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August 23, 2026

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Analysis

UAE-Iran trade relationship becomes key test of Trump’s wartime strategy

The Gulf state suspended trade with Iran after new attacks in August. Experts point to risks for both sides as the Trump administration seeks to squeeze Tehran economically.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Hamed Malekpour / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Iran gambles it can outlast Trump’s 'Economic D-Day'

The Trump administration is considering tighter economic pressure as diplomacy with Tehran appears stalled.

People shop at a store in the Grand Reza Bazaar near the shrine of Imam Reza following the funeral of slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and his family members in Mashhad on July 10, 2026.

Analysis

Can Trump's economic war ultimately force Iran to compromise?

President Trump's new economic offensive comes as Iran is grappling with war damage, tighter oil restrictions and a shrinking ability to absorb another major shock.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Caught in the middle, Oman shrugs off Trump's latest Iran threat

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Houthis claim new strikes on Saudi Arabia after IRGC warning: What to know

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

China slams Trump over economic war on Iran: What to know

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian holds a press conference on Aug. 19, 2026.

Trump’s Iran ‘economic D-Day’ threat sends oil prices above $94

Iranians drive past an anti-US billboard at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Aug. 3, 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

'Rouhani moment' in announcing nuclear deal in Iran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lauds the Iranian people for support of their “initial steps” in securing a first-step nuclear agreement.

Should Reformists go conservative in parliamentary elections?

As former Iranian Reformist presidential candidate Mohammad Reza Aref begins to form a broad coalition of Reformist groups, analysts and activists are taking public positions on what is the best strategy for Reformists to take over the parliament and aid President Hassan Rouhani's moderate policies.

Egypt's interim President Adly Mansour (C), General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (2nd R) and Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy (R) meet with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (2nd L) and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) at El-Thadiya presidential palace in Cairo, November 14, 2013. Sisi hailed a new era of defence cooperation with Russia on Thursday during a visit by Russian officials, signalling Egyptian efforts to revive ties with an old ally and send a message to Washington after it suspended military aid. RE

Russia's turnaround in the Middle East

Russian foreign policy in the region has benefited from a steady, nonideological focus as well as the missteps and neglect of other powers.

French President Francois Hollande and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) listen to speeches during the second edition of the Israel-France innovation day in Tel Aviv, November 19, 2013. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15JYG

The next frontier in US-Iran relations: Reducing Iran-Israel tensions

As the US brokered the normalization of ties between Egypt and Israel, the same could happen in Iran-Israel ties.

Iraq's Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani votes at a polling station in Arbil, capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region, about 350 km (217 miles) north of Baghdad September 21, 2013. Kurds went to the polls on Saturday to elect a new parliament in an election that is being dubbed as the most crucial in the history of Iraqi Kurdish political powers, with potential to change the political structure of the next parliament and government cabinet.About 1,129 candidates representing 32 political entities are co

Turkey, Iran influence Iraqi Kurdistan politics

The post-election politics of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is subject to relationships among Iran, Iraq and Turkey.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat (C) directs remarks to Israel's Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (L) during a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) at the end of talks at the State Department in Washington July 30, 2013. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held their first peace talks in nearly three years on Monday in a U.S.-brokered effort that Kerry hopes will end their conflict despite deep divisions. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX124ZT

Mistrust Clouds Israeli-Palestinian talks

According to a Palestinian source, no understanding has been reached so far by the negotiating parties.

More than 70,000kg (154000lbs) of drugs confiscated in the past year are prepared for burning during a ceremony to mark the United Nations' International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking in northeast Tehran June 26, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTR1R654

Drug addiction takes toll in Iran

Iran has more than 1.3 million registered drug addicts, costing the Iranian economy an estimated $10 billion.

U.S. Republican Congressman Ted Poe, a Representative of Texas, talks with business leaders at a breakfast forum on what Houston employers need from immigration reform, sponsored by ImmigrationWorks USA, in Houston August 20, 2013. As lawmakers return to their home districts in the final weeks of summer, hundreds of U.S. businesses have quietly mobilized to persuade Republicans such as Poe that an immigration overhaul is broadly supported by their constituents, even if some conservative activists loudly obj

Congressman Ted Poe: US-Israeli ties 'very tenuous at best'

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he hopes "that the United States would mend its relationship with Israel."

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint news conference with French President Francois Hollande (not pictured) at his residence in Jerusalem November 17, 2013. President Hollande assured Israel on Sunday that France would continue to oppose an easing of economic sanctions against Iran until it was convinced Tehran had ended a pursuit of nuclear weapons. REUTERS/Alain Jocard/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15HKF

Israeli public closes ranks with Netanyahu on Iran

Israeli media fails to inform the public on the alternative interpretation of the Iran nuke deal.

US Senator Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, talks with reporters at the White House after a meeting on Iran with President Obama in Washington, DC, November 19, 2013. US President Barack Obama met with key Senate committee chairpersons and ranking members about Iran, urging them to hold off on more sanctions against the regime in Tehran over its nuclear program. AFP PHOTO / Jim WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Senate holds off on new Iran sanctions

US President Barack Obama’s meeting with congressional leaders offers a reprieve from the Senate moving ahead with sanctions legislation on Iran, at least until December.

Civil Defence personnel extinguish a fire on cars at the site of the explosions near the Iranian embassy in Beirut November 19, 2013. The cultural attache Ebrahim Ansari at the Iranian embassy in Beirut was among at least 23 people killed in two explosions on Tuesday, Lebanese sources said. Lebanese Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said the explosions wounded 146 people. REUTERS/Ahmad Yassine (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX15JQX

Iran Embassy bombing: Repeat of Iraqi model in Lebanon?

The suicide bombing targeting the Iranian Embassy in Beirut on Nov. 19 shows that al-Qaeda has established both tactical and ideological cells in Lebanon.

Soldiers, policemen and medical personnel gather at the site of explosions near the Iranian embassy (L) in Beirut November 19, 2013. Two explosions targeting the Iranian embassy hit the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, security sources said, killing at least seven people and damaging buildings in the embassy compound. REUTERS/ Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX15JOF

Lebanon enters 'third stage' of suicide bombings

Tuesday’s suicide attack on the Iranian Embassy in Beirut represents a new stage of violence in Lebanon, with Lebanese citizens targeting their compatriots at home.