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August 3, 2026

Tehran 11:55 pm

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US President Donald Trump (C) is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport on Oct. 13, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Analysis

Lacking leverage over Trump, Israel stays quiet on US-Iran talks

Realizing it has little to no influence over President Donald Trump’s decision-making, the Israeli government has remained silent on the possibility of the United States and Iran resuming negotiations.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listen to questions from the press during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland, on July 31, 2026.

US military options narrow as Trump calls off Iran strikes: What to know

Left with few good military options that won't risk triggering major Iranian regional retaliation, American officials aim to return to the negotiating table with arguably fewer cards.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L), Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (2nd L) and Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi (R) attend a meeting in Muscat, Oman, on June 22, 2026.

Explainer

Iran-Oman Hormuz route talks near 'completion': What to know

The new framework would give Iran a greater role in managing one of the world’s most strategically important maritime choke points.

This photograph shows a banner featuring photos of Iranian protesters allegedly killed by the regime during a demonstration at the Ergife Palace Hotel to condemn the silence of Western governments in the face of the growing wave of Iranian political executions, in Rome, on July 16, 2026.

Iran hangs 2 over alleged Mossad ties as executions mount: What to know

Rights groups have warned that Iran may step up executions with the resumption of the war in the region.

Latest News

Oil falls 5% after Trump calls off Iran strikes, says Hormuz deal agreed

SAEED KHAN / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

How strike on Damietta port exposes Egypt's energy infrastructure risks

An Egyptian man looks at the Qatari Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carrier "Duhail" as its passes through the Suez Canal near the Egyptian port city of Ismailia on April 1, 2008. The vessel has a capacity of 210,100 cu.m making it one of the largest LNG carriers constructed to date. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

How Hamas disarmament deal may test Iran's regional strategy

Palestinian Hamas militants arrive to secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), search for the last two remaining bodies of hostages -an Israeli soldier and a Thai national- from under the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern of Gaza Strip on Dec. 1, 2025.

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 men holding a picture Bahraini Shiite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim (R) and a caricature of the Saudi king, participate in an anti-Saudi demonstration in the capital Tehran on September 9, 2016.
With Iranians barred from the annual hajj pilgrimage, thousands protested in Tehran and officials criticised Saudi Arabia's refusal to discuss last year's deadly stampede during which more than 400 Iranians were among the nearly 2,300 pilgrims that were killed. The writing on the posters in Arabic read "Malicious

Iranian commander offers rare advice

The special military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has called for Tehran to strengthen ties with the Gulf states and avoid increasing tensions with Saudi Arabia.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gestures to photographers after meeting with Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Nusa Dua, Bali November 9, 2012. Ahmadinejad said on Thursday the age of nuclear deterrence was long gone and any country still stockpiling nuclear weapons was "mentally retarded". He again denied Iran was trying to develop nuclear weapons, a day after the re-election victory of U.S. President Barack Obama, for whom Tehran's disputed nuclear programme will be one of the thorn

How Iran’s Ahmadinejad plans to propel political comeback

In addition to opposition from the public and the Reformists, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faces antagonism within his own Principlist camp.

Shi'ite fighters launch artillery toward Islamic State militants in al-Fatha, northeast of Baiji, October 18, 2015. Iraqi forces backed by Shi'ite militia fighters say they have retaken a mountain palace complex of former President Saddam Hussein from Islamic State fighters, as government forces push ahead on a major offensive against the insurgents. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTS4YZX

Rise of Iran-backed militias jeopardizes US aid to Iraq

US law prohibits military assistance unless Baghdad reins in PMU.

Shiite Muslim pilgrims, mostly from Iran, walk near the shrine of Imam Abbas on Arafah day, referring to a prayer performed by Shiites in Saudi Arabia's Arafat plain on the second day of hajj, on September 11, 2016 in the holy Iraqi city of Karbala, 80 kilometres south of the capital Baghdad.
Barred from Mecca amid an escalating spat between Tehran and Saudi Arabia, masses of Iranian Shiite faithful have converged on the holy Iraqi city of Karbala for an alternative pilgrimage. The row that has prevented I

Saudi Arabia launches Persian-language hajj TV program for Iranians

The Muslim festival to mark Eid al-Adha has done little to reduce tensions between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.

A picture taken on September 17, 2014 shows a partial view of Lar dam's reservoir located some 70 kms northeast of the capital Tehran, at the foot of Damavand mountain, in the town of Damavand. The Iranian authorities have warned and urged the people of Tehran to drastically reduce their water consumption, as three of the five dams supplying the capital are almost empty. AFP PHOTO/ISNA/HAMIDREZA DASJJERDI (Photo credit should read HAMIDREZA DASTJERDI/AFP/Getty Images)

Water pressure plummets in Tehran

After years of warnings about an impending water crisis, Tehranis are experiencing dramatic drops in water pressure and now face the likely prospect of water rationing.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov look toward one another during a press conference following their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland where they discussed the crisis in Syria September 9, 2016.REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTSN26D

Iran wary groups might use Syria cease-fire to rearm

Iranian officials have welcomed the Syria cease-fire agreement but have warned that it may be used by armed opposition groups to rearm and resupply.

Flames rise from Saudi Arabia's embassy after it was stormed by Iranian protesters during a demonstration in Tehran, Iran, January 2, 2016. REUTERS/TIMA/Mehdi Ghasemi/ISNA/File Photo 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

Are Saudis open to rapprochement with Iran?

Despite a war of words between Iran and Saudi Arabia and other tensions, some observers believe relations between Riyadh and Tehran could improve.

Anti-Wahhabism spreading in Muslim world

The Shiism-Wahhabism conflict is expanding among other Islamic denominations, as several Sunni schools are taking actions against Wahhabism.

An aircraft fires missiles during the Northern Thunder exercises, in Hafr Al-Batin, near Saudi Arabia's border with Iraq, March 10, 2016. REUTERS/Abedullah al-Desori EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE - RTSA6JM

Will 9/11 lawsuit vote sabotage US arms sales to Riyadh?

The Obama administration has offered to sell Saudi Arabia a record $115 billion in weapons. Does the Sept. 9 vote to allow the families of terrorist victims to sue the kingdom mean an end to business as usual?

Former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, recently released from an Iranian prison, steps out of the plane piloted by Mike Karnowski (R), as he arrives at an airport in Flint, Michigan January 21, 2016. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook - RTX23GEV

How US cash payments story played out in Iran

While Washington’s $1.7 billion payment to Iran caused controversy in the US, it was a non-story in Iran.

U.S. President Barack Obama's daughters Sasha (L) and Malia arrive with their parents to board Air Force One for travel to Massachusetts for their annual vacation at Martha's Vineyard, from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. August 6, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTSLFBL

Why are Iranian web trolls targeting Malia Obama?

In Iran, prominent actors and sportsmen urge netizens to join a campaign to block trolls as online hate appears to increasingly spiral out of control.

One of the five military vessels from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps that approached a U.S. warship hosting one of America's top generals on a day trip through the Strait of Hormuz is pictured in this July 11, 2016 handout photo. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY - RTSHLRW

Does Iranian law green light encounters with US warships?

The legal arguments underpinning US and Iranian views on the Law of the Sea should not be overlooked as tensions once again mount over the passage of US military vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.