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Iran

October 5, 2026

Tehran 2:49 pm

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US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping hold a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office

Analysis

Why Trump-Xi summit did not move the China needle away from Iran

Beijing's incentive to alienate Iran has shrunk as the war has dragged on.

Yun Sun

In Washington, DC, reporting on China-Middle East ties

nyse

Analysis

Gulf oil exports are back, but how durable is recovery?

Middle East oil exports rebounded in September as Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz erodes, but markets have hardly celebrated a crude revival that could prove short-lived.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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.

Latest News

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

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

Analysis

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

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.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

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

Iran denies involvement in Saudi attacks

Iranian analysts believe the United States and Iran are not headed toward conflict after the attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities.

Smoke is seen following a fire at Aramco facility in the eastern city of Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, September 14, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer - RC18BDE58360

Saudi oil facility attack challenges Washington's regional commitment

While the recent attacks on two Saudi oil facilities will impact global oil prices, it is the US commitment in the region that is under attack.

Iran sends a powerful signal to counter Iraqi nationalist trend

Iraqi populist Muqtada al-Sadr’s trip to Iran presents opportunity for the United States.

Israeli soldiers stand next to shells and a mobile artillery unit near the Israeli side of the border with Syria in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights August 26, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1C67173F10

As Israel’s anti-Iran strategy shifts into higher gear, worries of fresh conflict grow

Israel's escalated campaign to contain Iran and its Hezbollah allies has provoked fear that a new conflict may erupt among neighbors.

What is Iran's message in Sadr meeting with Khamenei?

Iran presents Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's appearance with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a victory against the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi, Russia September 12, 2019. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov - RC1B149306D0

Netanyahu tries to bring 'Iran threat' home to Russia

In the last four years Sochi has become a key Russian decision-making center on issues related to the Middle East; Netanyahu has now come there to have a say.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) speaks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (not pictured) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China August 26, 2019. How Hwee Young/Pool via REUTERS - RC15CB7F1E50

Zarif's 12-nation tour highlights an active Iranian diplomacy

Despite the US sanctions imposed on him, Iran's foreign minister was not hindered in his whirlwind diplomatic tour of Europe and Asia.

Esteghlal supporters attend the AFC Champions League group C football match between Iran's Esteghlal and Qatar's Al Duhail at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on May 6, 2019. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran in no hurry to allow women into stadiums after 'Blue Girl' death

The suicide of an Iranian soccer fan has reignited the issue of allowing women into Iran's stadiums, but the administration is unlikely to work toward a solution anytime soon.

Regional, international actors risk making matters worse in Iraq's Sinjar

The conflict over controlling the strategic area of Sinjar along Iraq's borders with Turkey and Syria has made the Yazidis' situation worse.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks during the United Against Nuclear Iran Summit on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 25, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Ornitz - RC1B810D5E20

Iran celebrates Bolton ouster

The departure of John Bolton, the US administration's most relentless Iran hawk, at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington was good news across the political spectrum in Iran.

What is Muqtada al-Sadr doing in Iran?

In a surprising appearance, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, known for his criticism of Iran's regional policies, sat next to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran's Quds commander Qasem Soleimani at a religious assembly.

Personal cost of journalism, political activism in Iran remains high

Iran’s judiciary appears to be tightening the noose on media and political activists under its new chief justice in what some analysts believe is a byproduct of growing international pressure.