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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

People wade through a flooded area due to monsoon rains and rising river water levels in Wetlet, Myanmar’s Sagaing region on Monday. Photo: AFP

Laos

‘Struggling to help’: surging waters leave Mekong communities without aid

Tens of thousands have been displaced in Laos and Myanmar, with rescue efforts hampered by threadbare resources.

5 hours ago

China-Middle East relations

Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan Mecca pact ‘far from’ Nato-style defence alliance

13 Aug 2026 - 6:55PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump turns to economic pain as US bombings fail to sway Iran

13 Aug 2026 - 2:28PMvideocam

Saudi Arabia

Erdogan wants Turkey-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defence pact to draw more countries

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Istanbul expects Egypt to join the pact ‘in the next stage’.

13 Aug 2026 - 12:02AM

Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sign the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. Photo: PPI /ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Science

China is sending scientists to Iran for rare earth ‘exploration and processing’

Chinese and Iranian natural science foundations include the strategically sensitive metals in this year’s joint workshop programme.

12 Aug 2026 - 11:42PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

China’s glueball ‘triumph’; SpaceX rocket debris on video: 7 science highlights

From China’s plan against desertification to nuking a ‘doomsday asteroid’, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.

12 Aug 2026 - 3:30PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Factions in Iran openly fight over war’s direction amid Khamenei’s absence

Hardliners opposing talks with the US demand President Pezeshkian’s resignation, deepening political tensions over how to end the war.

12 Aug 2026 - 3:11PMvideocam

Vehicles drive past banners showing portraits of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and his father at a square in Tehran on Monday. Photo: AP

US, Israel war on Iran

US says it has fired on ship in Gulf of Oman to enforce Iranian ports blockade

A US Navy helicopter fired on and disabled the Panama-flagged ship after the crew ignored warnings from US forces, said US Central Command.

12 Aug 2026 - 4:36AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | A strong China is the best hope for the ‘long peace’ to endure

If China’s rise shows it rejects hegemonic ambitions, the hope is that it can make a difference and foster a more peaceful world.

11 Aug 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Middle East

Syria sentences ex-leader Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia

Former Syrian president convicted of murder, torture and crimes against humanity after trial in Damascus following 2024 ousting.

11 Aug 2026 - 5:59PM

Former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad speaks in Damascus in 2023. Assad fled the capital Damascus as rebel fighters ⁠approached nearly two years ago, and is currently in Moscow. Photo: AFP

India

Can India and China rally Brics to ease Strait of Hormuz tensions?

Analysts say a unified Brics could support Oman-led talks for a resolution and provide an alternative to US diplomacy.

11 Aug 2026 - 6:29PMvideocam

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on Monday. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump

How US staged Air Force One departure to hide Trump’s secret exit from Turkey

A report said the US president secretly swapped planes while leaving a Nato summit due to an Iranian assassination threat.

11 Aug 2026 - 11:31AM

SCO

Opinion | The SCO is caught between regional weight and global ambitions

As the SCO marks its 25th anniversary, internal rifts as well as limited financial integration and security cooperation are holding it back.

11 Aug 2026 - 10:29AMvideocam

United States

Trump extends Jones Act waiver for 90 days, narrows scope

The extension ensures the US military and key industries maintain uninterrupted access to critical resources, the White House said.

11 Aug 2026 - 6:06AM

The Rishiri Galaxy, an oil and chemical tanker sailing under the flag of Panama, at the Texas City docks next to the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery soon after the US announced a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act shipping law on March 18. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump demands Iran pay compensation as hopes fade for Hormuz agreement

US president says the issue must be included in future negotiations after Tehran sought damages for US and Israeli strikes.

11 Aug 2026 - 5:55AMvideocam

Black smoke rises following explosions near a military base hosting US forces in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil in July. Photo: AP

China-Middle East relations

‘Islamic Nato’ may create China opening in Middle East

A new military alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey creates a potential gap with the US and the possibility of greater China influence in the region.

10 Aug 2026 - 5:07PM

Pakistan

Pakistan says ‘purely defensive’ Mecca accord is open to others

Egypt is likely to join the defence deal, signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey amid rising tensions between the US and Iran.

10 Aug 2026 - 9:56AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump says US ‘low-keying it’ with Iran, playing down urgency over Hormuz

US president calls dealings with Tehran a ‘chess game’ as a diplomatic breakthrough fails to materialise.

10 Aug 2026 - 2:21PM

US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Photo: AP

Middle East

Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi refinery, testing new defence pact

Rebel strikes hit Jazan oil complex and kill seven in Mocha as Saudi Arabia seals security alliance with Turkey and Pakistan.

10 Aug 2026 - 4:28PM

China-Middle East relations

China waits in wings as Mecca pact signals Gulf move beyond US security umbrella

The Nato-style deal between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey highlights the growing doubts in the region about over-reliance on Washington.

10 Aug 2026 - 1:15AMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

Israel’s Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan endorsed by Hamas

Israeli leader dismisses 15-point document for the future of war-torn Gaza in the latest break with the White House.

10 Aug 2026 - 3:26PM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: dpa

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran says Oman deal is in ‘final stages’ but US must act to open Hormuz

Iran and the US are not engaged in talks and Tehran will not start them as long as Washington breaches an interim deal signed in June.

9 Aug 2026 - 10:39PMvideocam

Vehicles drive past an anti-US billboard at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Iran on Sunday. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the agreement with Oman would not imply reopening the Strait of Hormuz without the United States accepting the Iranian proposals. Photo: EPA

Japan

Opinion | Japan’s defence white paper is the opening move in a longer game

Japan’s latest defence white paper confirms Chinese strategists’ fears that post-war pacifist guard rails are being dismantled under the guise of ‘self-defence’.

9 Aug 2026 - 9:33PMvideocam

Saudi Arabia

How Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact acts as ‘insurance’ over US disengagement

The Mecca deal may emerge as a third geopolitical ‘centre of gravity’ in the Middle East, with more members joining, analysts say.

9 Aug 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran thinks it has Trump cornered – but what are the risks?

Dwindling US arms stockpiles, inflation woes and looming midterms mean time is on Tehran’s side. Trouble, however, is brewing at home.

9 Aug 2026 - 2:35PMvideocam

Pedestrians walk past a hoarding in Tehran in July depicting US President Donald Trump being grabbed by the neck alongside the message “Revenge is inevitable” in English and Farsi. Photo: AP

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran targeted tanker, says UAE, as Tehran says Hormuz deal with Oman close

Iran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait and wants to charge for passage. It is in talks with Oman over management arrangements.

8 Aug 2026 - 10:56PMvideocam

People spend time on a beach as commercial vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Wednesday. Photo: via AP

Middle East

UN warns Yemen at greatest risk of renewed major conflict since 2022 truce

The Houthis said on Friday they had targeted Saudi-backed forces, a day ‌after at least 30 Yemeni government troops were killed in strikes.

8 Aug 2026 - 4:20PM

United States

How the humble burrito triggered a Maga ‘civil war’ in Trump’s party

The price of the Mexican dish is at the centre of an inflation row, with one lawmaker telling US youths to stop whining and ‘eat ramen’.

8 Aug 2026 - 8:15AM

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Iran

‘Struggling to help’: surging waters leave Mekong communities without aid

Tens of thousands have been displaced in Laos and Myanmar, with rescue efforts hampered by threadbare resources.

Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan Mecca pact ‘far from’ Nato-style defence alliance

Trump turns to economic pain as US bombings fail to sway Iran

Erdogan wants Turkey-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defence pact to draw more countries

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Istanbul expects Egypt to join the pact ‘in the next stage’.

China is sending scientists to Iran for rare earth ‘exploration and processing’

Chinese and Iranian natural science foundations include the strategically sensitive metals in this year’s joint workshop programme.

China’s glueball ‘triumph’; SpaceX rocket debris on video: 7 science highlights

From China’s plan against desertification to nuking a ‘doomsday asteroid’, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.

Factions in Iran openly fight over war’s direction amid Khamenei’s absence

Hardliners opposing talks with the US demand President Pezeshkian’s resignation, deepening political tensions over how to end the war.

US says it has fired on ship in Gulf of Oman to enforce Iranian ports blockade

A US Navy helicopter fired on and disabled the Panama-flagged ship after the crew ignored warnings from US forces, said US Central Command.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | A strong China is the best hope for the ‘long peace’ to endure

If China’s rise shows it rejects hegemonic ambitions, the hope is that it can make a difference and foster a more peaceful world.

Syria sentences ex-leader Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia

Former Syrian president convicted of murder, torture and crimes against humanity after trial in Damascus following 2024 ousting.

Can India and China rally Brics to ease Strait of Hormuz tensions?

Analysts say a unified Brics could support Oman-led talks for a resolution and provide an alternative to US diplomacy.

How US staged Air Force One departure to hide Trump’s secret exit from Turkey

A report said the US president secretly swapped planes while leaving a Nato summit due to an Iranian assassination threat.

Opinion | The SCO is caught between regional weight and global ambitions

As the SCO marks its 25th anniversary, internal rifts as well as limited financial integration and security cooperation are holding it back.

Trump extends Jones Act waiver for 90 days, narrows scope

The extension ensures the US military and key industries maintain uninterrupted access to critical resources, the White House said.

Trump demands Iran pay compensation as hopes fade for Hormuz agreement

US president says the issue must be included in future negotiations after Tehran sought damages for US and Israeli strikes.

‘Islamic Nato’ may create China opening in Middle East

A new military alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey creates a potential gap with the US and the possibility of greater China influence in the region.

Pakistan says ‘purely defensive’ Mecca accord is open to others

Egypt is likely to join the defence deal, signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey amid rising tensions between the US and Iran.

Trump says US ‘low-keying it’ with Iran, playing down urgency over Hormuz

US president calls dealings with Tehran a ‘chess game’ as a diplomatic breakthrough fails to materialise.

Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi refinery, testing new defence pact

Rebel strikes hit Jazan oil complex and kill seven in Mocha as Saudi Arabia seals security alliance with Turkey and Pakistan.

China waits in wings as Mecca pact signals Gulf move beyond US security umbrella

The Nato-style deal between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey highlights the growing doubts in the region about over-reliance on Washington.

Israel’s Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan endorsed by Hamas

Israeli leader dismisses 15-point document for the future of war-torn Gaza in the latest break with the White House.

Iran says Oman deal is in ‘final stages’ but US must act to open Hormuz

Iran and the US are not engaged in talks and Tehran will not start them as long as Washington breaches an interim deal signed in June.

Opinion | Japan’s defence white paper is the opening move in a longer game

Japan’s latest defence white paper confirms Chinese strategists’ fears that post-war pacifist guard rails are being dismantled under the guise of ‘self-defence’.

How Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact acts as ‘insurance’ over US disengagement

The Mecca deal may emerge as a third geopolitical ‘centre of gravity’ in the Middle East, with more members joining, analysts say.

Iran thinks it has Trump cornered – but what are the risks?

Dwindling US arms stockpiles, inflation woes and looming midterms mean time is on Tehran’s side. Trouble, however, is brewing at home.

Iran targeted tanker, says UAE, as Tehran says Hormuz deal with Oman close

Iran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait and wants to charge for passage. It is in talks with Oman over management arrangements.

UN warns Yemen at greatest risk of renewed major conflict since 2022 truce

The Houthis said on Friday they had targeted Saudi-backed forces, a day ‌after at least 30 Yemeni government troops were killed in strikes.

How the humble burrito triggered a Maga ‘civil war’ in Trump’s party

The price of the Mexican dish is at the centre of an inflation row, with one lawmaker telling US youths to stop whining and ‘eat ramen’.

Opinion | A strong China is the best hope for the ‘long peace’ to endure