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August 24, 2026

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Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent addresses the audience during opening remarks at the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism at the State Department on July 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. Bessent spoke alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller as they discussed the rise of far-left political terrorism as a transnational threat. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

Breaking | Last Updated: August 24, 2026, 1:49 pm

US threatens sanctions on Iran’s trading partners

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said countries were given "defined timelines" to halt business with Iran or face US sanctions.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Oil falls 1.8% as traders await 'toughest' sanctions on Iran

Traders are awaiting details about new US measures sure to further disrupt Iranian oil flows.

Khor Fakkan Container Terminal

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.

Latest News

Analysis

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

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.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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)

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

Shahnameh of the Digital Age

A vibrant new version of the Persian epic reconstructs 500 years' worth of images and texts to create a modern mythology for English speakers and Iranians alike, writes Roja Heydarpour.

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi (R) greets Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki before the opening of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Cairo February 6, 2013. Leaders of Islamic nations called for a negotiated end to Syria's civil war at a summit in Cairo that began on Wednesday, thrusting Egypt's new Islamist president to centre stage amid political and economic turbulence at home. REUTERS/Egyptian Presidency/Handout (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVI

Egypt’s Interest in Iraq, Iran Is Economic, Not Ideological

Despite the concerns of Gulf states that Egypt’s recent rapprochement with Iraq, and by extension Iran, is founded on an ideological basis, experts assert the reason is purely economic, Abdelrahman Youssef writes.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks after addressing the nation about the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, August 31, 2010. Obama declared the U.S. combat mission in Iraq ended on Tuesday, but said the U.S. commitment to Iraq has not ended as he urged its leaders to quickly form an inclusive government. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT MILITARY IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2HRTE

Obama Misses TargetWith Nowruz Message

Sasan Aghlani writes that the message delivered in US President Barack Obama's annual Nowruz speech indicates that he fails to understand his target audiences and the effects of sanctions on Iran.

Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh writes notes as he attends the Board of Governors meeting at the UN atomic agency headquarters in Vienna, on March 6, 2013. Six world powers holding talks with Iran on its nuclear programme said Tuesday March 5, 2013 at a meeting of the UN atomic agency that they were "deeply concerned" by Tehran's recent atomic upgrades. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER KLEIN (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER KLEIN/AFP/Getty Images)

New Book Argues Talk, Not Bombs, Best Way to Delay a Nuclear Iran

In their new book, authors Geoffrey Kemp and John Allen Gay warn that attacking Iran might actually speed up the Iranian nuclear program and cause a "multigenerational catastrophe" if the object is regime change.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reacts while attending a religious ceremony to commemorate the death anniversary of Fatima, daughter of Prophet Mohammad, in Tehran May 6, 2011. Picture taken May 6, 2011. REUTERS/Khamenei.ir/Handout (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION ANNIVERSARY) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY

Khamenei Shifts Stance: Open To Talks Between Iran, US

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei seems to be finding it increasingly difficult to ignore requests for direct talks between Iran and the US, writes Shahir ShahidSaless.

A view of Doura oil refinery in Baghdad April 9, 2012. OPEC is seeking a balance in world oil prices, but political instability rather than production issues are affecting the market price, Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said on Monday. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: ENERGY POLITICS) - RTR30IVA

Declining OPEC Leverage Predicted in BP Forecast

Growing energy production and diversification in the United States could make the US 99% energy sufficient by 2030, decreasing OPEC’s leverage over oil prices.

Former president Mohammad Khatami arrives to vote during the Iranian presidential election in northern Tehran June 12, 2009. REUTERS/Chavosh Homavandi/jamejamonline (IRAN POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR24KZC

Iranians Mixed on Candidacy Of Khatami

Susan Modaress reports from Tehran on reactions to a possible run by former President Mohammad Khatami in the June presidential elections.

Israeli schoolchildren hold the Israeli and American flags during a rehearsal for U.S. President Barack Obama's visit at his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres' residence tomorrow, in Jerusalem March 19, 2013. Obama is due to begin his first official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on Wednesday, looking to improve ties after sometimes rocky relations with both sides during his first term in office. REUTER/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F75E

Iran, Not Peace Process, Obama's Real Agenda in Israel

President Barack Obama's visit will not revolve around peace but around war, argues Ben Caspit, as the US president comes to synchronize the atomic clocks on Iran.

Reading Khamenei

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei does not rule out US-Iran talks, but he does not trust Washington's intentions.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at AIPAC's annual policy conference in Washington, March 4, 2012. Obama's remarks to the influential pro-Israel lobby kick off an important week in the U.S.-Israel relationship as Obama will meet Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid heightened concern that Israel might attack Iran to thwart its nuclear program. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2YU4T

Obama: The Master Of Iran's Red Lines

Israelis should be assured by President Barack Obama on Iran, Meir Javedanfar writes from Tel Aviv.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran September 22, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY ANNIVERSARY) - RTR2RNS7

Iran’s Basij Militia Builds 'Resistance Economy'

Iran’s Basij paramilitary force has been tasked with building the agricultural foundation of a "resistance economy" to combat sanctions, reports an Al-Monitor correspondent from Iran.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) and First Vice President Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei attend a ceremony in Tehran July 22, 2009. Ahmadinejad, re-elected for a second four-year term in a disputed presidential vote last month, has come under fire from fellow conservatives and hardliners for appointing Mashaie last Thursday.
REUTERS/Yalda Moaiery (IRAN POLITICS) - RTR25XJ8

Ahmadinejad Seeks Iranian Legacy

Ali Hashem reports from Tehran that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad considers the candidacy of his close aide and cousin, the controversial Esfandiyar Rahim Mashaei, as key to his legacy.