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October 23, 2026

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Explainer

What Iran’s threats to Hormuz internet cables mean for Gulf

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to cut crucial internet and communications routes in the region if US aggression escalates.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

US sanctions law firm based in Panama, Greece over Iran shipping ties

The Treasury Department accused Karnakis and Karnakis of registering shipping companies linked to Iran's so-called shadow fleet.

Latest News

Analysis

How Lavrov's Tehran visit tests limits of Russia's influence over Iran

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrive to hold a press conference after a meeting in Tehran on October 19, 2026. The Russian foreign minister arrived in Iran on October 19, in his first visit since the outbreak of the Middle East war as Moscow seeks to play a mediating role. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

IRGC claims it downed US drone, set two tankers ablaze near Hormuz

Ships are anchored off the coast of Khasab in Oman's Musandam Governorate, near the Strait of Hormuz, on Oct. 2, 2026.

Iran says deal reached with Iraq to expel Kurdish separatists: What to know

Safin HAMID / AFP via Getty Images

Lavrov visits Tehran as Trump praises Russia's role on Iran: What to know

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi upon his arrival in Tehran on Oct. 19, 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

Mohammad Nahavandian, head of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, looks on during an interview with Reuters in his office in Tehran February 20, 2010. Western-backed sanctions on Iran to crimp its disputed nuclear activities will not have the desired impact as the country increasingly turns to Asian and regional countries, Nahavandian said. To match interview IRAN-ECONOMY/SANCTIONS REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR2ALV8

Rouhani's US-Educated Chief of Staff Knows East and West

Hassan Rouhani's chief of staff is a US-educated technocrat who is close to Iran's religious and merchant classes.

Prince Bandar bin Sultan (R), secretary-general of Saudi Arabia's National Security Council, and Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin enter a hall for a signing ceremony in Moscow July 14, 2008. Picture taken July 14, 2008. RUSSIA/RIA Novosti/Alexei Druzhinin/Pool (RUSSIA) - RTX7XR3

Russia Considers Saudi Angle in Syria

The visit of Bandar bin Sultan, director-general of Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency, to Moscow last month was all about Syria.

What to Wear in Tehran: The Evolution of Islamic Chic

The once-drab Iranian hijab has blossomed into colorful and figure-hugging styles that satisfy the letter if not the spirit of Islamic law.

Iran’s New President Promises To Seek 'Better Life' for All Iranians

Hassan Rouhani took the oath of office on Aug. 4 as Iran’s 11th president and repeated pledges to try reduce Iran’s isolation and relieve its economic distress.

Supreme Leader Khamenei AsksAll Iranian Factions to Help Rouhani

Barbara Slavin reports from Tehran, where Hassan Rouhani officially became the Islamic Republic's 11th president on Aug. 3, 2013.

Olivier Fitoussi/Israel Sun photo
Credit must be given

בביקור רישמי ראשון מסוגו בחסות Project Interchange/AJC ובתיאום עם משרד החוץ באו לישראל שרי חוץ ונציגי ממשלה מהאיים הקריבים גרנדה, סיינט קיטס ונוויס ונפגשו עם רה"מ בנימין נתניהו. פקידי הממשלה מהקריבים יתמקדו בביקורם בשיתוף פעולה בתחומי החקלאות, טכנולוגית בריאות הציבור ובבדיקת נושא השיטור הקהילתי. הם נפגשו עם הנשיא שמעון פרס, שר החוץ אביגדור ליברמן ורה"מ הפלשתינאי סלאם פאייד. במשך ביקורם הם יקבלו סקירות ממומחים בעלי שם עולמי.

In a first-ever official v

Engel: Sanctions, Not Rouhani, Only Chance for Iran Deal

Eliot Engel, ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, discusses sanctions on Iran, his support for missile strikes against Syrian airfields and the need to maintain US military assistance to Egypt.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers speaks at the Reuters Cybersecurity Summit in Washington May 15, 2013. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) - RTXZNBS

House Intel Committee Chairman Not Hopeful on Iran's Rouhani

Mike Rogers, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chairman, says claims of Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani’s moderation are more marketing than reality.

More Iran Sanctions A Mixed Bag for Netanyahu

The Israeli prime minister may still have to defer his “mission accomplished” moment in Iran.

Iran’s New Culture Minister Key Figure in Rouhani’s Cabinet

While some are skeptical over the proposed culture minister who is the son of a hard-line ayatollah, many expect an improvement in the ministry under his leadership.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem July 14, 2013. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX11MDX

For Netanyahu, Peace Talks Revolve Around Iran

The overlapping Israeli-Palestinian talks with negotiations between the West and Iran might offer a hint as to what really motivated Prime Minister Netanyahu to return to negotiations.

Prayer beads are tied up on a religious symbol near a holy shrine during the month of Ramadan in northern Tehran August 4, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY) - RTR2PMGN

Iran's Ramadan: Behind the Canvas

Iranians who choose not to fast during Ramadan must find ways to not offend the religious sensibilities of those who do.

People pray at the shrine of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Hussein ibn Ali at the Al-Hussein mosque, named after the grandson, before Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to the mosque in old Cairo February 5, 2013. Ahmadinejad was both kissed and scolded on Tuesday when he began the first visit to Egypt by an Iranian president since Tehran's 1979 Islamic revolution. The trip was meant to underline a thaw in relations since Egyptians elected an Islamist head of state, President Mohamed Mursi, last Jun

The Coming Rapprochement Between Iran and the Brotherhood

As both Sunni and Shiite groups in the Middle East are targeted by the West and its allies, some predict a forthcoming Sunni-Shiite rapprochement.