Iran says economy holding up as pressure mounts on oil, rial
Iran’s central bank chief has rejected what he portrays as a US prediction of economic collapse, even as the rial trades near record lows and Iranian oil exports have fallen to zero.
Mideast Crisis
Iran, US back to ‘square one’ as diplomacy stalls
Rhetoric is hardening on both sides of the Iran-US standoff, with even Iranian analysts traditionally optimistic about diplomacy warning that relations are slipping back to “square one” as military and economic pressure intensifies.
Houthi gains reversed at Bab al-Mandab, but Iran’s leverage runs deeper
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces on Monday reversed weeks of Houthi gains around Bab al-Mandab, the strategic strait linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, exposing vulnerabilities in the Iran-backed group even as fighting elsewhere showed how far Yemen remains from a decisive shift.
Iran says US talks ‘meaningless’ as third tanker hit near Hormuz
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that talks with the United States were meaningless, even as President Donald Trump remained open to direct negotiations, while a third tanker in two days was struck near the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan activate defense pact over Houthi attacks
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan activated collective deterrence measures Monday and agreed to rapidly deploy forces and military capabilities to the kingdom, as Saudi-backed Yemeni troops advanced against the Iran-backed Houthis.
Netanyahu predicts Iran regime’s fall, Tehran warns war could engulf region
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicted the eventual fall of Iran’s leadership while the Islamic Republic’s top armed forces commander warned a new conflict would engulf the region, sharpening exchanges over the prospect of renewed fighting on Monday.
What can Iran’s new oil chief change under the US blockade?
Iran’s oil minister Mohsen Paknejad resigned Sunday, leaving acting minister Hamid Bovard with crude exports choked by a US blockade and scrutiny of intermediaries used to sell sanctioned oil, raising questions over what he can change.
Security meeting, military buildup: US weighs next move on Iran?
An unannounced meeting of President Donald Trump’s senior national security team at Camp David, as another aircraft carrier and thousands more US troops move toward the Middle East, has raised the prospect of another major operation against Iran.
Khamenei adviser warns UAE as tensions with Tehran escalate
A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader issued a pointed warning to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, saying “imported security has an expiration date” as tensions between Tehran and Abu Dhabi continue to rise.
Smartwatches on Iran's security chiefs spark row within the inner circle
Senior Iranian military and security officials have been photographed wearing smartwatches, drawing fresh criticism of their basic security discipline after years of reports that Israel has used electronic devices around Iranian commanders to track and kill them.
Five killed in roadside attack as violence spreads in southeast Iran
At least five people were reported killed on Friday in an attack near Zahedan in southeastern Iran, as the Revolutionary Guards confirmed a roadside bombing in the area that killed one of its fighters.
Al-Qaeda is Iran's quiet backup if the war turns, expert says
Iran has spent two decades keeping al-Qaeda close as a partner it can deny, and could turn to it if the war with the United States escalates, a counterterrorism expert told Iran International. With Hezbollah and Hamas weakened, she said, it is the card Tehran has left.
Can the Caspian give Iran a way around Hormuz?
With war disrupting Iran’s southern trade routes, Tehran is looking north to the Caspian for alternatives. But the available evidence suggests they cannot replace its crucial oil exports.
A Mossad spy in Iran: From banking infiltration to nuclear and missile sabotage
A former Mossad agent says he spent years inside one of Iran's best-known telecom businesses, using its banking tricks to fund Israeli operations and deleting a file from a switch near Malard minutes before the 2011 blast that killed the father of Iran's missile program.
Iran links under scrutiny in separate Flydubai, UK airbase investigations
Iran on Thursday was linked by US and Israeli officials to the Flydubai incident, the second such case after British police opened a probe into possible Tehran involvement in a suspected RAF Fairford plot and arrested a dual UK-Iranian national.
Iran oil exports vanish as regional flows surpass prewar levels
New tanker-tracking data shows that Iran’s new oil exports have effectively ground to a halt, while crude exports from Arab countries in the region surpassed pre-war levels in the final week of September.
670 bridges, 380 tunnels: The network that moves Iran's army and its missiles
Four small bridges, struck in one night in April, cut Tehran off from Iran's entire railway. All were fixed within days. The bridges that would take years to rebuild are still standing, on lines that carry Iran's missiles, its troops and its trade.
Iranian weapons, Chinese supplies fuel Houthi advance in Yemen - WSJ
Iranian weapons and growing supplies of Chinese dual-use components have helped Yemen's Houthis expand their territory and strengthen their ability to threaten shipping through the Red Sea, the Wall Street Journal reported.
UK points to Iran role in suspected plot near RAF Fairford
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Wednesday there are “strong indications” Iran played a role in a suspected plot near RAF Fairford airbase used by US forces to carry out strikes on the Islamic Republic.
Flydubai flight diverts to Saudi Arabia after suspected cockpit stabbing
Both pilots of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv were injured after what Israeli officials said may have been an attempted terror attack in the cockpit, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
US-Iran contacts continue as terms of possible deal remain disputed
The United States and Iran remained in contact through mediators Monday as efforts continued toward a possible agreement, but conflicting accounts left the terms of any deal unclear.
Iran’s rial hits another record low under economic and military pressure
Iran’s rial fell to another record low on Monday, with the dollar reaching 2.45 million rials as economic and military pressures persisted and efforts took shape for possible new indirect talks with the United States.