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Iran's flurry of diplomacy, as Trump insists U.S. has 'the cards'

April 25, 2026. **AFP via Getty Images** AFP via Getty Images Iran's foreign minister arrived in Russia on Monday, after a whirlwind weekend of diplomacy, seeking to gain political leverage and foreign backing

China’s Xi meets Russian FM Lavrov, calls relations with Moscow ‘precious’

Iran since shortly after the US and Israel launched their war on February 28, while the US military said on Tuesday that its forces have now completely blockaded all Iranian ports in a move designed

Can Russia serve as an economic lifeline for Iran amid the Hormuz blockade?

April 27, 2026 [Dmitri Lovetsky/Pool via Reuters] ## Alternatives to Hormuz The backbone of Russia-Iran trade is the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a network of shipping lanes, railways, and roads linking Russia

EU set to sign off €90bn loan for Ukraine and fresh Russia sanctions – Europe live

discuss the latest on the Middle East and the next EU budget, starting in 2028.** ![A person walks past a logo of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026 ahead

With 3,000 containers stuck in Pakistan, Iran explores more land routes

discussing the possibility of a land route to send the stranded containers across the 900km border between the neighbours. Pakistani officials confirmed the consultations, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity

Is India’s Chabahar dream in Iran dead?

Russia and India through Iran. “Chabahar is important for India’s connectivity endeavours in Central Asia, a region not easily accessible for New Delhi,” said Kabir Taneja, a fellow at the India-based Observer Research

Deadlock over Iran's nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz cripples peace efforts

Russia, as Iranian officials sought to gain political leverage and foreign support. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, met on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who expressed his support for Iran

Japan approves scrapping a ban on lethal weapons exports

2026, after holding telephone talks with her Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif. **Keisuke Hosojima/AP/Kyodo News** Keisuke Hosojima/AP/Kyodo News TOKYO — Japan on Tuesday endorsed scrapping a ban on lethal weapons exports, a major change of its postwar

Spirit Airlines tried to be the Dollar General of the skies. Then the big airlines beat it at its own game

Iran are an important part of the story of Spirit's current woes. But, as we report [in today's *Planet Money* newsletter](https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money), the story of Spirit and other budget airline troubles