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August 9, 2026

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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

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

Israel views extension of Iran talks as lesser of two evils

Israel's attitude, favoring no nuclear agreement with Iran over a bad one, resulted in it being denied any direct influence on this phase of the negotiations, even if some of its worries are legitimate and shared by the US Congress.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (LtoR) pose for photographers before a meeting in Vienna November 24, 2014. Iran, the United States and other world powers are all but certain to miss Monday's deadline for negotiations to resolve a 12-year stand-off over Tehran's atomic ambitions, forcing them to seek an extension, sources say. The ta

Iran leader: Nuclear issue won’t bring Iran to its knees

Reactions have been mixed inside Iran to the announced extension of the nuclear talks as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains defiant.

Representative Ed Royce (R-CA) leaves a Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington August 1, 2014. A bill to fund border security blew up in House Speaker John Boehner's face on Thursday, leaving Republicans in disarray and struggling to reconcile Tea Party demands with the need to deal with a humanitarian crisis on the southwestern border with Mexico. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY IMMIGRATION) - RTR40XQR

Sanctions talk heats up after second extension to Iran talks

Lawmakers are making the case for a new round of sanctions in a Republican-controlled Congress.

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

An Iranian woman stands in a currency exchange shop in northern Tehran January 3, 2012. The Iranian rial fell to a record low against the dollar on Tuesday following U.S. President Barack Obama signing a bill on imposing fresh sanctions against the country's central bank. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS) - RTR2VU75

Iran's private sector eager for nuclear deal

Iran's private sector has high hopes for a comprehensive nuclear deal, as it predicts economic growth and stability as the outcome.

Gold bars are stacked at a safe deposit room of the ProAurum gold house in Munich March 6, 2014. Gold was flat on Thursday as diplomatic efforts to cool the Ukraine crisis depressed demand for assets seen as safe, but the metal found support above $1,330 an ounce from weak U.S. economic data and ahead of a key employment report. REUTERS/Michael Dalder(GERMANY - Tags: BUSINESS COMMODITIES SOCIETY) - RTR3G4CM

Tehran's missing $14 billion

Iranian investigation of the gold trade with Turkey, and Tehran’s pursuit of its missing $14 billion, are likely to strain bilateral ties.

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

Embattled Rouhani struggles to find allies in parliament

President Hassan Rouhani has had a contentious relationship with his conservative parliament, and steps to form a moderate faction have been slow.

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters during a rare public appearance at an Ashoura ceremony in Beirut's southern suburbs November 3, 2014. REUTERS/Khalil Hassan (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION) - RTR4COLH

Recent events a good sign for Lebanon

Developments among parties in Lebanon as well as between Iran and the P5+1 might ultimately lead to solutions to Lebanon's current political stalemate.

Head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards force, General Mohammad Ali Jaafari speaks at a University during Friday prayers in Tehran November 23, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTX3YZH

IRGC commander: nuclear deal no retreat from 'values'

The commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says a nuclear agreement will not be a retreat from Iran's revolutionary and Islamic values.

A City worker passes a branch of Iranian owned Persia Bank International in London December 22, 2011. Hit by international sanctions, the Iranian banks in London linger on, unable to take on new business. The pressure on them is rising. Last month, the UK forbid its banks to do any business with Iranian banks after a new report from a nuclear watchdog highlighted further concerns about the possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear programme. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor (BRITAIN - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS)

Economist: Iran doesn’t understand sanctions structure

As Iranian officials demand that all sanctions be dropped in a nuclear deal, one Iranian economic analyst explains why this is unlikely and how poorly the complex issue is understood in Iran.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
Iranian Air Force soldiers march in formation during the Army Day military parade in Tehran April 18, 2011. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR2LCZL

Khamenei says world relies on Iran’s armed forces

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has encouraged young officers to "elevate Iran’s military organization" by taking advantage of the country’s scientific abilities, as "the world counts on" Iran's military.

Iran nuclear deal could be key to resolving region’s conflicts

Iran has signaled a willingness to engage in Iraq and Syria.

Iran official: US proposals in Oman 'back to zero'

The head of Iran's parliamentary nuclear committee said that an eight-page proposal by the United States takes the nuclear talks "back to zero."