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Iran

August 19, 2026

Tehran 5:47 am

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Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz

Analysis

How failing US-Iran diplomacy is giving way to fresh confrontation

Iran's dismissal of secret talks with Washington comes as diplomacy is in impasse, the Strait of Hormuz remains contested and Iranian commanders signal a potentially more aggressive military posture.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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.

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The incident follows the UAE blaming Iran for strikes on ADNOC vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

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Brent crude climbed near $92 a barrel on Tuesday, reaching its highest level this month amid new escalatory developments.

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Iran says understanding reached with Oman over new Hormuz route map

Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 10, 2026, off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran.

Explainer

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US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence on Aug. 14, 2026 in Garden City, New York.

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A correspondent in Tehran

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Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri (R) and his Saudi Arabian counterpart Adel al-Jubeir listen to a journalist's question during a news conference at the foreign affairs headquarters in Cairo, Egypt May 31, 2015. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RTR4Y7WP

Cairo, Riyadh pledge cooperation as each weighs nuclear deal

Predictably, though neither Egypt nor Saudi Arabia has been enthusiastic in its response to the Iranian nuclear deal, Egypt has so far been vaguely more welcoming.

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With parliamentary elections coming up, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and parliament Speaker Ali Larijani may join forces to counter the hard-liners.

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Reformist Iranian media has welcomed the news that Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani will run in the February 2016 elections.

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In a televised interview, President Hassan Rouhani says the gates of the world have opened up to the Iranian people.

A group of Mirage fighter planes prepare to take off during a visit to the air force 499th wing as part of a model unit's tour organised by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, in Hsinchu, August 29, 2008. REUTERS/Nicky Loh (TAIWAN) - RTR21SWA

Will Iran buy French warplanes?

With restrictions set to come off in the medium term, Iran has an even greater incentive to modernize its antiquated air force.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd L) poses for members of the media with foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council as they meet to discuss Middle East concerns about an emerging nuclear deal with Iran, at the Chief of Mission Residence in Paris, France, May 8, 2015. REUTERS/Andrew Harnik/Pool - RTX1C3NI

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Ali Akbar Velayati (L), Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's top adviser on international affairs, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut May 18, 2015. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RTX1DG9U

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Nuclear deal or no deal, Iranian conservatives who have anxiously been losing ground now face further isolation by President Hassan Rouhani's reforms and will redouble their political efforts.

Turkish media digs deeper into gold mogul corruption scandal

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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 cleric, who is member of Iran's Basij militia, attends a military parade to mark Basij week in front of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran November 25, 2011. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR2UG1O

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While President Rouhani has not faced severe criticism over the nuclear deal from Principlists and even IRGC commanders, some members of the Basij are voicing their opposition