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October 16, 2026

Tehran 1:25 am

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People attend the funeral ceremony of Mahan Setareh, a member of the paramilitary Basij force who was killed in the recent Israeli attacks on June 26, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. A cease-fire between Israel and Iran has brought an end to 12 days of daily aerial attacks that started with Israel's strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites on June 13. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Female commander in Iran's Basij units assassinated: What to know

Violence in the Sistan and Baluchistan province has become a regular occurrence, marked by clashes with armed groups and ambushes on Iranian security forces.

Ships are docked along a pier at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

Analysis

What's behind Iran’s intensifying attacks on shipping in Hormuz?

With renewed tanker attacks, Tehran is betting to make Hormuz passage costly enough for Washington and strengthen the tool with election-related pressure President Trump is currently facing.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

This picture shows the border wall between Iran and Afghanistan at the Milak border crossing near the town of Zabol, in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan, on Dec. 17, 2025.

Iran’s IRGC says 5 killed in Baluchistan after dismantling ‘militant cell’: What to know

Iran’s IRGC announced a new operation against armed militants in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, which is witnessing almost daily attacks and clashes.

A giant electoral poster for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party with the slogan "no surrender" is displayed on the facade of a building in Tel Aviv on Sept. 29, 2026

Exclusive

In bid to win over Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu may strike Yemen before elections

Attacks on Iran or its Yemeni proxy before the elections cannot be ruled out, but the Israeli prime minister appears more inclined to support Saudi Arabia against the Houthis in Yemen.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

Analysis

Putin offers to help end Iran war, but can Russia deliver?

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shake hands during a meeting in Turkmenbashi on Oct. 8, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Trump offers Iran path to nuclear deal while keeping up military pressure

US President Donald Trump speaks at the "Golden Age of American Innovation Summit" at the Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, on Oct. 8, 2026.

Analysis

Deal or war? Israel fears fallout from Trump’s next move on Iran

GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA - OCTOBER 05: U.S. President Donald Trump wraps up an appearance at a campaign rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds on October 05, 2026 in Grand Island, Nebraska. Trump is campaigning for incumbent U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Gov. Jim Pillen ahead of the November midterm elections. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province witnesses uptick in attacks

A Baluch Iranian man rides a bicycle in Zahedan, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan on Dec. 18, 2025, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government.

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

People attend a ceremony launching the diesel-electric submarine "Rostov-on-Don" at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg, June 26, 2014. "Rostov-on-Don" produced under Project 636.3 is the second serial submarine being built by OJSC Admiralty Shipyards for Russia's Black Sea Fleet. REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk (RUSSIA - Tags: MILITARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3VUFV

Will Syria become Russia's Vietnam?

Israel is worried that the Russian submarine now patrolling near the Syrian coast will collect intelligence data on Israel, and fears Moscow’s Syrian adventure could drag on for a long time.

A traveler arrives to pass through U.S. Customs and Immigration after using the Cross Border Xpress pedestrian bridge between San Diego and the Tijuana airport on the facility's opening day in Otay Mesa, California December 9, 2015. The privately run facility allows ticketed passengers to skip long border waits and clear U.S. Customs for a fee. REUTERS/Mike Blake - RTX1XZ6Q

Will changes to US Visa Waiver Program torpedo Iran deal implementation?

If signed into law, proposed changes to the Visa Waiver Program will likely antagonize US allies and trade partners, as well as key players vested in the implementation of the JCPOA.

Will Iran support the intifada?

After relations took a hit from the Syrian civil war, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has reached out to Iran for help.

An Iranian woman adjusts her face veil as she participates in the Jerusalem Day demonstration in Tehran August 26, 2011 . REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2QC5V

More veils lift as topic loses political punch in Iran

In Iran, efforts to depoliticize the veil and criticism of the theological justifications for its coerced use are paving the ground for change.

Are Turkey and Iran reviving a 16th century conflict?

Turkey's Iraq policy can be traced back to its rivalry with Iran in Mesopotamia centuries ago.

EU, Iran relationship heats up

The European Union has created an Iran Task Force to facilitate the implementation of the nuclear deal, develop relations and build a framework for regional cooperation.

'Corruption on earth' brings death penalty in Iran

Iranian member of parliament Ahmad Tavakoli is skeptical that the removal of sanctions will address economic problems in Iran.

Rouhani ups election ante

Beyond a second term, President Hassan Rouhani is seemingly setting his sights on another key Iranian state institution — the Assembly of Experts.

Did Erdogan threaten Iran?

Spokesman for the Hassan Rouhani administration denies that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "threatened" Iran regarding negative media coverage.

Will Lebanon finally get a new president?

After 32 tries failed to produce a winner in Lebanon's long quest for a president, observers hope the 33rd time's a charm.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.
Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani (L) speaks with Guardian Council Chief Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati during a conference in Tehran in this August 14, 2008 file photo. Arch hardliner Mahdavi-Kani was elected and confirmed as head of Iran's Assembly of Experts on March 8, 2011. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2JNJ9

Rouhani challenges Guardian Council...again

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has once again raised the issue of the Guardian Council's role in the elections.

Participants listen to Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh speech during the "Tehran Summit" in the Iranian capital on November 28, 2015. The aim of the summit is to strengthen Iran's international ties in regional and global domains and to attract economic cooperation in competitive global markets through using large share of Iran in petroleum and gas global reserves. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE / AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

How to get Iran's drifting economy back on track

Following Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s call for a "command headquarters" for the economy in the post-sanctions era, there is increasing debate in Iran about the need for clear guidance of the economy.