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May 7, 2026

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Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on May 6, 2026. Credit: Telegram

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

China understands how badly Trump wants an exit from the conflict. But timing is critical: if no agreement is reached before Trump arrives in China on Thursday, Beijing would be better positioned to set the agenda.

Joyce Karam

An Iranian woman holds up an image of Iran's new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

Iran president says he held official meeting with Mojtaba Khamenei: What to know

The president’s announcement marks the first public confirmation of a meeting between a senior official and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly since the start of the war.

Latest News

Iran, China discuss Hormuz reopening amid potential US-Iran talks

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second right, talks to his Iranian Counterpart Abbas Araghchi, left, during the bilateral meeting in Beijing, Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

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

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.

Analysis

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

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.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Fate of seized South Korean tanker, crew out of Iran’s hands, says foreign minister

The decision is the latest in a growing financial dispute between Tehran and Seoul ignited by US sanctions.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the National Press Club in Washington,DC on January 12, 2021. - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged Tuesday that arch-enemy Iran has become a new "home base" for Al-Qaeda worse than Afghanistan, an assertion questioned by experts. (Photo by Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW HARNIK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Pompeo dubs Iran new 'home base' of al-Qaeda

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Tehran of enabling the terrorist group by providing safe havens and logistical support.

Iran says it won’t expel nuclear watchdog inspectors

Government officials stressed that international watchdog inspectors will not be expelled from Iran’s nuclear sites, rejecting a senior lawmaker’s statement that such a plan was in the pipeline if the United States failed to lift sanctions against Tehran.

Air pollution covers the Iranian capital Tehran on December 23, 2019. - Schools in Iran's Tehran province have been ordered shut until due to severe air pollution, authorities announced, extending their closure to a full week. Tehran city was cloaked by thick toxic smog for a third successive day on Monday that blanketed out landmarks like Milad Tower and the snow-capped Alborz mountains. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran’s capital suffocating amid blame game over pollution

For nearly a month, residents of the Iranian capital have been exposed to record-high air pollution amid the government’s confusing explanations and failure to work out a solution.

A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on October 24, 2020, shows him wearing a protective face mask as he gives a speech in the capital Tehran during a meeting of the national staff to discuss the issue of the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis. (Photo by - / KHAMENEI.IR / AFP) / XGTY / === RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / KHAMENEI.IR" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS === (Photo by

Iran officials defend ban on US, UK COVID vaccines

Iranian officials have said they will begin vaccinating their population in the spring and do not have confidence in Western vaccines.

People gather outside Iran embassy in France on June 13, 2019 to support Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and demand her release. - Sotoudeh has been sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison over a case with seven charges, but she is to only serve the longest sentence, 12 years imposed for "encouraging corruption and debauchery". She has also been convicted of espionage. Sotoudeh has also been sentenced to a total of 148 lashes for appearing in court without the hijab Islamic head covering and

Iran approves 3-day release for jailed lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh

Nasrin Sotoudeh is serving a decadeslong prison sentence on charges related to her work as a human rights defender.

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Tehran reveals underground missile base near Persian Gulf

Iran has announced it built a new subterranean missile base as tension between Washington and Tehran escalates.

DESSAU, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 23: An employee holds an ampoule into which the vaccine is later filled as German Health Minister Jens Spahn tours the lab facilities of vaccine maker IDT Biologika during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic on November 23, 2020 in Dessau, Germany. IDT Biologika is currently conducting human trials for its potential vaccine against Covid-19. During the company visit, Spahn announced the planned purchase at least five million vaccine doses. (Photo by Hendrik Schmidt-Pool/G

Iran's supreme leader bans vaccines made in US, UK

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he had "no confidence" in the American or British-made vaccinations.

Supporters of US President Donald Trump, including Jake Angeli (C), a QAnon supporter known for his painted face and horned hat, enter the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. - Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran president: US Capitol storming shows Western democracy 'fragile'

President Hassan Rouhani also said that “those who in two weeks will have power in the White House must return America, which is a great nation, to its rightful place.”

Iran’s Rouhani demands justice for downed plane victims

Despite yearlong persistent calls from families of the victims, Iran has not yet put to public trial those who shot down the Ukrainian airliner.

An Iranian woman wearing a protective mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic, walks on a street in the capital Tehran, on December 30, 2020. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran reports first case of new COVID-19 strain

The infected individual reportedly returned from the United Kingdom recently.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 25: One of the control towers stands at LaGuardia Airport after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it is delaying flights into multiple airports due to staffing concerns related the government shutdown on January 25, 2019 in the Queens borough of New York City. After unions representing air traffic controllers, pilots, and flight attendants recently warned of a growing concern for the safety of both traveling passengers and employees due to the continued governm

Air traffic controllers in New York receive 9/11-like threat to US Capitol over Soleimani killing

A digitized voice warned via radio that an airplane would hit the US Capitol on Wednesday.