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Iran

June 12, 2026

Tehran 6:40 pm

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TOPSHOT - People cross the street past a large billboard showing portraits of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) and slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) in central Tehran on June 8, 2026. Iran said on June 8 that the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East war will have consequences for ongoing talks with the United States to reach peace in the region. "It is perfectly natural that the diplomatic process initiated to put an end to this imposed war would be affected,

Iran-US draft deal would release $24B in funds, ensure Lebanon ceasefire: Iranian media

The draft circulating in Iranian state media, which Trump denied on Friday, would grant Tehran sanctions relief and access to billions in frozen funds while limiting final talks to nuclear issues and excluding its missile program and proxies.

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.

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Explainer

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

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Trump weighs releasing billions to Iran after blasting past payments

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

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

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 musicians perform during a concert at the Interior Ministry building in Tehran April 24, 2008. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTR1ZUUW

Senior Iran cleric faces down culture minister over concerts

In Iran, a conservative cleric is continuing to block musical concerts in defiance of the Culture Ministry, leading others to do the same, undercutting the authority of President Hassan Rouhani.

Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bombers fly in formation during the Victory Day parade, marking the 71st anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, above Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RTX2DM3X

Iranian Foreign Ministry: Russian use of air base has ended

A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that Russia’s use of Hamedan air base has ended for now and discussed the potential for Russian, Iranian and Turkish cooperation in the region.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani during the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Istanbul Summit in Istanbul, Turkey April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Berk Ozkan/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX29X07

Turkey, Iran lay plans as honeymoon draws to close

Iran appears keen to snatch Turkey away from its traditional axis, but the two sides remain at odds over the Syrian crisis, the crucial starting point for any new chapter in bilateral ties.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shake hands following a joint press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on August 12, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

What's behind the Turkey-Iran tango?

The coup attempt in Turkey appears to have set in motion momentum for possible cooperation between Turkey and Iran on Syria.

Vehicles of the Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) take part in a military parade in the streets of Baghdad, Iraq July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTSHJ8K

Iraqi militias aspire to be like Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units consider themselves as an "alternative" state institution, like the IRGC; Russia-Turkey "reset" stumbles on Syria; United States and Russia need to conclude agreement on Syria.

An Iranian man takes a picture of a painting by 19th century painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec during the Modern Art Movement exhibition at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran August 29, 2005. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl MN/JJ - RTRLUWV

Tehran's famed modern art museum goes digital

After decades of carefully guarding its treasures, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is uploading its priceless collection of contemporary art.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and his Venezuelan counterpart Delcy Rodriguez hold a press conference following their meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran on April 20, 2015. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Post-nuclear deal, Iran looks to expand ties with Latin America

Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi discussed Iran’s economic goals in Latin America ahead of a trip by an Iranian delegation to the region.

Iraqi Shi'ite fighters salute to the shrine of Sayeda Zeinab, the granddaughter of Prophet Mohammad, at Sayeda Zainab area in Damascus May 25, 2013. Picture taken May 25, 2013. REUTERS/ Alaa Al-Marjani (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT) ) - RTX104SW

Will Iraq's Shiite militias flow to Syria after post-IS?

Expelling IS from Iraq will lead Iraqi Shiite militants to volunteer to fight in Syria, as the Syrian conflict continues to attract Sunni and Shiite fighters from around the world.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev arrive for their meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, August 8, 2016. REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool - RTSLUSE

Why Iran’s diplomatic success to its north isn’t replicated to its south

Under President Hassan Rouhani, Iran has managed to greatly improve its relations with its northern neighbors, but why has Iranian diplomacy succeeded in the South Caucasus and Central Asia and not in the Arab Middle East?

ISFAHAN, IRAN - JUNE 02: People spend an afternoon at Isfahan's Unesco-listed central square on June 2, 2014 in Isfahan, Iran. Isfahan, with it's immense mosques, picturesque bridges and ancient bazaar, is a virtual living museum of Iranian traditional culture. It's also the Iran's top tourist destination for both Iranian and domestic visitors. On June 4 Iran marks the 25th anniversary of the death of the Ayatollah Khomeini and his legacy of the Islamic Revolution. In the background of the photo is the Ima

Iran’s tourism sector growing, but is it enough?

Iran’s tourism industry has experienced a rebirth since the 2013 election of moderate President Hassan Rouhani. Yet the industry is still far from the realization of its full potential.

A Sukhoi Su-25 jet fighter flies during a drill at the Russian southern Stavropol region, March 12, 2015. Russia has started military exercises in the country's south, as well as in Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and in Crimea, annexed from Ukraine last year, news agency RIA reported on Thursday, citing Russia's Defence Ministry. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR4T448

Iran officials defend Russian use of Hamadan air base

Many Iranian officials were quick to downplay concerns about the legality of Russian jets using an Iranian airbase to strike targets in Syria.

Russian military jets are seen at Hmeymim air base in Syria, June 18, 2016. Picture taken June 18, 2016. REUTERS/Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defense Ministry via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX2H2BC

US says Russian use of Iran base unhelpful but won’t derail Syria talks

The United States said Russia’s use of an Iranian air base to fly long-range bombers to conduct airstrikes in Syria was unhelpful, but would not derail negotiations to reach a deal on Syria.