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June 11, 2026

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Members of the Iranian national soccer team including midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh (R) arrive at Tijuana International Airport on June 7, 2026, in Tijuana, Mexico.

Culture

World Cup opens amid visa disputes for Iran, Iraq and Somalia

Iran says a number of team staff were denied entry into the US, with Trump administration officials touting efforts to prevent affiliates of designated terrorist groups from entering.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Bessent says Iran's frozen assets will pay for Gulf damage, Hormuz tolls

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that any damage Iran inflicts on Gulf allies will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian accounts.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Explainer

US strategic oil stockpile nears four-decade low as Iran war drags on

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 349.2 million barrels amid the global energy shock caused by the war in Iran.

President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One prior to departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York, on June 9, 2026.

Trump weighs releasing billions to Iran after blasting past payments

As mediators scramble to broker a peace deal, a key hurdle remains the release of Iranian assets frozen under US sanctions.

Latest News

Trump vows continued ‘very hard’ strikes on Iran as negotiators leave Qatar

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Trump launches new airstrikes on Iran as deal stalls

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, prepares to take off from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026 at Sea.

US, Iran trade strikes after downing of Apache helicopter: What to know

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, makes an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury, Feb. 28, 2026

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 MP appears before court for 'spreading lies'

The issuing of a warrant for the arrest of an Iranian lawmaker apparently over his call for more transparency in the judiciary fans political infighting.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 22, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RTX2B9VC

Kerry urges Senate Democrats to back off Iran sanctions renewal

The US secretary of state is on a mission to protect President Barack Obama's foreign policy legacy — and his own.

Stephane Michel, Total's head of Middle East exploration and production, speaks during a conference with Iran's Oil Minister after signing an offshore gas field agreement in Tehran, on November 8, 2016.
Iran signed a deal with France's Total to develop a major offshore gas field, its first big contract with a Western energy firm since sanctions were loosened in January.

/ AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Will Total deal pave way for other oil majors' return to Iran?

After six years, French oil giant Total has become the first major Western energy company to return to Iran in what Tehran hopes is only the first step in the reopening of the Iranian market.

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 - RTX2MYWR

Erdogan's shifting rationale on Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's latest rationale for Turkish forces entering northern Syria point to a long-term engagement.

Cuba's former President Fidel Castro (R) and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (L) meet in Havana, Cuba, September 19, 2016. Courtesy of Estudios Revolucion/Cubadebate/Handout via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSOIH4

Castro’s death elicits mixed coverage in Iranian media

Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s death has drawn varied reactions from politicians, commentators and media in Iran.

U.S. President elect Donald Trump walks up a staircase to depart the lobby of the New York Times building after a meeting in New York, U.S., November 22, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTSSUCX

How Trump can deal with Iran-GCC conflict

Looking ahead, the election of Donald Trump can pave the way for the establishment of initiatives to jump-start a dialogue between Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Iranian minister of transportation Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi speaks during the CAPA 2016 Iran Aviation Summit in the capital Tehran, on January 24, 2016.
Iran says it will buy 114 Airbus planes to revitalise its ageing fleet, in the first major commercial deal announced since the lifting of sanctions under its nuclear agreement. News of the Airbus deal came as aviation representatives from 85 companies met in Tehran to assess ways to do business in the Islamic republic after sanctions were removed. / AFP / STR

Deadly train crash in Iran prompts resignation, arrests

The backlash over one of the deadliest train crashes in the history of Iran brings down the head of the country’s railways and leads to the arrests of multiple officials.

An Iranian-Kurdish female fighters mans a weapon during a battle with Islamic State militants in Bashiqa, near Mosul, Iraq November 3, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2RRHD

Iranian Kurds fighting IS in Iraq put Tehran on alert

Iran appears increasingly alarmed about the Iranian Kurdish separatists who are fighting the Islamic State alongside Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

Men ride on a vehicle amidst dust after a strike on the rebel held besieged al-Shaar neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria, November 26, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail - RTSTFC7

Putin not waiting for Trump to press advantage in Syria

Russian president seeks gains in Syria in the final weeks of the Obama administration; Saudi Arabia encouraged by Trump’s take on Iran; Liberman as gatekeeper between Trump and Netanyahu.

Iranian lawmaker Ali Motahari waves to supports during a reformist campaign for upcoming parliamentary election, in Tehran February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX27KCA

Canceled speech causes political turmoil in Iran

Confusion over who was behind the controversial decision to bar an outspoken Iranian parliamentarian from speaking in the city of Mashhad is raising heated debate between moderates and conservatives.

Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier (R), Iran Air chief Executive Farhad Parvaresh (L), Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (rear L) and French President Francois Hollande attend a bilateral political, cultural and economic agreements signing ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 28, 2016.REUTERS/Stephane De Sakutin/Pool/Files - RTX2SAMN

Iran’s mega deal with Airbus inches closer to finalization

Only days after the US House voted against the Boeing and Airbus deals with Iran, the US Treasury issued a second license for Airbus to sell 106 aircraft to Tehran.

People walk past shops in an upmarket suburb in northern Tehran, Iran May 3, 2016. REUTERS/Marius Bosch - RTX2CS8T

Why Iran’s private sector hasn't benefited from privatization

Despite ambitious plans to downsize government and help expand the private sector, Iran’s efforts to privatize state-owned enterprises continue to face serious challenges.