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Iran

October 7, 2026

Tehran 11:00 pm

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Kyrgyz servicemen take part in the "Eurasia-Antiterror 2023" joint military drills

Iran joins SCO drill as China resists direct intervention in US-Iran war

An IRGC official said the exercise will focus on countering extremist activities and containing violent groups.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at the Pnyx hill, where ancient Athenians held democratic assemblies, with the ancient Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis seen in the background, in Athens on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

Rubio says Iran ‘lost’ Hormuz. Has it?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Iran has “lost complete control” of the waterway, pointing to the recovery in Gulf oil exports in September.

Vance

US enrichment stance unclear as Vance urges 'meaningful' Iran cuts

It's unclear whether Vice President Vance was signaling a retreat from earlier demands of zero enrichment in a final deal or describing preliminary steps Iran would need to take to end the war.

Latest News

Satellite images could indicate return to activity at Iranian compound: Report

smoke rising after a strike on the Iranian capital of Tehran

Analysis

Iran’s execution drive intensifies as war provides cover for repression

People gather during protest on Jan. 8, 2026 in Tehran

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Hormuz tanker attacks mount, putting oil flows at risk

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran

Iran’s economy deteriorates, oil minister resigns, workers protest: What to know

Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad looks on during the 27th Gas Exporting Countries Forum ministerial meeting, Doha, Qatar, Oct. 23, 2025.

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

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) speaks to the media after a closed briefing for senators about the latest developments related to the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 28, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC1218182BD0

Senate puzzles out how to punish Saudi Arabia ahead of unprecedented vote

An overwhelming majority of senators want to punish Riyadh for murdering Jamal Khashoggi and because of the Yemen war. The question is how.

Swedish Foreign minister Margot Wallstrom, U.N. envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths and delegates attend the opening press conference on U.N.-sponsored peace talks for Yemen at Johannesberg castle, in Rimbo, Sweden December 6, 2018. Stina Stjernkvist /TT News Agency/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN. - RC1E49050030

US ices Iran out of Yemen talks

Iranian efforts to send a high-level official to Sweden talks with the Houthis have been rebuffed.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrives at the EU council in Brussels, Belgium May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman - RC167352B550

Iran says special channel for trade with Europe almost set up

Iranian officials have said that the European Union is in the final stages of implementing a special channel of trade with Iran.

Bitcoin.com buttons are seen displayed on the floor of the Consensus 2018 blockchain technology conference in New York City, New York, U.S., May 16, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RC1B17B79620

US sanctions accelerate Iran’s blockchain drive

Iran is accelerating work on its blockchain-enabled projects, which could potentially include a multilateral replacement for SWIFT, in light of the reimposed US sanctions.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers in Tehran September 14, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File Photo - S1AETHSUNEAB

Khamenei orders controversial retirement law amended

Iran's supreme leader has called on the country's lawmakers to amend a recent retirement law meant to create opportunities for new young workers in the public sector.

Iranian former vice-president Mohammad Reza Aref and his wife Hamideh Moravvej Farshi attend a reformist campaign for upcoming parliamentary election, in Tehran February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - GF10000314084

Iran’s Reformists under pressure to clean house amid criticism of leadership

Harsh criticism of the Reformist camp has led to soul-searching among its members, with institutional reform on the horizon.

This picture taken on December 4, 2018 near the northern Israeli town of Misgav Am, shows Israeli machinery operating machinery (R) near the border wall with Lebanon. - Israel's army said on December 4 it had detected Hezbollah "attack tunnels" infiltrating its territory from Lebanon and had launched an operation called "Northern Shield" to destroy them, a move likely to raise tensions with the Iran-backed group. (Photo by JALAA MAREY / AFP) (Photo credit should read JALAA MAREY/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel destroys Hezbollah's border tunnels but missile threat looms

Israel has started uncovering and destroying Hezbollah's attack tunnels under the Lebanese border, but destroying the group's ambitious precision missile project will be much more difficult.

A general view of a crude oil importing port in Qingdao, Shandong province, in this November 9, 2008 file photo. REUTERS/Stringer/Files ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA - GF10000374046

Asia buoys Iran as US sanctions hit

Iran is still selling considerable quantities of oil to China, Japan, India and South Korea thanks to US waivers and other mechanisms to circumvent sanctions.

Protesters wearing yellow vests, a symbol of a French drivers' protest against higher diesel taxes, stand up in front of a police water canon at the Place de l'Etoile near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, December 1, 2018. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe - RC117F7CB820

Iranians question French democracy as protests rage

Iranians are keeping a close eye on the ongoing protests in France, lashing out at the government of President Emmanuel Macron for its heavy handed response.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif during a news conference in Istanbul, Turkey October 30, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC15CF69EA60

Why Turkey will protect trade with Iran from US sanctions

The warming of ties between Iran and Turkey in recent years, coupled with the changing regional landscape, is likely to keep bilateral trade largely impervious to US sanctions.

A woman walks past destroyed buildings in the government-controlled part of Homs, Syria, September 18, 2018. REUTERS/Marko Djurica SEARCH "SYRIA LIFE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1EE143EBF0

US Syria envoy: Let's pull the plug on Russia-led talks

US Syria envoy James Jeffrey would like incoming UN Syria envoy Geir Pederson to have a clear path for negotiating a solution for Syria.

Iranians drivers fill their tanks at a gas station in the capital Tehran on November 5, 2018. - Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said the Islamic republic "will proudly bypass sanctions" by the United States that took effect on Monday targeting the country's oil and financial sectors. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran reintroduces fuel cards to combat smuggling

The Iranian government’s reintroduction of fuel cards has the potential to increase efficiency in governance and economy. However, it is important that the government pursue a comprehensive plan to rationalize fuel consumption, subsidies and cash handouts.