I report on diplomacy as it unfolds during U.N. Security Council meetings and in the backrooms of diplomatic circles. Examples include efforts for a cease-fire in Gaza, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a U.N. agency’s $35 million financial scandal. I also cover the U.N.’s humanitarian relief efforts around natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, or military and economic catastrophes.
In my other role as the Iran reporter for The Times, I draw from my deep knowledge of the country, cultivated from my 25 years of covering Iran for major American newspapers, my native language skills and my network of sources. My stories range from domestic politics to the women-led uprising, human rights abuses, and Iran’s growing influence through its proxy militias in the region. I also like to tell stories that surprise and engage readers like the older couple next door who turned out to be serial killers, a viral dance that became a nationwide protest and a New York Times Magazine cover story, illustrated like a graphic novel, based on diaries of three young Iranian women. For the past four years a big focus of my Iran reporting has been the shadow war between Iran and Israel.
I was born in the United States to Iranian parents and grew up in Tehran and Portland, Oregon. I stumbled into journalism as a sophomore in college in Tehran, majoring in English, when a visiting New York Times correspondent hired me as a translator in Iran. I knew instantly journalism was my calling. I see journalism as a privilege and a responsibility to give voice to people’s stories and travel the world with a front seat to history. I have always been a newspaper reporter, drawn to the immediacy and thrill of news and the impact of stepping back to tell a story in-depth. I have covered local communities in rural Rhode Island as a reporter for the Providence Journal, and as an investigative reporter at The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, I wrote about the intersection of organized crime, corruption and politics. Before The Times, I was a war correspondent based in the Middle East and senior writer for The Wall Street Journal for 17 years. I have been based in Kabul, Baghdad, Beirut and Tehran, running bureaus and covering wars, intifadas and uprisings across the region and beyond. My work has won more than a dozen national journalism awards and in 2018 I was the recipient of an Ellis Island Medal of Honor recognizing an immigrant’s distinguished contributions to American society. I have written a book on the impact of the Iraq war on Iraqis titled, “Waiting for an Ordinary Day.”
I received a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and was a Nieman fellow at Harvard University studying poetry, creative writing and the laws that led to regulations of race relations in the U.S.
As a Times journalist, I’m committed to truthful reporting and upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. I am diligent about cross referencing and verifying information with multiple sources independent from one another. I do not base stories purely on videos and posts on social media, or accounts told from one side of the divide. It is my job to interview Iranian government officials and their supporters as well as their critics, opponents, and everyone in between. I also try to reflect the voices of ordinary people living inside the countries I write about and speak to as many people as I can for any given story. I do not participate in any protests or donate to any political causes or campaigns. I strongly believe that a journalist is not an activist. I do not pay for information, and I do not accept any gifts from sources. I cannot help place or solicit opinion pieces because there is a strict division between the news and opinion departments. I believe journalists should not be harassed, intimidated and threatened and such attempts to influence or intimidate me will have no bearing on my work.
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The strike on Iran on Friday was originally intended to be much broader in scope, but after intense pressure from allies, Israeli leaders agreed to ratchet it down.
By Ronen Bergman and Patrick Kingsley
Also, Iran appears to stand down after Israel’s strike and Myanmar’s conflict may be shifting.
By Amelia Nierenberg
Facing deep economic troubles and a restive population, the government seems to have adopted a policy of declaring victory over Israel and cracking down at home, analysts say.
By Farnaz Fassihi
The retaliatory attack damaged a defense system near Natanz, a city in central Iran that is critical to the country’s nuclear weapons program.
By Farnaz Fassihi, Ronen Bergman, Eric Schmitt and Luis Ferré-Sadurní
This attack used a fraction of the fire power Iran deployed last week when it launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel.
By Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman
The drone attack may have been launched from inside Iran, once again demonstrating Israel’s ability to carry out clandestine operations there.
By Farnaz Fassihi, Ronen Bergman and Patrick Kingsley
Though it was not immediately clear if the missiles struck targets inside Iran, their use would mean more sophisticated firepower was involved in the attack than first reported.
By Farnaz Fassihi and Eric Schmitt
This was featured in live coverage.
By Farnaz Fassihi, Ronen Bergman and Patrick Kingsley
In Israel, officials described the strike as a limited response and reports from both sides suggested it did not appear to cause significant damage to military sites.
By Liam Stack, Farnaz Fassihi and Sheera Frenkel
This was featured in live coverage.
By Farnaz Fassihi, Ronen Bergman and Patrick Kingsley