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April 29, 2026

Tehran 3:18 am

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The Ateela 2 oil tanker boat navigates the sea on April 28, 2026, on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysis

How long can Iran's economy withstand Trump's naval blockade?

Iranian authorities are denouncing US seizures of the country's oil tankers as piracy, but mounting disruptions to maritime trade are exposing economic fragility beneath Tehran's claims of control and resilience.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift

OPEC's fourth-largest producer will leave the cartel on May 1, marking the most significant departure in the group’s history as the war changes Abu Dhabi's relationship priorities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images

First LNG tanker transits Strait of Hormuz since Iran war began

Latest News

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

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

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

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.

Pistachios reach highest prices in eight years amid Iran war

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)

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

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

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

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry leaves Stephen's Cathedral after attending a mass in Vienna, Austria July 12, 2015. A nuclear deal between Iran and major powers was within reach on Sunday, a senior Iranian official said, adding that some issues remained that needed to be resolved by foreign ministers. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX1K29F

Iran deal may be imminent

US Secretary of State John Kerry and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius expressed hope Iran and six world powers could finally be closing in on an Iran nuclear accord, but they and Iran’s Mohammad Javad Zarif said there was still some work to do.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) greets Iran's President Hassan Rouhani in Ufa, Russia, July 9, 2015. Rouhani said on Thursday he was grateful to Russia for its efforts to secure an agreement at talks between six major powers and Iran on Tehran's nuclear program. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX1JQOA

Iran-Russia relations after nuclear deal

Russian and Iranian relations have been improving, and are expected to continue to improve even after a nuclear deal despite their being energy competitors.

The stakes in Vienna

Fragile and promising trends in regional security and US-Iran cooperation are already underway as a result of the nuclear negotiations.

U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) speaks to the media before attending a closed meeting for members of Congress on the situation in Syria at the U.S. Capitol in Washington September 1, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday tests showed that sarin nerve gas was used in a deadly August 21 chemical attack near Damascus as he sought to build the case to convince skeptical lawmakers to authorize a military strike against the Syrian government. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STAT

Congress seeks to help Tunisia, hinder Iran

A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of July 13.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with foreign ministers and representatives from Germany, France, China, Britain, Russia and the European Union during nuclear talks at a hotel in Vienna, Austria July 10, 2015. Iran accused major powers on Friday of backtracking on previous pledges and throwing up new "red lines" at nuclear talks, after the deadline to reach an agreement in time to receive expedited scrutiny from the U.S. Congress expired with no deal. REUTERS/Carlos Barria TPX IMAGES OF THE DA

Reversals in Vienna throw deal into doubt

As negotiators try to finalize a nuclear deal, it seems differences within the P5+1 may push them past the deadline once again.

Iran reform must start at home

A nuclear deal may strengthen the position of those in Iran who believe that better relations with the West can improve, not weaken, Iran's influence in the region.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry talks to journalists in front of Palais Coburg, the hotel where the Iran nuclear talks meetings are being held in Vienna, Austria July 9, 2015. The United States and other major powers are not in a rush reach a nuclear agreement with Iran, though Washington and its partners will not negotiate with Tehran indefinitely, Kerry said on Thursday. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger - RTX1JS36

Iranian nuclear talks go on even if 'clock strikes midnight'

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Iran nuclear deal must withstand the test of time and "we will not be rushed" as negotiations continue past a US congressional deadline.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks at the New York University (NYU) Center on International Cooperation in New York April 29, 2015. Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday offered assurances that Tehran is committed to maintaining freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf in the aftermath of the seizure of a commercial ship by Iranian forces a day earlier. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTX1AUQZ

Zarif's comeback spawns hashtag

After Iran's top nuclear negotiator Mohammad Javad Zarif reportedly said "Never threaten an Iranian" during the nuclear talks, Iranians took to Twitter to respond.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman (L-3rd L) meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (2nd R) at a hotel in Vienna, Austria June 28, 2015. Kerry is joining negotiations from six powers and Iran seeking an agreement under which Tehran would curb its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions that have crippled its economy. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX1I3WB

Is US pursuing Iran regime change in nuclear deal?

A former adviser to nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili wrote that the United States has not abandoned its previous strategies with respect to Iran within the nuclear talks.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani takes a question during a news conference on the sidelines of the 69th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters in New York September 26, 2014. Rouhani said on Friday "courageous decisions" must be made to clinch a long-term nuclear agreement and that any deal without the lifting of all sanctions against Tehran was "unacceptable". REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR47VPF

Iran, P5+1 face Security Council conundrum

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will have problems if Iranian expectations regarding the timing of lifting sanctions are not managed.

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter takes up position with his weapon as he keeps watch, on the outskirts of Mosul January 26, 2015. Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are digging trenches and building defense berms in Wadi al-Ghorab (Valley Of The Crows), less than 2 km away from the IS-held Sultan Abdullah village, which demarcates the new border of their autonomous region. The Kurds have enjoyed de facto self rule since the first Gulf War in 1991. They are now closer than ever to achieving their dream of full independen

Who has 'boots on the ground' in fight against IS?

A mismatch in priorities between the United States and its Sunni allies is obliging the Obama administration to rely more on Iran-backed forces to fight the group that calls itself the Islamic State.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and his Finnish counterpart Erkki Tuomioja hold a joint press conference following a meeting in the capital Tehran, on August 31, 2014. Tuomioja pays a two-day visit to the Islamic Republic during which he is expected to meet high-ranking Iranian officials. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran MP defends trip to Finland to 'promote Islam'

Conservative Iranian MP Hamid Rasaei has been criticized for once again traveling to Europe.