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Iran

April 12, 2026

Tehran 8:57 pm

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) walks with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif upon his arrival during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on June 1, 2022. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Inside Turkey’s role in the US-Iran ceasefire

Turkey used its intelligence networks and rare access to both Washington and Tehran to quietly facilitate the US-Iran ceasefire while advancing its own regional security priorities.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

People gather under a large portrait of Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, during a memorial to mark the 40th day since his father, Ali Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in US-Israeli joint strikes, on April 9, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

Ceasefire without relief: How Iranians are grappling with post-war repression

Despite the ceasefire, pressure is mounting inside Iran: arrests are rising, the internet remains largely shut down, and millions face deep economic uncertainty.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A woman walks past a digital screen displaying news of US-Iran peace talks along a road in Islamabad on April 10, 2026.

In Islamabad, US set to face a more defiant Iran at negotiating table

Iran's widening ambitions after the war include a bid to exercise permanent control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Latest News

Analysis

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

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) /

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

Analysis

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

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)

Joyce Karam

By Joyce Karam , Rosaleen Carroll

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

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)

United Arab Emirates

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

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)

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

Iran faces challenges realizing natural gas potential

Until last year, Iran's natural gas production was almost entirely consumed domestically. Now it is set to exponentially increase natural gas exports in coming years, but not without challenges.

Khamenei says Iran will respond to nuclear deal violations

Iran’s supreme leader warned of a response if the United States walks away from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (R) speaks to British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) during the first Gulf Cooporative Council's (GCC) " GCC British Summit", in Sakhir Palace Bahrain, December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed - RC1FD09BAAF0

Bahrain goes public with shifting stance on Israel

The statement by Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa condemning the Arab boycott on Israel publicly exposes the state’s change of attitude toward Israel and the ongoing contact between the two countries.

Trump, Netanyahu risk being party of two in opposition to Iran nuclear deal

US and Israeli leaders may find themselves, rather than Iran, isolated in questioning a solid international consensus on Iran, as attention turns to Syria.

U.S. President Donald Trump talks beside Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during their meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel in Brussels, Belgium, May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1CB7B8B640

NY meeting golden opportunity for Iran-US de-escalation

While Iran and the United States are presenting clashing narratives of who organized the meeting in New York on Sept. 20, the session presents a golden opportunity for de-escalation between the two sides.

With Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (R) at his side, U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a luncheon with Kuwait's ruler Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC187C106320

US waives Iran sanctions, but says no final decision made on nuclear deal

The United States waived nuclear-related Iran sanctions, but President Donald Trump has not yet made a decision on the nuclear deal or Iran policy more broadly.

Iran, US align against Iraqi Kurdistan referendum

Iran and the United States jointly but separately are putting the screws on Massoud Barzani to halt his drive for Iraqi Kurdistan to hold its upcoming independence referendum.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

Zarif, Putin meet to discuss nuclear deal, Syria

Iran’s foreign minister traveled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin.

U.S. President Donald Trump waits to greet Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak at the White House in Washington, U.S. September 12, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1F92CDA2B0

Europe urges Trump to keep Iran deal while exploring other pressure points

European allies are urging the Trump administration to stick with the JCPOA even as they discuss other ways to address Iranian threats.

Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards march during a military parade to commemorate the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war in Tehran September 22, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File Photo - S1AETZITNEAA

Iran claims it foiled major IS plot ahead of holy month

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has arrested an Islamic State member who was allegedly organizing 300 terrorists in the country for various attacks during the holy month of Muharram.

Hassan Khomeini , a grandson of Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini looks on as he waits to meet Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during his visit in Colombo, Sri Lanka July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte - S1AETPDIDVAB

Left without patron, Iran's Khomeini turns right

The most prominent of the grandsons of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — long an ally of the Reformists — is seemingly moving closer toward Iran’s conservative camp.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C), Transport Minister Yisrael Katz (L) and Cabinet Secretary Tzachi Braverman (R) raise a toast to mark the upcoming Jewish holiday of Passover at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem April 9, 2017. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool - RC1188FDE160

Netanyahu maintains battle against Iran deal ahead of UN meeting

The Israeli leadership fears that with the US administration leaving Syria in Russian hands and its inaction toward North Korea, no one will stop Tehran from placing its forces near Israel’s borders.