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Iran

August 19, 2026

Tehran 10:14 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.

UAE halts all trade ties with Iran after missile attack

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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Palestinians hold a large flag depicting President Mahmoud Abbas (L) and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat during a rally marking the annual al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the fourth Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, at the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City July 10, 2015. An Israeli police spokesperson said on Friday that some 140,000 people attended the prayers on the compound and some 56,000 Palestinians from the West Bank enter

Palestinians hope to regain global attention after Iran deal

Israel and the Palestinians are both preparing themselves for the new period opening up after the signing of the nuclear agreement with Iran, with Netanyahu's government moving more to the right and the Palestinians encouraging a French-led UN resolution proposal.

A scientist works at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) environmental sample laboratory in Seibersdorf April 24, 2013. The self-styled "Sherlock Holmeses" of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, now seeking access to a major Iranian base, say they have the capability to find tiny traces of atomic material at a site even if a country were to try to cover it up. Picture taken April 24, 2013. TO GO WITH STORY NUCLEAR-IAEA/LABORATORY REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY SCIENCE TECHNOLO

Is IAEA capable of monitoring Iran nuclear program?

Technological advances and lessons learned from previous clandestine nuclear programs provide confidence that Iran cannot violate the terms of a new nuclear agreement.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Likud party meeting at the parliament in Jerusalem July 13, 2015. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX1K7NB

With Iran threat off table, Israel should resolve Palestinian issue

The nuclear deal with Iran actually offers Israel new opportunities, by pushing aside the ongoing focus on the nuclear threat and concentrating on resolving the conflict with the Palestinians.

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As Western companies have already set up camp in Tehran, Turkey’s business circles are waiting and hoping, but political tensions with Iran do not bode well for openings to Turkey.

Residents gather at the Shabandar Cafe in Baghdad's Mutanabi street April 5, 2011. Reading books, buying books and discussing books are the defining pleasures of being a Baghdad intellectual, and for generations the life of the mind has orbited around this lane, the booksellers' market of the Iraqi capital. Four years ago, in a blow felt deeply by Iraq's intelligentsia, a car bomb killed 26 people here. Now, the street is again open, guarded and seemingly safe, and jammed every Friday with students, profess

Iraqi writer brings Persian literature to Arab world

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Iranian women walk past a satirical mural of the Statue of Liberty on the wall of former U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran April 16, 2006. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl - RTR1CJLR

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Iranian media outlets have largely supported the nuclear deal between Iran and the UN Security Council, with one writer suggesting it is such a turning point in relations with the West that the chant "Death to America" will soon end.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) attend a meeting with Ali Akbar Velayati, a special envoy of the Iranian president, at the Kremlin in Moscow January 28, 2015. Putin, along with Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Lavrov, met with the envoy of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the Kremlin said in a statement on Wednesday. The Kremlin statement said bilateral relations along with global and regional issues were discussed at the meeting. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/R

Russia views Iran agreement favorably, for now

Russia's leaders have greeted the agreement on Iran's nuclear program favorably, although its repercussions down the road might not be welcomed.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif talks to journalists as he stands on the balcony of Palais Coburg, the venue for nuclear talks, Austria, July 13, 2015. Iran and six world powers appeared close to a deal on Monday to give Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme, but Iranian officials said talks could run past their latest midnight deadline and success was not guaranteed. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger - RTX1K8T6

Zarif after deal: 'The world has changed'

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke about balcony diplomacy, regional cooperation and why Israel sees the agreement as an "existential threat."

Yair Lapid, head of Yesh Atid party, speaks to supporters during a conference in Holon near Tel Aviv March 12, 2015. Israelis will vote in a parliamentary election on March 17, choosing among party lists of candidates to serve in the 120-seat Knesset. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTR4T55G

Netanyahu hopes Iran deal will be steppingstone to Israeli unity government

Iranian nuke deal might present an opportunity for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expand his narrow coalition.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reacts during a plenary session at the United Nations building in Vienna, Austria July 14, 2015. Iran and six major world powers reached a nuclear deal on Tuesday, capping more than a decade of on-off negotiations with an agreement that could potentially transform the Middle East, and which Israel called an "historic surrender". REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger - RTX1K9Q9

Zarif's domestic popularity soars with nuclear deal

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