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Iran

April 28, 2026

Tehran 4:07 pm

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Iranian walks past a giant billboard reading "The Strait of Hormuz remains closed" at the Revolution Square in Tehran on April 22, 2026.

Iran floats ‘plan B’ to defuse Hormuz standoff, delay nuclear talks

The proposal would postpone negotiations over Iran's nuclear program in an attempt to break the deadlock.

Turkey's submarines and fast-attack craft ships participate in the live-fire phase of the Blue Homeland-2026 (Mavi Vatan) tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Turkey’s military spending jumps to $30B, leads Mideast growth in 2025

Newly released data shows Ankara’s military spending hit $30 billion, while Saudi Arabia remained the region’s top spender and Israel’s outlays declined in 2025.

An Iranian grocer sells pistachios imported from Iran at a Persian products shop in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on July 10, 2019. (Photo by Karim SAHIB / AFP) (Photo credit should read KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Pistachios reach highest prices in eight years amid Iran war

Pistachio prices rose to around $4.57 a pound in March, their highest since 2018, according to data company Expana.

Iran FM meets Putin and Russia’s military intel chief as talks stall: What to know

Iran FM meets Putin, Russia’s military intel chief as talks stall: What to know

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi headed to Russia following visits to Pakistan and Oman over the weekend as talks with Washington are at a standstill.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the margins of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, on April 17, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Araghchi’s Russia, regional tour tests path to breaking US-Iran deadlock

TEHRAN, IRAN - APRIL 23: A police officer stands holding a flag in Valiasr Square beneath a mural of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on April 23, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced an extension of the current ceasefire between his country and Iran, despite Iran declining to attend the latest proposed round of peace talks in Islamabad. The focus of the war has shifted largely to the Strait of Hormuz, where both sides are trying to assert control over the critical m

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

IEA delivers grim gas supply forecast as oil notches 15% weekly rise

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is moored at a LNG berth in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, prefecture April 8, 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

Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran via Getty Images

Iran investigates Raisi helicopter crash: What we know

Some Iranian officials have blamed US sanctions for the helicopter crash that led to President Ebrahim Raisi’s death, while the first government report on the matter said nothing suspicious occurred.

Iranian mourners attend the funeral of late president Ebrahim Raisi in the city of Mashhad on May 23, 2024.

Raisi's death unlikely to rattle Iran's foreign, domestic politics

The Iranian president's sudden death is unlikely to cause major disruptions to the political dynamics in Iran, though the Islamic Republic will go through an adjustment process.

Iranians participate in the 12th term parliamentary elections and the 6th term Assembly of Leadership Experts' voting at a Tehran polling station on March 1, 2024.

Culture

What Iran's elections could signal about potential for US escalation

The sudden death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has plunged the country into new uncertainty, but it’s unlikely to derail Washington's quiet push to dial back tensions with Tehran.

Iranians follow a truck carrying coffins of the late President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions, who were killed in a helicopter crash, during a funeral ceremony for them on May 22, 2024, in Tehran, Iran.

Khamenei leads Raisi’s funeral attended by tens of thousands of Iranians, regional leaders

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and a number of other officials.

An Iranian woman in Tehran passes by a poster of Iran's late president Ebrahim Raisi two days after his death on May 21, 2024.

Iran: 8 key contenders to watch as potential successors to Raisi

Facing the key issue of turnout of a disfranchised, apathetic public, Iranian authorities will be holding an early election next month to replace Ebrahim Raisi, whose tenure was cut short due to a deadly chopper crash.

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi welcomed by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, China on Feb. 14, 2023.

Analysis

After Raisi's death, China looks for answers on Iran's Khamenei succession

Raisi was hailed as a "good friend" of China and while his death is unlikely to stir those ties, Beijing is keeping watch of the race in Iran to succeed Khamenei.

Yun Sun

In Washington, DC, reporting on China-Middle East ties

A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drone is on view during a presentation at the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Siauliai, Lithuania, on July 6, 2022.

Turkey's fastest drone plays key role locating Iran helicopter crash site

The location of the helicopter crash site was identified by Turkey’s Akinci drone, according to Turkish officials, after Ankara sent teams to help Iran's search mission.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

As Iran heads to elections after Raisi’s death, hard-liners face legitimacy crisis

While the Iranian president's death in a helicopter crash may pose immediate questions about the country's future trajectory, little significant change is expected, as the ruling establishment's key workings remain strictly in the supreme leader's tight controls.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani leaves after talks at the Coburg Palais, the venue of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna on August 4, 2022. - The United States and the European Union's Iran nuclear envoys on August 3, 2022 said they were travelling to Vienna for talks with Tehran's delegation as they seek to salvage the agreement on its atomic ambitions. (Photo by Alex HALADA / AFP) (Photo by ALEX HALADA/AFP via Getty Images)

Meet Iran's Mokhber and Bagheri Kani, interim president and FM after crash

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian died in a helicopter crash on Sunday along with a number of other officials.

Russian sign Raisi

From China to Houthis, leaders and groups react to death of Iran's Raisi

Regional and world leaders' condolences have poured in for the death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials, including the foreign minister, in a helicopter crash.

Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran participate in the 12th term parliamentary elections and the 6th term Assembly of Leadership Experts' voting at a Tehran polling station on March 01, 2024. The elections encompass both parliamentary and Assembly of Experts' ballots, crucial for Iran's leadership selection and oversight. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Who was Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s president killed in helicopter crash?

Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash near the border with Azerbaijan, was a hard-line cleric under US sanctions whose term was marked by domestic turmoil and mounting tensions with the West.

JABRAYAIL, AZERBAIJAN - MAY 19: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout image supplied by the Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as they inaugurate the Qiz Qalasi Dam, constructed on the Aras River on the joint borders between Iran and Azerbaijan, after which his helicopter has reportedly crashed near

Iran declares 5 days of mourning after President Raisi, FM die in helicopter crash

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials were in a helicopter with President Ebrahim Raisi when it went missing near the border with Azerbaijan.