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May 7, 2026

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Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on May 6, 2026. Credit: Telegram

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

China understands how badly Trump wants an exit from the conflict. But timing is critical: if no agreement is reached before Trump arrives in China on Thursday, Beijing would be better positioned to set the agenda.

Joyce Karam

An Iranian woman holds up an image of Iran's new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

Iran president says he held official meeting with Mojtaba Khamenei: What to know

The president’s announcement marks the first public confirmation of a meeting between a senior official and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly since the start of the war.

Latest News

Iran, China discuss Hormuz reopening amid potential US-Iran talks

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second right, talks to his Iranian Counterpart Abbas Araghchi, left, during the bilateral meeting in Beijing, Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

Rubio warns Iran of 'total defeat' if it refuses deal

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on May 5, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Analysis

Iran's Gulf gambit: Attacking the UAE to shift US calculations

A billboard with the image of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wraps the front of a building in Tehran on May 5, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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 President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a news conference with Iraq's President Barham Salih (not pictured) at Salam Palace in Baghdad, Iraq March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC1E8AE10620

Rouhani’s Iraq visit raises important questions for Israel

Does Israel see Rouhani's visit to Iraq as strengthening his hand in Iran? One answer could be that while Rouhani was in Baghdad, hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi was elected deputy chief of the Assembly of Experts.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is seen during a meeting with tribal leaders in Kerbala, Iraq, March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-Deen - RC18FCCF2B90

What Rouhani’s visit to Iraq tells us about Iran’s Syria policy

The Iranian president’s recent visit to Iraq and a possible first trip to Syria since his taking office in 2013 indicate a growing role for the Rouhani administration on regional files.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a meeting with tribal leaders in Kerbala, Iraq, March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-Deen - RC1138FEB880

Rouhani wants criminal cases against US officials over sanctions

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has floated the idea of lodging criminal cases against US officials over sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Tal Afar wary and wedged between Iran, Turkey and PKK

The Turkmen-majority city of Tal Afar remains sparsely populated and wary of outsiders a year and a half after being taken from the Islamic State. Geopolitical considerations and the nearby presence of the PKK, the Syrian border, the desert and mountains mean that operations continue in the area despite apparent calm.

Part of a campaign poster of Benny Gantz, a former Israeli armed forces chief and the head of a new political party, Israel Resilience, is seen in Jerusalem, January 29, 2019 REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC14E2E1BA00

How Iran interferes in Israel’s election campaign

The Israeli press published a report last week claiming that the cell phone of Blue and White leader Benny Gantz was hacked by Iran. Now it seems that former Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s cell phone was also targeted by Iranian intelligence.

Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), speaks during an electoral rally for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region on April 29, 2018. (Photo by SAFIN HAMED / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

Barzani: Russia key to settlement between Assad and Syrian Kurds

Manbij leaders prefer the United States, but would rather deal with Russia and Syria than Turkey; Amberin Zaman gets exclusive access to a prison for IS terrorists; did HTS force the resignation of a Syrian opposition leader?; Syrians protest Turkish truckers; Rouhani’s meeting with Sistani is "crowning achievement" of trip to Iraq.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pauses as he speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, U.S., March 15, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC1A4CD7AAF0

Pompeo to push anti-Iran message in trip to Kuwait, Israel, Lebanon

In his trip to Israel and Lebanon this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will emphasize the threat from Iran and Iranian-backed proxies.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shakes hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) during a photo opportunity ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi - RC1353D19310

Iran, India eye closer cooperation amid tensions with Pakistan

Rising tensions between Iran and Pakistan is pushing decision-makers in Tehran and New Delhi closer to each other, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the region.

Goods wait to be loaded on dhows bound for Iran along the creek in old Dubai, United Arab Emirates November 5, 2018. Picture taken November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Christopher Pike - RC1B41189A80

Trump officials warn more Iran sanctions are coming

State and Treasury department experts today warned a roomful of businesspeople that trade that is legal now may not be in the near future.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visits the shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf, Iraq, March 13, 2019 . REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RC1527D5C9D0

Iranian media: Sistani's meeting with Rouhani endorsement of ‘moderation’

President Hassan Rouhani’s audience with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani signaled an approval of the president’s moderate positions both at home and abroad, according to Iranian media.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran

A clergyman sits at his bookshop in Tabriz historic market, 633 km (393 miles) northwest of Tehran, early morning August 28, 2011. The Tabriz market was located along the Silk Road trade route and comprised of interlinked structures and spaces for various commercial, religious and educational uses. This market has been registered as a UNESCO heritage site on July 31, accord

Can books be used for punishment?

The sentencing of a veteran Iranian dissident to a jail term and to copy three books by hand has brought the phenomenon of “alternative sentences” to the fore.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waves after meeting Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf, Iraq, March 13, 2019 . REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RC1B33559E30

Sistani to Rouhani: Iraq's sovereignty must be respected

Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the Iraqi city of Najaf, where Sistani stressed the necessity of respecting Iraq's sovereignty.