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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

The flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Photo: dpa

Middle East

Iran executes 9 Islamic State group militants linked to 2018

Meanwhile, two thieves have had their hands amputated under Sharia law, showcasing the country’s harsh judicial measures.

40 minutes agovideocam

China-EU relations

Nato chief says it must build Indo-Pacific ties to meet China’s military challenge

10 Jun 2025 - 6:21AMvideocam

US-Iran tensions

Iran to present nuclear counterproposal to US, Trump says talks to resume

10 Jun 2025 - 11:33AM

Sweden

Democracies sometimes use foreign meddling as an ‘alibi’: think tank

Report warns against overemphasising external threats, urges focus on internal failures and citizen trust.

9 Jun 2025 - 2:37PM

In 2024, about 1.6 billion people voted in 74 national elections worldwide. File photo: Reuters

United States

Trump’s new travel ban takes effect, citizens of 12 nations barred from US

Ban comes amid rising tensions over the US president’s escalating campaign of immigration enforcement.

9 Jun 2025 - 2:17PMvideocam

Middle East

Iranian government expands restrictions on dog walking, pets

Iranian authorities expanded the ban and pet ownership restrictions, citing public health, social order and safety concerns.

8 Jun 2025 - 6:34PM

Diplomacy

Opinion | China as a global conflict mediator: from ambition to action

From Saudi-Iran rapprochement to Myanmar ceasefires, China’s conflict diplomacy also aims to protect its own interests.

8 Jun 2025 - 10:30AM

Traditional Russian wooden dolls called “matryoshka” depicting China’s President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are seen for sale in St. Petersburg, Russia. Photo: AP

Middle East

Iran says it obtained sensitive Israeli nuclear documents

The trove of files was so large that Tehran ordered a news blackout until they were transported safely into Iran, state media reported.

8 Jun 2025 - 12:58AM

US-China relations

US hits Hong Kong and UAE firms with new round of Iran-related sanctions

Announcement comes after Trump-Xi phone call and amid Washington’s efforts to make headway on a nuclear deal with Tehran.

7 Jun 2025 - 4:49AMvideocam

Middle East

Israel strikes Beirut’s suburbs, targeting Hezbollah drone production

Beirut strikes spark condemnation from Lebanon, while Israel warns of more attacks if Hezbollah is not disarmed.

6 Jun 2025 - 4:19PM

The rubble of a collapsed building hit by an overnight Israeli air strike in the Qaem neighbourhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump

Trump bans nationals from 12 countries entering US, citing security concerns

Afghanistan, Haiti, Myanmar among 12 nations facing outright entry ban; seven additional countries to face heightened scrutiny.

5 Jun 2025 - 5:23PM

The White House unveiled the new ban with virtually no warning, minutes after Donald Trump spoke at a ‘summer soiree’. Photo: AP

Middle East

Iran’s supreme leader rejects key US nuclear demand

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defiant on uranium enrichment, blasts US ‘arrogance’ in nuclear dispute.

4 Jun 2025 - 3:39PM

US-Iran tensions

Trump says US-Iran deal would not allow any uranium enrichment

US president reiterates firm stance as new proposal reportedly allows limited enrichment.

3 Jun 2025 - 8:42PM

Britain

UK’s defence overhaul puts focus on Nato, highlights China, Russia threats

Study describes China as ‘sophisticated and persistent challenge’, says Russia and China are increasing nuclear weapons in their stockpiles.

3 Jun 2025 - 3:32AMvideocam

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a visit to the BAE Systems’ Govan facility, in Glasgow, Scotland on Monday. Photo: Pool Photo via AP

Women and gender

Shakespeare’s King Lear with rock music in Iranian director’s update

Music from Muse and Rammstein and a light show feature in Elika Abdolrazzaghi’s staging of the play. She’s aiming it at a younger audience.

1 Jun 2025 - 4:15PM

An actress performs during a presentation of William Shakespeare’s “King Lear”, directed by Iranian actress and director Elika Abdolrazzaghi, at Tehran’s Shahr Theatre, on May 21, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Middle East

US sends Iran proposal for nuclear deal

Washington and Tehran are expected to hold a 6th round of talks, with Trump saying an agreement was possible in the ‘not-too-distant future’.

1 Jun 2025 - 6:21AM

Middle East

Iran has grown uranium stockpile to near weapons-grade levels: IAEA report

As of May 17, Iran has amassed 408.6kg of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent, an increase of nearly 50 per cent since February report.

31 May 2025 - 8:16PM

Smoking and vaping

Letters | Tobacco industry’s sly promotion tactics must be countered with force

Readers discuss the harm of e-cigarettes and flavoured vapes, how mediation can help resolve US-China trade dispute, the reason for MTR’s fare rebates, and threats to bomb Iran nuclear sites.

31 May 2025 - 11:30AM

Vapes and nicotine products line the shelves at Sultans’ Smoke in Arvada, Colorado, US, in May 2024. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

Trump wants Iran deal that lets US ‘blow up’ nuclear sites, ‘whatever we want’

An adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the US president’s ideas as a fantasy.

30 May 2025 - 5:51AM

Middle East

Trump says he told Israel’s Netanyahu to hold off striking Iran

US president warns Israel against pre-emptive action as UN watchdog says ‘jury is still out’ on Tehran talks.

29 May 2025 - 12:35PM

Middle East

Israel hits Houthi targets including last plane at Yemen’s Sanaa airport

The airport, Yemen’s largest, was mainly being used by UN aircraft and the plane destroyed in the latest Israeli strikes.

28 May 2025 - 8:50PMvideocam

People inspect the damage at Sanaa International Airport in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on May 7, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Cannes Film Festival

‘It Was Just An Accident’ by Iran’s Jafar Panahi wins Cannes’ top prize

Wagner Moura won best actor for his role in ‘The Secret Agent’, while best actress went to Nadia Melliti in ‘The Little Sister’.

25 May 2025 - 9:19AM

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi wins the Palme d’Or during the closing and awards ceremony of the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Pakistan

Pakistan intensifies Balochistan insurgency crackdown after deadly bus bombing

Islamabad also needs to end the rebellion to attract foreign funds to its vast reserves of copper and other ‘critical metals’, analysts say.

24 May 2025 - 5:00PMvideocam

United States

‘Time to decide’: Iran, US finish latest round of nuclear talks in Rome

The talks seek to limit Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the US has imposed on the nation.

24 May 2025 - 6:41AMvideocam

Science

Ohio legislation could force Chinese scientists to sell their homes in the US

Green card holders testify to packed hearing about ‘foreign adversary’ law that would ban them from property near ‘critical’ infrastructure.

23 May 2025 - 12:13PMvideocam

Lawmakers in Ohio are considering a proposed bill that would make nearly all property in the midwestern US state off-limits to immigrants from China. Photo: Shutterstock

United States

Opinion | With his ‘historic’ tour, Trump puts US power back in the Middle East

In reasserting the US in the centre of the Middle East’s strategic calculus, Trump also weakens the leverage and influence of Russia and China.

23 May 2025 - 5:30AM

President Donald Trump visits US troops at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, on May 15. Photo: Reuters

Britain

UK signs Chagos deal with Mauritius, says China sought its ‘collapse’

Multibillion-dollar agreement for 99 years sees Britain keep control of military base on Diego Garcia jointly run with the US.

23 May 2025 - 1:32PM

Middle East

Syria on the brink? US warns of potential new civil war within weeks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Syria’s transitional government facing potential collapse, more war, and ‘country splitting up’.

21 May 2025 - 2:34PM

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