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Iran

March 9, 2026

Tehran 3:14 pm

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Analysis

Qatar gas shock roils Middle East energy risk profile amid Iran war

The disruption to energy transportation through the Strait of Hormuz predictably threatens crude prices, but it's natural gas supplies that are shocking the markets.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A group of Peshmergas of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) walks during military training near one of their bases in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on March 1, 2025.

Analysis

Turkey cautious but unfazed by US plan to mobilize Iranian Kurds against regime

Plans to involve Iranian Kurdish armed groups in the US-Israeli campaign against Tehran raise potential security, ethnic and refugee spillover risks for Turkey, but officials in Ankara appear largely unfazed.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters affiliated with PAK train on Jan. 18, 2026, near Erbil, Iraq.

Why Israel's looking to Kurds to make gains against Iran regime

Israeli-Kurdish relations are rooted in a common struggle against Islamic extremism and the Kurds’ strategic presence across Turkey, Syria and Iran.

Rouzbeh Fouladi / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Meet Mojtaba Khamenei, hard-liner with IRGC ties, likely Iran’s next supreme leader

The late supreme leader's son has long operated behind the scenes in Iran’s political system and has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Latest News

Analysis

Iran’s other battle: The regime’s wartime fight for control at home

Plumes of smoke rise following an explosion on March 5, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

US war aims murky as Trump eyes role in Iran’s postwar future

President Donald Trump departs following an event celebrating the 2025 MLS Cup in the East Room of the White House on March 5, 2026

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

UAE to freeze billions in Iranian assets following strikes

Christopher Pike/Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

CIA, Mossad bolster Iran’s Kurds as US, Israel seek to ignite military revolt

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

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

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

Iraqi security forces stand guard as demonstrators take part in a protest over unemployment, corruption and poor public services, in Baghdad, Iraq October 2, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily - RC1CC9BEC6E0

Iraqi government seems powerless against protesters even as 'unknown' snipers take toll

For the seventh day in a row, protesters challenge the Iraqi government across Baghdad and the south; the death toll rises to nearly 120 as unidentified snipers pick off demonstrators.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 27, 2018. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - RC1FCD450420

Netanyahu’s strategic failures on Iran, Trump

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had gambled on US President Donald Trump to spearhead the struggle against the "Iranian threat," in what now emerges to be a colossal strategic failure.

Demonstrators gather at a protest after the lifting of the curfew, following four days of nationwide anti-government protests that turned violent, in Baghdad, Iraq October 5, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RC1144979C00

Iranian officials growing concerned about Iraqi protests

Iranian officials have become concerned over the growing protests taking place in neighboring Iraq.

Iranian cleric Ayatollah Seyed Ahmad Khatami leads Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, May 26, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RC1BCED7FBD0

Cleric rising to lead Iran’s new wave of hard-liners

As a new generation of right-wing conservatives emerges in Iran, well-known cleric Alireza Panahian is upping his game as a vocal critic of Reformists and moderates.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani departs after addressing the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Yana Paskova - HP1EF9P18T8GA

Have Iran, US slammed door on nuclear negotiations?

Iran and the United States both have upcoming elections and other urgent domestic issues to focus on, and neither seems interested in cooperating on nuclear talks.

Demonstrators gather at a protest during a curfew, two days after the nationwide anti-government protests turned violent, in Baghdad, Iraq October 3, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC17F2432F10

Iraqi youth to government: We’re not going to take it

As young Iraqis vent against their government, Iran is already positioning itself for the fallout, as its proxies hit the streets.

Demonstrators gather at a protest during a curfew, three days after the nationwide anti-government protests turned violent, in Baghdad, Iraq October 4, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC19E6A9D5F0

Iraq protests continue despite calls for calm

Protests continue in Iraq for the fourth day in a row despite the prime minister's and other figures' efforts to calm the streets.

Iran's influence seen in transfer of Iraqi war hero

The recent transfer of a widely popular commander is thought to be an Iranian-backed effort to discredit Iraq's Counterterrorism Service, which is seeking to maintain its independence and military capability.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the swearing-in ceremony of the 22nd Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem October 3, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC16598490B0

Israel worried Iran might attack soon

As the self-confidence of Tehran grows stronger, President Donald Trump might not be the one to save Israel from Iran.

Demonstrators gather at a protest during a curfew, two days after the nationwide anti-government protests turned violent, in Baghdad, Iraq October 3, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RC13C337CE70

Iraq on fire as protests spread across the south

Protests have escalated in Baghdad for the third day in a row, spreading toward southern Iraqi cities.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani uses a walkie-talkie at the frontline during offensive operations against Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province March 8, 2015. Picture taken March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT POLITICS) - GM1EB3I1GO301

Iran claims to have foiled terror plot against Qasem Soleimani

The head of the IRGC’s intelligence organization claims it foiled an assassination plot on Qasem Soleimani, the IRGC’s Quds Force commander.

Presidents Hassan Rouhani of Iran, Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Vladimir Putin of Russia arrive for a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, September 16, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1D1AF89BB0

The Takeaway: October 9, 2019