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Iran

October 8, 2026

Tehran 6:17 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

Pro-government media deny Rouhani 'sold out' Iranian Caspian Sea claims

Iranian social media has been inundated with claims that the government has given away much of the nation's share of the Caspian Sea, while pro-Rouhani newspapers reject such talk as baseless.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attend a meeting 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. - UP1EE8C1E0PP0

Assad’s advances heighten Iran-Russia rift in Syria

As the regime gains ground in Syria, the divergence of Iranian and Russian interests there becomes more apparent.

US sanctions put nearly half a million jobs at risk in Iran’s auto parts industry

Auto parts suppliers in Iran warn that US sanctions coupled with domestic mismanagement are bringing their industry to its knees.

Khamenei says no talks with current US administration

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would not negotiate with the Trump administration.

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah carry flags and pictures of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad during a rally marking al-Quds Day, (Jerusalem Day) in Maroun Al-Ras village, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon June 8, 2018. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RC150991C950

Hezbollah's role evolving in Syria as Assad nears victory

As the forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad move in on the last major rebel stronghold, speculation is turning to what the future might hold for Hezbollah in Syria.

Syrians wave Iranian, Russian and Syrian flags during a protest against U.S.-led air strikes in Damascus,Syria April 14,2018.REUTERS/ Omar Sanadiki - RC151A9ED3D0

Iran readjusts its Syria strategy amid Russia’s changing role

Having achieved military victory in the key southwestern region of Syria, Iran is actively maneuvering to redefine its approach to securing its aims in the war-torn country.

Iran-Iraq tensions rise as Tehran demands war compensation

Tensions between Baghdad and Tehran grow after Iraq's prime minister said his country would abide by US sanctions against Iran, while the latter demands compensation for damages in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War.

Did Trump’s double-speak ‘blow’ chances of Rouhani meeting?

The Iranian and US presidents are slated to address the UN General Assembly on the same day next month — but the prospect of direct talks between the two leaders remains dim given the harsh rhetoric and contradictory stances of the US administration.

Syrians gather at a site of car bomb in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on August 2, 2018. - Idlib is the last of four "de-escalation" zones agreed by world powers in 2017 where the rebels still have a major presence. Strategically important Idlib province shares a border with rebel-backer Turkey and is adjacent to Latakia, a regime stronghold on the Mediterranean. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey’s time running out in Idlib

Syrian Kurds could be a wild card in a possible showdown between Damascus and Ankara; Russia keeps the peace, for now, on the Israel-Syria border; Israel may have opened a new front of secret assassinations; the political economy of Iran’s protests.

The interest group economics wreaking havoc on Iran's currency

Absent tackling such root issues as banking and financial sector reform, Iran’s political economy is likely to continue to shape government policy to the detriment of the economy and the society as a whole.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 20, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC16A27D6260

Will Iraq comply with US-imposed Iran sanctions?

Iraq is willing to abide by US sanctions against Iran, according to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, yet pro-Iranian parties and militias slammed Abadi, calling for support for Iran against these sanctions.

Iranian media stunned by Iraqi PM's compliance with US sanctions

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's decision to cooperate with US sanctions has surprised a number of analysts and media in Iran.