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Iran

August 16, 2026

Tehran 11:51 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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In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

People walk past a branch of Iran's Bank Mellat in Istanbul August 18, 2010. Picture taken August 18, 2010. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTR2HUBS

Accusations of corruption grow at Iran's Bank Mellat

Since the arrest of the head of Bank Mellat, government officials have been divulging more and more details on the scope of corruption at the bank.

The myth of no foreign investment in post-sanctions Iran

Although President Rouhani is facing mounting criticism over the underwhelming economic dividends from the nuclear deal, the reality is that foreign investment is beginning to finally trickle into Iran.

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 02: Founder and trustee of the King Faisal Foundation as well as the Chairman of the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal speaks on stage during the 2015 Concordia Summit at Grand Hyatt New York on October 2, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

Is Saudi Arabia really seeking regime change in Iran?

While Iran has strongly reacted to former Saudi spy chief Turki bin Faisal Al Saud’s appearance at the MEK’s annual conference, Iranian observers merely see the Saudi move as bringing a longstanding hidden agenda out in the open.

Customers use computers at an internet cafe in Tehran May 9, 2011. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and countless others were banned shortly after the re-election of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the huge street protests that followed. Seen by the government as part of a "soft war" waged by the enemies of the Islamic Republic, social networking and picture sharing sites were a vital communication tool for the anti-Ahmadinejad opposition -- more than a year before they played a similar rol

Is Iran its own worst enemy in Twitter war with Saudi Arabia?

In response to anti-Iranian hashtags generated by Saudi Arabian Twitter users, Iranians are calling for authorities to remove the block on the social media site.

The entrance to the German branch of Bank Saderat Iran in the northern German town of Hamburg August 18, 2010. Picture taken August 18, 2010. REUTERS/Christian Charisius (GERMANY - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTR2HPZD

Iran judiciary: Corruption not limited to high salaries

The spokesman for Iran's judiciary announced that a total of four individuals have so far been arrested with a case involving Bank Mellat.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
Iranian students hold up their hands as a sign of unity as they form a human chain around the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) to show their support for Iran's nuclear program in Isfahan, 450 km (280 miles) south of Tehran November 15, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY EDUCATION) - RTR2U1ID

Rouhani’s bet on nuke deal may cost him at the polls

One year out from their country's next presidential election, Iranians are wondering whether incumbent Hassan Rouhani will pay a price for striking a nuclear deal with the United States — and whether the US presidential battle will play a role.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, July 17, 2016. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis - RTSIEMM

Erdogan's crackdown on enemies just getting started after failed coup

Is the Turkish military "infested" with Gulenists? Iran expects shift in Turkey’s Syria policies after standing by Erdogan; Turkish documents detail Islamic State operations.

Iranian students hold placards during a rally at Iran's Atomic Energy Organization to mark the country's national day of nuclear technology April 9, 2007. The billboard reads: "As a local achievement, nuclear energy is a source of pride for Iran and the world of Islam". REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN) - RTR1OGOY

Iranian academics still divided over nuclear deal

As proponents of Iran's nuclear deal point to its achievements, some Iranian academics discuss their criticism of the deal with Al-Monitor.

An Iranian dealer checks her mobile phone next to stock market activity boards at the stock exchange in the capital Tehran on July 27, 2015. Iran's central bank chief said that Iran has assets of $29 billion in overseas banks that could be unlocked under a nuclear deal struck on July 14, far less than reported estimates of over $100 billion. AFP PHOTO / BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Why Iran’s bond market isn’t attracting the money it needs

Without reform to existing legislation on foreign currency-denominated government sukuk, Iranian authorities will continue to fail to attract the investment they need.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Jafari holds a press conference in Tehran on September 16, 2012. Jafari said members of his elite special operations unit, the Quds Force, are present in Syria and Lebanon but only to provide "counsel." AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages)

IRGC head calls House of Saud 'clear enemy' of Iran

As tensions continue to simmer, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said in a speech that Saudi Arabia is now one of Iran's "clear enemies" and accused the Saudis of trying to spread instability in the country.

Soldiers pass by the new makeshift memorial in tribute to the victims of the deadly Bastille Day attack at the Promenade des Anglais on July 19, 2016 in Nice, after it was moved from the pavement of the road to the seafront so that the street can be re-opened.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice on France's national holiday, a news service affiliated with the jihadists said on July 16. Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne tr

How Nice attack brought together rival Iranian factions

The terrorist attack in Nice draws condemnation in Iran, but also cross-factional criticism of the French government for hosting the exiled Iranian opposition group MEK.

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

Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari (3rd R) monitors an area as he attends a war game in the Hormuz area of southern Iran April 24, 2010. REUTERS/Mehdi Marizad/Fars News (IRAN - Tags: MILITARY) QUALITY FROM SOURCE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - RTXS3O9

IRGC intelligence targets Iranian government corruption

After the arrest of a former head of a government-run bank by the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the head of the IRGC suggests more arrests may be forthcoming.