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Iran

August 21, 2026

Tehran 8:30 pm

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Caught in the middle, Oman shrugs off Trump's latest Iran threat

For the second time in months, President Donald Trump has threatened to strike the US partner as it holds talks with Iran.

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Houthis claim new strikes on Saudi Arabia after IRGC warning: What to know

A senior Iranian commander said Saudi Arabia will be unable to the defeat the Yemeni group as the conflict intensifies.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian holds a press conference on Aug. 19, 2026.

China slams Trump over economic war on Iran: What to know

China’s once significant oil imports from Iran have been impacted by the war in the region and increasing US sanctions.

Latest News

Trump’s Iran ‘economic D-Day’ threat sends oil prices above $94

Iranians drive past an anti-US billboard at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Aug. 3, 2026.

Explainer

Iraq seeks special Hormuz access from Iran in scramble to keep oil flowing

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / 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

Head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Quds force, Esmail Qaani, attends the funeral ceremony for slain Guards commander Abbas Nilforoushan in Tehran on Oct. 15, 2024.

Analysis

Quds Force chief’s low-profile Baghdad visit highlights Iran's strategic pivot

In a brief Baghdad visit, Iranian Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani sought to mend Iraq's fractured Shiite bloc and restore Tehran's faltering regional influence, signaling its urgent recalibration after major setbacks in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iran's Deputy Defense Minister Majid Ebnoreza (L) sits next to Andrei Matsiyevich.

Grappling with Western sanctions, Iran, Belarus strengthen military ties

Defense-related cooperation between Iran and Belarus has accelerated considerably in recent years, particularly after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s trip to Tehran in 2023.

Iraqi national security adviser Qasim al-Araji meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in Tehran, on Oct. 20, 2025.

Iraq's security chief visits Iran, steps up border and railway cooperation: What to know

Iraqi national security adviser Qasim al-Araji’s trip to Iran focused on efforts to deal with Kurdish groups on the border and a much-delayed railway linkage between the two countries.

Iran International broadcast

Iran's state TV doxxes journalists in Israel as post-war spy hunt intensifies

Since its June war with Israel, Iran has executed at least 9 people on charges of espionage.

Ukrainian explosives experts and police officers examine parts of a Shahed-136 military drone following an air attack in Kharkiv on June 4, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Iran, Poland clash on Russia drone sales exposes Tehran’s fragile position in Europe

The public spat between the Iranian and Polish foreign ministers over Tehran's drone sales to Russia underscores Iran's growing diplomatic isolation, as the Ukraine conflict and the recent Israel war further strain its ties with the outside world.

ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/AFP via Getty Images

Russia, Iran to boost ties in ‘all areas’ as Tehran claims nuclear restrictions expired

The cooperation pledges follow the weekend's joint letter from Russia, Iran and China to the UN, disputing the validity of reimposing sanctions on Iran.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Leaked video shows Khamenei aide's daughter in Western wedding gown amid Iran's hijab crackdown

Senior Iranian official Ali Shamkhani faced criticism online after video surfaced of his daughter’s extravagant wedding.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sign a strategic partnership treaty during a ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 17, 2025.

Analysis

Despite internal rifts over Russia’s reliability, Iran pushes closer to Moscow

Iran's national security chief, Ali Larijani, met Vladimir Putin in Moscow this week to deliver the Iranian supreme leader's message, underscoring Tehran's deepening but uneasy reliance on Russia as postwar realignments reshape the regional balance.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran adding 80,000 personnel to enforce hijab in Tehran province

Iran scrapped a stricter law on women’s head coverings last year and some women are now defying the restrictions altogether.

WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

Fearing fallout, Iran calls for cohesion amid shaky Afghanistan-Pakistan truce

The Islamic Republic is particularly concerned about the presence of the Islamic State-Khorasan branch in Afghanistan.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Under Western pressure, Iran turns to non-aligned bloc for backing in Uganda

Iran’s engagement with the movement comes amid its growing isolation from Western powers.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addresses foreign ambassadors to Iran, in Tehran on Oct. 5, 2025.

Defy or engage? Trump’s call for dialogue divides Iran’s political landscape

The Iranian leadership blasted Donald Trump's call for dialogue as "hypocritical," but Reformist voices in the country argue that the overture could offer a rare chance to break the country's deepening diplomatic isolation.