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October 3, 2026

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Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitary forces stand guard during an election rally for the "Asaib Ahl al-Haq" movement in the capital Baghdad, on October 7, 2021.

Analysis

After US exit, Iran gains space in Iraq and a harder balancing act

For Iran, the easier part may have been getting Washington out, but it may now have to struggle turning the absence into durable influence and reviving its allied militias without provoking instability.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026.

Trump’s integration policies build on Gulf, Turkey ties and Syria success

Iran’s influence, and the potential for renewed conflict, complicate progress in Iraq.

A Caspian Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 lands at Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, on Aug. 17, 2014.

Turkey seizes Iran’s Caspian Airlines jet over $3.4M debt

The court-ordered seizure at Istanbul Airport comes as Iranian carriers face mounting pressure from sweeping new US aviation sanctions.

A woman crosses a street near a giant billboard erected on the facade of a building depicting a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps placing his foot on a US sea drone, reportedly seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, in Vanak Square in Tehran, on Sept. 24, 2026.

Analysis

As Iran’s grip on Hormuz weakens, what leverage does Tehran have left?

Six months into the war, Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz is weakening. The world is slowly learning to live with it, oil flows are recovering, alternative routes are expanding and Tehran's own economy is bearing the cost of keeping the waterway under pressure.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

After indirect talks, new US sanctions target Iran's weapons supply

Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles are seen on display beside a large portrait of Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei at Baharestan Square in Tehran on Sept. 28, 2026.

Saudi stocks hit wartime low as Aramco slides, Gulf oil exports rebound

Iran’s rial hits record low as pressure on oil exports mounts

A man counts Iranian rial notes

Iran’s IRGC slams Trump as Ghalibaf threatens oil infrastructure

Ghalibaf

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

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press conference at the State Department in Washington, DC on June 24, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Pompeo dismisses Rouhani’s terms for talks as Iran admits ‘no plan B’ for Syria

Israel, Iran and the United States are all not backing down in Syria, but US-Iran prisoner talks may still have a chance.

Iraqi security forces raid militia headquarters

A group of Iraqi counterterrorism forces raided a headquarter of a militia in southern Baghdad, arresting some of its personnel and confiscating rocket launchers allegedly prepared for attacks against US bases.

Al-Qaeda is using Iran as safe haven, says State Department report

Nathan Sales, ambassador-at-large and the US coordinator for counterterrorism, describes Iran's connections to al-Qaeda as "no surprise."

Iranian men wearing face masks are pictured at a metro station in the capital Tehran on June 10, 2020 amid the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic crisis. - Nearly one in five Iranians may have been infected with the novel coronavirus since the country's outbreak started in February, a health official said yesterday. The figure represents 18.75 percent of the more than 80 million population of Iran, which on June 9 announced another 74 deaths from the coronavirus. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP

Iran passes 10,000 COVID-19 deaths

Iran's president says citizens must wear masks as part of a “new phase” of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

Syrian demonstrators look at a poster bearing the portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C-R) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (C) in the central Saadallah al-Jabiri square in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on January 7, 2020, to mourn and condemn the death of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani (portrait-L), and nine others in a US air strike in Baghdad. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran hunkers down in Syria after Caesar Act sanctions

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has no backup plan and is not leaving Syria.

Rouhani says talks with US possible any moment after ‘apology’

While Iran’s hard-liners have persistently warned against any compromise with the Donald Trump administration, President Hassan Rouhani said he is ready for talks even before the upcoming US presidential elections.

Relatives and colleagues of the 11 Ukrainians who died in a plane mistakenly shot down by Iran in January, lay flowers during a ceremony unveiling a memorial stone at the site of the future monument at the Boryspil International airport outside Kiev on February 17, 2020. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran to hand over to France black boxes from downed Ukrainian plane

Iran is ultimately promising to loosen its hold on the black boxes from the Ukrainian plane it shot down with two missiles in January.

General Electric helps increase electricity generation in Iraq

Power stations that General Electric helped develop and improved exploitation of natural gas boost Iraq's energy infrastructure as the country seeks alternatives to imported energy from Iran.

A labourer puts up banners depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, part of a new campaign by the umbrella Yesha Jewish settler council bearing the words in Hebrew, "No to a Palestinian State" and "Sovereignty Do it right!", in Jerusalem June 10, 2020. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC2B6H9W3TZP

Israel-Iran conflict enters tense waiting period until US election in November

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is praying for US President Donald Trump to win reelection, but security experts worry that he might lose interest in the Iran conflict.

Iranian food ship docks in Venezuela

It is the latest example of cooperation between the two countries in the face of US opposition.

TOPSHOT - Forensic investigators carry the body of Iranian judge Gholamreza Mansour who died after a falling from high in a hotel atrium in Bucharest June 19, 2020. - "An investigation is underway," a police spokesman told AFP, confirming that the deceased was the Iranian judge Gholamreza Mansouri. (Photo by OCTAV GANEA / AFP) (Photo by OCTAV GANEA/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran seeks answers in death of fugitive judge

The Iranian judiciary seeks answers after a fugitive judge fell from a hotel window in Bucharest.

Parliament alone cannot stop honor killings in Iran

While legislation aimed at combatting honor killings in Iran is certainly needed, the country must also address broader issues involving policy failings and social norms.