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August 9, 2026

Tehran 4:41 am

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif in Mecca after signing the defense pact, Aug. 7, 2026.

Analysis

How Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact puts Iran's regional strategy to test

The defense agreement is not an anti-Iran bloc, but it may reflect a deeper regional adjustment to years of Iranian asymmetric warfare as well as uncertainty over US security commitments.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump (R) meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, Feb. 11, 2025.

Analysis

Jordan shores up US lifelines as Iran targets Amman’s reliance on Washington

Already a leading recipient of US aid, Jordan has secured fresh funds from the United States as the Iran war tests Amman and Washington's partnerships.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Hussein FALEH / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As US rethinks regional presence, Israel shifts focus to destabilizing Iran

Uncertain how to interpret the American regional redeployment, Israel is focusing on efforts to destabilize the Iranian regime and stop its nuclear program.

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

Latest News

Explainer

Iran-Oman deal spurs Hormuz hopes as Red Sea threats evolve

Khaled ZIAD / AFP via Getty Images

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 fighter from the Shi'ite Badr Brigade militia wears a religious flag as he fires towards the air at a checkpoint recently taken from militants of the Islamic State outside the town of Amerli September 5, 2014. The highway, which continues south to Baghdad, is now controlled by Shi'ite militia fighters and the Kurdish Peshmerga. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTR45475

Iran's new group in Iraq: Saraya al-Khorasani

Saraya al-Khorasani appears to have more direct contact and cooperation with Iran than other groups and militias it has ties with.

Policemen work at the scene after a shooting at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo January 7, 2015. Hooded gunmen stormed the Paris offices of the weekly satirical magazine known for lampooning radical Islam, killing at least 12 people, including two police officers in the worst militant attack on French soil in recent decades. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal (FRANCE - Tags: CRIME LAW) - RTR4KFA9

Iran condemns Paris shooting, with caveat

Iran has officially condemned the attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo but also warned of "double standards" in dealing with terrorism.

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

Investors look at an electronic display board, reflected in a glass partition, at the Tehran stock exchange September 15, 2010. Picture taken September 15, 2010. While U.S. diplomats were busy upping Iran's economic punishment over nuclear activities Washington fears are aimed at making a bomb, Iranian shares, which might have been expected to fall, have, instead,

Iran's new budget to focus on privatization, subsidy reforms

Iran's economic outlook remains uncertain amid fluctuating oil prices and continuing nuclear negotiations, while officials are looking to create a law that would make the country’s state budgets independent of oil export revenue.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speak during joint statement at the Quai d'Orsay Foreign Affairs ministry in Paris November 20, 2014. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Paris for talks with the French and Saudi foreign ministers as part of a last-minute push to secure a nuclear deal with Iran. Kerry will travel to Vienna later on Thursday to participate in a conference with world powers and Iran on Tehran's nuclear programme, a spokeswoman said. REUTE

What's holding up Iran nuclear deal?

The US Congress must give diplomacy a real chance and not hinder nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (L) and Abbas Araghchi, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, stand on the balcony of Palais Coburg during a meeting between Iran and six world powers in Vienna November 22, 2014. Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China began the final round of negotiations on a nuclear deal on Tuesday. Officials close to the talks have said the two sides are unlikely to secure a final agreement and may need to extend the negotiations. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

EU: Iran nuclear talks set for Jan. 18 in Geneva

Nuclear talks between political directors from Iran and the P5+1 will be held in Geneva Jan. 18, preceded by meetings of the United States, Iran and Russia.

Iran-Iraq war photo re-enactment goes viral

The photograph, which many mistakenly believe features the children of the original veterans, is the latest of many popular Iranian efforts to keep the era's spirit of solidarity alive.

A general view taken on August 27, 2014 shows satellite dishes on balconies in northern Tehran. A new campaign has been launched by Iranian police to seize satellite dishes which are banned in Iran, the official IRNA news agency said. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran closes private TV channels for 'inciting sectarianism'

In the name of battling sectarianism, Iran has closed the offices of several private Shiite news stations.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is surrounded by security while commuting to meetings on the sidelines of the 69th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, September 25, 2014. Rouhani blamed the rise of violent extremism on "certain states" and on unidentified "intelligence agencies" and said it was up to the region to find a solution to the problem. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR47PL1

Rouhani’s referendum proposal causes stir in Iran

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has proposed direct referendums to sidestep the parliament and resolve key issues in the country.

Iranians carry the coffin of Brigadier General Hamid Taghavi, a commander of the Revolutionary Guards reportedly killed in the Iraqi city of Samarra, during his funeral in the capital Tehran on December 29, 2014. According to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the senior military officer has been killed while advising Iraqi troops in their fight against the Islamic State group. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran mourns general killed by IS in Iraq

Iranian Gen. Hamid Taghavi, killed in Iraq, played in important role in Iran's efforts in the country.

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

An Iranian protestor with his face covered with a green mask flashes the victory sign as he holds stones in his hands during clashes in central Tehran December 27, 2009. A senior Iranian police official denied a report on an opposition website that four pro-reform protesters were killed during clashes in Tehran on Sunday, the Students News Agency ISNA reported. REUTERS/Str

Iran marks anniversary of anti-Green Movement protests

The 2009 election protests in Iran continue to play a large part in politics, and their anniversaries still make headlines every year.

Hundreds of trucks bringing in diesel from Iran line up on a road as they head to the eastern province of Van in Turkey November 30, 2005. In the shadows of mountains bordering Iraq and Iran, Turkey's Hakkari province may one day be an outpost of the European Union. But for now, it feels cut off from the world. Picture taken November 30, 2005. To match feature Turkey-Southeast REUTERS/Fatih Saribas - RTR1AGOX

Turkey, Iran at war over trucking

A 1994 transportation accord has fueled Turkish-Iranian rivalry for economic and political influence in Central Asia.

Influential cleric urges reforms in Iran's Assembly of Experts

In an exclusive interview, Al-Monitor spoke with Ayatollah Asadollah Bayat-Zanjani, an Iranian marja in the city of Qom.