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Iran

April 11, 2026

Tehran 12:02 am

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TOPSHOT - Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted an area in Beirut on April 8, 2026. Israel launched a series of strikes on Beirut on April 8, the most violent attack on the Lebanese capital since the start of war. The strikes came as Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, which drew Lebanon into the Middle East war by attacking Israel on March 2, claimed it was close to a "historic victory". (Photo by Dylan COLLINS / AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

Ahead of Washington talks, Israel has little choice but to accept ceasefire in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had little choice but to agree to direct talks with Beirut as it became clear that Hezbollah is unlikely to be quickly disarmed.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting regarding the situation in the Middle East on April 7, 2026, in New York City. A vote on a resolution in the Security Council introduced by Bahrain focusing on reopening the Strait of Hormuz failed after opposition from Russia and China. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Analysis

Sanctions relief, Pakistan role propel China backing of Iran-US ceasefire

The US–Iran truce boosts Pakistan — one of China’s closest partners — by elevating its role as a mediator and strengthening a regional balance that favors Beijing’s allies.

Joyce Karam

By Joyce Karam , Rosaleen Carroll

TOPSHOT - People watch from a street as a tall smoke plume billows following an explosion in the Fujairah industrial zone on March 3, 2026. Iran's strikes on Gulf neighbours since February 28, following the US-Israeli attack, forced the UAE to shut its airspace, blindsiding travellers who thought they were headed to one of the region's safest holiday destinations. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)

UAE says no more 'niceties' with Iran, seeks clarity on fragile truce terms

The UAE said Iran must pay “compensation” for damages incurred during the conflict.

United Arab Emirates

This picture taken on April 9, 2026, shows the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Basta neighbourhood of Beirut the day before. Calls were mounting for the ceasefire between the US and Iran to be extended to Israel's war with Hezbollah, after a massive wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed more than 200 people. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon rejects Iran negotiating on its behalf, PM says only Beirut handles talks

Israel launched its largest attack against Lebanon in the war, firing over 160 munitions across the country. At least 203 people were killed and 1,072 injured, while 33 remain missing, authorities said.

Latest News

Analysis

Ceasefire or strategic pause? How Iran is framing war narrative amid deep mistrust

Iranians hold national flags as they gather in Tehran's Revolution Square after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, on April 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iran hits Gulf, threatens truce as Israel escalates in Lebanon: What to know

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire following an Israeli strike at the Corniche al-Mazraa neighbourhood of Beirut on April 8, 2026.

Analysis

How fast can Gulf energy production rebound after US-Iran ceasefire?

picture of Qatar Energy's operating facilities on March 3, 2026, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Trump ceasefire leaves Netanyahu flustered as Iran gains politically

TOPSHOT - Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, in Tehran, on April 8 2026. The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday barely an hour before US President Donald Trump's deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

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

Iranian graffitists feel walled in

The life of a graffiti artist's work can be as short as an hour in Iran, where municipalities wage a determined war on underground street artworks, unless the cities commission the wall paintings.

People walk during a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, in Tehran February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - GF10000304518

In wake of protests, Iranian officials call for large turnout to mark revolution

Following anti-government protests last month, Iranian officials are keen on a large turnout to celebrate the 39th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Drought, dust storms suffocate Iran’s Khuzestan province

Despite the government’s measures, southwestern Iran remains mired in a deep environmental crisis.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi attends the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries in Xiamen in southeastern China’s Fujian Province, Sept. 5, 2017. REUTERS/Mark Schiefelbein/Pool - RC171B1A3CC0

What’s behind Sisi’s recent trip to Oman?

While Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is calling on Tehran and Riyadh to cool their tensions, Egypt is strengthening its ties to Oman, which has become a stable and trustworthy ally.

Iranian female singers get boost from music idol

Female vocalists at concerts re-emerge as a heated point of contention in Iran, as hard-liners continue to ban them from public performances.

Rouhani says US lost 'golden opportunity’ for bilateral dialogue

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the United States has lost a golden opportunity for dialogue with Tehran.

U.S. Marine M1 Abrams tanks from the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Marine Division take up defensive positions during a firefight near the main traffic checkpoint in Falluja June 24, 2004. A U.S. Marine Cobra helicopter gunship was shot down during the battle but the two pilots escaped uninjured. At least 15 insurgents were killed and three Marines injured in the fighting, a military spokesman said. REUTERS/Bob Strong RCS/acm - RP5DRHZSARAA

Military audit confirms US tanks ended up with Iran-backed militias

The US effort to assess Iraq’s military capabilities is plagued by weak oversight, an inspector general report found.

Iran’s Zarif: Nuclear deal only remaining Obama legacy Trump hasn't removed

Iran’s foreign minister plays down the likelihood that the Trump administration will tear up the nuclear deal.

Iraqi Kurds maneuver to get closer to Iran

Following the rupture caused by the Sept. 25 independence referendum, the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iran are moving to bolster ties.

Will Europe be there when Israel needs it?

If the Israeli government expects the international community to heed the “serious threat” posed by Iranian activity in the region, it must be prepared to discuss the serious threat posed by Israeli activity in the Palestinian territories it occupies.

Rouhani: Iran has no need to negotiate over its defense

In a speech at an event for the Iran-Iraq War, President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran has no need to negotiate over its defensive capabilities.

How Iran sees Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria

A complex series of considerations — including the ignition of blowback from Kurdish groups elsewhere in the region — has caused Iran to remain muted in its response to Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria.