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March 27, 2026

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US President Donald Trump attends the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner at Union Station on March 25, 2026, in Washington, DC.

Analysis

In familiar standoff, US and Iranian demands leave little room for deal

What were already difficult negotiations before the war have grown even more fraught under Iran's new hard-line leadership.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

A handing over of command ceremony at Union III Camp in the Green Zone of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on May 22, 2025.

Turkey confirms Iraq troop withdrawal as NATO pulls back due to Iran war

The confirmation of the withdrawal came as part of NATO’s decision to withdraw its forces in its Iraq mission amid Iran war.

Tangsiri

Who was Alireza Tangsiri, Iranian IRGC naval chief said killed by Israel?

Tangsiri played a key role in Iran’s operations in the Strait of Hormuz and has a long history of antagonizing the US.

Latest News

Trump says Iran’s 'gift' was allowing 10 oil ships through Hormuz

US President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC.

No ships transit Hormuz as Iran plans safe-passage tolls: What to know

This photograph shows the Malta-flagged container ship CMA CGM "pollon Valletta and the Panamean-flagged Wood Chips carrier Green Sapphire in the sea in Fos-sur-Mer, southern France, on March 25, 2026.

In Lebanon, deadline looms for expelling Iran envoy amid Hezbollah pushback

FADEL itani / AFP via Getty Images

Russia evacuates 160 staff from Iran's Bushehr plant: What to know

A picture taken on Nov. 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

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

U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (standing, L-R), Vice President Mike Pence and Staff Secretary Rob Porter welcomes reporters into the Oval Office for him to sign his first executive orders at the White House in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSWLVK

Iranian conservative, Reformist media jointly lash out at Trump’s planned visa ban

Donald Trump’s reported decision to at least temporarily ban Iranians from entering the United States has angered Iranians, leading a prominent actress to boycott the upcoming Academy Awards. Meanwhile, Iranian media are warning the government to prepare for the new US administration’s other possibly punitive measures.

An Iranian anti-narcotics policeman stands guard beside a display of confiscated drugs during a ceremony concluding anti-narcotics manoeuvres in Zahedan, 1,605 kilometers (1,003 miles) southeast of Tehran May 20, 2009. The head of the U.N. crime agency praised Iran during a visit on Wednesday for curbing the flow of smuggled heroin from Afghanistan and helping keep the drug off Western streets. Picture taken May 20, 2009. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN CRIME LAW POLITICS SOCIETY) - RTXKL1B

Debate over sterilizing homeless women addicts resurfaces in Iran

A proposal to sterilize homeless women who are addicted to drugs has stirred heated debate in Iran again, with conservatives using the issue to attack President Hassan Rouhani's administration.

King Salman of Saudi Arabia (front L) is pictured with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (front R) during a family photo session at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Istanbul Summit in Istanbul, Turkey April 14, 2016. Picture taken April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Onur Coban/Pool - RTX2A4TB

Are Iran, Saudi Arabia about to reconcile?

News has surfaced of Saudi King Salman having sent condolences after the death of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, as Kuwait’s foreign minister visits Tehran to reportedly deliver a message from the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) speaks during a news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in Baghdad, July 27, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad - RTX1M0DA

Will Iraq succeed in bringing Iran, Saudi Arabia closer?

Iraq has been stepping up its mediation efforts to achieve a Saudi-Iranian reconciliation amid a conducive political and economic environment.

An Iranian man holds a local newspaper displaying a portrait of Donald Trump a day after his election as the new US president, in the capital Tehran, on November 10, 2016.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on November 9 there was "no possibility" of its nuclear deal with world powers being overturned by US president-elect Donald Trump despite his threat to rip it up.

/ AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranians believe Trump will violate nuclear deal

A new poll shows Iranian dissatisfaction with economic gains since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action went into effect and apprehension about the policies of the new Trump administration.

Top Iranian cleric Ahmad Khatami (L) speaks with former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani during an opening session of the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body that supervises the performance of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran August 29, 2006.
REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN) - RTR1GSC2

Who will replace Rafsanjani as chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council?

The question of who will replace Rafsanjani as the chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council is being discussed in the Iranian media following the ayatollah's Jan. 8 death.

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

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, delivers the opening speech during the biannual meeting of the assembly in Tehran September 22, 2009. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN POLITICS) - RTR284SA

Will Rafsanjani’s death draw Iran, Egypt farther apart?

As Egypt paid its condolences to the death of former Iranian President Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, many observers do not expect Rafsanjani's death to affect the rapprochement attempts between both countries.

President-elect Donald Trump, left, and President Barack Obama arrive for Trump's inauguration ceremony at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S. January 20, 2017. REUTERS/J. Scott Applewhite/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSWLA4

Iranians ponder Obama’s legacy with rise of Trump

Barack Obama’s departure from the White House leaves Iranians divided about his legacy, with some calling his presidency a "great opportunity for Iran that is now gone."

U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence (L) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (R), looks up while signing an executive order on the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTSWZZR

Is Trump hoping for another Ahmadinejad in Tehran?

Iranian media paid less than expected attention to President Trump’s inauguration as it was busy covering the aftermath of the deadly collapse of a high-rise in Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem January 22, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTSWSD2

Israeli security establishment to Netanyahu: Don't touch Iran deal

Contrary to the opinion of Israel’s security establishment, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers asking President Donald Trump to abandon the nuke agreement with Iran.

Referee Benjamin Williams of Australia shows the red card following a second yellow card to Iran's Mehrdad Pooladi (not pictured) next to Iraq players as Iran's Masoud Shojaei (R) reacts during their Asian Cup quarter-final soccer match at the Canberra stadium in Canberra January 23, 2015. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne (AUSTRALIA - Tags: SOCCER SPORT) - RTR4MKIY

Iranian soccer players face intensified crackdown

A recent string of suspensions of soccer players for discussing corruption and taking pictures with female fans stirs controversy in Iran.

Lebanese Hezbollah supporters carry a replica of Hezbollah emblem during a religious procession to mark Ashura in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RTSRWQ6

After Aleppo victory, what's next for Hezbollah?

With recent military victories in the Syrian war, Hezbollah has consolidated its political power and influence in Lebanon as well as in the greater region.