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Iran

August 16, 2026

Tehran 5:32 am

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A Baluch Iranian man rides a bicycle

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

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

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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

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Eli Cohen, (R) and Avihai Weinstein, (L), sit handcuffed at the magistrates court in the Israeli town of Petah Tikva February 2. The court on Wednesday extended the detention of the two Israelis arrested on suspicion of selling large amounts of military equipment to Iran.

HL/FMS - RTRVL3

Ultra-Orthodox arms dealer faces extradition to US

Israel's Supreme Court has rejected Eli Cohen's appeal to stop his extradition to the United States for violating sanctions against Iran after a long history of evading prosecution for such offenses.

A member of Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), seen with a mural of the Islamic State in the background, stands guard in front of a building in the border town of Jarablus, Syria, August 31, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2NQ4X

Will Turkey be dragged deeper into Syria?

US military support for Kurdish forces pulled Turkey into Syria, but the IS factor will now determine whether or not Turkey gets bogged down.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers in Tehran September 14, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File Photo - RTX2FG6B

Upcoming hajj pilgrimage again inflames Saudi-Iran tensions

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued his strongest condemnation of Saudi Arabia yet in response to the stampede during last year’s hajj pilgrimage.

An Iranian family look at the "Gate of All Nations" at the ancient Persian city of Persepolis near Shiraz in southern Iran on September 26, 2014. Persepolis, is one of the greatest architectural complexes of the ancient world, built atop a huge limestone platform. It was the main royal residence and ceremonial center of the Achaemenid empire of Persia (550-330 BC), but was later burned and plundered by Alexander the Great in 330 BC. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/

Is Islamic Republic embracing Iran’s ancient past?

The Islamic Republic has abandoned previously contentious attitudes toward Iran's cultural heritage, but it has much more work to do to protect sites.

Member from Hashid Shaabi hold a banner of Abdulmalik al-Huthi during a demonstration to show support for Yemen's Shi'ite Houthis and in protest of an air campaign in Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition, in Baghdad March 31, 2015. Saudi troops clashed with Yemeni Houthi fighters on Tuesday in the heaviest exchange of cross-border fire since the start of a Saudi-led air offensive last week, while Yemen's foreign minister called for a rapid Arab intervention on the ground. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RTR4VNMI

Shiite alliance against Saudis grows tighter

As the sectarian conflict intensifies, Shiite forces expand their cooperation against Saudi Arabia while Iraq plays a key role in this regard.

Supporters of Iranian presidential candidate Tehran's mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf hold a banner depicting him, in Shahr-e-Rey, south of Tehran, on June 7, 2013. Candidates vying for Iran's presidency clashed on June 7 in a heated televised exchange over nuclear talks with world powers, with pointed criticism aimed at top nuclear negotiator and hardline candidate Saeed Jalili. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

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In Iran, leaks indicating massive corruption are surfacing one after another in an apparent factional fight ahead of the country’s May 2017 presidential election.

A supporter of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan steps on a photo of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen during a pro-government demonstration on Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis - RTSILD2

Turkey expands assault on independent media

The Erdogan government’s crackdown on "enemy within" includes free press; Iran and Russia may gain from strains in US-Turkey ties; Aleppo key to "undivided Syria"; Iran likely to deepen ties with Russia over Syria.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrives the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Istanbul Summit in Istanbul, Turkey April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Berk Ozkan/Pool - RTX29WWE

Why Rouhani may become Iran's first one-term president

Despite fulfilling his key campaign pledge of resolving the nuclear issue, Hassan Rouhani is still far from guaranteed a second term as Iran's president.

Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (L) meets with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan September 1, 2016. REUTERS/Issei Kato - RTX2NR86

Prince Salman gets jump on G-20 as Saudi 'Mr. Everything' tours Asia

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to be the youngest representative at the upcoming G-20 summit, his most significant step on the global stage to date, but can the spotlight on "Mr. Everything" distract from Yemen?

Iran confirms arrest of Iranian-American Reza Shahini

Iranian authorities and media released more information on the arrest and alleged activities of Iranian-American Reza "Robin" Shahini.

Prominent Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr speaks during news conference in Najaf, south of Baghdad, April 30, 2016. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RTX2C8KD

Iraqi cleric urges tolerance toward LGBT people

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has created ripples in Iraqi society by calling for tolerance for LGBT people.

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

A woman walks past a currency exchange shop at a shopping centre in northern Tehran October 3, 2010. Iran's currency, the rial, defied central bank attempts to revive its value on Sunday, remaining weak after falling 13 percent against the dollar last week. Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS) - RTXSZAF

Iran's central bank won’t bite off more than it can chew

Despite broad support for the unification of foreign exchange rates in Iran — and the central bank’s announcement of such a move in the near future — realities on the ground make such an endeavor unlikely anytime soon.