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Iran

August 14, 2026

Tehran 10:15 am

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Motorists drive vehicles past a billboard depicting Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei along a street in central Tehran on August 8, 2026. Hopes for an imminent US-Iran deal to end the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz added to optimism that oil and gas, along with other key products, would again start flowing freely after more than five months of war. But oil prices turned higher ahead of the weekend in the absence of any confirmation of an accord, amid reports that Iran was planning to block US and Is

Explainer

What would BRICS Bank membership mean for Iran's reeling economy?

Iran’s Central Bank governor said the country will soon join the New Development Bank as he traveled to India this week for a meeting of the group’s finance leaders.

A photograph obtained from the Iranian Students’ News Agency shows an oil slick along the southern coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, August 13, 2026.

Oil spills off Oman, Iran's Qeshm Island reap environmental havoc amid war

One oil leak off the coast of Oman is estimated to cover more than 772 square miles, devastating local habitats.

Children swimming in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Hormuz authority denies Trump claims of control over strait: What to know

Trump administration officials have said oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are rising, but maritime traffic remains diminished.

Latest News

Hormuz traffic sinks to one-week low as ships attacked, talks stagnate

port attack

Analysis

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

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.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

IRGC chief Qaani reportedly in Iraq ahead of militia deadline

Qaani

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 boy walks at a site hit yesterday by barrel bombs in a rebel-held area, south of Deraa city, Syria May 1, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Faqir - RTS14NH7

Syria to get civilian safe zones

Cease-fire mediators have agreed to establish and enforce areas free from fighting in Syria.

Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi attends a campaign rally in the capital Tehran on April 29, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Will bigger cash handouts land conservatives Iranian presidency?

Iranian conservative presidential candidates continue their strategy of making promises focused on increasing monthly cash subsidy payments and creating millions of jobs.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrive for a plenary meeting of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 at United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York, September 25, 2015. More than 150 world leaders are expected to attend the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit from September 25-27 at the United Nations in New York to formally adopt an ambitious new sustainable development agenda a press statement by the U.N. stated REUTERS/D

4 reasons Rouhani is winning Iran's foreign policy debate

As in the 2013 presidential polls, foreign policy has increasingly become a key component of Iran's presidential elections.

U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he leaves the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., before his departure to New York May 4, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTS1581R

White House sees wild-card nature as asset in Trump’s first foreign trip

Trump’s first foreign trip as president will be to Saudi Arabia, Israel and Rome, the holy places for Islam, Judaism and Christianity, as he tries to rally the world to unite against extremism and intolerance, aides say.

'National dialogue' initiative indicates shifting political sands in Iran

While former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami's call for national reconciliation earlier this year was roundly rejected by Iranian conservatives, the initiative may finally take off with Principlist parliament Speaker Ali Larijani at its helm.

Former Tehran mayor Gholamhossein Karbaschi listens to Mehdi Karroubi, Iranian reformist presidential candidate and former parliament speaker, (not seen) during a press conference in Tehran on May 25, 2009. Karroubi, a 72-year-old cleric who has been dubbed the sheikh of reforms, is challenging President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, ex-premier Mir Hossein Mousavi and former Revolutionary Guards head Mohsen Rezai in the June 12 presidential poll. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty

Former Tehran mayor under fire for criticism of Syria war

Former Tehran Mayor Gholam Hossein Karbaschi has been indicted for criticizing Iran’s approach to the Syrian civil war.

Iranian President Seyed Mohammad Khatami speaks during a news
conference at the 10th Organisation of Islamic Conference summit in
Putrajaya near Kuala Lumpur October 17, 2003. Muslim leaders winding up
the summit on Friday were set to criticise a U.S. Congress vote to
impose trade sactions on Syria, a move host Malaysia says set "a very
dangerous precedent". REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad

BM/FA - RTR54VE

Spiritual leader of Iranian Reformists backs Rouhani

In his bid for a second term, moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has won the endorsement of an influential Reformist: former President Mohammad Khatami.

Iran's first Vice-President, Eshaq Jahangiri speaks during an annual ceremony in Tehran on March 14, 2017, in which charitable donors pay off the debts of mehrieh prisoners as a show of Islamic charity.
The "Mehrieh" ("affection") system, in which future husbands agree to pay a certain number of gold coins to the bride in the event of divorce, has left thousands of men in Iran languishing in jail and many more destitute. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images

Why Iran's conservatives are suddenly rooting for Rouhani's VP

First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri’s strong performance in the first Iranian presidential debate has led conservatives to speculate about the prospect of him challenging President Hassan Rouhani. What is the real aim of this unlikely depiction?

Participants of Syria peace talks attend a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Mukhtar Kholdorbekov - RTSWX03

US to send senior envoy to Syria talks after Trump-Putin call

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Stuart Jones is set to attend Syria cease-fire talks in Astana on May 3-4 after Trump-Putin confer on Syria.

Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani speaks during a news conference in Baghdad December 24, 2014. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4J5W0

Which candidate does Iran’s influential speaker favor?

In Iran, moderate conservatives have officially thrown their weight behind incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, who is seeking a second term in the May 19 presidential elections.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inspects the honour guard during a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RTX32XMI

Why Rouhani will likely win second term

While incumbent Hassan Rouhani is likely to face a tighter race than anticipated, he will likely be re-elected on May 19 — just as the Iranian political establishment prefers.

People walk outside Lebanon's Central Bank in Beirut November 6, 2014. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi/File Photo - RTSEJDF

Congress blames State Department after draft sanctions bill leaked to pro-Hezbollah media

The Lebanese government is preparing to send a delegation to Washington to oppose the proposed new sanctions on the designated terrorist organization.