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Iran

May 4, 2026

Tehran 3:21 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

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attend a news conference following their talks in Sochi, Russia October 22, 2019. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1AC62B4210

Turkey, Russia both claim win in Syria agreement

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to get what he wants regarding the Kurdish People's Protection Units, and Russia appears to gain yet more influence in Syria; has Idlib become a pawn in Turkish-Russian negotiations?

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 15, 2019. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC16CE5018F0

Pakistan's diplomacy unlikely to work with Tehran, Riyadh

The world can hope for, but not expect, great things to come from Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's recent diplomatic trips to Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Freed Lebanese businessman Nizar Zakka, who had been detained in Iran since 2015, gestures during a news conference at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon June 11, 2019. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RC161D667D00

Iran angles for prisoner swap deal with US

Iran has sent yet another signal of readiness for a prisoner swap deal with the United States, one that could see several inmates released on both sides.

A general view of the Arak heavy-water project, 190 km (120 miles) southwest of Tehran January 15, 2011. A group of ambassadors to the U.N. atomic watchdog toured an Iranian nuclear site on Saturday, state television reported, and Tehran accused the European Union of missing an historic opportunity by boycotting the visit. REUTERS/ISNA/Hamid Forootan (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY SCI TECH BUSINESS) - GM1E71G09FT01

Iran announces upgrades at Arak nuclear reactor

Iran has announced upgrades to the Arak nuclear reactor and says it is ready to take the fourth step toward the reduction of nuclear commitments.

Trump's Syria pullout divides Iran hawks

Despite bipartisan rebuke, some see great benefits in fixing ties with Turkey.

A member of Iraqi federal police stands guard in a street in Baghdad, Iraq October 7, 2019. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili - RC160EF8FEE0

Iraq on low boil in anticipation of renewed protests

The crisis in Syria has only made Iraq’s problems worse.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 15, 2019. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1FB4090FF0

Pakistan hopes to ease hostility between Iran, Saudis

Traveling between Riyadh and Tehran, Pakistan’s prime minister is trying to diplomatically defuse the highly charged situation in the Middle East.

Palestinian Islamic jihad militants take part in a military show marking the 32nd anniversary of the organisation's founding, in the central Gaza Strip October 3, 2019. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC17E1BD1920

Behind Egypt's gift to Islamic Jihad

Egypt has freed some 80 Islamic Jihad prisoners as a goodwill gesture in an effort to bring about an extended calm in Gaza and by extension prevent a conflagration in the Sinai Peninsula.

PA seeks warmer ties with Saudi Arabia

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Saudi Arabia for the first time in months, reflecting warmer relations between the two countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi, Russia September 12, 2019. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov - RC1F2233D0D0

Netanyahu discovers hospitality has its limits

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to ingratiate himself at both the White House and the Kremlin, but now finds himself home alone.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a meeting in Jerusalem, Friday, October 18, 2019. Sebastian Scheiner/Pool via REUTERS *** Local Caption *** - RC1FF553CB60

Pompeo visit fails to reassure Israel on Syria, Iran

The meeting of US secretary of State Mike Pompeo with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not reassure Jerusalem over developments in Syria and Iran.

Military units of the IRGC Ground Force are seen as they launched war games in the Gulf, December 22, 2018. Hamed Malekpour/Tasnim News Agency via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1B1C2DA910

Pentagon turns to irregular tactics to counter Iran

The Pentagon is trying to put the finishing touches on a plan to use irregular warfare tactics to temper Iran’s military escalation in the Middle East, Al-Monitor has learned.