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Iran

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Iran. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Tehran

Head of State

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Head of Government

President Masoud Pezeshkian

A fighter with Yemen’s Houthi rebels carries a rocket-propelled grenade launcher as they march during a mobilisation campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday. Photo: AP

Middle East

Yemen’s Houthis seize control of Red Sea port city Mocha

Blocking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would isolate Gulf oil-producing countries from their main shipping routes after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.

1 hour ago

US midterm elections 2026

Trump touts ‘most successful’ presidency, promises US$5,000 to voters in speech

4 hours ago

Electric & new energy vehicles

Over 65% of cars sold in China are now EVs as Iran war drives electric shift

10 Sep 2026 - 9:00AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran likely to reverse-engineer captured US underwater drone

The loss represents ‌a propaganda victory for Tehran and an awkward setback for Washington’s efforts to project technological superiority.

10 Sep 2026 - 7:34AM

A statue stands in front of a billboard featuring a captured US underwater drone with text reading in Persian, ‘Hunting the Hunter’, in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump offers new timeline on Iran war: end after US midterm elections

US president claims Tehran is trying to influence vote as he warns against activity at underground nuclear site.

3 hours ago

US, Israel war on Iran

Nuclear agency board refers Iran to UN Security Council for first time in 20 years

IAEA remains blocked from key sites damaged during June 2025 military strikes by the US and Israel.

10 Sep 2026 - 11:59AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Houthi offensive on Bab el-Mandeb Strait threatens Red Sea shipping

Rebel strikes in Saudi Arabia and fierce fighting in Taiz risk choking global maritime traffic and undoing 4 years of peace.

9 Sep 2026 - 6:00PM

Trucks burn after being targeted by missiles launched by Houthis near Al-Wadiah military camp in Hadramout province, Yemen on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

South Korea

Caught between US and Iran, South Korea weighs Hormuz role

Seoul is sending a fact-finding mission to the UAE as it balances Washington’s security requests with warnings of Iranian retaliation.

9 Sep 2026 - 6:47PM

China consumption

China’s factory-gate price growth quickens as Iran war fuels energy volatility

Producer price index rises 3.8 per cent, beating economists’ projections amid war-driven oil surge and weak domestic demand.

9 Sep 2026 - 5:44PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran says captured US underwater drone in Strait of Hormuz

Pentagon plays down the seizure, saying it was an older unmanned vehicle that had malfunctioned.

9 Sep 2026 - 11:42AM

This image shows what Iran described as a captured US military underwater drone at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: Sepahnews via AP

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran, US engage in wave of tit-for-tat attacks on shipping

The attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices surging, as Tehran says it also fired ballistic missiles at a US base in Jordan.

9 Sep 2026 - 11:55PM

Iranian crude oil carrier M/T Riesco burns as it sinks after being struck. Photo: CENTCOM via Reuters

US-China relations

Huawei goes on trial in US for racketeering after nearly decade of litigation

Chinese tech giant accused of engineering a racketeering conspiracy to steal American technology and unfairly gain an industry advantage.

10 Sep 2026 - 8:23AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

US targets Iran’s airlines with sweeping new sanctions

The US Treasury is aiming to ground Mahan Air and other firms in a sharp escalation of Trump’s economic pressure campaign.

9 Sep 2026 - 4:19AM

South Korea

South Korea sends fact-finding team to assess Strait of Hormuz conditions

The defence ministry says the move ‘does not presuppose an actual deployment’.

8 Sep 2026 - 10:01PM

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Monday. Photo: TNS

China-Middle East relations

Qatar’s PM vows to prioritise China’s energy supply amid Middle East tensions

Meeting in Beijing concludes official state visit as two sides stress importance of unimpeded maritime traffic through Strait of Hormuz.

8 Sep 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar

Commodities

Oil prices near US$100 a barrel as Saudi oil facility attack raises supply risk

Geopolitical tensions and strikes on energy infrastructure are tightening supply expectations, threatening to push oil higher and curb China’s appetite for imports.

8 Sep 2026 - 5:51PMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

New Panama Canal chief says El Nino could force further transit cuts

Daily vessel limit may be lowered to 29 as falling reservoir levels strain key shipping route.

8 Sep 2026 - 2:37PM

US-China relations

As clock counts down to Trump summit, Xi boosts global clout with diplomatic blitz

Beijing leverages Eurasian and Middle East ties to show Washington it has alternatives.

8 Sep 2026 - 1:25AMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, wave as they board a plane at the end of their visit to Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday, September 2. Photo: Egyptian Presidential Press Office via AP

China-Middle East relations

China vows deeper cooperation with Qatar in energy and Middle East de-escalation

Li Qiang makes pledge during meeting with Qatari prime minister visiting on official two-day state visit in Beijing on Monday.

7 Sep 2026 - 9:52PMvideocam

China food security

A potential food crisis threatens the world, but impact on China may be limited

El Nino fears and disruptions to Ukraine’s grain exports are driving up global crop prices, but China’s robust supplies temper the impact.

7 Sep 2026 - 3:39PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Iranians recount horrors of suspected US missile attack on first day of war

Missiles that struck the southern city of Lamerd on February 28 dispersed tungsten fragments, killing at least 21 people.

7 Sep 2026 - 2:05PM

A damaged car beside a wall bearing numerous impact marks near the site of a strike in Lamerd, southern Iran, on February 28. Photo: Tasnim News Agency via AP

Middle East

Hundreds killed in deadliest Yemen fighting since 2022 truce collapsed

Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed forces fight over control of a key Red Sea gateway.

7 Sep 2026 - 12:57PM

Forces loyal to Yemen’s Saudi-backed government deploy in the Hays district, south of Hodeidah. Fighting between government forces and Houthi rebels has left hundreds dead. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran plans new ‘exclusion zone’ outside Hormuz after ship attacks

Iranian security chief threatens sanctions on transit ships as US blockade and tanker strikes escalate tensions.

7 Sep 2026 - 10:16AM

Middle East

Lebanon president appeals for US help as Israeli strikes kill 7

Joseph Aoun condemns strikes on public buildings and hospital as Israel cites Hezbollah drone attack.

7 Sep 2026 - 12:15PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran attacks naval drone near Hormuz after US strikes 3 oil tankers

The latest round of clashes, which began with US raids last week, comes amid a deadlock in the six-month war.

6 Sep 2026 - 2:45PMvideocam

A screengrab from a video released by CENTCOM on Saturday shows what it says are strikes that destroyed three Iranian oil tankers. Photo: US Central Command/AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

US hits 3 Iranian oil tankers after warships targeted, military says

The US military said two of its vessels evaded ‘multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks’ before retaliating.

6 Sep 2026 - 4:23AM

A US fighter jet launches from an aircraft carrier. File photo: Reuters

Hong Kong society

Middle East war drives 35% rise in Hongkongers’ overseas help requests

‘The rise mainly came from the military conflict in the Middle East earlier this year. Of the rest, half involved lost identity documents,’ immigration chief says.

5 Sep 2026 - 9:32PM

China energy security

Why are fuel and petrochemical prices rising far faster than crude?

Global refined-product exports were down 25 per cent year on year in August, with losses concentrated in Russia and the Persian Gulf, analysts say.

4 Sep 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

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