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Iran

March 11, 2026

Tehran 3:36 am

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A navy vessel is seen sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which much of the world's oil and gas passes, on March 1, 2026.

Trump warns Iran over Hormuz mines as senator cautions US may be nearing ground war

Iran has begun placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a recent report, after the American president threatened to strike Iran harder if oil shipments are interfered with.

US President Donald Trump speaks with the media as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (R) and special envoy Steve Witkoff (C) look on aboard Air Force One during a flight from Dover, Delaware, to Miami, Florida, on March 7, 2026.

Analysis

As Trump says war may end soon, Iran signals longer fight

As President Donald Trump claims Iran is ready to talk, its leaders show no sign of backing down.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

A demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, at Enghelab Square in central Tehran on March 9, 2026.

Analysis

Behind Mojtaba Khamenei: How IRGC steers Iran's wartime power structure

Iran's wartime leadership transition has elevated IRGC-backed Mojtaba Khamenei to the pinnacle of power, raising urgent questions about the organization's internal dynamics and how the Islamic Republic's strategic posture may evolve.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Analysis

Oil-price hikes from Iran war threaten Turkey's rate cuts in inflation fight

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Russia denied sharing intelligence with Iran in Trump call, Witkoff says

Gavriil Grigorov / AFP via Getty Images

Iran threatens Trump as Israel hits IRGC weapons hub in Tehran: What to know

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Airlines gradually restore Middle East flights, Gulf still heavily grounded

An Emirates Airbus A380 passenger aircraft prepares for landing at Dubai International Airport in Dubai on March 8, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

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

US sanctions fail to bend Iran’s economy, expert says

Al-Monitor contributor Bijan Khajehpour said at an Al-Monitor event in Washington today that the Donald Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign has not succeeded in crippling the country's economy.

The MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system completes its inaugural cross-country ferry flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland in this U.S. Navy photo taken September 18, 2014. The Pentagon's review of intelligence and surveillance programs should be completed by mid-October, which will help clarify the future of the Navy's proposed carrier-based unmanned spy plane, a senior Navy official said on Tuesday. REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Erik Hildebrandt/Handout (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY) THIS IMAGE HAS

Intel: What's next for US-Iran tensions after drone downing

Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated further as both sides confirmed that Iran shot down a US military drone today.

A money changer displays U.S. and Iranian banknotes at the Grand Bazaar in central Tehran October 7, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. NOT FOR USE BY REUTERS THIRD PARTY DISTRIBUTORS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS

Iran's 'throw money' economic strategy failing

Among its many other problems, Iran's economy is suffering because of poor and brash decisions of the past and needs to get back to the basics.

U.S. Air Force maintainers prepare a U.S. military drone RQ-4A Global Hawk for takeoff at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, December 2, 2010. Picture taken December 2, 2010. Courtesy Eric Harris/U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC17D81CAF00

IRGC: Drone downing 'message’ against foreign invasion

Iran claims that the US drone it shot down was flying over Iranian territory when hit by a surface-to-air missile.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks during an interview at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC12E94345A0

Intel: How Democrats are using John Bolton’s Iraq War baggage to push back on Trump’s Iran policy

National security adviser John Bolton wasn’t on Capitol Hill today, but he still took center stage as Democrats grilled State Department Iran coordinator Brian Hook on the Donald Trump administration’s maximum pressure policy.

Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi (C) arrives with crowds of supporters to cast his vote during the presidential election in Tehran, Iran, May 19, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RC115996ACD0

Iran chief justice dismisses 60 judges to uproot internal corruption

An iron-fisted policy against corruption promoted by Iran's new chief justice, Ebrahim Raisi, has seen 60 judges dismissed within a few weeks.

Can fiction help an anti-death penalty campaign in Iran?

A 456-page semi-autobiographical work by prominent Iranian rights activist Emadeddin Baghi aims to turn the public against the death penalty in the country.

U.S. President Donald Trump listens to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a lunch meeting with Poland's President Andrzej Duda in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 12, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC120F191060

Pompeo visits CENTCOM amid mixed messaging from US on Iran

In a strange move for a top US diplomat, Mike Pompeo visited a US military command solo to avow that the United States doesn't want war with Iran.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and head of delegation Sergey Ryabkov attend a Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) conference in Beijing of the UN Security Council's five permanent members (P5) China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, China, January 30, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/Pool - RC15C6930520

As Jerusalem meeting nears, Russia seeks ways to ease US-Iran tensions

Russia is urging the United States to cease provocations of Iran and also is seeking to persuade Tehran to stay in the nuclear deal.

Is Iran’s Reformist-moderate coalition coming to an end?

With Iran’s next parliamentary elections just eight months away, the moderates and Reformists are talking about ending their coalition, raising concerns that the hard-liners will return to power.

Iranian workers stand in front of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, about 1,200 km (746 miles) south of Tehran October 26, 2010. Iran has begun loading fuel into the core of its first nuclear power plant on Tuesday, one of the last steps to realising its stated goal of becoming a peaceful nuclear power, state-run Press TV reported on Tuesday. REUTERS/Mehr News Agency/Majid Asgaripour (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY IMAGES OF THE DAY) - GM1E6AQ1G1401

Iran says not seeking war after announcing boost in uranium stockpile

A day after announcing that its stockpile of low-enriched uranium will soon surpass limits under the nuclear deal — earning praise from across a divided domestic political spectrum — Iran says it is not seeking military confrontation with any nation.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet makes an arrested landing on the flight deck of the U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf of Oman May 22, 2019. Picture taken May 22, 2019. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Matt Herbst/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC1CD6851E40

US lines up partners to protect oil tankers after Gulf attacks

Gen. Paul Selva, the second-ranking US military officer, said today that the Donald Trump administration is asking for the help of Asian nations that import Gulf oil to help protect tankers from suspected Iranian attacks.