The U.S. and Iran stepped back from the brink of possible war on Wednesday as President Donald Trump signaled he would not retaliate militarily for Iran’s missile strikes on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. 

Iran struck back at the United States early on Wednesday for killing its most powerful military commander, firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases that house American troops.

President Donald Trump and his top advisers are under pressure to disclose more details about the intelligence that led to an American airstrike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

President Donald Trump’s decision to assassinate Iran’s top military leader because of an alleged “imminent threat” to U.S. interests is already having major repercussions across the region. What’s next in the U.S.-Iran showdown?

An expert on Iranian culture says he was “appalled” by President Donald Trump’s threat to attack dozens of Iranian sites. We speak with Matthew Stolper of the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute.

President Donald Trump declared Friday that a “reign of terror is over” as he marked the death of an Iranian general killed in a U.S. strike and as the Pentagon scrambled to reinforce the American military presence in the Middle East in preparation for reprisals.

President Donald Trump said his trade negotiators had received two “very good calls” from China on Sunday. But a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry said that he didn’t know what calls Trump was talking about.

The decision to ramp up uranium enrichment came less than a week after Iran acknowledged breaking the 661-pound limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile.

Iran acknowledged Monday it had broken the limit set on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by the 2015 nuclear deal, marking its first major departure from the unraveling agreement a year after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the accord.

New economic sanctions on Iran: will they prevent a military showdown? Robert Pape, director of the University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats, offers his insight.

Iran threatened Wednesday to resume higher enrichment of uranium in 60 days if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for its 2015 nuclear deal a year after President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord.

After more than 20 months of negotiations, a landmark deal was reached Tuesday between world powers and Iran that curbs Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the easing of economic sanctions. The deal reduces Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium and the number of its centrifuges by two-thirds. It also prevents Iran from producing weapons-grade plutonium. 

A new book, Unthinkable: Iran, the Bomb, and American Strategy by author Kenneth Pollack, explores the advantages and potential consequences of different foreign policy approaches. Pollack joins us to discuss the book. Read an excerpt.

Though the historical handshake between President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani didn’t happen at the United Nations luncheon today, there’s already speculation another opportunity may be on its way, and relations between the two countries could continue to thaw. We talk with Middle Eastern political expert, Marvin Zonis. View a timeline of U.S. and Iranian diplomatic relations.

Diplomacy is being put to the test in Iran. Tightened sanctions and threats of war are making the situation even more tense. We explore the details of the standoff.