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Iran

May 10, 2026

Tehran 1:47 am

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China’s overland trade routes offer Iran wartime economic lifeline: What to know

Cargo rail traffic between China and Iran has reportedly surged since the US blockade began in April as Tehran seeks overland trade alternatives to help buy time.

A woman walks past a banner featuring Iran's late supreme leaders, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C), next to newly elected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in Tehran on April 19, 2026.

Analysis

Why Iran's wartime behavior risks lasting rupture with Gulf states

Iran's rhetoric and policies toward Gulf states have sharply escalated, raising questions about whether years of painstaking regional rapprochement can survive mounting distrust and maritime confrontations.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images.

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

The findings cast doubt on Israel’s wartime gains and put pressure on Netanyahu’s campaign strategy ahead of elections.

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

Getty

US strikes Iran tankers as UAE reports fresh missile, drone attacks

Strikes on Iranian tankers and fresh exchanges in the Gulf escalate tensions as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a deal proposal.

Latest News

What to know about Iran's 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' to control Hormuz traffic

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, the Iran-flagged tugboat Basim sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

US sets expectations for Iraq’s next PM to confront Iranian militias

Popular Mobilization Forces

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

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

Joyce Karam

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

A worker in protective suit sprays disinfectants in a barber shop at popular market, following an outbreak of the coronavirus, in Basra, Iraq March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Essam al-Sudani - RC24HF95V7S1

Some Iraqis rejecting coronavirus warnings

The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq has imposed a ban on communal worship in mosques because of the new coronavirus, but some people are ignoring the danger.

Iran's top security body rejects lockdown of epidemic areas

Iran said its death toll from the coronavirus epidemic will not stop rising until around the second week of April, while insisting that a lockdown on the hardest-hit provinces is not an option.

Flames emerge from flare stacks at Nahr Bin Umar oil field, as a man is seen wearing a protective face mask, following the outbreak of the coronavirus, north of Basra, Iraq March 9, 2020. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani - RC2IGF9A1IYO

Mideast oil producers brace for impact of price slide

The global coronavirus outbreak and falling oil prices could spell a massive economic slowdown for oil-producing countries in the Middle East.

Iran’s Khamenei cancels new year address over coronavirus

Iran’s supreme leader canceled his annual public address in the holy city of Mashhad amid the coronavirus epidemic, which continues to claim lives nationwide.

A cleric's cure for coronavirus becomes butt of jokes in Iran

A cleric’s bizarre response to treating COVID-19 in the guise of Islamic medicine has provoked widespread ridicule in Iran.

A member of the medical team sprays disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus, following the outbreak of the virus, in a dental clinic in Sadr city district of Baghdad, Iraq, March 9, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RC2CGF9V03HD

Coronavirus damages Iraqi economy with fall in tourism, oil prices

COVID-19 has harmed both the private and public sectors of the Iraqi economy.

Iranian lawmakers attend a session of parliament in Tehran, Iran July 16, 2019. Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1120AED380

How Iran’s next parliament will affect foreign policy

Though Iran’s conservatives will rule the upcoming parliament, they might not rule with an iron fist as some expect.

A member of the medical team wears protective face mask, following the coronavirus outbreak, as he sprays disinfectant liquid to sanitise a taxi car in Tehran, Iran March 05, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2MDF9X8TSF

Iran releases 70,000 prisoners due to coronavirus, judiciary chief says

The total number of persons infected with coronavirus in Iran has risen to 7,161 as officials scramble to respond to the spread of the virus.

Iranian marine soldiers wave to the camera from a motor boat in the Sea of Oman during the third day of joint Iran, Russia and China naval war games in Chabahar port, at the Sea of Oman, Iran, December 29, 2019. Mohsen Ataei/Fars news agency/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC235E95KV40

How will Russia, China support Iran's military after UN arms ban ends?

Moscow and Beijing could strike weapons deals with Tehran after the UN arms embargo expires later this year, but their anticipated support will face hurdles.

Iranian officials call for quarantine as coronavirus spreads

Some Iranian officials are calling for more restrictive measures as the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country.

Director Mohammad Rasoulof, winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film for "There Is No Evil", speaks through a video call as his daughter Baran Rasoulof holds a cellphone, during a news conference after the award ceremony of the 70th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany February 29, 2020. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse - UP1EG2T1OP7IV

How an Iranian director defied ‘repression’ and won Golden Bear

The Golden Bear-winning Iranian movie “There Is No Evil” revolves around the power to say no, the very same concept that has characterized the filmmaker’s overall mission.

A Russian worker walks past the Bushehr nuclear power plant, 1,200 km (746 miles) south of Tehran October 26, 2010. Iran has begun loading fuel into the core of its first nuclear power plant on Tuesday, one of the last steps to realising its stated goal of becoming a peaceful nuclear power, state-run Press TV reported on Tuesday. REUTERS/Mehr News Agency/Majid Asgaripour (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY IMAGES OF THE DAY) - GM1E6AQ1FIY01

UAE offers regional road map to deal with Iran

Policies on coronavirus, nuclear issues may help recast regional security discussions, complement US policies.