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Iran

August 16, 2026

Tehran 9:51 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

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.

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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

Iranian dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri speaks with Reuters at his home in Qom, 120 km (75 miles) south of Tehran, May 19, 2005. Iran's Islamic system has been abused to deny the president real power, sapping public interest in next month's election, Montazeri told Reuters. Picture taken May 19, 2005. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl MN/DY/TZ - RTRBTXJ

New audio file sheds light on 1980s executions in Iran

In a recently released audio file, Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri can be heard disagreeing with the executions that took place in Iran in the late 1980s.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks during a media conference at Iran's embassy after he attended the Developing-8 summit in Islamabad November 22, 2012. Israel has a "childish" desire to attack Iran and Tehran is capable of defending itself, Ahmedinejad said on Thursday. REUTERS/Mian Khursheed(PAKISTAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3AQUH

Why Rouhani may have Khamenei to thank for avoiding Ahmadinejad

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to be making plans for a comeback in next year’s presidential vote — but will the conservatives forgive him for his disobedience of the supreme leader?

- PHOTO TAKEN 30NOV05 - Hundreds of trucks bringing in diesel from Iran line up on a road as they head to the eastern province of Van in Turkey November 30, 2005. [In the shadows of mountains bordering Iraq and Iran, Turkey's Hakkari province may one day be an outpost of the European Union. But for now, it feels cut off from the world. Picture taken November 30, 2005.] - RTXO1TK

Can Iran go around Turkey to reach Europe?

The regional turmoil, and particularly the unstable situation in Turkey, is prompting Iran to speed up plans to establish alternative trade routes to Europe.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attend a news conference with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann in Tehran February 27, 2016.REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTS88J7

Will Rouhani sue critics who insult him?

Iranian Vice President for Legal Affairs Hojjat al-Islam Majid Ansari said that the judiciary will pursue cases against critics who insult the president.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C) meets with Iraq's Vice President Khudair al-Khuzaie (not seen) during his visit in Baghdad July 18, 2013. REUTERS/Hadi Mizban/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX11QSK

Ahmadinejad wants Obama to give back Iran’s $2 billion

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written US President Barack Obama another letter.

Why Abbas-MEK meeting made waves everywhere but Palestine

Though many observers fret that the meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi was a sign that Abbas is taking sides in the region, the event was barely on the Palestinian radar.

U.S. President Barack Obama holds a news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. August 4, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSL3XJ

Was Israel's Iran deal-Nazi agreement comparison step too far?

Amid an effort to quickly conclude a US military aid deal, the Israeli Defense Ministry issued a statement comparing US President Barack Obama to Neville Chamberlin and the Iranian deal to the Munich Agreement.

Former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, recently released from an Iranian prison, arrives at an airport in Flint, Michigan January 21, 2016. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX23GED

'Pallets of cash' controversies pay off for conservatives in US, Iran

The controversy over a US-Iran settlement of a canceled arms deal indicates that opponents of reconciliation between the two countries are likely to try to use future settlements for political gain.

No end to the militias in Iraq

Every once in a while a new militia emerges in Iraq, increasing the chance of instability in the country.

Iran's gold medal winning volleyball team pose during the medal ceremony after their men's gold medal volleyball match against Japan at Songnim Gymnasium during the 17th Asian Games in Incheon October 3, 2014. REUTERS/Olivia Harris (SOUTH KOREA - Tags: SPORT VOLLEYBALL) - RTR48THJ

Iran’s volleyball team looks to shock the world in Rio

With their first-ever Olympic qualification, the Iranian men’s volleyball team is looking to shock the world in the Rio Olympics.

U.S. based cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller - RTSKAI8

Why are Gulenists hostile toward Iran?

There seems to be a blind spot in the excited discussion surrounding the failed coup in Turkey: the long and complex enmity between Iran and the followers of exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.

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

Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani arrives at Iran's Assembly of Experts' biannual meeting in Tehran March 8, 2011. Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani lost his position on Tuesday as head of an important state clerical body after hardliners criticised him for being too close to the reformist opposition. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Ta

Is Iran judiciary open to negotiating on human rights?

Iran’s judiciary said that Iran has begun talks with the European Union in regard to human rights.