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Iran

August 4, 2026

Tehran 4:17 pm

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TOPSHOT - This aerial photograph shows boats anchored off Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula near the Strait of Hormuz on June 27, 2026. Iran launched attacks on US sites in the Gulf in response to American strikes on the country, state media said on June 27, after Washington accused Tehran of attacking one of its cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The trading of fire raised questions about efforts to keep the crucial waterway open while Washington and Tehran negotiate a final settlement to a war that beg

Analysis

Another US-Iran truce, same Hormuz standoff: What comes next

Since February, two major diplomatic efforts have produced temporary pauses in fighting, but neither has translated into a lasting agreement.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

US President Donald Trump (C) is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport on Oct. 13, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Analysis

Lacking leverage over Trump, Israel stays quiet on US-Iran talks

Realizing it has little to no influence over President Donald Trump’s decision-making, the Israeli government has remained silent on the possibility of the United States and Iran resuming negotiations.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listen to questions from the press during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland, on July 31, 2026.

US military options narrow as Trump calls off Iran strikes: What to know

Left with few good military options that won't risk triggering major Iranian regional retaliation, American officials aim to return to the negotiating table with arguably fewer cards.

Latest News

Explainer

Iran-Oman Hormuz route talks near 'completion': What to know

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L), Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (2nd L) and Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi (R) attend a meeting in Muscat, Oman, on June 22, 2026.

Iran hangs 2 over alleged Mossad ties as executions mount: What to know

This photograph shows a banner featuring photos of Iranian protesters allegedly killed by the regime during a demonstration at the Ergife Palace Hotel to condemn the silence of Western governments in the face of the growing wave of Iranian political executions, in Rome, on July 16, 2026.

Oil falls 5% after Trump calls off Iran strikes, says Hormuz deal agreed

SAEED KHAN / 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

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 16: Brian Hook State Department Special Representative for Iran testifies during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Holds Hearing On US-Iran Policy on October 16, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

US top diplomat for Iran Brian Hook steps down

Hook was a key figure in the Trump administration's pressure campaign against Iran.

IRGC says Iran to ‘mobilize’ to help Lebanon after blast

Iranian officials and media have offered condolences after the explosion that rocked Beirut.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Moscow on December 30, 2019. (Photo by Yuri KADOBNOV / AFP) (Photo by YURI KADOBNOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Moscow boosts ties with Tehran as US-Iran tensions escalate

While Iran and Russia are trying to limit US influence in the Middle East, the United States lacks the leverage to counter China’s and Russia’s growing influence in the region.

US to submit UN resolution to extend Iran arms embargo next week: Pompeo

The arms embargo is set to expire in October as part of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major world powers.

Why Iran could be approaching hyperinflation in coming years

The asset markets in Iran have been witnessing sharp surging spikes in prices in the recent weeks and months on the back of astonishingly rising money supply.

Iranian officials prepare the noose for the execution of Balal, who killed fellow Iranian youth Abdolah Hosseinzadeh in a street fight with a knife in 2007, during his execution ceremony in the northern city of Noor on April 15, 2014. Samereh Alinejad, the mother of Abdolah Hosseinzadeh, spared the life of Balal, her son's convicted murderer, with an emotional slap in the face as he awaited execution prior to removing the noose around his neck with the help of her husband. AFP PHOTO/ARASH KHAMOOSHI/ISNA

Iran hangs protester despite calls to halt execution

Campaigns led by Iranian human rights activists failed to halt the execution of the protester arrested during anti-government rallies in late 2017.

Fire at Iranian industrial site adds to wave of mysterious explosions

The fire near Tehran, which caused no casualties, is under investigation.

Tehran, IRAN: TO GO WITH AFP STORY IRAN-JUSTICE-PRISON-SOCIT BY PIERRE CELERIER An Iranian inmate peers from behind a wall as a guard walks by at the female section of the infamous Evin jail, north of Tehran, 13 June 2006. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Australian envoy says academic jailed in Iran doing 'well'

Ambassador Lyndall Sachs visited with Kylie Moore-Gilbert Sunday following her transfer to a notorious desert prison last month.

Rouhani: Iran’s economy handled pandemic better than US

Iran’s president said his country’s economy is in a comparatively better shape than the US and European states' ones when it comes to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Iranians, some wearing protective masks, wait to cross a street in the capital Tehran on February 22, 2020. - Iran today reported one more death among 10 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths in the Islamic republic to five and infections to 28. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran registers 'alarming' rise in infections as people 'trivialize' rules

A majority of the country's provinces are reporting an "alarming" number of new cases, according to Iran's Health Ministry.

Iran and UAE discuss cooperation on COVID-19

Iran and the United Arab Emirates have worked together on the virus before despite them being on opposite sides of Middle Eastern conflicts.

Iran arrests US-based leader of exile group

Authorities in Tehran say they detained Jamshid Sharmahd, the leader of a California-based opposition group, inside Iran, yet questions remain about his detention.