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July 12, 2026
 

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Parisa Hafezi
Smoke rises from the Thai bulk carrier 'Mayuree Naree' near the Strait of Hormuz after an attack on Wednesday.
WORLD
Mar 12, 2026
Iran tells world to get ready for oil at $200 a barrel as it fires on merchant ships
The war unleashed with joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes nearly two weeks ago has so far killed around 2,000 people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese.
A banner of Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei with late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on a building, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran on Tuesday.
WORLD
Mar 11, 2026
Heaviest day of strikes yet on Iran despite market bets that war will end soon
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they would block oil shipments from the Gulf unless U.S. and Israeli attacks cease.
A woman holds a poster of Iran's new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (R), next to his late father Ali Khamenei, during a rally in support of him at Enghelab Square in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD
Mar 10, 2026
Trump says war could be over soon as Iran rallies behind new hard-line leader
The conflicting signals sent markets on a roller coaster, with oil prices surging and stock markets nosediving before swinging in the other direction.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son and successor to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has long opposed reformist groups advocating for engagement with the West.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 9, 2026
In unequivocal message to Trump, Iran elevates Khamenei son as successor
Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment locks hard-liners firmly in control in Tehran, which could reshape Iran’s war with the U.S. and Israel and reverberate far beyond the Middle East.
Iran's Assembly of Experts announced Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country's new supreme leader on March 8, 2026.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 9, 2026
Iran names Khamenei’s hard-line son Mojtaba as new supreme leader
The position gives Mojtaba the final say in all matters of state in the Islamic Republic.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends an event in Tehran last month.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 8, 2026
Cracks emerge in Iran’s leadership as it reels under bombardment
Fissures within Iran’s ruling elite were long suppressed under the rule of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but his killing a week ago has allowed them to spill out into the open.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan at the Munich Security Conference in Munich on Feb. 13
WORLD
Mar 8, 2026
Saudi Arabia has told Iran not to attack it and warns of possible retaliation
The sources said the kingdom had remained in regular contact with Tehran through its ambassador since the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran began.
A woman cries near a Diplomatic Police station destroyed by airstrikes in Tehran on Tuesday.
WORLD
Mar 4, 2026
Conflict widens as Israel and U.S. again pound Iran; oil soars, shares slide
Global stock markets slid as the disruption of Middle East energy supplies threatened to reignite inflation.
People mourn the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed amid joint U.S. and Israeli strikes, at a square in Tehran on Sunday.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Mar 2, 2026
Khamenei killing shatters Iran’s order and triggers high-stakes succession race
The focus now is on whether the Revolutionary Guard, long seen as the true center of gravity, emerge weakened by battlefield losses and internal frictions — or more entrenched.
Any substantial move toward an agreement between longtime foes Washington and Tehran could reduce the imminent prospects for U.S President Donald Trump to carry out a threatened attack on Iran.
WORLD
Feb 27, 2026
U.S.-Iran talks end with no deal but potential signs of progress
The two sides plan to resume negotiations soon, with technical-level discussions scheduled to take place next week in Vienna.
Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy soldiers wave Chinese flags next to a model of a military vehicle carrying anti-ship missiles during an event ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the country's navy, in Qingdao, China, in April 2019.
WORLD
Feb 25, 2026
Iran nears deal to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles from China
A deployment of the CM-302 missiles would significantly enhance Iran’s strike capabilities and pose a threat to U.S. naval forces in the region, experts said.
Iranian women walk past an anti-U.S. billboard in Tehran on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 23, 2026
Tehran is ready for nuclear concessions if U.S. meets demands, Iranian official says
Both sides remain sharply divided — even over the scope and sequencing of relief from crippling U.S. sanctions — following two rounds of talks.
People walk past an anti-U.S. billboard in Tehran on Jan. 26.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 21, 2026
U.S. and Iran slide toward conflict as military buildup eclipses talks
Two Israeli officials said they believe the gaps between Washington and ​Tehran are unbridgeable and that the chances of a near-term military escalation are high.
U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner (right), and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22. Some experts said the two lack the depth of knowledge and experience to go up against veteran negotiators like Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and their Russian interlocutors and that they were in over their heads in such complicated conflicts.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 18, 2026
U.S. envoys juggle two crisis talks, raising questions about prospects for success
The shuttle diplomacy by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner has raised questions about the likelihood of them resolving either of the crises, experts say.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L) during a meeting with the people in Tehran on Jan. 17 and U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaking in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Feb. 3. Trump said in an interview on Wednesday that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be "very worried," as the U.S. builds up its military forces in the region.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 5, 2026
U.S. and Iran agree to Friday talks in Oman but still at odds over agenda
The meeting comes as the U.S. builds up forces in the Middle East and regional players seek to avoid a military confrontation that could lead to a wider war.
Women walk past a mural painted on the outer walls of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 3, 2026
Iran fears U.S. strike may reignite protests and imperil rule, sources say
Officials in Tehran told Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that public anger over last month’s crackdown has reached a point where fear is no longer a deterrent.
Iranians walk past a billboard showing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with anti-U.S. rhetoric in Tehran on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 30, 2026
Iran rounds up thousands in mass arrest campaign after crushing unrest: sources
Activists say detainees are being held in secret lockups, denying access to lawyers and family members.
A billboard threatening action against American warships in Enghelab Square in Tehran on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 29, 2026
Trump weighs Iran strikes to inspire renewed protests, sources say
The U.S. president wanted to create conditions for “regime change,” in Iran after a crackdown crushed a nationwide protest movement earlier this month, two sources said.
Iranians mourn security personnel killed in recent protests in Tehran on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jan 15, 2026
Iran warns of retaliation if Trump strikes; U.S. withdraws some personnel from bases
The move comes after Iran had signaled to its neighbors that it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is facing one of the most precarious moments of his decadeslong rule.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 9, 2026
Iran’s rulers face legitimacy crisis amid spreading unrest
The country’s religious rulers are struggling to bridge the gap between their priorities and the expectations of a young society.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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