https://www.scmp.com/rss/521476/feed Abbas Araghchi is a highly experienced Iranian career diplomat, currently serving as the Foreign Minister of Iran. He has held significant roles including Ambassador to Finland (1999-2003) and Japan (2008-2011), plus various Deputy Foreign Minister positions, notably for Legal and International Affairs (2005-2008, 2013-2018) and Political Affairs (2018-2021). Araghchi was a pivotal figure in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear negotiations, serving as Iran’s chief negotiator.... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Thursday the tallest bridge in Iran had been destroyed, hours after threatening to bomb the country “back to the Stone Ages”. Ghodratollah Seif, the deputy governor of Alborz province, where the B1 bridge is located, said the strike had killed eight people and wounded 95 others, according to state TV and Fars news agency. Due to reporting restrictions, Agence France-Presse is not able to access the sites of strikes nor to independently verify tolls in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348868/trump-hails-destruction-irans-tallest-bridge-warns-much-more-follow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348868/trump-hails-destruction-irans-tallest-bridge-warns-much-more-follow?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 01:52:34 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Asean’s neutrality in the Iran conflict is key to granting access to the coveted Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran likely seeking to win global opinion amid its war with the United States and Israel. Amid boiling tensions in the Gulf, Iran has wielded its control of the strategic channel to choke global oil supplies, especially to the US and its allies. Many countries – including those from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – have turned to diplomatic efforts to secure safe passage for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348759/why-asean-neutrality-iran-war-key-unlocking-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348759/why-asean-neutrality-iran-war-key-unlocking-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 05:41:08 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Yuanyue Dang Khushboo Razdan,Yuanyue Dang US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared the US‑Israel war against Iran had delivered “decisive, overwhelming victories”, even as he signalled that key military objectives were still “nearing completion” and that further strikes could inflict heavy damage on targets in the country. “We are going to hit them extremely hard. Over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong. In the meantime, discussions are ongoing,” he said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3348727/trump-declares-decisive-overwhelming-victory-iran-war-signals-end-operations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3348727/trump-declares-decisive-overwhelming-victory-iran-war-signals-end-operations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 01:22:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that Iran’s leader wanted a ceasefire, in a social media post that Tehran called “false and baseless”. Trump claimed that “Iran’s New Regime President” was seeking a ceasefire, which he said would happen only once the Strait of Hormuz was “open, free, clear”. It was not immediately clear who Trump was referring to in Iran, which still has the same president. The US president, who is scheduled to address the nation later in the day, had earlier said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348704/trump-claims-iran-president-wants-ceasefire-no-response-tehran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348704/trump-claims-iran-president-wants-ceasefire-no-response-tehran?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:32:08 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Pakistan is hoping that its role in building a diplomatic off-ramp from the US-Israel war on Iran will enable it to become a key actor in the Middle East after the conflict ends, analysts say. If Islamabad can deliver without being sucked into the maelstrom, it can capitalise on its position as peacemaker by signing defence deals with Gulf monarchies and attracting investment from them to strengthen its weak economy. This will help finance Pakistan’s military expansion for its envisioned new... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348621/pakistan-eyes-gulf-investment-defence-deals-return-playing-peacemaker-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348621/pakistan-eyes-gulf-investment-defence-deals-return-playing-peacemaker-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 05:21:16 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng The surge in US service members in the Middle East suggests the Iran war could become a protracted, low-intensity conflict as Donald Trump eyes a trip to China in May, Chinese military analysts say. The deployment of elite forces and the US president’s recent tactics in Venezuela indicated Washington was highly aware of and seeking to avoid a costly drawn-out war like Vietnam, the observers added. On Sunday, The New York Times and The Washington Post reported that several hundred US Army Rangers... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348428/why-donald-trump-needs-short-term-win-iran-he-visits-xi-jinping-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348428/why-donald-trump-needs-short-term-win-iran-he-visits-xi-jinping-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Friday he believed Iran would hold talks with Washington “this week” as the US-Israeli war against Tehran entered its second month. The war began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched air strikes across Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sending shock waves across the globe. A month later the conflict showed no sign of ending, with US-Israeli strikes hitting two Iranian nuclear facilities on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348223/us-special-envoy-witkoff-predicts-iran-talks-war-enters-second-month?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348223/us-special-envoy-witkoff-predicts-iran-talks-war-enters-second-month?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 02:26:54 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press An Iranian missile attack on Friday left at least 10 US service members wounded and damaged several planes at a military base in Saudi Arabia, according to two US officials familiar with the situation. The attack on Prince Sultan Air Base damaged several US refuelling aircraft, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters. One of the officials said two of the troops were seriously wounded. Satellite imagery that appeared to show the damage to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348220/iran-strike-wounds-us-troops-and-damages-planes-saudi-airbase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348220/iran-strike-wounds-us-troops-and-damages-planes-saudi-airbase?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 23:25:51 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The deadly bombing of an Iranian school spurred “visceral horror”, the UN rights chief said Friday, urging Washington to conclude its investigation and demanding justice “for the terrible harm done”. Speaking at the start of an urgent debate in the UN Human Rights Council focused on the February 28 strike on an Iranian junior school in Minab on the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Volker Turk said that “whatever differences countries have, we can all agree they will not be solved by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348157/un-tells-us-swiftly-finish-probe-visceral-iran-school-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348157/un-tells-us-swiftly-finish-probe-visceral-iran-school-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:38:18 +0000 Neil Denslow,Raymond Ma Neil Denslow,Raymond Ma China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, encouraged his Iranian counterpart to pursue negotiations with the United States as conflict in the Middle East threatens to enter a second month. “Talking is better than fighting,” Wang told Abbas Araghchi by phone on Tuesday, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. “All parties should seize every opportunity to begin the peace process as soon as possible.” Confusion surrounds the status of peace talks, as Iran has derided a reported US 15-point ceasefire plan... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3347856/china-calls-us-iran-talks-war-upends-gulf-states-global-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3347856/china-calls-us-iran-talks-war-upends-gulf-states-global-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 09:00:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Airstrikes battered Iran’s capital and Iranian missiles and drones targeted Israel’s Tel Aviv and sites across the Mideast on Tuesday, even as US President Donald Trump said the United States was in talks with the Islamic Republic to end the war. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said in a post on X that his country is ready to “facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks” to end the war. “Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347688/iran-targets-israel-and-gulf-states-after-denying-trump-claim-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347688/iran-targets-israel-and-gulf-states-after-denying-trump-claim-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:12:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters Iran’s veteran supreme leader and a host of other top figures and Revolutionary Guards commanders have been killed in US-Israeli strikes but the ruling system has maintained its ability to strategise and operate ⁠in the war that began on February 28. Born from a 1979 ⁠revolution, the Islamic Republic built a complex power structure with layered institutions buttressed by a shared ⁠commitment to the survival of the theocratic system rather than relying on a small number of individuals. Is the new... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347669/host-top-figures-killed-war-who-now-running-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347669/host-top-figures-killed-war-who-now-running-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 04:55:17 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen Iran’s leadership is likely to prove resilient despite US-Israeli decapitation tactics, analysts say. Dozens of senior Iranian officials, including the former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and national security chief Ali Larijani, have been killed since the start of the bombing raids on February 28. Tehran has argued these changes do not matter. “Of course, individuals are influential, and each person plays their role – some better, some worse, some less – but what matters is that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347624/not-venezuela-why-iran-likely-survive-us-israeli-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347624/not-venezuela-why-iran-likely-survive-us-israeli-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:15:30 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Japan’s top government spokesperson said on Monday that one of two Japanese nationals detained in Iran has safely returned home in good health. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara’s confirmation came one day after Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi announced the person’s release. Motegi, speaking on a Fuji Television talk show on Sunday, said the person had been detained since last year and was released on Wednesday. He said the person took a flight from Azerbaijan. Kihara, at a regular press... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3347582/japanese-national-back-home-after-iran-detention?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3347582/japanese-national-back-home-after-iran-detention?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:09:56 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju As the world reels from the fallout of the Iran war, India is seeking to manage its risks and interests in the Middle East and beyond while maintaining its neutrality in the widening conflict. This can be seen in New Delhi engaging with combatants US and Iran, as well as other nations caught in the crossfire of the war, according to political analysts. In the past two weeks, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has spoken four times with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, while Prime... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347402/why-india-faces-dilemma-over-iran-war-while-seeking-diplomatic-flexibility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347402/why-india-faces-dilemma-over-iran-war-while-seeking-diplomatic-flexibility?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 08:00:17 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran is ready to facilitate the passage of Japanese vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy shipments, and that negotiations with Japan on the issue are ongoing. “We have not closed the strait. It is open,” Araghchi said in a telephone interview with Kyodo News on Friday. He also stressed that Iran, which was attacked by the United States and Israel in late February, was seeking “not a ceasefire, but a complete,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3347415/iran-ready-help-japan-ships-pass-through-strait-hormuz-araghchi-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3347415/iran-ready-help-japan-ships-pass-through-strait-hormuz-araghchi-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 06:47:03 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and a veteran of the Revolutionary Guards, has emerged as the highest-profile political figure in the Islamic Republic after the killing of its leaders. A pillar of the Iranian establishment for some three decades and one of the Islamic republic’s most prominent non-clerical figures, Ghalibaf, 64, now appears to be playing a key role spearheading the war effort. Whereas the son and successor of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347261/irans-parliament-speaker-emerges-key-figure-war-after-assassinations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347261/irans-parliament-speaker-emerges-key-figure-war-after-assassinations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 05:24:41 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan,Orange Wang Cao Jiaxuan,Orange Wang As Tehran signalled that Beijing could serve as a diplomatic broker in its intensifying war with the United States and Israel, analysts cautioned that the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement of 2023 could prove “hard to replicate”. They also highlighted the difficulty of Washington accepting third-party mediation, after US President Donald Trump confirmed that a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing would be delayed by “five or six weeks” because of the armed conflict. Beijing has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347202/can-china-broker-peace-iran-again-2023-was-different-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347202/can-china-broker-peace-iran-again-2023-was-different-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 04:00:09 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea finds itself boxed in as Tehran moves to turn the Strait of Hormuz into a bargaining chip amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, leaving Seoul caught between its dependence on Middle East oil and its unwillingness to antagonise Washington. Economists note that South Korea relies on Washington’s security umbrella to deter threats from nuclear-armed North Korea and that its oil trade is settled in US dollars – two realities that sit awkwardly alongside Iran’s push for yuan-based energy... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347201/south-korea-risks-us-rift-over-irans-hormuz-strait-squeeze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347201/south-korea-risks-us-rift-over-irans-hormuz-strait-squeeze?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:19 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Iran’s air strikes on the Gulf states have turned the spotlight onto China’s dilemma in trying to develop long-term relations with those nations but also with their arch-rival Iran. Strikes on all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks on Iran have hit both American military assets stationed in those countries and civilian infrastructure, including oil refineries. As oil and gas producers, they are also bearing the brunt of the effective closure of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346919/can-china-still-maintain-good-relations-gulf-states-and-iran-fighting-escalates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346919/can-china-still-maintain-good-relations-gulf-states-and-iran-fighting-escalates?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 04:00:10 +0000 dpa dpa Iran plans to convert the girls’ school that was bombed on the first day of the war into a museum commemorating the nearly 200 victims of the strike. “This school is a living document of the Americans’ willingness to commit crimes and must be registered and documented for preservation in the historical memory of the Iranian people,” the Iranian government said in a statement issued on Monday. At least 168 pupils aged between seven and 12 years old, 26 teachers and four parents were killed in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346768/iran-turn-bombed-girls-school-museum-commemorating-us-crimes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346768/iran-turn-bombed-girls-school-museum-commemorating-us-crimes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:19:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Missiles and drone attacks hit across the UAE on Monday, with a drone-related incident sparking a fuel tank fire near Dubai airport that disrupted travel, while a missile killed a civilian in Abu Dhabi. In the eastern emirate of Fujairah, a drone attack on oil infrastructure sparked a fire, just one day after smoke was seen rising from a major UAE energy installation in the emirate. The attacks came a day after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview that rockets had been... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346748/dubai-flights-disrupted-after-drone-attack-near-airport-missile-kills-1-abu-dhabi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346748/dubai-flights-disrupted-after-drone-attack-near-airport-missile-kills-1-abu-dhabi?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:14:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Sri Lanka began transferring more than 200 sailors from an Iranian vessel to shore on Friday after the ship sought help while anchored outside the country’s waters, as tensions mounted in the Indian Ocean following the sinking of an Iranian warship by a US submarine. Sri Lanka navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said the sailors of the IRIS Bushehr were being brought first to the port of Colombo and the ship will later be moved to an eastern port on the island. “The disembarkation is in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345734/sri-lanka-takes-control-iranian-ship-brings-crew-shore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345734/sri-lanka-takes-control-iranian-ship-brings-crew-shore?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:35:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Three Australian military personnel were on board an American submarine that sank an Iranian navy ship off Sri Lanka this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday. Speaking to Sky News, Albanese said: “I can confirm that there were three Australian personnel on board that vessel”. The personnel were on board the submarine as part of training arrangements under Aukus, a multidecade defence pact with Britain and the United States, Albanese said. “These are long-standing third country... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3345638/albanese-says-australian-troops-were-board-us-submarine-sank-iranian-ship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3345638/albanese-says-australian-troops-were-board-us-submarine-sank-iranian-ship?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 01:11:07 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Mark Magnier,Xinmei Shen Lucy Quaggin,Mark Magnier,Xinmei Shen US President Donald Trump called on Iran’s armed forces on Thursday to surrender or face the consequences and urged the nation’s diplomats to request asylum at their postings around the world. “I’m once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military and the police, to lay down their arms,” Trump said. “So you’ll be perfectly safe with total immunity, or you’ll face absolutely guaranteed death, and I don’t want to see that.” Speaking at the White House at a sports... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345628/trump-says-he-must-be-involved-picking-irans-new-leader-khameneis-son-unacceptable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345628/trump-says-he-must-be-involved-picking-irans-new-leader-khameneis-son-unacceptable?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:14:18 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has wasted no time positioning himself as a diplomatic broker in the Middle East, offering to mediate between Iran and the United States even as the bombs are still falling. The problem, critics say, is that Indonesia stopped being neutral the moment it joined US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”. Jakarta’s offer came on Saturday, hours after US and Israeli strikes began hitting Iran. Prabowo was willing to travel to Tehran in person if all parties... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345279/indonesias-us-iran-peace-broker-bid-faces-long-odds-we-are-nothing-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345279/indonesias-us-iran-peace-broker-bid-faces-long-odds-we-are-nothing-them?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 09:55:39 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Teresa Elena Frontado Khushboo Razdan,Teresa Elena Frontado US President Donald Trump vowed to press ahead with a sweeping military campaign against Iran until US objectives are fully achieved, warning that additional American casualties were likely even as Washington intensified what he described as one of the largest offensives in modern history. “Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends,” Trump said in a video posted on social media, referring to the deaths of three US service members confirmed earlier by the US Central Command. “That’s the way... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3345054/pentagon-confirms-three-american-deaths-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3345054/pentagon-confirms-three-american-deaths-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 16:21:58 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump voiced frustration on Friday with Iran’s stance in nuclear negotiations but said he had not yet decided whether to carry out a threatened attack, as US staff were authorised to leave Israel due to heightened risks. Trump has ordered the biggest military build-up in decades in the Middle East, with the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, approaching the coast of Israel, as he demands Iran agree to sweeping concessions on concerns starting with its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344925/us-tells-some-embassy-staff-leave-israel-iran-war-clouds-gather?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344925/us-tells-some-embassy-staff-leave-israel-iran-war-clouds-gather?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 13:31:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran and the United States held hours of indirect negotiations on Thursday over Tehran’s nuclear programme but walked away without a deal, leaving the danger of another Mideast war on the table as the US has gathered a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the region. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks in Geneva, said there had been “significant progress in the negotiation” without elaborating. But just before the talks ended, Iranian state television reported... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344787/us-and-iran-wrap-indirect-nuclear-talks-american-forces-mass-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344787/us-and-iran-wrap-indirect-nuclear-talks-american-forces-mass-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 19:49:28 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press As the United States assembles its greatest military firepower in decades in the Middle East, Iranians are warily awaiting the next round of talks with the US in Geneva this week – negotiations that many see as a last chance for their ruling theocracy to strike a deal with US President Donald Trump. Some say the situation feels hopeless. Battered by decades of sanctions, heightened by Trump’s 2018 decision to withdraw from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, Iranians also just suffered... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344611/iranians-edge-trumps-us-armada-closes-war-will-start?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344611/iranians-edge-trumps-us-armada-closes-war-will-start?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 09:52:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump briefly laid out ⁠his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday, saying he would not allow the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon. Even while assembling a massive military force in the Middle East, Trump has done little to explain to the American public why he might be leading the US into its most aggressive action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. In his speech, Trump... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344568/iran-rejects-big-lies-after-trump-lays-out-case-possible-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344568/iran-rejects-big-lies-after-trump-lays-out-case-possible-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 07:07:48 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump has pushed back on reports that the Pentagon was concerned that an extended military campaign against Iran could prove difficult, even as he insisted his preference was still to strike a diplomatic deal. “Everything that has been written about a potential War with Iran has been written incorrectly, and purposefully so,” Trump said in a social media post on Monday. “I am the one that makes the decision, I would rather have a Deal than not but, if we don’t make a Deal, it... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344419/trump-pushes-back-reports-iran-war-risks-clock-ticks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344419/trump-pushes-back-reports-iran-war-risks-clock-ticks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:42:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Saturday that President Donald Trump is questioning why Iran has not “capitulated” in the face of Washington’s military build-up aimed at pressuring them into a nuclear deal. The United States and Iran this week resumed Oman-mediated talks in Geneva aimed at averting the possibility of military action, after Washington sent two aircraft carriers, jets and weaponry to the region to back its warnings. In a Fox News interview with Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara, Witkoff... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344245/envoy-says-trump-curious-why-iran-has-not-capitulated-under-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344245/envoy-says-trump-curious-why-iran-has-not-capitulated-under-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 07:54:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said he was considering a limited strike on Iran after ordering a major naval build-up in the Middle East aimed at heaping pressure on Tehran to cut a deal to curb its nuclear programme. The latest threat came after Iran’s foreign minister said a draft proposal for an agreement with Washington would be ready in a matter of days following negotiations between the two sides in Geneva earlier this week. Trump had suggested on Thursday that “bad things” would happen if... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344183/trump-weighs-limited-strike-iran-tehran-says-draft-deal-coming-soon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344183/trump-weighs-limited-strike-iran-tehran-says-draft-deal-coming-soon?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:02:25 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain After US and Iranian negotiators agreed on Tuesday to a set of “guiding principles” at their nuclear talks in Geneva mediated by Oman, Tehran went further – framing any eventual deal as a commercial proposition, not just a security arrangement. Iran is pitching access to its vast energy and mineral reserves as what it has called a “trillion-dollar opportunity” for American firms. In doing so, analysts say Tehran is speaking the language of a US president known for his deal-making... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343872/iran-tempts-trump-trillion-dollar-nuclear-deal-pitch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343872/iran-tempts-trump-trillion-dollar-nuclear-deal-pitch?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 04:37:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Associated Press Agence France-Presse,Associated Press Iran fired live missiles towards the Strait of Hormuz while its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that the US warship deployed in the Gulf could be sunk, amid nuclear talks between the two countries. “We constantly hear that they [the US] have sent a warship towards Iran. A warship is certainly a dangerous weapon, but even more dangerous is the weapon capable of sinking it,” Khamenei said in a speech on Tuesday. The US and Iran held their second round of talks about Iran’s nuclear... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343836/iran-fires-missiles-khamenei-threatens-sink-us-warship-nuclear-talks-start?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343836/iran-fires-missiles-khamenei-threatens-sink-us-warship-nuclear-talks-start?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:38:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran’s top diplomat has arrived in Geneva ahead of a second round of negotiations with the United States, Iranian state television said on Monday, as Washington keeps up pressure on the Islamic republic. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation are in the Swiss city after the first round of indirect talks took place in Oman last week. Oman would mediate Tuesday’s talks in Geneva, the IRNA state-run news agency reported on its Telegram channel on Sunday. Similar talks last year broke... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343656/irans-top-diplomat-attend-indirect-talks-us-geneva-state-news-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343656/irans-top-diplomat-attend-indirect-talks-us-geneva-state-news-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 22:20:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Switzerland said on Saturday that Oman would host talks between the United States and Iran in Geneva next week, with Washington pushing Tehran to make a deal to limit its nuclear programme. “Switzerland stands ready at all times to offer its good offices to facilitate dialogue between the United States and Iran,” a Swiss foreign ministry spokesman said. On February 6, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks in Oman with US envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343601/us-iran-talks-be-held-geneva-next-week-hosted-oman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343601/us-iran-talks-be-held-geneva-next-week-hosted-oman?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 18:10:50 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The United States and Iran may be inching towards a renewed nuclear accord, following intensive behind-the-scenes diplomacy by Gulf monarchies and Turkey aimed at averting a new regional war. With US President Donald Trump indicating a clear preference for negotiation over confrontation, Washington appears to have quietly abandoned earlier talk of regime change in Tehran and efforts to assist Iranians caught in last month’s bloody protests. “If the Iranian people want to overthrow the regime,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343257/us-iran-eye-tentative-nuclear-talks-regional-diplomacy-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343257/us-iran-eye-tentative-nuclear-talks-regional-diplomacy-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 04:00:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran marked the 47th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution on Wednesday as the country’s theocracy remains under pressure, both from US President Donald Trump who suggested sending another aircraft carrier group to the Middle East and a public angrily denouncing Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. The commemoration represented a split-screen view of life in Iran, with state television showing hundreds of thousands of people across the country attending pro-government rallies,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343207/irans-revolution-anniversary-marred-protests-nuclear-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343207/irans-revolution-anniversary-marred-protests-nuclear-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 11:30:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to over seven more years in prison after she began a hunger strike, supporters said on Sunday, as Tehran cracks down on all dissent following nationwide protests and the deaths of thousands at the hands of security forces. The new convictions against Mohammadi come as Iran tries to negotiate with the United States over its nuclear programme to avert a threatened military strike by US President Donald Trump. Iran’s top diplomat insisted... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342852/iran-sentences-nobel-laureate-narges-mohammadi-over-7-more-years-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342852/iran-sentences-nobel-laureate-narges-mohammadi-over-7-more-years-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 17:40:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday ruled out Tehran ever giving up uranium enrichment in its negotiations with Washington, insisting it will not be intimidated by the threat of war with the United States. The minister, Abbas Araghchi, told a forum in Tehran that Iran had little trust in Washington and even doubted that the US side was taking renewed negotiations seriously. “Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up, even if a war is imposed on us? Because no... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342826/iran-defies-trump-and-us-pressure-over-uranium-enrichment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342826/iran-defies-trump-and-us-pressure-over-uranium-enrichment?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 09:53:51 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman over Tehran’s nuclear programme on Friday, months after America bombed Iran’s uranium enrichment sites and just weeks following nationwide protests that convulsed the Islamic Republic. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the talks as “a very good start” even as the parties met Oman’s top diplomat at different times at a palace on the outskirts of the country’s capital, Muscat. Both Araghchi and the Omanis described the talks... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342722/oman-mediates-iran-us-nuclear-talks-amid-tensions-and-trumps-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342722/oman-mediates-iran-us-nuclear-talks-amid-tensions-and-trumps-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:17:59 +0000 Agencies Agencies Iran’s state-run Press TV ‌said on Thursday that “one ‍of the country’s most advanced long-range ballistic missile Khorramshahr 4” ⁠has been deployed at one of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace underground missile cities. The Khorramshahr 4 has a ‍range of 2,000km (1,240 miles) and is ‌capable of carrying a 1,500kg warhead, it added. Tehran has also announced a significant change in its military policy following the 12-day war with Israel last June, moving to a first-strike from a previously... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342575/iran-media-says-projectile-deployed-revolutionary-guards-underground-missile-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342575/iran-media-says-projectile-deployed-revolutionary-guards-underground-missile-city?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 23:49:41 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg President Donald Trump sent a fresh warning to Iran’s leaders as US military forces amassed in the region, even as diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran were set for later this week. “I would say he should be very worried, yeah. He should be,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, when asked about Iran’s supreme leader. “As you know, they are negotiating with us.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post on Wednesday that talks with the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342432/trump-says-iran-leaders-should-be-very-worried-talks-flail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342432/trump-says-iran-leaders-should-be-very-worried-talks-flail?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 21:07:29 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nuclear talks between the United States and Iran will be held in Oman on Friday, Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency reported Wednesday. The meeting comes as a possible confrontation looms, with US President Donald Trump building up forces in the Middle East Trump has warned that “bad things” would probably happen if a deal could not be reached, ratcheting up pressure on the Islamic Republic in a stand-off that has led to mutual threats of air strikes and stirred fears of escalation into a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342377/us-and-iran-now-eyeing-oman-nuclear-talks-tensions-run-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342377/us-and-iran-now-eyeing-oman-nuclear-talks-tensions-run-high?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 09:17:35 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, local media said, as his counterpart Donald Trump threatened “bad things” if no deal with the Islamic Republic was struck. Following the Iranian authorities’ deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, the US president has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East. Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342157/irans-president-pezeshkian-orders-nuclear-talks-us-trump-hopeful-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342157/irans-president-pezeshkian-orders-nuclear-talks-us-trump-hopeful-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 19:18:03 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was hopeful of agreeing a deal with Iran after the country’s supreme leader warned that any US attack on the Islamic republic would trigger a regional war. Following the Iranian authorities’ deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, Trump has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East. Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday likened the recent protests to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342025/trump-hopeful-iran-deal-after-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-warns-regional-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342025/trump-hopeful-iran-deal-after-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-warns-regional-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 20:03:36 +0000 Reuters Reuters US ‌President Donald Trump urged Iran on Wednesday to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons or the next US ‍attack would be far worse. Tehran responded with a threat to strike back against the United States, Israel and those who support them. “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!” Trump wrote on social media. Amid a build-up... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3341600/trump-warns-iran-make-nuclear-deal-or-next-attack-will-be-far-worse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3341600/trump-warns-iran-make-nuclear-deal-or-next-attack-will-be-far-worse?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 22:07:10 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain With the recent arrival of a US Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Middle East near Iran, President Donald Trump is set to have all the military assets in place needed to launch a war against Tehran by the end of this week. While a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough is still on Washington’s cards, Trump may soon have to pick one of the plans drawn up by the Pentagon to meet his desired outcomes – none of which have been made public. Washington has maintained diplomatic backchannels open... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341529/us-naval-strike-force-sails-near-iran-trump-faces-no-easy-levers-against-tehran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341529/us-naval-strike-force-sails-near-iran-trump-faces-no-easy-levers-against-tehran?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 08:03:52 +0000