China backs Iran's sovereignty as Wang Yi meets Bagheri
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council…
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November 2026Daily briefing
Iran ties Hormuz reopening to US ending blockade
Iran said the Strait of Hormuz could reopen within two days if the US ends its blockade and meets Tehran's conditions. Trump said the US will not attack Iran after the midterms and is in “no rush,” Middle East Eye reported.
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Iran says Hormuz can reopen in two days if US meets demands
Iran's Foreign Ministry said contacts with the United States are continuing through Qatari and Pakistani mediators after Iranian negotiators left Doha on Sunday…
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Parsi reports blasts in southern Iran as US-Iran talks advance
In his newsletter, Iranian-Swedish analyst Trita Parsi said explosions hit Qeshm and areas near Bandar Abbas and Ahvaz as Qatar-mediated US-Iran talks showed progress. Citing unnamed Iranian and US sources, he said the blasts were not American and that he suspects Israel; the claims could not be independently verified.
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Mike Rogers earned $420,000 from MITRE, now helping plan Iran war
According to tax filings cited by Drop Site News, Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate candidate in Michigan, earned more than $420,000 as a board member of MITRE, the consultancy Pete Hegseth picked to lead Project Meridian: The Future of Warfare, which is helping plan the next phase of the Iran war. The report comes as polls show as many as 67% of Michigan voters disapprove of the war and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has attacked Rogers over his support for it.
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Oil falls as Iran-Qatar talks raise hopes of ending war
Oil prices fell on Monday after meetings between Iranian and Qatari officials raised hopes for a Qatar-mediated deal to end what Iranian media described as the US-Israeli war against Iran. Brent crude dropped more than 6.5% to $105.55 a barrel, the lowest in more than two weeks, The Guardian reported, while Asr-e Iran put the decline at more than 3%.
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Report: 118 Baha'i citizens targeted by Iran courts in seven months
HRANA, a US-based nonprofit news agency founded by Iranian activists, documented at least 118 Baha'i citizens, including 60 women and 58 men, facing arrests, prison sentences, property confiscation, home searches, business closures and education restrictions across 11 provinces between March 21 and October 22, 2026. Prison terms totaling 155 years, 10 months and 9 days were issued or upheld against 30 of them, with Fars and Yazd recording the highest numbers of identified individuals.
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Tehran University student's self-immolation attempt disputed
Shahin Shokouhi, a PhD sociology student at the University of Tehran, attempted self-immolation outside the university's disciplinary building on November 1, according to Radio Zamaneh and friends cited by Khabar Online. The friends said he was protesting disciplinary cases, repeated summonses, and denial of university facilities, and that his condition was stable. A University of Tehran cultural official said the student's initial action was stopped and no self-immolation took place.
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Iran's economic contraction eases after June despite war and blockade
A Bourse & Bazaar Foundation analysis says Iran's economy has contracted since February amid war, inflation and a U.S. blockade of its ports, but that the severity of the contraction has eased since June as parts of the economy showed resilience. It examines GDP and sector- and firm-level data to assess the size of the decline.
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Iran, Russia discuss regional issues by phone and in Moscow
Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone and reaffirmed strategic cooperation under a roadmap set by their countries' leaders, Iranian state media reported. Middle East Eye, citing IRNA, said the call addressed what it described as the US-Israel war on Iran. Separately, Iranian diplomat Mohammad Ali Bak and Russian official Alexander Kinschak met in Moscow on bilateral issues and West Asia, and the head of the Russian-Iranian Council for Trade Relations, Rajab Safarov, called for stronger economic, political and security ties, state media said.
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US oil firms reap $130bn from war on Iran as bills surge
US oil and gas companies earned more than $130bn in profits during the war on Iran, according to an estimate by The New York Times, while American households spent an extra $150bn on gasoline and diesel, Brown University's Climate Solutions Lab found. Analysts said damage to Persian Gulf and Russian energy infrastructure and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz drove the gains, with prices likely to stay high until a political settlement.
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Iran military warns renewed US-Israeli war would be costlier
Iran’s military has warned that a renewed all-out war with the United States and Israel would be longer and more costly than its rivals expect, saying it could deploy new weapons and tactics and that any response would be immediate and might extend beyond West Asia, according to Al Jazeera. IRGC and army spokespeople said Iran was ready and would rely on asymmetric warfare, while the report said Iranian civilians and critical infrastructure remain largely exposed, with no shelters or early warning systems reported.
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Pezeshkian: Supreme Leader gave government authority for talks
President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Supreme Leader has granted the government certain authorities regarding talks, Iranian state media reported. At a meeting with governors, he said his government serves the people and that with public support Iran can overcome enemy threats, adding that Tehran will try to resolve the problem through dialogue.
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Shahvar bauxite mine reopens after seven years despite concerns
The Tash bauxite mine in the Shahvar mountains of Shahroud resumed operations after a seven-year halt under a one-year permit. The Department of Environment continues to oppose the mine, and its effects on local water and soil are to be monitored continuously.
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NIAC urges Trump to rule out nuclear strike on Iran
The National Iranian American Council called on President Donald Trump to rule out any nuclear strike on Iran after Tucker Carlson claimed Washington could be days from attacking an alleged enrichment site at Pickaxe Mountain, with a decision expected by November 7. NIAC called the possibility an "unconscionable horror" and urged Congress to intervene. Trump later said he was in no rush to resume the war, while Iranian outlets reported he was weighing a limited strike and claimed Washington had paralyzed Iran's economy.
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Iran's AI entrepreneurs expand projects despite war and sanctions
Iranian artificial intelligence entrepreneurs are expanding projects despite war and sanctions, aiming to help industries adapt and build for a post-war future. An initiative called the AI Innovation Factory links industrial problems with technical talent and venture capital, though adoption is rising faster than investment, according to an analysis published by the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation.
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Saudi economy shrinks 3.8% as war in Iran hits Persian Gulf
Saudi Arabia's economy contracted 3.8 percent for a second consecutive quarter, Iranian state media reported, citing what it described as US military aggression against Iran and conflict with Yemeni forces that disrupted oil production and exports. The New York Times reported that Arab states of the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saw growth plunge during a year of war in Iran despite efforts to reduce their dependence on energy.
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Iran cash subsidies fail to keep pace with inflation, analysis says
An Amwaj.media analysis says direct cash subsidies cushion some poor households but fail to preserve purchasing power as inflation around 70 percent outpaces a 40 percent official salary increase. It warns that middle-class families are increasingly squeezed and that cash payments cannot substitute for currency and price stability.