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Iran

April 26, 2026

Tehran 6:17 pm

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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.

Analysis

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

The proposed framework faces major hurdles and fault lines, ranging from NATO constraints to Israeli opposition and weak military integration.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Analysis

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

Iranian officials say dialogue remains open, but negotiations are clouded by intensifying hard-line domestic messaging and conflicting signals over Tehran’s red lines.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is moored at a LNG berth in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, prefecture April 8, 2026.

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

A wave of new LNG supplies will be delayed for at least two years due to war-related damage to Qatari energy infrastructure, according the International Energy Agency's latest market update.

A person walks past the closed Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on Jan. 7, 2021, in New York City.

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years.

Latest News

Analysis

Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (R) holds a signed "Make America Great Again" hat while (L-R) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad listen to US President Donald Trump speak during a meeting with Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. US President Donald Trump met Lebanese and Israeli envoys at a new round of peace talks Thursday, with Beirut seeking a one-month extension of a

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

Which airlines are cutting flights amid Hormuz fuel disruption?

Refueling trucks are seen at Southend Airport on April 17, 2026, in Southend, England.

Analysis

China gets around Iran blockade as Gulf courts Beijing

US forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska on April 20, 2026, after firing upon the Iranian-flagged vessel. (Handout Photo by the U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Joyce Karam

Who is Ahmad Vahidi, IRGC chief and hard-liner against nuclear compromise?

Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi speaks at a candidates' registration office in Tehran on May 30, 2024, during the first day of registration ahead of the country's presidential election.

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 general killed in Syria came back for special operation

An Iranian general recently killed in Syria had returned to Tehran nearly a year ago and went back to Syria recently to take part in a special operation.

An Afghan man works on a poppy field in Jalalabad province April 17, 2014. Afghanistan is the world's top cultivator of the poppy, from which opium and heroin are produced. Despite more than a decade of efforts to wean farmers off the crop, fight corruption and cut links between drugs and the Taliban insurgency, poppy expanded to 209,000 hectares (516,000 acres) in 2013, up 36 percent from the previous year. REUTERS/ Parwiz (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: DRUGS SOCIETY AGRICULTURE ENVIRONMENT) - RTR3LOO5

Iran key player in global war on drugs

It is time for the world to engage with Tehran to assist its war on drugs, and to acknowledge Iran as an important player in combating the global illegal drug trade.

Police vehicles drive past pilgrims on a road in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca September 24, 2015. At least 310 pilgrims were killed on Thursday in a crush at Mina, outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, where some two million people are performing the annual Haj pilgrimage, Saudi authorities said. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood - RTX1S7WW

Were missing Iranians arrested in Saudi Arabia?

Some Iranian officials are speculating that the Iranians still missing after the hajj disaster may have been arrested as Iran continues to watch the Saudi investigation with distrust.

Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba at the Grand mosque during the annual Haj pilgrimage, in the holy city of Mecca October 17, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the Haj by slaughtering sheep, goats, cows and camels to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on God's command. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: RELIGION) - RTX14EKI

Will Saudi Arabia give up hajj management?

The harsh criticism by various Muslim countries and other parties of Saudi Arabia over the most recent hajj tragedy may prompt the kingdom to take drastic steps to protect its reputation.

The U.S. families of Iranian dissidents, members of Iran's opposition movement Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) who reside in Camp Liberty in Iraq, look on as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on agreements over Iran's nuclear programs, before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 10, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTX16CNF

Congress shows renewed interest in Iranian opposition after nuclear deal

Iran hawks tout MEK as way to keep pressure on Tehran.

Goals of Russia’s recent military action go beyond Syria

The Russian entry into the war in Syria may herald a new era of cooperation with countries such as Iran, as Moscow seeks to strengthen its international role.

Khamenei warns against further negotiations with US

Iran's supreme leader has once again warned about the desire of America to have an impact inside Iran.

Jordan's Prince Prince Faisal bin al-Hussein (R) and former Commander of Royal Saudi Navy Special Forces Prince Sultan bin Khalid Al-Faisal attend the opening ceremony of the Middle East Special Operations Commanders Conference (MESOC) in Amman May 5, 2014. REUTERS/Majed Jaber (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY ROYALS) - RTR3NT7M

Saudi prince alleges capture of Iranian military, Hezbollah in Yemen

A grandson of the late Saudi King Faisal and former senior military officer says the time has come for Saudi Arabians “to take care of ourselves” and “lead” the Middle East against regional threats.

Is Iran's inflation deflating economic recovery?

Will the domestic pressures Rouhani is facing force him to abandon his goal of single-digit inflation?

Did Iranian TV censor Rafsanjani?

Iran's national media has been accused of editing out coverage of Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from a commemoration for the hajj stampede victims.

Behind the Obama-Zarif handshake

Senior Iranian officials reveal new details of the historic handshake between Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and President Barack Obama.

Four ministers secretly warn Rouhani about the economy, but why?

Four ministers wrote a letter to President Hassan Rouhani warning him that the economic situation in Iran could lead to a serious crisis.