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Iran

October 11, 2026

Tehran 1:46 am

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In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shake hands during a meeting in Turkmenbashi on Oct. 8, 2026.

Analysis

Putin offers to help end Iran war, but can Russia deliver?

As Washington and Tehran weigh their next moves, Moscow is seeking a diplomatic foothold in a war where influence may prove harder to convert into concrete results.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump speaks at the "Golden Age of American Innovation Summit" at the Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, on Oct. 8, 2026.

Trump offers Iran path to nuclear deal while keeping up military pressure

Iran has previously discussed compromises on enrichment.

GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA - OCTOBER 05: U.S. President Donald Trump wraps up an appearance at a campaign rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds on October 05, 2026 in Grand Island, Nebraska. Trump is campaigning for incumbent U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Gov. Jim Pillen ahead of the November midterm elections. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Analysis

Deal or war? Israel fears fallout from Trump’s next move on Iran

Israel is struggling to decipher the White House’s intentions toward Iran, given Washington's contradictions around launching a fresh military campaign.

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

A Baluch Iranian man rides a bicycle in Zahedan, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan on Dec. 18, 2025, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government.

Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province witnesses uptick in attacks

Iranian authorities accuse foreign-backed armed groups of being behind a string of deadly attacks in the southeast, amid concerns about the resumption of war with the United States.

Latest News

Trump says no Iran strikes before midterms amid ‘productive’ talks

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 7, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Pezeshkian to meet Putin as Iran looks to Russia for support: What to know

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, on Sept. 1, 2026.

Meet Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi, Iran's defense minister nominee

An undated image of Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi.

Iran joins SCO drill as China resists direct intervention in US-Iran war

Kyrgyz servicemen take part in the "Eurasia-Antiterror 2023" joint military drills

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 surgeon Ali Manafi puts on his sterile gown before performing a nose surgery on a female patient in the operating room at a hospital in Tehran August 19, 2015. Iran has the most numbers of rhinoplasty procedures, or nose jobs, done in the world, according to local media.REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMAATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FO

Iran emerges as health tourism destination

An increasing number of foreign visitors enter Iran to either undergo medical treatment at specialized hospitals or to make use of traditional medicine.

A poster depicting Saad al-Hariri, who has resigned as Lebanon's prime minister is seen in Beirut, Lebanon, November 14, 2017. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi - RC1AA8425E00

How Riyadh orchestrated its own downfall in Lebanon

Saudi Arabia's policy shift toward Lebanon in trying to curb Hezbollah's power has failed miserably and made Saad Hariri the most popular Lebanese leader.

Iranian Executive Vice President Hamid Baghai (2nd R) speaks with a delegation after his meeting with Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi (not pictured) at the presidential in Cairo, August 8, 2012. Mursi was invited by Baghai to a Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran, held from August 30-31. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS) - GM2E8881MC801

Ahmadinejad’s former VP takes refuge in holy shrine

Former Iranian Vice President Hamid Baghaei took refuge in a historic shrine to avoid a court case over likely corruption charges.

Customers use computers at an internet cafe in Tehran May 9, 2011. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and countless others were banned shortly after the re-election of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the huge street protests that followed. Seen by the government as part of a "soft war" waged by the enemies of the Islamic Republic, social networking and picture sharing sites were a vital communication tool for the anti-Ahmadinejad opposition -- more than a year before they played a similar rol

Inside the world of social media advertising in Iran

Entering a new phase, Iranian entrepreneurs turn to social media to boost their brands and sell products.

Iran: Hariri sought to mediate between Tehran, Riyadh

Iran’s president strongly criticized Saudi Arabia over its reported role in the Lebanese prime minister’s resignation.

Iranian authorities scramble to deal with quake aftermath

Al-Monitor travels to the towns of western Iran, where a 7.3 magnitude earthquake has left at least 452 dead and many more homeless.

Putin-Trump statement on Syria contradicts Erdogan’s calculations

A joint statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump that there is no military solution in Syria infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Israel in no hurry to enter Saudi-Lebanese fray

Israel is not at all interested in opening a front against Hezbollah just to please Saudi Arabia.

Border crossings deepen Baghdad-Erbil conflict

Baghdad insists on taking control of the Kurdistan Region's border crossings with Turkey and Iran, while authorities in Erbil refuse to hand them over to Baghdad.

Iran, Turkey divide Saudi-led bloc

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is opposed to plans by the other members of the Anti-Terror Quartet to confront Iran and Hezbollah in the Levant, to maintain Lebanon's relatively stable position.

An Airbus A321 painted in IranAir's livery rests on the tarmac as the company takes delivery of the first new Western jet under an international sanctions deal in Colomiers, near Toulouse, France, January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau - LR1ED1B13U7DL

Congress moves bill jeopardizing Iran nuclear deal

New legislation could violate the JCPOA by impeding aircraft sales to Iran.

A man reacts as he looks at a damaged building following an earth quake in Sarpol-e Zahab county in Kermanshah, Iran November 13, 2017. REUTERS/Tasnim News Agency ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1197D36C20

Iranian media blames Ahmadinejad for quake deaths

Iranian Reformist media outlets are pointing the finger at former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the high death toll from the recent earthquake in the western part of the country.