march in baghdad

The Takeaway: Does Iran want to scuttle nuclear deal talks with militia attacks in Iraq?

Also: Fresh reporting from Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Gaza; high oil prices may undercut GCC reforms; a cure for termites in Egypt; and more.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Rouhani blames sanctions for Iran's power outages

As Iran swelters with electricity outages, President Hassan Rouhani is pointing to sanctions and arguing for meeting international financing demands that would life them.

A vendor serves a costumer during a power outage in Iran's capital Tehran, on May 23, 2021.

Iranians vent outrage at continual blackouts

President Hassan Rouhani attempted a formal apology to Iranians frustrated by blackouts that are only adding up to their daily grievances.

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei speaks during a news conference in the capital Tehran on July 22, 2019.

Iran reports progress in talks with Saudi Arabia

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said talks between the two regional powers will continue.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran accuses Israel of June sabotage attack on nuclear site

After previous denials, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei acknowledged one structure's ceiling was damaged in the attack.