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Iran

August 10, 2026

Tehran 11:23 pm

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Mohsen Rezai

Explainer

Who is Iran’s Mohsen Rezaei, hard-line IRGC veteran appointed to top security post?

Mohsen Rezaei's appointment comes as Iran navigates a fragile halt in hostilities with the US and negotiations over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

This aerial photograph shows boats anchored off Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula near the Strait of Hormuz on June 27, 2026.

Analysis

How Hormuz crisis is boosting IRGC and Iran’s security establishment

Iran’s Hormuz strategy shows how the prolonged crisis is shifting power from political institutions toward the security establishment.

Jamshid Jamshidi

By Jamshid Jamshidi

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif in Mecca after signing the defense pact, Aug. 7, 2026.

Analysis

How Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact puts Iran's regional strategy to test

The defense agreement is not an anti-Iran bloc, but it may reflect a deeper regional adjustment to years of Iranian asymmetric warfare as well as uncertainty over US security commitments.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Analysis

Jordan shores up US lifelines as Iran targets Amman’s reliance on Washington

US President Donald Trump (R) meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, Feb. 11, 2025.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

As US rethinks regional presence, Israel shifts focus to destabilizing Iran

Hussein FALEH / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Iraq's Basra plans dam on vital river

After angry demonstrations against the government in Basra about the lack of potable water, the southern Iraqi province is preparing to tackle the problem by building a dam on the Shatt al-Arab River.

U.S. President Donald Trump signs a proclamation declaring his intention to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC157E042900

US reimposes sanctions as Iran deal crumbles

With the Donald Trump administration set to reimpose Iran sanctions after exiting the nuclear deal, it’s looking less and less likely the rest of the world can salvage the accord.

Iranians flock to greener pastures on Caspian coast

The nationwide drought in Iran is triggering internal migration and its water-rich areas are already suffering shortages.

Senior Iranian clerics ask Rouhani to fight corruption

Grand ayatollahs in Iran are asking the judiciary and the Rouhani administration to fight corruption rather than blaming sanctions.

Idlib takes center stage at Sochi Syria talks

The latest round of Syria talks between Russia, Iran and Turkey held in Russia's Sochi discussed important issues, but deadlocks remain.

New generation of hard-liners move to seize control of Iran's state broadcaster

A younger generation of hard-liners in Iran are increasingly maneuvering to secure institutional instruments of power and are targeting the state broadcaster.

Iranian artists show solidarity as nation grapples with economic woes

As ordinary Iranians feel the pinch of their country’s economic crisis, a popular singer is planning free concerts to ease the pressure.

Will Russia, Iran dash Turkey's hopes of becoming energy corridor?

The recently signed Caspian protocol between the Caspian littoral states means that Iran and Russia can thwart Turkey’s hopes of transporting Turkmen gas and Kazakh oil via Turkey to Europe.

Dismissal of electricity minister fails to quell protests in Iraq

After a month of protests in Iraq over the lack of electricity and other public services, the Iraqi prime minister dismissed the minister of electricity, without any clear vision for a solution to the crisis.

Did concert in Iranian holy city topple an ayatollah's ban on music?

The singer Hesameddin Seraj gave the first concert in many, many years in Mashhad, a city known for its religious heritage, leading to speculation about more concerts to come.

Ankara’s eyes on Idlib as Astana group gathers in Sochi

Representatives from Turkey, Russia and Iran are reportedly meeting in Sochi to discuss the Syrian conflict, and Iran's presence in the war-torn area seems to figure prominently.

Caution and doubt in Iran as Trump offers direct dialogue

In Iran, political heavyweights respond to US President Donald Trump's sudden offer of "unconditional" talks.