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Iran

April 13, 2026

Tehran 12:08 am

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) walks with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif upon his arrival during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on June 1, 2022. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Inside Turkey’s role in the US-Iran ceasefire

Turkey used its intelligence networks and rare access to both Washington and Tehran to quietly facilitate the US-Iran ceasefire while advancing its own regional security priorities.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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.

Latest News

Analysis

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

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) /

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

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)

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

Israeli Officials Consider 'Point of No Return' With Iran

Nadav Eyal looks at the decisions facing both the United States and Israel should the forthcoming round of nuclear negotiations with Iran fail.

A picture of Hessam Khoshnevis is placed at the condolences hall at the Iranian Embassy at Beirut February 14, 2013. Khoshnevis, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, has been killed inside Syria by rebels battling Iran's close ally President Bashar al-Assad, Iranian officials and a rebel leader said on Thursday. Syrian rebels have repeatedly accused Tehran of sending fighters to help Assad crush the 22-month-old uprising, a charge Iran has denied. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UN

Assassination Will Not Weaken Iran’s Support for Assad

Meir Javedanfar speculates that the assassination of a senior member of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (IRGC) will not sink Iran’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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 election official sits in front of an image of Iranian warriors at a mosque, used as a polling station, during the parliamentary election in central Tehran March 2, 2012. Iranians voted on Friday in a parliamentary election which is expected to reinforce the power of the clerical establishment of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over hardline politic

Iranians Support Nuclear Program, Blame West for Sanctions, Says Poll

A recent Gallup poll in Iran reveals that Iranians support the government’s nuclear ambitions and blame the West for sanctions, writes Mohammad Ali Shabani.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad talks during a news conference at the end of his visit to Cairo, February 7, 2013. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3DGQ9

Ahmadinejad Declares 'Viva Spring' in Iran

Outgoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seeks a populist mantle to retain leverage in Iran and possibly determine his successor, writes Mehdi Jedinia.

Iran's presidential election candidates Mehdi Karoubi (R) and Mirhossein Mousavi embrace after a TV debate in Tehran June 7, 2009. Iranians vote on June 12 in an election that pits hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against two moderate challengers and one fellow conservative. REUTERS/IRIB (IRAN POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR24F76

Karroubi's Son: Iranian Regime Afraid of Green Movement Return

Speaking days before the second anniversary of his father’s detention, Mohammad Karroubi urges the Obama administration and the international community to focus more on Iran’s poor record on human rights but expresses optimism about upcoming nuclear talks which, he hopes, will lead to easing of economic sanctions.

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) shake hands after the president announced Kerry's nomination as Secretary of State to succeed Hillary Clinton, at the White House in Washington December 21, 2012. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3BTVQ

Week in Review: US Resets Diplomacy in Middle East

Al-Monitor’s coverage and analysis of a newly assertive US diplomacy toward the peace process, Iran and Syria.

Major-General Amos Yadlin, Israel's chief of military intelligence, speaks at the annual Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference in Tel Aviv December 15, 2009. Israel is parlaying civilian technological advances into a cyberwarfare capability against its enemies, Yadlin, a senior Israeli general, said on Tuesday in a rare public disclosure about the secret programme. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS SCI TECH) - RTXRVGO

Former Aman Chief Offers Realism on Threats to Israel

Former IDF intelligence chief Amos Yadlin has discounted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scare tactics and argues that in terms of conventional threats, Israel’s situation has never been better, reports Ben Caspit.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah January 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3D4HR

Abu Mazen Thanks Ahmadinejad For Iran's Support

The embrace between the Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the wrong gesture, writes Shlomi Eldar.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd L) walks towards a helicopter at the conclusion of his visit in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights November 14, 2012. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces are faltering against rebels, some of whom are dug in on the eastern foothills of the Golan Heights, Israel said on Wednesday. The violence near the Golan has jarred the Jewish state, which this week twice shot back after stray Syrian fire hit its side - the old foes' first armed engagement over the str

Israel Rewrites Rules of Game To Deal With Syria

Prime Minister Netanyahu is grappling with the profound strategic challenges posed by the potential disintegration of Syria, including dealing with chemical weapons and the prospects for a regional conflict, writes Ben Caspit.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) speaks with Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after Ahmadinejad's visit to Latin American countries January 14, 2012. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS)

Iran, Israel and Their Red Lines Over Syria

Meir Javedanfar writes that a transfer of Syria’s chemical-weapon stockpiles to Iran may be a better option that the weapons falling into the hands of groups linked to al-Qaeda.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu draws a red line on the graphic of a bomb used to represent Iran's nuclear program as he addresses the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 27, 2012. The red line he drew represents a point where he believes, the international community should tell Iran that they will not be allowed to pass without intervention. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR38I7P

Israel Must Invest to Deter Iran

Alon Ben David writes that investing in preparing a military option against a potential Iranian nuclear weapon is not an "adventurous fantasy."

A general view of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, is seen during a session boycotted by the opposition parties in Jerusalem June 17, 2009. Israel's parliament is expected to give its initial approval to the 2009 and 2010 state budgets later on Wednesday. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR24QNR

Israel Defense Budget Can Be Cut

Idan Grinbaum calls for a serious public debate and major cuts in the Israel defense budget.