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Iran

August 12, 2026

Tehran 6:00 am

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The commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Esmail Qaani, speaks during a commemoration ceremony marking the anniversary of the 2020 killing of Guards general Qasem Soleimani (on screen) in the capital Tehran on Jan. 3, 2024.

Analysis

What Qaani's Baghdad visit reveals about Iran's post-war dilemma

The Quds Force commander's Baghdad visit is occurring as Iran faced difficult choices in Iraq where the government is moving to bring powerful armed groups under state control after the recent war.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Qaani

IRGC chief Qaani reportedly in Iraq ahead of militia deadline

Esmail Qaani, who heads the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, has been heavily involved in Iran’s relations with Iraqi militias.

image of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei

Iran’s Khamenei appoints six military commanders: What to know

The appointments, which replace figures killed in the war, follow Khamenei naming a new leader of the Islamic Republic’s top security body.

Latest News

Explainer

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

Mohsen Rezai

Analysis

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

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

Jamshid Jamshidi

By Jamshid Jamshidi

Analysis

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

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.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Iranian women wearing hijab walk down a street in the capital Tehran on February 7, 2018.
A spate of unprecedented protests against Iran's mandatory headscarves for women have been tiny in number, but have still reignited a debate that has preoccupied the Islamic republic since its founding. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian women must remain united to advance rights

The recent anti-compulsory hijab protests in Iran have forged both unity and division among women activists.

Ahmadinejad condemns prison 'suicides'

Facing his own judicial problems, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has criticized the recent number of so-called prison suicides.

A Bombardier CRJ 1000 of French low-cost Hop! airline company takes off the Toulouse-Blagnac airport, near Toulouse, on October 19, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / PASCAL PAVANI (Photo credit should read PASCAL PAVANI/AFP/Getty Images)

Questions abound as Iranians claim US Treasury licensing plane sales to Iran

The US Treasury Department is reportedly finally moving on issuing the necessary licenses for airplane sales to Iran after a long period of inactivity.

Iranian rial banknotes bearing a portrait of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, sit on the stand of an Iraqi money dealer on June 19, 2014, in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq. President Hassan Rouhani said on June 18 Iran would do whatever it takes to protect revered Shiite shrines in Iraq against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government. AFP PHOTO/KARIM SAHIB (Photo credit should read KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Images

Iran’s police step in to contain foreign currency debacle

Iranian police enter the fray to contain an emerging foreign exchange crisis.

Controversy in Iran over Rouhani’s call for referendum

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's call to hold a popular referendum on disputed issues to break the political deadlock in the country has angered conservatives.

A cleric walks past a currency exchange shop in Tehran's business district, Iran, January 17, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMAATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - GF20000097644

How do Iran’s 'corrupt networks' operate?

The fight against corruption in Iran will remain a key challenge until new ways are devised to address this challenge.

Animosity toward US uniting Turkey, Russia, Iran in Syria

A loose alliance between Turkey, Russia and Iran in Syria is fraught with tensions driven by developments on the ground, but the three remain united in their desire not to provide advantage to the United States.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani delivers remarks at a news conference during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith - RC147D2F0420

Rouhani suggests direct public vote to end political gridlock

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani proposes referendum to decide path forward for Iran.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov (R) meets with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Baku on December 20, 2017.
Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey hold the fifth trilateral meeting in Baku. / AFP PHOTO / Tofik BABAYEV (Photo credit should read TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran, Azerbaijan warm up ties after years of frost

While Iran and Azerbaijan have had relatively chilly relations in past decades, the two neighbors finally appear to be on the path to closer ties.

A man walks on rubble at a damaged site after an airstrike in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Damascus, Syria February 9, 2018. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh - RC18866F2CF0

Despite defeat of IS, Syria war risks major power conflict

The United States and Russia should abandon "proxy wars" and back a new UN Security Council resolution for a regional peace conference.

Israel, Syria, Iran clash in the skies

Israel reacted strongly to the Iranian drone that penetrated its territory and to Syrian fire targeting an Israel Defense Forces jet.

Norway's Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide greets Israeli Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi during a session of the International Donor Group for Palestine at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, January 31, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RC15AF17F6A0

Will EU propose new Mideast initiative?

The European Union hopes that minor additions to the Iran nuclear deal might pave the way for greater dialogue with the Trump administration on Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian issue.