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Iran

October 8, 2026

Tehran 5:30 pm

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An undated image of Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi.

Meet Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi, Iran's defense minister nominee

Akhlaghi Ketabchi has been heavily involved in Iran's missiles programs, and it is not clear how much input Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had in the nomination process.

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

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

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov pose for a family photo during the Fifth Caspian Summit in Aktau, Kazakhstan August 12, 2018. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - UP1EE8C1E9DPM

Caspian Sea convention moves Iran closer to northern neighbors

While the signing of the landmark legal convention on the Caspian Sea has exposed the Rouhani administration to criticism at home, the accord provides Iran with important advantages while leaving the door open for further talks on boundaries.

Apparent death threat against Rouhani triggers fierce backlash

A placard seen at a recent gathering at a top seminary in Iran draws a fierce backlash, as it is being interpreted as a death threat against President Hassan Rouhani.

A board with the currency exchange rates of the U.S. dollar and the Euro against the Russian rouble is on display outside a bank branch in Moscow, Russia April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - UP1EE4A0ZLRKM

Russia-led regional payment network could blunt US sanctions on Iran

Russia is reportedly expanding on previous talks with Iran to create a regional integrated payment network.

De-mining teams searches for landmines in the desert east of Basra province, April 1, 2015. In Iraq's vast southern desert, de-mining teams are working to remove millions of Saddam-era landmines and explosive ordnance that litter Iraq's southern giant oil fields, hampering the country's oil boom and delaying investment. Picture taken April 1 2015. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani - GF10000051566

Iran-Iraq War continues to claim lives 30 years on

The eight-year war between Iraq and Iran ended on Aug. 20, 1988, but its negative impacts linger on both sides.

Iranians ask government officials: #Where_is_your_kid?

Public calls for Iranian officials to account for the lifestyles of their children bring focus to the issue of the lack of trust in the political establishment.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani attends a news conference at the Chancellery in Vienna, Austria July 4, 2018. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner - RC1981F1CC40

Iran parliament report reveals 17 dual nationals in government

An Iranian parliamentary report revealed that there are 17 dual nationals working in the government.

Kurdish farmers hit by water crisis

With neighboring Iran diverting rivers and building dams, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is in the midst of an already severe water crisis that threatens to get even worse, thanks to national and regional governments failing to acknowledge the urgency of the problem.

Iran-US conflict leaves Abadi in a dilemma

By rectifying his statement on supporting US sanctions against Iran, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is balancing between the United States and Iran in Iraq to keep both sides as his supportive allies.

Iran prosecutor warns ministers: no one is immune in anti-corruption probe

Iran’s judiciary and the Rouhani administration appear to be heading for a clash over prosecutors' approach to an effort to tackle corruption.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
A man looks at newspapers at a news stand in Tehran March 4, 2012. Hardliners allied with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei maintained their lead in the country's parliamentary vote, with partial results on Sunday showing supporters of the president trailing behind. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - GM1E8341DST01

Sanctions, profiteering put Iranian newspapers in a bind

A paper crisis exacerbated by US sanctions is weighing down Iranian daily newspapers, which are resorting to everything from closures to online paywalls.

Reformism weakens as factional interests reign supreme in Iran

The lack of broad embrace of former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami’s call for change signifies not just continued conservative refusal to enter "national dialogue," but also the Iranian public’s increasing disregard for the pro-Reform camp.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu attend a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, August 14, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC180FCCDBD0

Russian, Turkish officials meet, keep low profile on Idlib ideas

Moscow and Ankara seem to share some common goals regarding Syria, but don't necessarily agree on how to reach them.