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Iran

August 16, 2026

Tehran 10:57 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.

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

Actor Shahab Hosseini, Best Actor award winner for his role in the film "Forushande" (The Salesman), poses during a photocall after the closing ceremony of the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 22, 2016. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier - RTSFFGB

Iranian 'cuckold' actors lash out in defense of their wives

Iranian hard-line weekly Ya Lesarat al-Hussein is once again in hot water — this time for insulting Iranian actors over the way their wives dress.

Sep 12, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Hassan Sabzali Rahimi of Iran (blue) competes against Vladimer Khinchegashvili of Georgia (red) in the mens 57kg freestyle on the final day of the World Wrestling Championships at The Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports - RTSTUJ

Iranian wrestlers go for the gold in Rio

Iranian official says Iranian wrestlers’ “biggest challenge” at the Olympics will come from Russians and Americans.

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

How to kick-start Iran-US regional cooperation

Opponents of the nuclear deal in the West should understand that efforts to undermine the JCPOA only serve to reinforce in the minds of Iranians the notion that the United States cannot be trusted or engaged with on regional or other issues.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 26, 2016. To match Insight IRAN-POLITICS/BACKLASH REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood/File Photo - RTSIHTK

Rouhani echoes Khamenei's mistrust of US as nuke deal grumbles persist

President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have publicly agreed that had the nuclear deal been satisfactorily implemented, Iran would now be open to negotiation with the United States on other issues.

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevedo attends a news conference on the launch of the World Trade Report 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland, October 26, 2015. The benefits of a treaty that will cut red tape at borders and standardise customs procedures are much larger than previously thought and could add $3.6 trillion to annual global exports, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said in a report on Monday. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse - RTX1T975

Long road ahead for Iran’s bid to join World Trade Organization

If it wants to join the World Trade Organization, Iran will face many hurdles and has to take some painful measures.

Were Saudis behind Abbas-MEK meeting?

A meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Mujahedeen-e-Khalq leader Maryam Rajavi in Paris has sparked both Iranian and Palestinian suspicion about Saudi Arabia's ties to the Palestinian Authority.

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

Construction cranes work on a high rise buildings in the foothills of the Alborz mountains in north Tehran April 15, 2010. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has asked 5 million Tehranis to evacuate the capital since they know their sprawling metropolis is due for a massive earthquake. When the last major earthquake hit, in 1831, Tehran was tiny compared to the metropo

Why Iran’s property market is unlikely to boom anytime soon

The Iranian real estate market signals that a recovery is on the way, after an almost three-year-long recession — but there is still debate about the likelihood of a property boom.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei departs after casting his ballot in the parliamentary election in Tehran March 2, 2012. Polls opened on Friday for a parliamentary election in Iran that will test the popularity of the clerical establishment at a time of a standoff with the West over the country's nuclear programme. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN - Tag

Khamenei calls negotiation with US 'lethal poison'

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has again criticized the nuclear deal, saying due to US-made obstacles, there have been no tangible effects for the people of Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal, in Vienna January 16, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTX22P9I

Lobbying 2016: Iranians in America battle over US rapprochement with Tehran

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference following the National Security Council and cabinet meetings at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, July 20, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSIXHJ

Why was Iran so quick to rally behind Erdogan?

While relations between Iran and Turkey have soured in recent years over differences primarily related to Syria, Tehran was quick to rally behind Erdogan as the Turkish president faced a coup.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (front R) shakes hands with Iranian Economic and Finance Minister Ali Tayebnia (front L) during their signing ceremony for an investment agreement between the two countries in front of Japanese and Iranian business persons at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo February 5, 2016. Tayebnia is here on a five-day visit to Japan. REUTERS/Toru Yamanaka/Pool - RTX25JZJ

Iran economy minister: There are positive economic signs

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s economy minister says there are signs that the economy is improving.

France v Portugal - EURO 2016 - Final - Stade de France, Paris - Saint Denis, France - 10/7/16 - France's goalkeeper Hugo Lloris fails to save a goal by Portugal's Eder REUTERS/Charles Platiau TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSH8WK

Iran state broadcaster in hot water at home, abroad over airing rights

The Iranian state broadcaster has found itself in a new dispute over broadcasting soccer games without permission, this time with Qatar’s beIN Sports and the UEFA.