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Iran

April 10, 2026

Tehran 5:02 am

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Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting regarding the situation in the Middle East on April 7, 2026, in New York City. A vote on a resolution in the Security Council introduced by Bahrain focusing on reopening the Strait of Hormuz failed after opposition from Russia and China. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Analysis

Sanctions relief, Pakistan role propel China backing of Iran-US ceasefire

The US–Iran truce boosts Pakistan — one of China’s closest partners — by elevating its role as a mediator and strengthening a regional balance that favors Beijing’s allies.

Joyce Karam

By Joyce Karam , Rosaleen Carroll

TOPSHOT - People watch from a street as a tall smoke plume billows following an explosion in the Fujairah industrial zone on March 3, 2026. Iran's strikes on Gulf neighbours since February 28, following the US-Israeli attack, forced the UAE to shut its airspace, blindsiding travellers who thought they were headed to one of the region's safest holiday destinations. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)

UAE says no more 'niceties' with Iran, seeks clarity on fragile truce terms

The UAE said Iran must pay “compensation” for damages incurred during the conflict.

United Arab Emirates

This picture taken on April 9, 2026, shows the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Basta neighbourhood of Beirut the day before. Calls were mounting for the ceasefire between the US and Iran to be extended to Israel's war with Hezbollah, after a massive wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed more than 200 people. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon rejects Iran negotiating on its behalf, PM says only Beirut handles talks

Israel launched its largest attack against Lebanon in the war, firing over 160 munitions across the country. At least 203 people were killed and 1,072 injured, while 33 remain missing, authorities said.

Iranians hold national flags as they gather in Tehran's Revolution Square after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, on April 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

Ceasefire or strategic pause? How Iran is framing war narrative amid deep mistrust

Beneath the surface of official messaging, a more complex and uneasy reality is emerging — one defined by lingering mistrust, hard-line dissent and uncertainty over what comes next.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Iran hits Gulf, threatens truce as Israel escalates in Lebanon: What to know

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire following an Israeli strike at the Corniche al-Mazraa neighbourhood of Beirut on April 8, 2026.

Analysis

How fast can Gulf energy production rebound after US-Iran ceasefire?

picture of Qatar Energy's operating facilities on March 3, 2026, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Trump ceasefire leaves Netanyahu flustered as Iran gains politically

TOPSHOT - Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, in Tehran, on April 8 2026. The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday barely an hour before US President Donald Trump's deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /

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

Trump agrees to halt war for 2 weeks if Iran reopens Hormuz

President Donald Trump pauses as he finishes speaking about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington.

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

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also seen on a television monitor, addresses the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York October 1, 2013. Netanyahu said on Tuesday the only way to peacefully stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons is to combine tough sanctions with a credible military threat and that Israel was ready to stand alone in defending itself. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FHF1

Netanyahu tweet a low point in international discourse

The Israeli prime minister's insulting of Iran on Twitter shouldn't derail the Iran nuclear talks in Geneva.

NOOSH ABAD, IRAN - NOVEMBER 13: Iranian Shiite Muslims enact the story of killing Imam Hussein during the annual religious performance of "Taazieh" November 13, 2013 in Noosh Abad near the central city of Kashan, Iran. The event marks the mourning period of Ashura commemorations, in which Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam's Prophet Mohammed, was killed by armies of the caliph Yazid near Karbala in 680 AD. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Ashoura puts Iranian politics in context

The martyrdom of Imam Hussein permeates all aspects of Iranian life.

Human rights overlooked in nuclear talks

While the UN negotiates with Iran over the country's nuclear program, human rights is not on the agenda

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation Ali Akbar Salehi (L) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano, shakes hands under portraits of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L) and Iran's founder of Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (R), following their meeting in Tehran on November 11, 2013. Amano arrived in the Iranian capital to discuss Iran's nuclear programme after top world diplomats fail to clinch a long-sought deal to curb Tehran's nuclear act

Iran slows nuclear advances in possible goodwill gesture

Taken together, Iran’s pledge of new cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the slowdown in its overall nuclear program could facilitate agreement next week in Geneva.

Iranians embrace foreign cuisine

Foreign restaurants in Tehran are thriving despite international sanctions.

Al Ahli fans take part in a protest march in front of the general prosecutor's office in Cairo November 6, 2013. The protesters were calling for the release of their fellow fans, who were arrested earlier last month during clashes with security personnel as the club's handball team returned from Morocco after winning silver in the African Champions League handball tournament. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: SPORT HANDBALL CIVIL UNREST) - RTX152G1

Arab societies must build 'citizen-states'

The Arab state system needs to better apply to concepts of civil society.

Iranians slam France on nuclear talks

Iranian media, politicians and citizens have reacted harshly to what they perceive as French obstructionism in the nuclear negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) walks with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat into Kerry's third meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah June 30, 2013. Kerry squeezed in final meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Sunday as he wrapped up a fifth peace-brokering visit to the region with little sign of progress. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX116RH

Palestinians play resignation card to protest Israeli settlements

Unable to break off the talks, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to reshuffle his negotiating team to send a message to Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton speak during the third day of closed-door nuclear talks at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva November 9, 2013. REUTERS/Jean-Christophe Bott/Pool (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTX156EI

Iran’s red line on enrichment

Forget France and Israel; talks are probably stuck on Iran’s insistence on its right to enrich uranium on its own soil.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry steps aboard his aircraft en route to Geneva, after holding private talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv November 8, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX1553K

Will Israel wag the dog on Iran?

The Obama administration is struggling to make the case that Israel will benefit from a nuclear deal with Iran.

An Iranian dress designer checks the fit of a veil on a bride at a high fashion studio in north Tehran October 2, 2007. Wearing the all-enveloping chador (veil) or a headscarf and loose-fitting full-length coat is obligatory under Sharia law, imposed after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Offenders face fines, whipping or jail. But that has not stopped image-conscious Iranian women and a growing number are going under the knife for new noses, tummy tucks, liposuction, lifting eyelids or breast augmentation. Pic

Iranians question tradition on sex, virginity and marriage

While more traditional families still insist that a woman must be a virgin before marriage, some men are questioning the custom.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (obscured) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (4th R) arrive at a news conference at the end of the Iranian nuclear talks in Geneva November 10, 2013. Zarif and Ashton said on Sunday they hoped Iran and six world powers would reach an agreement when they gather again in 10 days, adding that the latest round of talks on Tehran's nuclear programme was something all delegations can build on. REUTERS/Jason Reed (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS)

Iran and the two Genevas

There is widespread understanding that a nuclear deal on Iran will facilitate progress on Syria.