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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

Hong Kong stock exchange in Central. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks fall as market reopens after 3-day Lunar New Year holiday

Tech heavyweights Alibaba, Baidu and Meituan drop as trading commences in the Year of the Horse.

2 hours ago

Middle East

Trump appears to set short deadline for Iran, warning of ‘bad things’

4 hours ago

Israel-Gaza war

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ debuts with Gaza pledge as war threat looms elsewhere

4 hours ago

Espionage

Iran sentences British world travellers to 10 years for spying

Lindsay and Craig Foreman were arrested while travelling through the country on a round-the-world trip, according to relatives.

19 Feb 2026 - 4:47PM

Craig and Lindsay Foreman take a selfie at Naqsh-e Jahan Square, with the Shah Mosque in the background, in Isfahan, Iran. Photo: Foreman family / AFP

Middle East

Satellite photos show Iran has been repairing and fortifying key sites

New satellite imagery offers a glimpse of Iranian activities as the White House warns it ‘would be very wise to make a deal’.

19 Feb 2026 - 12:33PM

United States

Trump tells Starmer ‘do not give away Diego Garcia’ in new attack on Chagos deal

President says the UK should not lose control of Indian Ocean island by entering ‘tenuous’ lease, amid concerns about China’s growing ties there.

19 Feb 2026 - 2:53PMvideocam

Cryptocurrency

‘Sentiment is bleak’: bitcoin declines amid geopolitical tensions

Bitcoin prices drop as much as 3.2 per cent to US$66,604 on Tuesday, before paring the decline.

18 Feb 2026 - 2:06PM

Many bitcoin investors see US$60,000 as a key support level for the world’s leading cryptocurrency. Photo: Shutterstock

Diplomacy

Speaking Trump’s language: Iran frames nuclear deal as ‘trillion-dollar’ US win

Tehran is dangling access to its vast oil, gas and mineral reserves, but analysts warn that even this may fail to ‘move the needle’ in talks.

18 Feb 2026 - 1:17PMvideocam

Middle East

Iran fires missiles, Khamenei threatens to sink US warship amid nuclear talks

As the talks began, local media announced that Iran had fired live missiles towards the Strait of Hormuz.

17 Feb 2026 - 10:54PMvideocam

United States

Trump predicts Iran nuclear deal, warns of ‘consequences’ ahead of talks

After a summer of military strikes and stalled diplomacy, indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran are set to resume on Tuesday.

17 Feb 2026 - 9:27AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday he would be “indirectly” involved in the Iran nuclear talks.. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Middle East

US lawmakers push for VPN funding so Iranians can access internet

Government officials have advocated for funding anticensorship technology to help Iranians access the internet amid the Islamic Republic’s restrictions.

16 Feb 2026 - 8:20PM

An Iranian woman walk near a huge anti-US billboard hanging at the Enqelab square in Tehran, Iran, on January 31. Photo: EPA-EFE

US-Venezuela conflict

US forces board another tanker in Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean

The Veronica III, which sails under the Panamanian flag, is subject to US sanctions related to Iran, the US says.

16 Feb 2026 - 8:33AM

US-Iran tensions

Iran’s foreign minister in Geneva for second round of talks with US

Talks will centre on Iran’s controversial nuclear programme, as the US deploys a second aircraft carrier to the region.

16 Feb 2026 - 2:42PM

Munich Security Conference

In Munich, US urges ‘collective strength’ among allies to deter China

Washington and its Indo-Pacific and European allies emphasise need for cooperation to counter Beijing’s military build-up.

16 Feb 2026 - 6:00AM

Chinese military activities – and the need to respond to them – have been framed as a major driver of cooperation between US allies during this year’s Munich Security Conference. Photo: Xinhua

United States

‘For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking’: US eyes expanded Iran strikes

The plan raises regional conflict fears and comes ahead of next week’s talks between the two sides in Geneva.

15 Feb 2026 - 6:32PMvideocam

Women pose with a poster depicting Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in Tehran on Wednesday marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Photo: AFP

Middle East

US-Iran talks to be held in Geneva next week, hosted by Oman

The son of Iran’s last shah called for US action, as Trump sends a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.

15 Feb 2026 - 6:22AM

Middle East

Trump says change of power in Iran would be ‘best thing’

The US president’s comments are his most overt reference yet to regime change, as he pushes Tehran to make a nuclear deal.

14 Feb 2026 - 7:50AMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

US allows oil majors to resume Venezuela operations

The authorisation does not allow transactions ‌with companies in Russia, Iran or China.

14 Feb 2026 - 1:14AMvideocam

A flame burning natural gas is seen at a plant operated by Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA in April 2015. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

US is sending second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to coerce Iran

The USS Gerald R. Ford would join the USS Abraham Lincoln as Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Iran for a deal.

13 Feb 2026 - 3:05PM

Middle East

US pulls out of strategic military base and hands it over to Syria

Syria says its forces have taken over al-Tanf base, ending an American military presence that lasted for more than a decade.

13 Feb 2026 - 12:28PM

US-Iran tensions

The US dropped proposal of Iran regime change. Could a nuclear deal be next?

Both sides appear amenable to a deal limiting some of Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities after last week’s diplomatic re-establishment.

12 Feb 2026 - 5:16PMvideocam

Women march with a sign depicting US President Donald Trump with bloodied hands in Tehran on Wednesday during a rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Photo: AFP

China-Latin America relations

China vows to ‘do what it can’ as US blockade leaves Cuba with just weeks of oil

Beijing pledges continued support for Cuba and champions Havana’s sovereignty as the island grapples with worsening fuel shortages.

12 Feb 2026 - 7:38AMvideocam

China’s support comes as Cuba faces a critical fuel shortage after the United States blocked shipments of Venezuelan oil. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

Trump ‘insists’ to Netanyahu that he will continue nuclear talks with Iran

Israel fears that the US might pursue a narrow agreement that does not include restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missile ⁠programme.

12 Feb 2026 - 3:59AM

Middle East

Iran’s revolution anniversary marred by protests, nuclear tensions

Iran’s 47th Revolution anniversary sees pro-regime rallies amid public anger over crackdowns and heightened US nuclear tensions.

11 Feb 2026 - 7:30PMvideocam

Donald Trump

US grand jury rejects charges against 6 Democrats Trump wanted jailed

In a rare rebuke, a federal grand jury refuses to indict veteran lawmakers whom Trump branded as ‘traitors’.

11 Feb 2026 - 4:04PM

US President Donald Trump at a Veterans Day ceremony in November. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

In message to Iran, Trump weighs sending second aircraft carrier to Middle East

The US president warned that the US would have to do ‘something very tough’ if a deal was not reached.

11 Feb 2026 - 1:40PM

An F/A-18F Super Hornet preparing to launch from the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian. Photo: US Navy via AFP

Human rights

Iran sentences Nobel laureate to 7 more years amid stand-off with US

As Iran extends the jail term for Narges Mohammadi, its foreign minister strikes a maximalist position after US talks.

9 Feb 2026 - 4:08PM

Middle East

Iran defies Trump and US pressure over uranium enrichment

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insists Iran won’t yield on enrichment, calling resilience – not weapons – its ‘atomic bomb’ despite US threats.

8 Feb 2026 - 6:51PMvideocam

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