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Iran

August 6, 2026

Tehran 2:37 am

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Explainer

Iran-Oman deal spurs Hormuz hopes as Red Sea threats evolve

Iran has signaled that an agreement was reached with Oman establishing a Hormuz shipping route even as Houthi attacks in the Red Sea expand.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

US stock markets soar to new records amid Hormuz deal hopes

The S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average are on track for their best five-day performance since April 2025.

Latest News

US lifts sanctions on Iraqi airline linked to Iran's IRGC: What to know

A memorial depicting Qassem Soleimani, the slain commander of the "Quds Force" of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who was killed by a US airstrike in Iraq in 2020, is pictured at Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026. Israeli strikes killed the intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as the Islamic republic on April 6 defied threats from the US President to devastate civilian infrastructure if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Ima

Trump’s strategy on Iran may pay off as deal appears imminent

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport on Aug. 2, 2026 in Morristown, New Jersey.

Analysis

Why Iran is fighting to keep Hormuz at center of US negotiations

Two brothers watch oil tankers, general cargo ships, bulk carriers, and fishing boats anchored in the waters off Muscat near the Strait of Hormuz on June 18, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

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

Iranian people wear protective masks to prevent contracting coronavirus, as they walk in the street in Tehran, Iran February 25, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2P7F9O2XY3

Iran accuses enemies of coronavirus scaremongering

Tehran is tossing around accusations of fomenting panic over the coronavirus epidemic as the country's biggest holiday approaches.

Why Iraq may opt to avoid lawsuit over Soleimani killing

Iraqi political parties have abstained from involving Iraq in the preparation of a judicial file involving the assassination of Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.

Iranian women wear protective masks to prevent contracting coronavirus, as they walk in the street in Tehran, Iran February 25, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2Q7F9UZ1JB

Fast-spreading coronavirus pushes Iran closer to lockdown

Despite conflicting reports, Iran's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic is rising a few weeks ahead of the country’s New Year holidays.

Can this veteran singer save Kurdish people's forgotten tunes?

Kurdish singer Mazhar Khaliqi says the Kurds should use globalization and technology to carry their musical tradition beyond the borders of the Middle East.

Iran says Qom 'almost stable' after coronavirus outbreak

Iran’s Health Ministry has assured the public it is addressing the corona outbreak that has killed at least 12 in the country.

Iranians show their ink-stained fingers after they cast their votes during parliamentary elections at a polling station in Tehran, Iran February 21, 2020. Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC205F9PK7BA

Iranians go to polls as hard-liners expect big win

Iran's parliamentary elections are widely seen as a one-sided contest that favors hard-liners.

Iran struggles to regain control of post-Soleimani PMU

After the loss of Soleimani and Muhandis, Iran is struggling to reorganize and reunite different PMU factions that previously operated under the guidance of Soleimani on behalf of Iran’s interests in Iraq.

Coronavirus in Iran prompts fears of spread in Iraq

The outbreak of coronavirus in Iran prompted a wave of anti-Iranian sentiment among Iraqi protesters, who called for the closure of the border.

Palestinian Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh welcomes Hamas members who went missing in Egypt a few years ago, after their arrival in Gaza City February 28, 2019. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC18F17FF320

Egypt may find Gaza more appealing without Haniyeh

Although tensions between the Egyptian authorities and Hamas were expected to escalate amid reports that Egypt had banned Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh from returning to Egypt and subsequently to Gaza, Egyptian analysts expect relations to be more relaxed in Haniyeh's absence.

Head of the Guardian Council Ahmad Jannati delivers a sermon during Tehran's Friday prayers August 21, 2009. Hardline Iranian cleric Jannati urged the judiciary on Friday to arrest the leaders of post-election unrest, in what appeared to be a reference to defeated moderate presidential candidates Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN POLITICS RELIGION) - GM1E58L1HAE01

US sanctions Iranian Guardian Council members, holds off on UN snapback penalties

The Trump administration is coming under pressure from anti-Iran deal advocates to find a way to trigger the "snapback" of UN sanctions this year.

A woman walks past parliamentary election campaign posters in Tehran, Iran February 19, 2020. Picture taken February 19, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2I4F99WETN

Iran’s parliamentary elections a vote on Rouhani's economy

Iranians head to the polls Feb. 21, with Reformists largely sidelined, to elect their 11th parliament since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

A general view of the Iranian parliament in Tehran, Iran June 25, 2019. Nazanin Tabatabaee/West Asia News Agency via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC1189997B90

Far-left current rises from among Iranian hardliners

Iran’s ultraconservatives have given birth to their worst nightmare — a group so left-leaning that hardliners consider them would-be communists.