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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

Cars burn in a street during a protest in Tehran on January 8. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters

Social media

Iranians use Musk’s Starlink to pierce internet blackout during protests

Smuggled satellite terminals offer a high-risk lifeline as Iran’s protest death toll reportedly climbs past 600.

3 minutes ago

Middle East

Exiled shah’s son emerges as a rallying figure as Iranians protest

39 minutes agovideocam

US-China relations

China’s US embassy decries ‘coercion’ after Trump’s Iran tariff move

2 hours agovideocam

Asean

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Middle powers fear a return to ‘rules of the jungle’ geopolitics as rival powers carve out spheres of influence.

13 Jan 2026 - 1:31AMvideocam

China-Middle East relations

China denounces use of force in Middle East as Trump threatens Iran strikes

Beijing calls for ‘peace and stability’ in the region amid escalating protests in Iran.

12 Jan 2026 - 6:14PMvideocam

Diplomacy

China’s oil risks worsen as Trump threatens Iran

The US president’s suggestion of potential intervention in Iran after the fatal suppression of protests adds new jeopardy to China’s oil imports.

12 Jan 2026 - 5:10PM

Middle East

Video | Iran steps up response to country’s largest protests in years

Iranian authorities warned the US and Israel they would retaliate if Washington follows through on threat to intervene.

12 Jan 2026 - 1:01PM

02:33

European Union

Trump says Iran wants to negotiate after reports of hundreds killed in unrest

Amidst unrest, Trump claims Iran seeks talks, but warns of strong action. Tehran blames the US and Israel, but signals openness to diplomacy.

12 Jan 2026 - 7:31PMvideocam

United States

Iran will target US, Israel if Trump strikes over protest

Israel is also on high alert for the possibility of a US intervention to support ‌Tehran’s protest movement.

11 Jan 2026 - 8:07PMvideocam

Middle East

‘Tools of repression’: crackdown fears grow as Iran rocked by new rallies

Activists warn authorities could intensify suppression of the protests under cover of the internet blackout.

10 Jan 2026 - 9:50PM

A frame grab from video shows a fire as people protest in Tehran, Iran, on Friday. Photo: UGC via AP

United States

Iran protests: a day-by-day guide to the country’s unfolding crisis

What began with a currency collapse has spiralled into a deadly nationwide revolt, with dozens killed and internet access cut.

10 Jan 2026 - 1:41PMvideocam

A protester in Paris waves a pre-1979 Islamic Revolution Iranian flag during a demonstration on January 4. Photo: AFP

Middle East

‘Something has to give’: Iran on the brink as protest fury mounts

Weakened by conflict with Israel and a plummeting currency, analysts say the regime faces a choice between radical reform or collapse.

10 Jan 2026 - 1:30PMvideocam

Middle East

Trump says protest-hit Iran in ‘big trouble’, again threatens military strike

The US president warned that ‘we’ll start shooting too’, if the authorities kill demonstrators.

10 Jan 2026 - 7:55AMvideocam

Middle East

Protests sweep Iran amid internet blackout and state TV warning of casualties

Iranian state media breaks silence on protests as internet and phone access is restricted amid widening unrest.

9 Jan 2026 - 7:44PMvideocam

Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Kermanshah, Iran on January 8. Photo: AFP

Internet

Video | Iran shuts down internet amid growing protests

The latest unrest, sparked by Iran’s worsening economy, has led to the deaths of at least 35 people.

9 Jan 2026 - 3:00PM

01:01

North Korea nuclear crisis

Opinion | Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

It confirms Pyongyang’s belief that leaders seen as thorns in the US side who lack nuclear weapons ultimately fall victim to US intervention.

9 Jan 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

Saudi Arabia

US allies Saudi Arabia, UAE risk a split in Middle East over competing visions

A ‘new order’ is emerging as Abu Dhabi-backed separatist allies clash with pro-Riyadh governments in the region.

8 Jan 2026 - 5:21PM

US-Venezuela conflict

US won’t rule out pressuring Venezuela to curb China, Russia ties

White House vows continued ‘American dominance in the western hemisphere’ as Trump claims Caracas will now buy ‘only American-made’ products.

8 Jan 2026 - 6:57AMvideocam

US White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addresses the media during a press briefing in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

United States

Opinion | Why Asia should be concerned about the US attack on Venezuela

Venezuela matters less as a case in itself than as a signal of how energy is being repositioned amid intensifying US-China competition.

7 Jan 2026 - 6:22PMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

The Maduro effect: US raid accelerates Asia’s drift away from Washington

Cambodia, Laos and North Korea are expected to tighten their embrace of Moscow and Beijing amid growing distrust of the US.

7 Jan 2026 - 7:16PMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

Why Iran may not be the next Venezuela despite twin threat of protests and Trump

The volatile situation in the Middle East and the greater role played by China in the region may give the US pause for thought.

6 Jan 2026 - 8:02PMvideocam

An anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, pictured on January 3. US President Donald Trump has previously threatened the Iranian leadership directly. Photo: EPA

Middle East

Iran protests death toll hits 35 and 1,200 detained, activists say

Iran’s judiciary vows ‘no leniency’ for rioters as nationwide unrest enters its second week.

6 Jan 2026 - 8:14PM

Protestors attacking a government building in Fasa, in southern Iran on December 31. Photo: Photo: UGC via AFP

China energy security

China’s reliance on energy imports

US actions in Venezuela highlight China’s dependence on foreign oil and show why geopolitical risks are spurring its efforts to lower energy imports even as its economy grows.

6 Jan 2026 - 5:06PM

South Korea

North Korea doubles down with missile test, slams ‘US hegemony’ over Maduro

The test also appears to indicate Pyongyang’s objection to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Beijing.

5 Jan 2026 - 5:30PMvideocam

Middle East

At least 16 dead in Iran during week of protests: rights groups

Rights groups report rising fatalities and hundreds of arrests in the biggest Iran protests in three years.

5 Jan 2026 - 10:01AM

Protesters in the Malekshahi district of Iran’s western Ilam province, in UGC images published on January 3. Photo: UGC via AFP

China energy security

Maduro capture: is the US trying to grab control of the global oil market?

Removal of Venezuelan leader could be part of US effort to regain global pricing power as petrodollar system comes under strain: analysts.

4 Jan 2026 - 9:42PM

In a photo released by the White House, US President Donald Trump monitors American military strikes on Venezuela from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on June 3. Photo: AP

Britain

Iranian diaspora in UK rallies in London to support protesters in Iran

Pro-democracy demonstrators gathered outside Downing Street for the rally organised by the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women in the UK.

4 Jan 2026 - 7:26AM

Donald Trump

‘Peace President’ Trump embraces war: Maduro captured, Nigeria hit, Iran warned

Despite Nobel Peace Prize ambitions, Trump opens 2026 with strikes in Venezuela after a Christmas Day hit on Nigeria.

4 Jan 2026 - 1:32AM

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Iran

Iranians use Musk’s Starlink to pierce internet blackout during protests

Smuggled satellite terminals offer a high-risk lifeline as Iran’s protest death toll reportedly climbs past 600.

Exiled shah’s son emerges as a rallying figure as Iranians protest

China’s US embassy decries ‘coercion’ after Trump’s Iran tariff move

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Middle powers fear a return to ‘rules of the jungle’ geopolitics as rival powers carve out spheres of influence.

China denounces use of force in Middle East as Trump threatens Iran strikes

Beijing calls for ‘peace and stability’ in the region amid escalating protests in Iran.

China’s oil risks worsen as Trump threatens Iran

The US president’s suggestion of potential intervention in Iran after the fatal suppression of protests adds new jeopardy to China’s oil imports.

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Iran steps up response to country’s largest protests in years

Iranian authorities warned the US and Israel they would retaliate if Washington follows through on threat to intervene.

Trump says Iran wants to negotiate after reports of hundreds killed in unrest

Amidst unrest, Trump claims Iran seeks talks, but warns of strong action. Tehran blames the US and Israel, but signals openness to diplomacy.

Iran will target US, Israel if Trump strikes over protest

Israel is also on high alert for the possibility of a US intervention to support ‌Tehran’s protest movement.

‘Tools of repression’: crackdown fears grow as Iran rocked by new rallies

Activists warn authorities could intensify suppression of the protests under cover of the internet blackout.

Iran protests: a day-by-day guide to the country’s unfolding crisis

What began with a currency collapse has spiralled into a deadly nationwide revolt, with dozens killed and internet access cut.

‘Something has to give’: Iran on the brink as protest fury mounts

Weakened by conflict with Israel and a plummeting currency, analysts say the regime faces a choice between radical reform or collapse.

Trump says protest-hit Iran in ‘big trouble’, again threatens military strike

The US president warned that ‘we’ll start shooting too’, if the authorities kill demonstrators.

Protests sweep Iran amid internet blackout and state TV warning of casualties

Iranian state media breaks silence on protests as internet and phone access is restricted amid widening unrest.

Video | Iran shuts down internet amid growing protests

The latest unrest, sparked by Iran’s worsening economy, has led to the deaths of at least 35 people.

Opinion | Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

It confirms Pyongyang’s belief that leaders seen as thorns in the US side who lack nuclear weapons ultimately fall victim to US intervention.

US allies Saudi Arabia, UAE risk a split in Middle East over competing visions

A ‘new order’ is emerging as Abu Dhabi-backed separatist allies clash with pro-Riyadh governments in the region.

US won’t rule out pressuring Venezuela to curb China, Russia ties

White House vows continued ‘American dominance in the western hemisphere’ as Trump claims Caracas will now buy ‘only American-made’ products.

Opinion | Why Asia should be concerned about the US attack on Venezuela

Venezuela matters less as a case in itself than as a signal of how energy is being repositioned amid intensifying US-China competition.

The Maduro effect: US raid accelerates Asia’s drift away from Washington

Cambodia, Laos and North Korea are expected to tighten their embrace of Moscow and Beijing amid growing distrust of the US.

Why Iran may not be the next Venezuela despite twin threat of protests and Trump

The volatile situation in the Middle East and the greater role played by China in the region may give the US pause for thought.

Iran protests death toll hits 35 and 1,200 detained, activists say

Iran’s judiciary vows ‘no leniency’ for rioters as nationwide unrest enters its second week.

China’s reliance on energy imports

US actions in Venezuela highlight China’s dependence on foreign oil and show why geopolitical risks are spurring its efforts to lower energy imports even as its economy grows.

North Korea doubles down with missile test, slams ‘US hegemony’ over Maduro

The test also appears to indicate Pyongyang’s objection to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Beijing.

At least 16 dead in Iran during week of protests: rights groups

Rights groups report rising fatalities and hundreds of arrests in the biggest Iran protests in three years.

Maduro capture: is the US trying to grab control of the global oil market?

Removal of Venezuelan leader could be part of US effort to regain global pricing power as petrodollar system comes under strain: analysts.

Iranian diaspora in UK rallies in London to support protesters in Iran

Pro-democracy demonstrators gathered outside Downing Street for the rally organised by the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women in the UK.

‘Peace President’ Trump embraces war: Maduro captured, Nigeria hit, Iran warned

Despite Nobel Peace Prize ambitions, Trump opens 2026 with strikes in Venezuela after a Christmas Day hit on Nigeria.

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Video | Iran steps up response to country’s largest protests in years