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June 19, 2026

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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

Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef (L) arrives with his uncle King Salman (R) to greet U.S. President Barack Obama at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, January 27, 2015. King Salman's appointment of his nephew Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, as Deputy Crown Prince makes him 2nd in the line of succession and he becomes the first grandson of the kingdom's founding monarch to take an established place in the line of succession. Picture taken January 27, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Bourg (SA

Saudi palace intrigue sparks speculation

Saudi King Salman's unprecedented personnel changes and other moves have many wondering what might come next from the House of Saud.

An Iranian woman walks with her daughter past an abandoned boat in Sikh Sar village at Hamoon wetland near the Zabol town, in southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan on February 2, 2015. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran's water crisis reaches critical levels

Iran's political leadership must move quickly, and non-ideologically, to resolve the current water use crisis and avoid the possibility of mass migrations.

A demonstrator holds up a sign while Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks with Washington Post journalist David Ignatius at the New York University (NYU) Center on International Cooperation in New York April 29, 2015. Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday offered assurances that Tehran is committed to maintaining freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf in the aftermath of the seizure of a commercial ship by Iranian forces a day earlier. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTX1AUZQ

Zarif touts swift sanctions relief

Iran's foreign minister told a New York audience that after a nuclear agreement is reached, sanctions could be lifted within weeks.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.
Lawmakers attend a parliament session in Tehran January 29, 2012. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2X0YQ

Iranian MPs fail to bypass the Guardian Council

Iranian parliament members failed in a bid to weaken the powers of the Interior Ministry and Guardian Council to vet candidates.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY IRAN-POLITICS-SATELLITE-JAMMING: An Iranian woman, standing next to two satellite dishes, hangs washed laundry on the roof of her house in Tehran, 12 June 2003. Owning satellite equipment and viewing uncensored international channels is strictly banned in the Islamic republic. Yet many people purchase satellite dishes and receivers illegally and enjoy watching Persian-language TV broadcasts from overseas, among other channels. However, according to the local press, Iranian authorities h

Iran targets 'MI6 Shiites'

The Iranian government is engaged in a media offensive against the Shiite Shirazi movement, which runs a broadcasting network to spread its message.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks at the New York University (NYU) Center on International Cooperation in New York April 29, 2015. Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday offered assurances that Tehran is committed to maintaining freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf in the aftermath of the seizure of a commercial ship by Iranian forces a day earlier. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTX1AUQZ

Zarif: Iran seeks to reduce regional tensions

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says that if and when a nuclear deal is finalized, Iran will focus on resolving regional issues before thinking about resuming diplomatic relations with the United States.

Supporters of residents of the Mujahadin-e-Khalq (MEK) camp, which houses Iranian dissidents in western Baghdad, rally on Pennsylvania Avenue as U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi at the White House in Washington April 14, 2015. The dissidents, who call for the overthrow of Iran's clerical leaders and fought on Iraq's side during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, occupy "Camp Liberty", located in a former U.S. military compound in Baghdad, but is no longer welcome in

MEK uses congressional spotlight to push regime change in Iran

The Iranian dissident group's leader told lawmakers that Tehran's mullahs are an inspiration for Islamists everywhere.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.
Lawmakers mingle after a parliament session in Tehran January 29, 2012. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2X0Z7

Iran minister apologizes for comment on 'dirty money' in politics

After coming under criticism, Iran's interior minister apologizes before an open session of parliament over "misunderstandings" about comments he made regarding dirty money in politics.

U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman arrives at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, April 3, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool - RTR4W06S

US restates positions as Israeli government takes shape

Senior Obama administration officials have reiterated the president's commitment in a 2009 Cairo speech to the two-state solution, reinforcing the US stance to Netanyahu's new government.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY SIAVOSH GHAZI
A Spanish tourist walks past an Achaemenid griffin at the ancient Persian city of Persepolis near Shiraz in southern Iran on September 26, 2014. At the foot of Persepolis, the giant sun-dried brick ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid and first Persian empire, foreign tourists pour out of buses and gaze in wonder. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran's tourism industry scrambles to catch up with demand

As Iranian President Hassan Rouhani improves relations with the West, Iranian officials announce they will build more hotels to meet the expected demand of foreign tourists.

Maryam Rajavi (2nd R), president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, attends an international meeting in Rome December 19, 2013. The meeting organised by the Italian committee of parliamentarians and pro-democracy Iranian activists was held to discuss the nuclear talks in Geneva, organisers said. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (ITALY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX16ORH

Congressional invite to MEK sparks furious backlash

Former State Department officials are refusing to testify alongside Mujahedeen-e-Khalq leader Maryam Rajavi.

Young Iranian women carry jugs of water, filled at water distribution point, to their village outside Zabol in south eastern Iran, July 17, 2001. Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province is suffering from a third consecutive year of drought which the United Nations says has cost the country $2.6 billion in dammages this year, up from $1.7 billion last year. Local officials say without rain remaining water sources will dry up by December. - RTXKN5I

Iran official warns water crisis could lead to mass migration

The adviser for water, agricultural and environment to Iran’s vice president warns that if Iran doesn't cut its water exploitation in half, the country could see a mass exodus.