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Iran

August 17, 2026

Tehran 1:45 pm

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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

Is Iran really ready for foreign investment?

Despite President Hassan Rouhani’s touting of foreign investment as the savior of the Iranian economy amid low crude prices, the country might not be able to handle the necessary capital inflow.

Former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, recently released from an Iranian prison, steps out of the plane piloted by Mike Karnowski (R), as he arrives at an airport in Flint, Michigan January 21, 2016. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook - RTX23GEV

Iran denies US gave money in exchange for prisoners

The spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry has denied accusations by conservative figures and media that the prisoner swap in January was related to the release of $1.7 billion.

Iran MP: We’ve created artificial red lines on free speech

While official campaigning has not yet begun, Iranian candidates have begun speaking at universities.

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 man fills in his ballot during Iran's parliamentary election, at a mosque in southern Tehran March 2, 2012. Iranians voted on Friday in a parliamentary election likely to reinforce Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's power over rival hardliners led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR2YQLW

Iranians gear up for parliamentary elections

Hard-liners have managed to seize control of the conservative camp, but their victory in the upcoming parliamentary elections is not guaranteed.

Members of the Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca September 28, 2014. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (SAUDI ARABIA- Tags: RELIGION MILITARY) - RTR482AN

7 things to consider before sending troops to Syria

By supporting a Saudi ground invasion of Syria, the United States would be aiding and abetting the expansion of terrorism as well as pushing Iran and Russia toward threatening the very viability of the House of Saud.

How Tehran plans to crack down on property speculators

Iran has a plan to tax languishing building projects and vacant homes in an effort to curb rampant speculation and raise revenue.

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 youths sit at a coffee shop in central Tehran March 1, 2012. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: SOCIETY FOOD BUSINESS) - RTR2YP8X

How the Arab Spring impacted Iran

In light of Iran's new openness to the world following the nuclear deal, how do Iranian pro-reform activists interpret the events of the Arab Spring?

What Hezbollah stands to gain from Iran's nuclear deal

As the Iranian nuclear deal enters its implementation phase, analysts are discussing the repercussions of Iran’s openness to the West on Lebanese Hezbollah.

An Airbus A310 of Iranian private airline Mahan Air taxis at Sanaa International airport following its first flight to Yemen from Iran, in Sanaa March 1, 2015. - Yemen and Iran signed a civil aviation deal on Saturday, Yemeni state news agency SABA reported, a move that may reflect Tehran's support for the Shi'ite Muslim militia that now controls Sanaa. The deal signed in Tehran by the aviation authorities of both countries allows Yemen and Iran each to fly up to 14 flights a week in both directions, SABA s

US seeks to block sanctioned Iranian airline’s flights into Europe

The Obama administration is warning EU allies to shut out Mahan Air or risk US retaliation.

An Iranian worker speaks into a radio on an oil production platform at the Soroush oil fields in the Persian Gulf, 1,250 km (776 miles) south of the capital Tehran, July 25, 2005. Picture taken July 25, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi CJF/KS - RTRIU0Y

How Iran's new petroleum contracts are producing more than oil

Criticism of the general terms of the new Iran Petroleum Contract do not appear to be based on sound legal reasoning, but is rather the result of factionalism ahead of upcoming elections.

Iran: Republicans wanted to delay prisoner swap

The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said Republicans reached out to Iran to delay the prisoner swap until the US presidential elections.

Saudi Arabia turns to Turkey

Following the visit of a Turkish delegation to Saudi Arabia, the kingdom hopes to establish economic and military ties with Turkey to counter the expanding Iranian influence in the region.