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June 18, 2026

Tehran 11:02 pm

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US President Donald Trump arrives for the G7 Leaders' Summit at the Hotel Royal, Evian Resort on June 15, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France.

Feature

Trump’s Iran deal sidesteps fate of detained Americans

The White House declined to say whether the release of the six Americans would be included in a final deal.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Achraf Hakimi #2 of Morocco shoots and misses a chance against Gabriel Magalhaes #3 of Brazil during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match between Brazil and Morocco at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 13, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Culture

Morocco, Egypt impress with notable draws despite winless World Cup start for Mideast teams

Several teams from the Middle East and North Africa could advance to the knockout stage under the new format, and Morocco climbed in the rankings despite a tie in its opener.

Explainer

Sanctions relief and reconstruction: How China benefits from Trump-Iran deal

It is no exaggeration to say that every provision of the 14-point deal favors China.

Latest News

How Iran stands to win major financial relief in Trump-backed deal

A shop owner counts Iranian banknotes at a store in the capital Tehran on Jan. 7, 2026.

Explainer

Oil’s slide wavers as Trump warns US-Iran deal ‘not final’

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on Feb. 9, 2026.

After US-Iran deal, Ghalibaf says Tehran seeks deeper ties with China

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks with Tehran's Chamber of Commerce, June 17, 2026.

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

Why did Saudi Arabia intervene in Yemen?

As Yemen fell into the Houthis' hands, Saudi Arabia was left with one choice: to intervene militarily, as the kingdom has long been the country's main financial supporter.

A Palestinian boy wearing an Islamic Jihad headband joins other Palestinians taking part in a protest against what they say are recent visits by Jewish activists to al-Aqsa mosque, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 7, 2014. In recent months, a campaign for the prayer ban on Jewish worshippers at the site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, to be overturned, led by settler activists, has gathered momentum, raising alarm among Palestinians and Muslims further

Islamic Jihad's coffers run dry

The cutting off of economic support from Iran and the closing of smuggling tunnels to Egypt have left the Islamic Jihad unable to pay the salaries of its personnel.

An Iranian couple sit on the bank of Zayandeh roud river, which was completely dry in recent years, in the historic city of Isfahan some 400 kms south of the capital, Tehran, on April 21, 2015. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Why are young Iranians losing interest in marriage?

Societal and economic factors have led to a decline in marriage rates, despite the government's desire to see an increase in population.

Iranian secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani (L) speaks to reporters at the Damascus airport on September 30, 2014. AFP PHOTO/ STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

P5+1 asked to interview Iran’s security council secretary

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani has said that the six world powers had requested to interview him as part of a comprehensive nuclear deal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R), accompanied by Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, attends a meeting with the BRICS countries' senior officials in charge of security matters at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 26, 2015. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - RTX1EM1D

Russia and the nuclear-free zone

While Russia blames the US, the UK and Canada for not supporting a recent international agreement on a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm is said to be exploring the options of providing Saudi Arabia with a nuclear power plant.

US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz (L) and US Secretary of State John Kerry wait for the start of a trilateral meeting at the Beau Rivage Palace Hotel in Lausanne March 28, 2015. The foreign ministers of France and Germany joined the top U.S. and Iranian diplomats on Saturday to help break an impasse in nuclear negotiations as major powers and Iran closed in on a 2- or 3-page accord that could form the basis of a long-term deal. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool - RTR4V9Q6

Capitol Hill counts down days until Iran nuclear deadline

A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of June 1.

Arezoo Abassi (C) walks along a street in Tehran June 24, 2007, three weeks after undergoing nose surgery. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN) - RTR1R44J

Unlicensed cosmetic surgery on rise in Iran

As the popularity of cosmetic surgery increases in Iran, low-cost, unlicensed clinics have increased as well.

Kerry counselor expected to succeed Sherman in key job

State Department Counselor Tom Shannon, a former US ambassador to Brazil, is expected to be picked to succeed Wendy Sherman as under secretary of state, US officials tell Al-Monitor.

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 metro

Will Iran's new mortgage plan stimulate housing market?

New plans to increase the ceiling for mortgages in Iran creates unnecessary bureaucracies and is not enough to stimulate demand in the housing market.

Members of Iran's Assembly of Experts, Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi (up-R) and head of the Guardian Council, Ahmad Janati (up-C), attend a session to appoint a new chairman on March 10, 2015 in Tehran. The Assembly of Experts, the clerics who appoint and can dismiss the country's supreme leader, picked the ultraconservative Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi as their new chairman in a surprise appointment. AFP PHOTO / BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran MPs try to sidestep Guardian Council oversight

Iranian MPs attempted to pass a bill that would reduce the Guardian Council's powers in the 2016 parliamentary elections.

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

Leading Iranian reformist Saeed Hajjarian is helped to a seat in his home after he was released from prison in Tehran September 30, 2009. Iran freed the senior reformer, accused of fomenting opposition protests after a disputed presidential election in June, on bail on Wednesday after more than three months in detention. REUTERS/Yalda Moaiery/ISNA (IRAN POLITICS) FOR EDI

Reformist media welcomes rare appearance of Hajjarian

The presence of Saeed Hajjarian, the main Reformist theoretician, has energized Reformist media.

FILE PHOTO 2SEP98 - Iranian revolutionary guards lineup while participating in military manoeuvres held near the Afganistan border September 2. [Iran's Ground Forces commander Brigadier General Abdolali Pourshasb said September 12 in a news conference in Tehran "our policy is defensive. We do not intend to commit aggression against any country .... but we are ready to answer any move by the Taliban with a full power." Pourshasb also said that Iran would hold a military exercise near Afghan border in late S

What's behind Taliban's trip to Tehran?

A visit to Tehran by a Taliban delegation has sparked wild speculation, especially since administration officials were unable to confirm the event.