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Iran

March 11, 2026

Tehran 11:48 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

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

Intel: Why Russia dispatched top diplomat to Tehran

Russia dispatched one of its leading diplomats to Tehran this week to urge the Iranians to back off their threat to resume nuclear activities in retaliation for the US “maximum pressure” campaign.

Iranians shocked as former Tehran mayor confesses to killing wife

Iranians are in a state of disbelief after a former senior Reformist politician and mayor of Tehran confessed to killing his wife in one of the most high-profile criminal cases in the country’s recent history.

Why Iran needs China to act on far more than oil imports

China may be defying US sanctions by likely resuming limited oil imports from Iran, but even that is a largely symbolic move unless Beijing also steps up non-oil trade with Tehran.

Egypt boosts ties with Gulf countries amid Iranian threats

Egypt has expressed concerns over the growing Iranian threats in the region, fearing it might affect navigation in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

After decades, Iran, Iraq ready to dredge the Shatt al-Arab

Iran and Iraq hope to revive the Shatt al-Arab as a source of clean water as well as a generator of increased commerce and tourism.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks about the nuclear deal in Tehran, Iran May 8, 2018 in this still image taken from video. IRINN/Reuters TV via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. IRAN OUT. TV RESTRICTIONS: BROADCASTERS: No Use Iran. No Use BBC Persian. No Use Manoto. No Use VOA Persian. DIGITAL: No Use Iran. No Use BBC Persian. No Use Manoto. No Use VOA Persian. For Reuters customers only. - RC1F80659CA0

US 'maximum pressure' changing Iranian attitudes toward nuclear program

Amid rising anti-Americanism in Iran, attitudes are hardening, even among moderate elites, with some now espousing the use of the nuclear program as a deterrent.

U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a news conference with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo, Japan, May 27, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1B9AAE6980

Skeptics wary as Trump appears to ease off Iran

The tense rhetoric between Tehran and Washington appears to be settling down after US President Donald Trump asserted that he is not pursuing regime change, but his latest remarks were received with skepticism in Iran.

Members of the Iraqi pro-government Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary forces gather in a street in the modern town of Hatra, near the eponymous UNESCO-listed ancient city, southwest of the northern city of Mosul, on April 28, 2017.
Iraqi forces retook the town of Hatra, southwest of Mosul, on the third day of an operation that saw them wrest back the archeological site from the Islamic State group. The ancient city is one of the heritage jewels of Iraq and was damaged by IS after they too

PMU economic offices undermine fragile stability in Mosul

The Popular Mobilization Units are spreading their economic influence in Mosul after playing a main part in the city's liberation.

Iranian reformist MP, Mostafa Kavakebian, poses after registering his candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections at the ministry of interior in the capital Tehran on April 14, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran's Reformists push for constitutional amendments

Reformist parliamentarians are pushing for a third round of constitutional amendments since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Zarif seeks help from Pakistan

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visits Islamabad with an eye toward receiving help in dealing with Iran's economic woes and its issues with Washington and Riyadh.

A woman uses her mobile phone to take picture of the damage created by debris, after ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi militia, fell at a house in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RC13CCD3D530

Trump declares Iran emergency to bypass Congress on Gulf arms sales

The Donald Trump administration cited Iran as the justification to invoke emergency powers to transfer arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over congressional objections.

U. S. sailors watch the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in Arabian Sea, May 17, 2019. Picture taken May 17, 2019. Nicholas R. Boris/U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS- THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC11514055E0

US says Gulf troop surge ‘defensive in nature’

The Pentagon announced it will send additional US forces to the Middle East, but whether this is a smart defensive move or an unnecessary escalation of tensions with Iran remains to be seen.