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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

The US Navy’s Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which has been operating in the region. Photo: US Navy via AFP

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump’s Venezuela ‘blockade’ raises legal questions as US masses forces

With an unusually large US military presence near Venezuela, observers warn of tactics that stretch the bounds of international law.

2 hours ago

SCMP Highlights

US ‘seizes’ Chinese cargo, Mexico stands by tariffs: SCMP daily highlights

16 Dec 2025 - 9:15PM

US-China relations

‘Testing the waters’? US reported to have seized Chinese cargo bound for Iran

16 Dec 2025 - 10:00AMvideocam

Australia

Isis-inspired Bondi gunmen visited Philippines before shooting: police

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Sajid Akram and his son Naveed had been radicalised by an ‘ideology of hate’.

16 Dec 2025 - 2:30PMvideocam

Mourners place flowers at a makeshift memorial at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Nobel Prize

No contact with Iran Nobel winner laureate arrest, supporters say

Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Peace Prize laureate, was detained on Friday alongside dozens of activists and may face national security charges.

15 Dec 2025 - 10:06AM

Australia

World leaders express horror at Bondi Beach attack as vigils held for victims

Israel’s Herzog condemned the ‘cruel attack on Jews’ by ‘terrorists’; Trump branded the shooting that killed 15 people ‘purely antisemitic’.

15 Dec 2025 - 6:28AM

Energy

Iran seizes foreign oil tanker suspected of smuggling fuel

Semi-official media cited few details but the news comes days after the US intercepted a tanker off Venezuela allegedly linked to Tehran.

13 Dec 2025 - 9:03PMvideocam

A gasoline refinery in Asalouyeh, Iran. File photo: AP

Donald Trump

Syria’s year of ‘epic’ transformation earns it Trump’s protection

Washington is lifting sanctions and has rebuked Israel for its attacks, as the US throws its weight behind Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration.

13 Dec 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

Middle East

Iran detains Nobel Prize winner Narges Mohammadi in ‘brutal’ arrest

The activist’s brother says she was beaten on the legs, held by her hair and ‘dragged down’ by security forces personnel.

13 Dec 2025 - 4:18AM

Middle East

A year after Assad’s fall, can Syria’s new leader deliver lasting peace?

Despite progress, sectarian violence and Kurdish tensions persist as President Ahmed al-Sharaa pushes toward future elections.

9 Dec 2025 - 8:44AMvideocam

People gather as they celebrate the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad’s fall, at Ummayad Square in Damascus, Syria on Monday. Photo: Reuters

War and conflict

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

The age of ‘distributed multipolarity’ shows that superpowers alone can no longer dictate international affairs.

6 Dec 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Hong Kong’s religious communities unite in prayer to mourn Tai Po fire victims

Muslims and other faith groups express solidarity and sorrow for victims of deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court.

5 Dec 2025 - 7:29PM

Artificial intelligence

Senators unveil bill to keep Trump from easing curbs on AI chip sales to China

The SAFE CHIPS Act is a rare effort led in part by Trump’s own party to stop him from further relaxing tech export restrictions on Beijing.

5 Dec 2025 - 4:45AM

Middle East

Iraq removes Hezbollah and Houthis from asset-freeze list after ‘mistake’

Iraqi PM orders accountability for the error over list meant for Islamic State/al-Qaeda only. Reversal is blow to US efforts curbing Iran.

5 Dec 2025 - 4:58AM

Houthi fighters participate in a rally marking the second anniversary of the attacks carried by Hamas against Israel, in Sana’a, Yemen in October. Photo: EPA

United States

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

The pause applies to people from nations that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June.

3 Dec 2025 - 10:16AM

Women gather next to an anti-US mural in Tehran. The list of countries targeted in the US memorandum includes Iran. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters

Pacific nations

How sanctioned Russian oil flows freely via a tiny Pacific island nation

Some 20 tankers registered in the microstate allegedly smuggled Russian and Iranian fuel between 2024 and 2025 amid lax oversight.

2 Dec 2025 - 12:50PMvideocam

Middle East

‘No calm in Beirut’ as more Israeli strikes expected after Hezbollah ultimatum

Israel’s ultimatum to Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah by New Year’s Eve is more about political pressure than an invasion plan, analysts say.

2 Dec 2025 - 5:20PMvideocam

The Philippines

Why Russia is targeting the Philippines with Ukraine mercenary claims

As Moscow wages an information war far from the battlefields of Ukraine, an improbable front has opened up in Southeast Asia.

1 Dec 2025 - 4:02PM

A Filipino soldier demonstrates how to operate a missile system during a joint military exercise with the US in August last year. Photo: AFP

Pakistan

Can mediators prevent war between Afghanistan, Pakistan as tensions spike?

Prolonged proxy warfare could create space for terrorist groups such as Isis-K to regenerate and plot overseas attacks, analysts warn.

27 Nov 2025 - 5:36PMvideocam

India

India, Afghanistan close ranks against Pakistan, marking South Asia power shift

Direct air cargo links reflect New Delhi’s efforts to reassert influence and could help Kabul reduce dependence on Islamabad, analysts say.

26 Nov 2025 - 6:50PMvideocam

Donald Trump

Khashoggi’s widow and Democrats demand release of ‘shocking’ Trump-Saudi call

The call with the Saudi crown prince after Khashoggi’s killing involved a quid pro quo, US congressman Eugene Vindman says.

22 Nov 2025 - 4:36AM

Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, the wife of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi, speaks at a news conference in Washington on Friday. Photo: AFP

China's military weapons

China-US-Russia rivalry for Middle East stealth fighter sales on show in Dubai

Analysts say China’s increasingly competitive J-35 is the one to watch among non-US allies as market splits on geopolitical lines.

20 Nov 2025 - 8:11PMvideocam

Models of China’s J-35A and J-10CE fighter jets on display at this year’s Dubai Air Show, which opened on Monday. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong

For Hong Kong’s outsiders, zines offer what the city doesn’t – space, dignity and voice

At workshops and festivals, some are embracing DIY publishing as a slower, more human way to find connection and tell their stories.

18 Nov 2025 - 10:00AM

Middle East

Iraq PM Sudani claims election win after early results show decisive lead

The incumbent prime minister’s candidate list is in the lead with more than 1.3 million votes, about 217,500 more than the next closest list.

13 Nov 2025 - 7:39AM

Middle East

US sanctions firms from China to India over Iranian weapons

The US also targeted Ma Jie, an individual based in China, who is accused of helping Iranian defence officials meet Chinese suppliers.

13 Nov 2025 - 3:49AMvideocam

Iranians visit an exhibition showcasing missile and drone achievements in Tehran on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

United States

Opinion | Trump’s nuclear turn risks upsetting fragile global strategic balance

US president may have wanted to project strength, but nuclear weapons testing could further isolate America and spark a new cold war.

13 Nov 2025 - 12:02PMvideocam

Socialist Unity Centre of India activists burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump at a rally to mark the 80th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bomb attack, on Hiroshima at the end of WWII, in Kolkata on August 6. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Iraq voters turn out in numbers as region watches on

Over 12 million people took part despite influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr calling on his supporters to boycott the election.

12 Nov 2025 - 6:12AM

Syria

Syria joins alliance against Isis after Trump hosts ex-jihadist president

President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s White House visit caps a remarkable turnaround for a former jihadist who once had a US$10 million bounty on his head.

11 Nov 2025 - 4:01PM

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Iran

Trump’s Venezuela ‘blockade’ raises legal questions as US masses forces

With an unusually large US military presence near Venezuela, observers warn of tactics that stretch the bounds of international law.

US ‘seizes’ Chinese cargo, Mexico stands by tariffs: SCMP daily highlights

‘Testing the waters’? US reported to have seized Chinese cargo bound for Iran

Isis-inspired Bondi gunmen visited Philippines before shooting: police

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Sajid Akram and his son Naveed had been radicalised by an ‘ideology of hate’.

No contact with Iran Nobel winner laureate arrest, supporters say

Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Peace Prize laureate, was detained on Friday alongside dozens of activists and may face national security charges.

World leaders express horror at Bondi Beach attack as vigils held for victims

Israel’s Herzog condemned the ‘cruel attack on Jews’ by ‘terrorists’; Trump branded the shooting that killed 15 people ‘purely antisemitic’.

Iran seizes foreign oil tanker suspected of smuggling fuel

Semi-official media cited few details but the news comes days after the US intercepted a tanker off Venezuela allegedly linked to Tehran.

Syria’s year of ‘epic’ transformation earns it Trump’s protection

Washington is lifting sanctions and has rebuked Israel for its attacks, as the US throws its weight behind Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration.

Iran detains Nobel Prize winner Narges Mohammadi in ‘brutal’ arrest

The activist’s brother says she was beaten on the legs, held by her hair and ‘dragged down’ by security forces personnel.

A year after Assad’s fall, can Syria’s new leader deliver lasting peace?

Despite progress, sectarian violence and Kurdish tensions persist as President Ahmed al-Sharaa pushes toward future elections.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

The age of ‘distributed multipolarity’ shows that superpowers alone can no longer dictate international affairs.

Hong Kong’s religious communities unite in prayer to mourn Tai Po fire victims

Muslims and other faith groups express solidarity and sorrow for victims of deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court.

Senators unveil bill to keep Trump from easing curbs on AI chip sales to China

The SAFE CHIPS Act is a rare effort led in part by Trump’s own party to stop him from further relaxing tech export restrictions on Beijing.

Iraq removes Hezbollah and Houthis from asset-freeze list after ‘mistake’

Iraqi PM orders accountability for the error over list meant for Islamic State/al-Qaeda only. Reversal is blow to US efforts curbing Iran.

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

The pause applies to people from nations that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June.

How sanctioned Russian oil flows freely via a tiny Pacific island nation

Some 20 tankers registered in the microstate allegedly smuggled Russian and Iranian fuel between 2024 and 2025 amid lax oversight.

‘No calm in Beirut’ as more Israeli strikes expected after Hezbollah ultimatum

Israel’s ultimatum to Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah by New Year’s Eve is more about political pressure than an invasion plan, analysts say.

Why Russia is targeting the Philippines with Ukraine mercenary claims

As Moscow wages an information war far from the battlefields of Ukraine, an improbable front has opened up in Southeast Asia.

Can mediators prevent war between Afghanistan, Pakistan as tensions spike?

Prolonged proxy warfare could create space for terrorist groups such as Isis-K to regenerate and plot overseas attacks, analysts warn.

India, Afghanistan close ranks against Pakistan, marking South Asia power shift

Direct air cargo links reflect New Delhi’s efforts to reassert influence and could help Kabul reduce dependence on Islamabad, analysts say.

Khashoggi’s widow and Democrats demand release of ‘shocking’ Trump-Saudi call

The call with the Saudi crown prince after Khashoggi’s killing involved a quid pro quo, US congressman Eugene Vindman says.

China-US-Russia rivalry for Middle East stealth fighter sales on show in Dubai

Analysts say China’s increasingly competitive J-35 is the one to watch among non-US allies as market splits on geopolitical lines.

For Hong Kong’s outsiders, zines offer what the city doesn’t – space, dignity and voice

At workshops and festivals, some are embracing DIY publishing as a slower, more human way to find connection and tell their stories.

Iraq PM Sudani claims election win after early results show decisive lead

The incumbent prime minister’s candidate list is in the lead with more than 1.3 million votes, about 217,500 more than the next closest list.

US sanctions firms from China to India over Iranian weapons

The US also targeted Ma Jie, an individual based in China, who is accused of helping Iranian defence officials meet Chinese suppliers.

Opinion | Trump’s nuclear turn risks upsetting fragile global strategic balance

US president may have wanted to project strength, but nuclear weapons testing could further isolate America and spark a new cold war.

Iraq voters turn out in numbers as region watches on

Over 12 million people took part despite influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr calling on his supporters to boycott the election.

Syria joins alliance against Isis after Trump hosts ex-jihadist president

President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s White House visit caps a remarkable turnaround for a former jihadist who once had a US$10 million bounty on his head.

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work