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Iran

March 4, 2026

Tehran 1:30 am

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A plume of smoke rises from the port of Jebel Ali following a reported Iranian strike in Dubai on March 1, 2026.

Analysis

Iran’s assault reveals Gulf defense gaps and reliance on US tech and intel

The recent Iranian strikes on bases, airports and energy facilities across the Gulf have exposed gaps in the GCC's defense architecture.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Protesters hold a banner reading "Come and weave resistance together" and "Women, life, freedom."

Analysis

Could Kurds be Trump's lever in Iran regime-change scenarios?

As US-Israeli strikes rattle the Islamic Republic's command structure, quiet outreach to Iraqi Kurdish leaders is fueling speculation: Can Iran's most organized minority become the decisive ground factor in a war fought from the air?

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

An Iranian Kurdish Peshmerga member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) inspects damage sustained at the Azadi Camp of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye (Koysinjaq), in the east of Erbil district in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on March 3, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with the killing of Iran's supreme leader and the Islamic republic retaliated with barr

Analysis

Kurds see opening yet remain wary as Trump seeks help to oust Iran regime

As the US and Israel escalate strikes on Iran, Trump has opened talks with Iraqi Kurdish leaders about their potential involvement in the conflict.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Osama Al Maqdoni / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Amid chatter of local uprisings, eyes turn to Iran's minorities: What to know

Ethnic minorities in Iran, historically marginalized and repressed by Iran's central government, are gaining attention as potential political actors amid escalating US and Israeli strikes.

Latest News

US-Iran war rattles global stocks as UAE trading set to resume

Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As Israel-US offensive devastates Iran’s military, can Tehran sustain long war?

TEHRAN, IRAN - MARCH 2: A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on March 2, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was confirmed killed after the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

State Department urges Americans in Middle East to leave immediately

Staff from Qatar Airways help assist people with questions at their empty check-in area at London Heathrow Airport in west London on March 1, 2026, as flights are severely disrupted following the US and Israel's strikes on Iran.

Analysis

As Iran weighs Khamenei’s successor, some question future of role

A man rides a motorbike past a billboard of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran on March 2, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 28, 2019, US President Donald Trump speaks to the troops during a surprise Thanksgiving day visit at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. - President Donald Trump has shattered through norms and niceties on the world stage in his nearly three years in office. Entering an election year, Trump is unlikely to slow down as he seeks what has largely eluded him -- a headline-grabbing victory. The tycoon turned president closes 2019 with a new stride after what was perhaps

Intel: Iran paid bounties to Taliban for US soldiers, influencing Soleimani strike

US officials tell CNN the administration took no action against the Taliban in order to preserve its peace deal with the insurgents.

Iran's Rouhani assails UAE-Israeli deal as 'huge mistake'

IRGC goes even further, terming the agreement "the biggest betrayal in history."

UN Security Council rejects US-sought extension on Iran arms embargo

The resolution failed by a 2-2 vote with 11 abstentions.

Intel: Iran’s navy boards oil tanker near Strait of Hormuz, US says

A Liberian-flagged ship was seized by Iranian forces in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US-led maritime security coalition.

Iranian official reveals claims of corruption at highest levels

Accusations of corruption have led to speculation that a former Iranian official under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration may seek the presidency.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif listens as Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly September 25, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Don Emmert / AFP) (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)

Zarif says UN will vote down US proposal on Iran arms embargo

Iran's top diplomat expressed doubt that the United States' last-minute efforts at the UN Security Council will succeed in extending an arms embargo against Iran.

What are vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris' views on the Middle East?

Joe Biden's running mate has views on Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Syria that fall in line with the Democratic party establishment.

Iran’s hard-line parliament set to impeach two Rouhani allies

The impeachment bid is the latest in a series of measures the new hard-line parliament had promised to take against President Hassan Rouhani in the closing year of his term.

TOPSHOT - Demonstrators protest against Iran's President Hassan Rouhani outside the United Nations headquarters, where Rouhani addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York on September 22, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran arrests alleged spies for UK, Germany, Israel

Iran executed men it said spied for the United States and Israel last month.

Iran suspends newspaper after critical coronavirus coverage

The newspaper had just published an interview that accused the government of covering up the scale of Iran's coronavirus outbreak.

Iran says it will not pay to replace Ukraine jet shot down near Tehran in January

No agreement has yet been reached on compensation for victims' families, but Iran says it won't pay for the aircraft itself.

Gulf states ask UN to extend arms embargo on Iran

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) sent a letter to the UN Security Council amid US efforts to extend the weapons ban.