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May 12, 2026

Tehran 2:57 am

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A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Panamanian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

Breaking | Last Updated: May 11, 2026, 4:31 pm

US hits China-linked Iran oil trade with sanctions ahead of Trump trip

The sanctions come after the United States rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war.

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 2: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on May 2, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago resort. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

Trump calls Iran response 'piece of garbage,' set to meet military advisers

A US Navy nuclear submarine reached port in Gibraltar on Sunday in an unsubtle signal from the Pentagon.

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was not surprised by President Donald Trump’s suspension of Project Freedom and move toward talks with Iran, but analysts say Washington may not be fully weighing Israel's concerns in negotiations with Tehran.

Latest News

China’s overland trade routes offer Iran wartime economic lifeline: What to know

CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Why Iran's wartime behavior risks lasting rupture with Gulf states

A woman walks past a banner featuring Iran's late supreme leaders, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C), next to newly elected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in Tehran on April 19, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images.

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

US strikes Iran tankers as UAE reports fresh missile, drone attacks

Getty

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

A poster depicting Saad al-Hariri, who has resigned as Lebanon's prime minister is seen in Beirut, Lebanon, November 14, 2017. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi - RC1AA8425E00

How Riyadh orchestrated its own downfall in Lebanon

Saudi Arabia's policy shift toward Lebanon in trying to curb Hezbollah's power has failed miserably and made Saad Hariri the most popular Lebanese leader.

Iranian Executive Vice President Hamid Baghai (2nd R) speaks with a delegation after his meeting with Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi (not pictured) at the presidential in Cairo, August 8, 2012. Mursi was invited by Baghai to a Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran, held from August 30-31. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS) - GM2E8881MC801

Ahmadinejad’s former VP takes refuge in holy shrine

Former Iranian Vice President Hamid Baghaei took refuge in a historic shrine to avoid a court case over likely corruption charges.

Customers use computers at an internet cafe in Tehran May 9, 2011. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and countless others were banned shortly after the re-election of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the huge street protests that followed. Seen by the government as part of a "soft war" waged by the enemies of the Islamic Republic, social networking and picture sharing sites were a vital communication tool for the anti-Ahmadinejad opposition -- more than a year before they played a similar rol

Inside the world of social media advertising in Iran

Entering a new phase, Iranian entrepreneurs turn to social media to boost their brands and sell products.

Iran: Hariri sought to mediate between Tehran, Riyadh

Iran’s president strongly criticized Saudi Arabia over its reported role in the Lebanese prime minister’s resignation.

Iranian authorities scramble to deal with quake aftermath

Al-Monitor travels to the towns of western Iran, where a 7.3 magnitude earthquake has left at least 452 dead and many more homeless.

Putin-Trump statement on Syria contradicts Erdogan’s calculations

A joint statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump that there is no military solution in Syria infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Israel in no hurry to enter Saudi-Lebanese fray

Israel is not at all interested in opening a front against Hezbollah just to please Saudi Arabia.

Border crossings deepen Baghdad-Erbil conflict

Baghdad insists on taking control of the Kurdistan Region's border crossings with Turkey and Iran, while authorities in Erbil refuse to hand them over to Baghdad.

Iran, Turkey divide Saudi-led bloc

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is opposed to plans by the other members of the Anti-Terror Quartet to confront Iran and Hezbollah in the Levant, to maintain Lebanon's relatively stable position.

An Airbus A321 painted in IranAir's livery rests on the tarmac as the company takes delivery of the first new Western jet under an international sanctions deal in Colomiers, near Toulouse, France, January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau - LR1ED1B13U7DL

Congress moves bill jeopardizing Iran nuclear deal

New legislation could violate the JCPOA by impeding aircraft sales to Iran.

A man reacts as he looks at a damaged building following an earth quake in Sarpol-e Zahab county in Kermanshah, Iran November 13, 2017. REUTERS/Tasnim News Agency ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1197D36C20

Iranian media blames Ahmadinejad for quake deaths

Iranian Reformist media outlets are pointing the finger at former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the high death toll from the recent earthquake in the western part of the country.

Iran's path to becoming an LNG exporter

Iran is taking steps to export liquefied natural gas after having previous ambitions to do so scuttled by sanctions.