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June 26, 2026

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Vance

Analysis

Vance turning us into 'punching bag': Israel fumes over alleged IRGC-CENTCOM channel in Doha

The US-Iran decision to launch direct talks between the IRGC and CENTCOM in Qatar deepens the rift between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while heightening Israeli fears that Washington is shifting toward Doha and Tehran.

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

A fan waves a Pride flag before the game between the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers at Lumen Field on June 3, 2023, in Seattle, Washington.

Culture

FIFA rejects Egypt, Iran objections, allows Pride flags at World Cup match

The Egyptian and Iranian football bodies previously raised objections over the match to FIFA.

Responders arrive to a demolished building at San Bernardino after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela.

Israel, Turkey, Iran offer aid as Venezuela’s 2 quakes kill at least 188

Iran, Turkey and Israel were among the first countries to offer assistance to earthquake-hit Venezuela despite their varying diplomatic relationships with Caracas.

Latest News

Explainer

Bombed sites, missing uranium: How Trump’s Iran deal hinges on inspector access

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Explainer

After UAE and Qatar, could Iraq be next to leave OPEC?

A worker at a market for fuel oil and automotive fuel on March 17, 2026, in Erbil, Iraq.

Iran rejects Trump's claim frozen funds will buy US soybeans: What to know

Speaker of the Parliament of Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) arrives at the Burgenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne on June 21, 2026.

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. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif after a ceremony at the United Nations in Geneva November 24, 2013. Iran and six world powers reached a breakthrough agreement early on Sunday to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief, in a first step towards resolving a dangerous decade-old standoff. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTX15QLU

Iran and the nuclear agreement: Trust but verify

Three senior former diplomats from the United States and Iran write that the interim agreement with Iran can lead to progress not only on the nuclear file but also in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Baluch Sunni woman elected mayor is first for Iran

The election of the first female mayor by the city council of Kalat in the Sistan-Baluchistan province can open doors for many other woman in a province where woman face societal discrimination.

Musicians perform on stage in Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity, the site revered as the birthplace of Jesus, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem December 1, 2013. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: RELIGION) - RTX1605A

Bethlehem gets assist from UNESCO for Christmas season

UNESCO's recognition of the Church of the Nativity as an Endangered World Heritage site has brought much needed funds to revamp the once-popular tourist destination.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (2nd R) arrives for talks over Iran's nuclear programme in Geneva November 22, 2013. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTX15OC8

The other Iranian breakthrough

The rhetoric from Iran about Israel is still unacceptable, but the nuclear deal, while not perfect, offers Israel a chance for a diminished Iranian threat.

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (2nd L) listens to Russia's President Vladimir Putin (3rd L) as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and Israel's President Shimon Peres (R) sit beside them during an unveiling ceremony for a monument commemorating the victory of the Soviet Red Army in World War Two in the coastal city of Netanya, north of Tel Aviv June 25, 2012. Peres on Monday urged visiting Putin to take steps to avert the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran and to stop the bloodshed in Syria

Israel’s foreign minister: 'We welcomed the agreement with Syria'

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman discusses US-Russian cooperation in the Middle East, Iran and Syria, and US-Israeli ties.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens to a question during a joint news conference with his Italian counterpart Enrico Letta at the end of a bilateral meeting at Villa Madama in Rome December 2, 2013. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (ITALY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX1616K

Israel's right of self-defense should not include attacking Iran

An Israeli attack on Iran could not be legally justified as self-defense, considering that Iran so far has not breached the NPT, to which Israel is not a signatory.

Israeli defense official slams nuclear deal with 'evil' Iran

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Amos Gilad, director of the diplomatic-security bureau of the Israeli Defense Ministry, claims that Iran's acceptance of the recent nuclear deal is just a ploy to continue developing nuclear capabilities.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) welcomes Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi ahead of a meeting in Tehran on December 1, 2013. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Change in Hezbollah will be true sign of change in Iran

Although many have applauded the recent deal between the P5+1 and Tehran on the latter’s nuclear program, a fundamental change in Iranian policy in the region remains to be seen.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (4th L) attends a meeting for the 2nd Joint High Committee in Kuwait City on December 1, 2013. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee (KUWAIT - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15ZK7

Iran nuclear deal may be start of new era in Persian Gulf

The Iran nuclear deal could be a breakthrough on regional ties.

Women sit on a park bench in Tehran June 9, 2009. Iranians vote on Friday in the 10th presidential election since the 1979 Islamic revolution which toppled the U.S.-backed Shah. Three decades after the revolution, Reuters invited some older Iranians who witnessed the Shah's overthrow to look back at the changes they have lived through. To match feature IRAN-ELECTION/REVOLUTION REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR24JM3

Elderly in Iran suffer as economy falters

Iran's senior citizens feel the toll of Iran's faltering economy and record pollution.

Two Iranian Sunni Kurd women wearing traditional clothes pose for a photograph as they stand in the Caraftoo cave historical site in Divandare, Kurdistan province, 540 km (338 miles) west of Tehran May 13, 2011. Iranian Shi'ite and Sunni Kurds live in harmony with each other in Divandare, although Sunni is the religion of the majority of the people. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: TRAVEL SOCIETY RELIGION) - RTR2MDZX

Iranian government builds bridges to Sunni minority

Iran’s Sunni community is estimated at 9% of the country's population.

A whirling dervish performs a traditional Sufi dance at the Badium Sinai Arabic concert in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, south of Cairo July 12, 2012. Picture taken July 12, 2012. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT SOCIETY) - RTR34W3J

The Sufi challenge to Iran’s clergy

While Iran's Sufis have attempted to blend into society, their beliefs and practices have sometimes been questioned by Iran’s clerical leadership.