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Iran

May 3, 2026

Tehran 9:24 pm

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Crops of wheat and barley in Terbol village on May 10, 2022, in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

Analysis

MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers

Home to many of the world's largest wheat importers, the Middle East and North Africa face acute food security risks as the US-Israel-Iran war disrupts global fertilizer flows and pushes up prices.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Soldiers from Iran's land, navy, air force and special forces parade on the occasion of National Army Day in Tehran, capital of Iran on April 18, 2025, in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

How Iran is rebuilding its bruised military as ceasefire masks recalibration

Iran is using the fragile truce to recover by blending redeployment and reverse engineering into broader preparedness for renewed conflict.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies during a Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 22, 2026 in Washington, DC.

US sanctions Iran’s shadow banking channels moving oil proceeds from China

The latest sanctions come as the Trump administration weighs Iran's latest proposal to end the war.

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Without exit strategy, Israel faces emboldened Hezbollah, limited options on Iran

While President Donald Trump remains undecided on striking Iran again, the Israeli military is sinking deeper into its Lebanon quagmire with a reinforced Hezbollah.

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

Latest News

Trump faces three paths ahead in Iran war as Hormuz standoff intensifies

This photo obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, on April 21, 2026.

In defiant message, Iran’s Khamenei threatens US but appeals to Gulf

AFP via Getty Images

US blockade tests Iran's limits, but will global pain force Trump’s hand?

QESHM ISLAND, IRAN - APRIL 28: Boats navigate the sea on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's latest proposal for ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz calls on the United States to end its naval blockade of Iran's ports, and sets aside questions about what to do with Iran's nuclear program. The United States has not formally responded to the latest proposal, which was delivered by Iran's foreign minister to Pakistan two days ago. (Photo by Asghar Besharati/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

Iranian people wear protective masks to prevent contracting a coronavirus, as they climb an escalator in Tehran, Iran February 29, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2BAF97VRQP

Coronavirus puts more pressure on Iran’s already strained economy

Amid ongoing economic strain due to sanctions, mismanagement and corruption, the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus presents additional challenges.

Tehran cracks down on hoarding as coronavirus panics Iranians

As Iran continues to fight the coronavirus outbreak, officials vow strong action against the hoarding of medical supplies.

Syrian Kurds ponder Afrin’s recapture in shadow of Idlib crisis

The Syrian Kurds' partial collaboration with Syrian government forces in northwestern Aleppo has so far failed to expand amid whirlwind developments in Idlib.

Repercussions of Iranian radicals running the country

Ultraconservatives won the day in Iran’s parliamentary elections, but the saying comes to mind, "Be careful what you wish for."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on ìTrump administration policies on Iran, Iraq and use of force.î on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S. February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC2Q9F9TFYOC

Intel: Trump administration seeks to extend UN arms embargo on Iran

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Congress today that the United States will appeal to the international community to extend the United Nations arms embargo on Iran that is set to expire in October under the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Hook to Al-Monitor: 'Diplomatic malpractice' to let UN arms ban on Iran expire this year

Top US diplomat Brian Hook tells Al-Monitor they are "looking at what we can do” to assist the Iranian people during the coronavirus outbreak and he has confidence in the new Swiss humanitarian channel, but "the regime has first responsibility to its own people."

An Iranian woman wears a protective mask to prevent contracting coronavirus, as she is seen at a drug store in Tehran, Iran February 25, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2Q7F9XS5BN

Intel: Trump administration eases humanitarian trade restrictions on Iran amid coronavirus fears

The Donald Trump administration slightly eased sanctions on Iran today to allow for trade in medical supplies and food as Tehran struggles to respond to the coronavirus outbreak throughout the country.

Coronavirus gives kiss of death to Iran’s tourism industry before Nowruz

A coronavirus outbreak in Iran is hitting the country’s already battered tourism industry, and the timing couldn’t be worse as many would normally travel for the Persian New Year.

A bus driver wears protective a mask to prevent contracting coronavirus, as he drives the bus in Tehran, Iran February 25, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2Q7F9BMNO8

Tehran Friday prayers fall victim to coronavirus

Iranian officials have ordered the cancellation of major events and gatherings and closed universities in an attempt to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

Iranian people wear protective masks to prevent contracting coronavirus, as they walk in the street in Tehran, Iran February 25, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2P7F9O2XY3

Iran accuses enemies of coronavirus scaremongering

Tehran is tossing around accusations of fomenting panic over the coronavirus epidemic as the country's biggest holiday approaches.

Why Iraq may opt to avoid lawsuit over Soleimani killing

Iraqi political parties have abstained from involving Iraq in the preparation of a judicial file involving the assassination of Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.

Iranian women wear protective masks to prevent contracting coronavirus, as they walk in the street in Tehran, Iran February 25, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2Q7F9UZ1JB

Fast-spreading coronavirus pushes Iran closer to lockdown

Despite conflicting reports, Iran's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic is rising a few weeks ahead of the country’s New Year holidays.