Iran-US tensions

Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, United Arab Emirates

Interview

UAE official says opening Hormuz integral to any Iran deal, describes infrastructure damage 'manageable'

Abdulla Balalaa, UAE assistant minister of foreign affairs for energy and sustainability, spoke to Al-Monitor about the situation in the Gulf along with the UAE's focus on promoting privatization in the water sector and the 2026 UN Water Conference.

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.

Analysis

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

Iran’s current posture accepts short-term, reversible constraints while rejecting long-term limits on enrichment.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

STRAIT OF HORMUZ - NOVEMBER 19: In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transits the Strait of Hormuz as an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from the Nightdippers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 lifts off from the flight deck November 19, 2019. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the M

'The reach is global': Pentagon vows pursuit of ships tied to Iran trade

A top admiral said the US Navy will pursue any vessels "providing material support to Iran" anywhere in the world.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish Presient Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey April 17, 2026.

Sharaa distances Syria from Iran war, says Israel talks ongoing: What to know

Negotiations with Israel "have not reached a dead end, but they are progressing with great difficulty” Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Latest News

Analysis

How long can Iran's economy weather US naval blockade?

Getty Images

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

Aoun says Lebanon seeks 'permanent agreements' with Israel after White House invite

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun delivers a speech during a meeting of Pope Leo XIV with authorities, civil society and diplomatic corps at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital Beirut, on November 30, 2025. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Eurozone's inflation jumps 2.6%, jet fuel shortages loom amid Iran war

A fuel truck CarbOil services an Easyjet aircraft at Milan's Malpensa Airport on April 13, 2026.

Trump announces Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, will invite Aoun and Netanyahu to White House

The announcement follows landmark talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington on Tuesday.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (C) arrives to attend a cabinet session to discuss an army plan to disarm the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, on September 5, 2025. In August, under heavy US pressure and fearing Israel would intensify its strikes, Lebanon's government ordered the army to draw up a plan for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump, Rubio speak to Lebanon's president amid push for Aoun-Netanyahu call

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun received a phone call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday amid reports that Aoun is to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Haneen Sayyed

Interview

Minister warns aid cuts to Lebanon risk empowering Hezbollah

Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed warns of resurgent sectarian tensions as Israeli strikes drive mass displacement into overcrowded Beirut.

Haneen Sayyed

Haneen Sayyed

Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs

Iranians carry the coffin of one of the people killed in a shooting attack, during their funeral in the city of Izeh in Iran's Khuzestan province, on November 18, 2022. In some of the worst violence since the protests erupted, assailants on motorbikes shot dead seven people, including a woman and two children aged nine and 13, at a central market of Izeh on the evening of November 16, 2022, state media said. (Photo by ALIREZA MOHAMMADI / isna / AFP) (Photo by ALIREZA MOHAMMADI/isna/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran arrests Ahwazi separatist leader amid war crackdown: What to know

The Islamic Republic has detained hundreds of people in Khuzestan province, home to Iran’s largest Arab community.

People celebrate Eid and watch oil tankers sail into Muscat Anchorage on March 22, 2026, at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman.

US Navy turns back 3 more vessels on second day of Iran blockade

Cargo vessels altering their identification signals have created a cat-and-mouse game for the US Navy east of the Strait of Hormuz, while most of Iran’s “ghost fleet” appears to remain in a holding pattern.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

UAE's deputy PM holds first call with Ghalibaf amid push to extend US-Iran ceasefire

The Emirati vice president and Iran’s parliament speaker talked de-escalation on the phone in the first such contact since the Iran war began.

United Arab Emirates

People walk past a wall mural along the roadside in Tehran on April 12, 2026.

Analysis

Survival first: Will Iran soften red lines in US talks to consolidate war gains?

Ahead of a possible new round of US talks, Iran insists that uranium enrichment on its own soil is nonnegotiable, framing it as a matter of sovereignty and deterrence.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper meets with IDF Chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir in Israel, March 31, 2026.

CENTCOM chief visits Israel, Bahrain amid Iran ceasefire, blockade

The meetings come as the US seeks allies' support in opening the Strait of Hormuz after the US Navy established a maritime blockade of Iran's ports amid a fragile ceasefire.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Why are Wall Street banks posting record profits amid Iran war?

The US-Israel-Iran war has roiled the global economy since Feb. 28, but the resulting market volatility has boosted trading profits for some.

Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images

First round of Lebanon-Israel talks concludes in Washington: What to know

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the meeting a “historic opportunity” to end Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanon.

A photograph shows the damage in the aftermath of a drone strike in the Seef district of Manama on March 10, 2026.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia summon Iraqi diplomats over militia attacks: What to know

The United States and Kuwait have likewise criticized Iraq over actions tied to Iran-backed armed groups in the country.

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Qlaileh on April 13, 2026.

Uncertainty shrouds Lebanon-Israel talks as Israeli bombardment continues

The two countries' ambassadors are scheduled to meet at the State Department at 11:00 am Tuesday.