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Iran

August 15, 2026

Tehran 6:52 pm

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Analysis

Why Iran is intensifying wartime crackdown in restive Baluchistan

A string of security operations in Iran's southeast has underscored Tehran's enduring fears that wartime instability could aggravate longstanding ethnic, sectarian and economic grievances.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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.

Latest News

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

Children swimming in the Strait of Hormuz

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

port attack

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

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reacts while talking to media after meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut, Lebanon November 7, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTX2SD9X

Will Lebanon's new president give up on old friends?

Mohammad Javad Zarif became the first foreign minister to personally congratulate Lebanon’s new president, but what does the Iranian rush really say about the geopolitical game being played out in Beirut?

Men look at newspapers at a road side stall in central Tehran, Iran August 24, 2015. REUTERS/Darren Staples - RTX1PH7I

Iranian judiciary chief calls out Rouhani over press freedom

The ongoing Press Exhibition in Iran has provided a platform for debate on freedom of the press in the country, highlighting the divisions among political factions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (C) and his counterparts Walid al-Muallem (R) from Syria and Mohammad Javad Zarif from Iran attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia, October 28, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - RTX2QU34

The Russian-Iranian alliance that wasn't

Collaboration between Iran and Russia on regional matters is growing, but there are still major obstacles to a true Russian-Iranian alliance.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

A customer buys Iranian gold coins at a currency exchange office in Tehran's business district October 24, 2011. Iranian media reported last week that monetary authorities had reversed a six-month-old decision to cut interest on bank deposits, aiming to mop up excess cash in the economy and halt a dangerous rise of inflation. The news made sense to economists,

Will gold exports help boost Iran's economy?

Iran has lifted restrictions on the export of raw gold to support its fledgling gold industry, but the sector will need more upgrades to compete in the global market.

An Iranian woman poses for a picture on May 19, 2015, in front of the tomb of Cyrus II of Persia, known as Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Achaemenid Empire in 6th century BCE in the town of Pasargadae, 135 kilometers north east of the southern city of shiraz. Under his rule, the Achaemenid Empire created the largest empire the world had yet seen. Cuneiform records from Babylon suggest that Cyrus died on 4 December 530 BCE, but according to the Greek historian, Herodotus, Cyrus was killed near t

What Iranian clerics really think of Cyrus the Great

The backlash by one prominent Iranian cleric against the recent major gathering at the tomb of Cyrus the Great belies the Shiite clergy’s more nuanced approach to Iran’s pre-Islamic past.

Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr delivers a sermon to worshippers during Friday prayers at the Kufa mosque near Najaf, Iraq September 23, 2016. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RTSP3OH

Iraqi National Alliance seeks Maliki-Sadr reconciliation

The predominately Shiite National Alliance with Iranian support is trying to reconcile between Vice President Nouri al-Maliki and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) meets with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, upon his arrival to the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut, Lebanon November 7, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTX2SD04

Why Iranian-Saudi game in Lebanon is far from over

Iranian officials were quick to congratulate Michel Aoun on becoming president of Lebanon, while their Saudi rivals, not so pleased with his new position, took a little longer.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a concert, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, June 7, 2016. Sputnik/Kremlin/Mikhail Klimentyev/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTSGGFA

Russia emerges as a center of gravity for Israel

Given that Russia’s influence in the Middle East excluding Syria remains limited, Moscow is looking for other entry points — but can Israel offer such an opportunity?

Controversy flares over opening of EU office in Iran

Iran's Foreign Ministry has sparked confusion in sending mixed signals about the government's position on opening an EU office in Tehran.

Newly elected Lebanese president Michel Aoun (C) sits with former prime minister Saad al-Hariri (R), who is expected to lead the new Lebanese government, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (L) at the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut, Lebanon November 3, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTX2ROR8

What minefields await Lebanon's new president?

Michel Aoun was sworn in just a week ago, and he already faces a full agenda of crucial issues as Lebanon's president.

A woman carries a picture of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during an event to celebrate Lebanese President Michel Aoun's presidency, at the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut, Lebanon November 6, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTX2S4L6

Saudi Arabia losing ground to Iran

Saudi influence in the region has been on the decline for a number of reasons, and the kingdom has now suffered another setback in Lebanon with the election of President Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah.

Deputy of France's Peugeot Citroen (PSA) Jean-Christophe Quemard,(R) signs documents with CEO of industrial group Iran Khodro, Hachem Yekehzare (L), as Iran's Industry and Commerce Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh (2R) watches on in Tehran on June 21, 2016.
PSA is the first Western carmaker to announce a return to Iran since many economic sanctions were lifted in January when a landmark nuclear deal with world powers took effect.
/ AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty I

How Iran’s auto industry became the new domestic political football

Iranian hard-liners are targeting automotive sector policies in their latest attack on the administration of President Hassan Rouhani.