The United States is close to an interim agreement with Iran to end the war and launch nuclear negotiations, with Tehran expected to respond on key points within 48 hours, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing two US officials and two other sources briefed on the issue.
Iranian newspapers reacted to the latest escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on the United Arab Emirates with a tone of pride and vindication, presenting the crisis as proof that Tehran can set the rules in the Persian Gulf.
Iranians need access to weapons to challenge their rulers, President Donald Trump said on Monday, arguing that protesters would fight effectively if armed but are currently outmatched by government forces.
Iranians described layoffs, unpaid wages and rising food and medical costs in messages to Iran International, while labor market data and local media reports pointed to a widening employment shock after the ceasefire.
Exclusive information obtained by Iran International points to a growing clash between Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and its military leadership over Monday’s escalation in the Persian Gulf and attacks on the United Arab Emirates.
Iran has paired a sharp escalation on the water with increasingly explicit threats, signaling what appears to be a deliberate move to deter further US attempts to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump could pursue major military action against Iran if talks do not soon produce the outlines of an achievable deal, Axios reported on Monday, citing a senior US official.
The war with the United States and Israel has exposed unusually open divisions within Iran’s clerical establishment, with hardline calls for escalation clashing with warnings over the cost of continued conflict.
Iranian lawmakers say Israeli vessels will be permanently barred from the Strait of Hormuz and ships from the United States and its allies would be allowed through only if they pay war reparations, under a proposed plan to place the waterway under Iranian “management.”
Iran has begun curbing oil production as the US naval blockade tightens around its oil trade, with exports plunging, storage filling and tankers gathering near the country’s main export hub, Bloomberg reported.
The most important question in Tehran may also be the one least possible to answer with confidence: who is making decisions?
Iran’s leadership is hardening its stance on the Strait of Hormuz, framing the waterway as a strategic and non-negotiable asset amid rising tensions and US pressure.
Rising prices for essential goods, inflation above 73%, and a surging dollar amid a fragile “no war, no peace” environment, US naval pressure, and political divisions have heightened concerns among some officials about internal instability.
Dozens of residents in Tehran displaced by a 40-day war with the US and Israel said municipal authorities ordered them to vacate temporary hotel housing despite unsafe homes and limited aid, according to interviews published by Etemad newspaper on Thursday.
The next phase of the Iran–US standoff may be decided not on the battlefield, but by how much economic pressure each side can withstand.
Taliban leaders and affiliated figures voiced support for Iran after Israeli strikes in June 2025 and later US threats, signaling a limited and conditional alignment despite longstanding disputes with Tehran.
European airlines are facing their biggest test since the COVID-19 pandemic as the Iran war drives up jet fuel prices, disrupts Middle East routes and raises concerns about possible fuel shortages ahead of the summer holiday season.
Deep-rooted mistrust continues to stand in the way of any meaningful thaw between Iran and the United States despite renewed diplomacy after weeks of war.
Iran’s foreign trade has suffered a sharp contraction in the first month of war with the United States and Israel, newly released customs data show, signaling a severe blow to the country’s already fragile economy.
In Tehran, Abbas Araghchi’s whirlwind regional tour is being presented as evidence that Iran still has diplomatic options and regional leverage.
Amid Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the ensuing US blockade, an old energy fantasy has resurfaced that cutting off a country’s oil exports works like flipping a switch. But reality is less cinematic and far more uncomfortable.
Iran and the United States traded accusations at the United Nations on Monday over the Strait of Hormuz, as the archfoes’ weeks-long standoff over the strategic waterway continued to disrupt global energy supplies and world trade.