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Iran

August 12, 2026

Tehran 11:14 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

A man uses his smartphone to follow election news in Tehran, Iran May 17, 2017. REUTERS/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RC18C545D440

Rouhani unblocks Telegram; hard-liners send message

Iran’s president is under fire from hard-liners for unblocking a popular messaging app.

Hosting Syria talks in Sochi presents challenges for Russia

There's plenty of suspicion and finger-pointing to go around leading up to the Syria peace talks in Sochi this month.

Iranian students scuffle with police at the University of Tehran during a demonstration driven by anger over economic problems, in the capital Tehran on December 30, 2017.
Students protested in a third day of demonstrations, videos on social media showed, but were outnumbered by counter-demonstrators. / AFP PHOTO / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Why protests won’t change Iran’s foreign policy

The recent wave of unrest in Iran is unlikely to change the calculations that underpin the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy.

SOCHI, RUSSIA - NOVEMBER, 22 (RUSSIA OUT) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during Russian-Iranian-Turkish talks at Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, November,22,2017. Presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran have gathered in Sochi to talk on Syrian war conflict. Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

Confrontation between Rouhani, hard-line clerics heats up

Hard-line clerics rail against Iran’s moderate president over his remarks in favor of freedom of speech.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey watch Iran-Iraq oil rapprochement warily

The oil swap deal between Iran and Iraq represents an opportunity to counterbalance Saudi-Iraq ties.

Russia, Iran in sync on preserving nuclear deal

Russia's UN ambassador says the United States has "an irrational allergy" to Iran and should stop trying to constrain Tehran's influence in the Middle East by undermining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Iran's Reformists rack up political points while smog smothers Tehran

Tehran's air pollution crisis is worsening as the Reformists who now control both the city's administration and the presidency do little to solve it.

Turkish army tanks and military personal are stationed in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - S1BETXLBLSAE

Is Turkey aligned with al-Qaeda affiliate in Idlib?

Russian-Turkish relations worsen as Syrian forces advance in Idlib; Al-Monitor leads media coverage of Iran’s financial crisis — by six months; the American University of Beirut dedicates "transformative" Halim and Aida Daniel Academic and Clinical Center.

U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Interior Secretary†Ryan Zinke and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, holds a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC113BF0A9B0

Trump stays in Iran nuclear deal for now, targets rights abusers

US President Donald Trump once again waived Iran nuclear sanctions to stay in the deal, but he warned it will be for the last time if he does not get a legislative fix that meets his demands.

Internet censorship a double-edged sword for Tehran

As Iran is home to an increasing number of online businesses, the new internet restrictions imposed by the government in response to the recent unrest are hitting many entrepreneurs.

Hezbollah and Syrian flags flutter on a military vehicle in Western Qalamoun, Syria August 28, 2017. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RC19B2052B90

Syrian Druze wary of Hezbollah, Iranian presence

Since the Syrian war erupted, Iran has been trying to gain a foothold in Syria, most recently in the south, which includes trying to win over the local Druze community.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's spiritual guide, casts his ballot at the Imam Khomeiny mosque in Tehran, 26 February, during the country's first municipal elections since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The elections for some 200,000 seats on municipal councils across the country are seen as an important yardstick of social changes set in train by reformist President Mohamad Khatami. (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Leaked video reveals new details about election of Iran's supreme leader

A leaked video from 1989 shows how Ali Khamenei became supreme leader of Iran.