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August 24, 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

Does Rouhani's Style of Diplomacy Mean Change in Iranian Policy?

The United States should take signals from Iran seriously.

In Iran, Fordow Nuclear Plant Virtually Sacred Ground

Iran has no plans to close Fordow.

Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh poses with her husband, Reza Khandan, her son Nima (L) and her Daughter Mehraveh (R) at herat her home in Tehran on September 18, 2013, after being freed following three years in prison. Sotoudeh told AFP she was in "good" physical and psychological condition, and pledged to continue her human rights work. Her release came a week before Irans new moderate President Hassan Rowhani, who has promised more freedoms at home and constructive engagement with the world, travels to New

Iran Frees Political Prisoners Before Rouhani Comes to UN

Beyond a public-relations gesture in advance of President Hassan Rouhani’s US trip, the release of political prisoners could ease the divisions in Iran following the disputed 2009 presidential elections.

Rouhani Should Give Priority To Religious Freedom in Iran

Religious minority communities still face repression in Iran.

Palestinian militants of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) stand with their weapons at a demonstration during a military graduation ceremony in front of the media in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 13, 2013. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR3EX78

Iran Increases Aid to PFLP Thanks to Syria Stance

Iran has rewarded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's pro-Assad stance with an increase in financial and military assistance.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem September 17, 2013. Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on September 30, an Israeli official said on Tuesday, for talks expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13O85

Netanyahu to US: Iran for Palestine?

The Israeli right fears that Netanyahu might agree to an interim arrangement that will include a settlement evacuation in exchange for US guarantees on the Iranian file.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari (back) receives the newly appointed ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Iraq, Mohanned Sleman al-Zaid, at the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry in Baghdad March 26, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2ZWZ0

Saudi Arabia Vies For Influence in Iraq

Riyadh has reached out to tribal sheikhs in southern Iraq in what some see as a continuation of the ongoing Saudi-Iranian competition for influence in the region.

Iran Rethinks Facebook Under Rouhani

Iranian ministers are implementing a social media strategy, which is being challenged in some conservative quarters.

A member of the Iraqi Mine and Unexploded Ordnance Clearance Organization (IMCO) works with a sniffer dog to find mines in the Shatt-al-Arab district, in Iraq's southern city of Basra, November 6, 2012. Decades of war have left Iraq with one of the worst mine problems in the world, according to UNICEF, with around 20 million anti-personnel mines and more than 50 million cluster bombs believed to be left over in border areas and southern oilfields. Iraq's Environment Ministry says there are 25 million landmi

Land Mines From Iraq War Continue to Plague Iran

Though there is a lack of official data, Iran remains the second-most mine-polluted country in the world, with eradication no simple task.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Backs US-Russia Plan for Syria

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif says that if there is a chance for peace in Syria, “we have to grab it.”

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.
An Iranian employee checks the food shelves at a shopping mall in northwestern Tehran February 3, 2012. With just a month to go before a parliamentary election, Iran has been hit hard in recent months by new U.S. and European economic sanctions over its nuclear programme, which Tehran says is peaceful but the West says is aimed at making a bomb. Picture taken February 3, 2

Iran’s Household Economics

The Iranian government looks to control inflation, which is now surpassing 39%.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) speaks next to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as they answer questions from the media, following meetings regarding Syria, at a news conference in Geneva September 14, 2013. The United States and Russia have agreed on a proposal to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons arsenal, Kerry said on Saturday after nearly three days of talks with Lavrov. REUTERS/Larry Downing (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX13KRV

Obama’s Syria Policy Has Potential For Breakthrough on War

Al-Monitor’s analysis and coverage of US policy toward Syria.