Iran Deal

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to the press during a visit to the shrine of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs on Jan. 8, 2026.

Analysis

As Iran's power struggle deepens, US talks stall, who’s calling the shots in Tehran?

Ultraconservative figures and security officials have intensified their criticism of the negotiating team, accusing it of jeopardizing Iran’s gains.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

President Donald Trump walks toward reporters before answering questions before boarding Air Force One on April 10, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

Trump extends ceasefire with Iran ‘until discussions concluded’

Trump also said he directed the US Navy to continue its blockade of Iranian ports.

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel sees chance of US-Iran deal as almost 'non-existent,' readies for war

As US President Trump makes contradictory statements regarding his intentions toward Iran and the ongoing negotiations, Israel is preparing for the possibility of resuming military operations.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

US Vice President JD Vance (C) walks with Pakistan's Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir (L), and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials on April 11, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Trump says Iran deal could happen 'quickly' as Pakistan readies talks: What to know

A source familiar with the plans told Al-Monitor that the US delegation will travel to Islamabad soon.

Latest News

Could UAE tap US currency swap line as Iran war strains Gulf economies?

Haruna Furuhashi /Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Oil rises, Gulf stocks slide after Iran ship seizure throws truce into doubt

A man walks past a screen displaying stock indices at the Dubai Financial Market stock exchange in Dubai, March 4, 2026.

Analysis

What is Iran really willing to concede on its nuclear program?

Iranians drive next to a billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi "Science is the power," at Enqelab Square in Tehran, on Aug. 29, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iran says Strait of Hormuz 'completely open' to ships

MUSCAT, OMAN - MARCH 25: Locals take photos of two bulk carriers anchored at Muscat Anchorage on March 25, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which conveys about 20% of the world's oil and gas, has mostly come to a halt after the joint U.S.-Israeli war with Iran that began on February 28. Iran, in a defiant reply to a ceasefire proposal from the United States, has claimed that sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz "is its natural and legal right." Under international law, t

CORRECTION / Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment on the village of Khiam in south Lebanon near the border with Israel on June 19, 2024 amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by RABIH DAHER / AFP) / "The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by RABIH DAHER has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [June 19] instead of [June 8]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your onlin

Analysis

Hezbollah, Israel not seeking full-blown war but risk of miscalculation at peak

While neither Israel nor Hezbollah is interested in war, its prospects seem higher than ever before.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Former foreign minister of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif, delivers a speech during an electoral campaign rally to support Masoud Pezeshkianin in Tehran, Iran, on June 19, 2024. Iran is holding snap presidential elections to choose the next president after the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Could Zarif tilt Iran's election toward long shot Reformist Pezeshkian?

By enlisting Mohammad Javad Zarif, Masoud Pezeshkian is sending a signal to the United States and the West, as well as to Iranians, about a possible change of course in Iran's foreign policy if he pulls off an upset next week.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

US joins Europeans in rare censure of Iran at UN nuclear watchdog

The International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member board of governors has voted to censure Iran for the first time since November 2022.

Iranians participate in the 12th term parliamentary elections and the 6th term Assembly of Leadership Experts' voting at a Tehran polling station on March 1, 2024.

Culture

What Iran's elections could signal about potential for US escalation

The sudden death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has plunged the country into new uncertainty, but it’s unlikely to derail Washington's quiet push to dial back tensions with Tehran.

This handout image supplied by the IIPA (Iran International Photo Agency) shows a view of the reactor building at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant as the first fuel is loaded, on Aug. 21, 2010 in Bushehr, southern Iran.

Understanding Iran's increasingly open rhetoric about atomic bombs

Several Iranian officials and military generals have recently abandoned earlier reservations on nuclear policy, sending out the message that the country could be turning into an atomic weapons possessor to deter Israel.

Iran war heads

Analysis

With US on its side, Israel expects any imminent Iran attack to be 'measured'

Diplomatic efforts are reportedly underway to contain any military escalation, clarifying limits to Iran to avoid all-out war.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla (L) and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi meet in Tel Aviv, May 30, 2023.

CENTCOM chief begins Israel visit, coordinating for possible Iran attack

CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Kurilla, on a regional tour, discussed preparations for a possible retaliatory attack by Iran against Israel.

A pedestrian walks past a branch of a Lloyds Bank in London on Feb. 24, 2021.

Analysis

Iran's use of 2 UK banks to evade sanctions tests West's financial systems

The Financial Times reported earlier this week that Lloyds Bank and Santander UK provided accounts to companies with links to Iran’s intelligence services.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

A picture taken on Nov. 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Iran begins building 4 more nuclear power plants amid IAEA warnings

Western officials have long suspected Tehran of looking to produce nuclear weapons, though Iran denies this.

A seal on the exterior of the US Department of Treasury building, March 13, 2023.

Who are the Iranians sanctioned by US, UK for murder plots against dissidents?

One of the plots culminated in the 2019 assassination of Iranian government critic Mas’ud Vardanjani in Istanbul, according to a statement by the US Treasury Monday.

Rafael Grossi

Davos 2024: IAEA chief says monitoring of Iran nuclear sites 'not at a good place'

Asked by Al-Monitor if Iran was close to enriching weapons-grade uranium, Grossi responded, “They are already there.”

France's Minister of Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna (2R) meets with soldiers of the French contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), outside the Pine Residence, the French Ambassador's official residence in Beirut, on December 18, 2023. France's top diplomat is in Lebanon on December 18, for talks on de-escalating near-daily exchanges of fire on the Israel border, which have triggered fears of all-out conflict. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Image

Breaking | Last Updated: January 11, 2024, 4:42 pm

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna out as France changes cabinet

With French President Emmanuel Macron still in charge of his country's foreign policies, Colonna's exit is unlikely to affect Paris' Middle East positions.