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Iran

April 12, 2026

Tehran 6:49 am

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People gather under a large portrait of Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, during a memorial to mark the 40th day since his father, Ali Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in US-Israeli joint strikes, on April 9, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

Ceasefire without relief: How Iranians are grappling with post-war repression

Despite the ceasefire, pressure is mounting inside Iran: arrests are rising, the internet remains largely shut down, and millions face deep economic uncertainty.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A woman walks past a digital screen displaying news of US-Iran peace talks along a road in Islamabad on April 10, 2026.

In Islamabad, US set to face a more defiant Iran at negotiating table

Iran's widening ambitions after the war include a bid to exercise permanent control over the Strait of Hormuz.

TOPSHOT - Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted an area in Beirut on April 8, 2026. Israel launched a series of strikes on Beirut on April 8, the most violent attack on the Lebanese capital since the start of war. The strikes came as Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, which drew Lebanon into the Middle East war by attacking Israel on March 2, claimed it was close to a "historic victory". (Photo by Dylan COLLINS / AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

Ahead of Washington talks, Israel has little choice but to accept ceasefire in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had little choice but to agree to direct talks with Beirut as it became clear that Hezbollah is unlikely to be quickly disarmed.

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

Latest News

Analysis

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

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)

Joyce Karam

By Joyce Karam , Rosaleen Carroll

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

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)

United Arab Emirates

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

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)

Analysis

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

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.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Mohammad Nahavandian, head of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, speaks during an interview with Reuters in his office in Tehran February 20, 2010. Western-backed sanctions on Iran to crimp its disputed nuclear activities will not have the desired impact as the country increasingly turns to Asian and regional countries, Nahavandian said. To match interview IRAN-ECONOMY/SANCTIONS REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR2ALV5

Iran’s Private Sector Weighs Its Options

Iran’s business community considers the presidential candidates and the future of Iran’s economy.

(L-R) Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Guardian Council head Ayatollah Ahmad Janati and former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani listen to the speech of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini at the Behesht Zahra cemetary south of Tehran June 4, 2009. Khamenei said on Thursday the United States was deeply hated in the Middle East and told U.S. President Barack Obama that "beaut

Is Rafsanjani’s Disqualification A Signal to US?

The disqualification of former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani as a candidate in this year’s election may be about more than Iranian domestic politics.

TEHRAN, IRAN: Iranian girls gather to watch a puppet show during a festival to mark the world puppet theatre day at the Iranian artist's house in Tehran, 23 April 2004. AFP PHOTO/Behrouz MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian Puppet Show Lampoons Societal Woes

"Red Hat" circumvents restrictions on freedom of speech to critique Iranian government policies that have led to serious economic problems.

Iran's Ambassador to the U.N. Mohammad Khazaee speaks before the U.N. Security Council at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, June 9, 2010. The U.N. Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions on a defiant Iran on Wednesday over a nuclear program the West suspects is aimed at developing the means to build atom bombs. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2EY9Q

Iran’s UN Ambassador Welcomes Geneva II Conference on Syria

Mohammad Khazaee, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, discusses Iran’s position on Syria in an email interview with Al-Monitor.

Iran's former top nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani flashes a victory sign after registering his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election at the interior ministry in Tehran on May 7, 2013. Iran began a five-day registration period for candidates in Iran's June 14 presidential election, with a string of conservative hopefuls in the running but with key reformists yet to come forward, media reports said. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran Follows 2012 Election ScriptTo Avoid 2013 Election Surprise

The Iranian government in 2012 staged calm parliamentary elections that resulted in victory for loyal supporters of the supreme leader; it hopes to do the same during this year’s presidential vote.

Khomeini's Daughter Asks Khamenei: Let Rafsanjani Run

Ayatollah Khomeini's daughter Zahra Mostafavi has written to the supreme leader to ask him to intervene after the Guardian Council disqualified Hashemi Rafsanjani for the presidential race.

Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili attends a news conference at the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul May 16, 2013. Iran is prepared to pursue nuclear diplomacy with world powers before or after next month's presidential election in the Islamic Republic, its chief negotiator said on Thursday. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTXZOPK

Iran Elections: Where an Old KIA Beats a Mercedes-Benz

Iran’s Guardian Council nixes both former president Hashemi Rafsanjani and Rahim Meshai, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's acolyte and adviser.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY MOHAMMAD DAVARI - A picture taken of the screen of a laptop shows a webpage that appears when an Iranian user tries to visit websites which are blocked by the government, on May 13, 2013 in the Iranian capital Tehran. The top line reads in Farsi "Year of political and economical epoch," referring to supreme leader, Ali Khamenei who has named the new Iranian year and the bottom line reads in Farsi "Congratulation for the birthday of Fatima, Prophet Muhammed's daughter, Happy Mother'

Iran Induces Internet 'Coma' Ahead of Elections

As Iran's June 14 presidential elections near, Internet users are turning to virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass censors, accepting the risks that come with them.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Damascus September 19, 2012, in this handout photograph released by Syria's national news agency SANA.REUTERS/SANA (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS ) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR385DC

Iran Key to Success of Geneva II Talks on Syria

The United States should invite Iran to the Geneva II talks on Syria and consider it a start for a more expansive regional dialogue.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters walk on the way to their new base in northern Iraq May 14, 2013. The first group of Kurdish militants to withdraw from Turkey under a peace process entered northern Iraq on Tuesday, and were greeted by comrades from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), in a symbolic step towards ending a three-decades-old insurgency. The 13 men and women, carrying guns and with rucksacks on their backs, arrived in the area of Heror, near Metina mountain on the Turkish-Iraqi border, a Reu

Turkish Ties With Iraq, Iran Worsen Over PKK Peace Plan

Iraq is protesting the relocation of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters from Turkey to Iraq.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
A man fills in his ballot during Iran's parliamentary election at a mosque in southern Tehran March 2, 2012. Iranians voted on Friday in a parliamentary election likely to reinforce Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's power over rival hardliners led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR2YQMD

Why Iran’s City Council Elections Matter

City council elections in Iran are important amid the nation's upcoming presidential elections.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.
An Iranian man looks on as he sits on a bus in Tehran December 22, 2010. With Iranians feeling choked by foreign sanctions, broken promises and money worries, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faces as much pressure on the economic front as from politics. Ahmadinejad has cut fuel and food subsidies to save $100 billion on the state budget and to make Iran less vulnerable to an

Iran's Government Subsidies Are Incentives for Poor Voters

Cash handouts as part of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s subsidy reform programs have a constituency among Iran’s lower classes.