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.

INTERNATIONAL WATERS RED SEA, YEMEN - NOVEMBER 20: This handout screen grab captured from a video shows Yemen's Houthi fighters' takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo in the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, on November 20, 2023 in the Red Sea, Yemen. On Monday, the Houthi movement in Yemen released footage and photos of the Houthi-run coastguard taking over the Israeli-linked Galaxy Leader Vessel in the Red Sea, which had 52 people onboard. Galaxy Leader is owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd in the Isle of Man and is li

US threatens response after Houthi missiles hit cargo ships in Red Sea

Iran-backed factions across the Middle East opened a new volley of attacks targeting Israeli-linked cargo vessels in the Red Sea and US troops in Iraq and Syria since Israel's truce with Hamas collapsed on Friday.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard boats attack a naval vessel during a three-day military drill in the Gulf on April 22, 2010.

What is scope of Iran-Oman joint military drill near Hormuz?

The drill was held only days after the Pentagon dispatched one of its largest aircraft carriers to the strategic waters, causing unease in Tehran amid risks of potential confrontations stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.

USS Eisenhower

US Navy shoots down Iran-made drone fired from Yemen

The shooting follows a separate incident in the Persian Gulf in which an Iranian drone came within 1,500 yards of the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier.

This picture taken on July 8, 2021, shows a view of the Ain al-Assad air base hosting US forces in Iraq.

Gaza truce brings halt in Iran-linked attacks on US troops in Iraq, Syria

Pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas coincides with tentative reprieve for US troops hunting down the remnants of the Islamic State group as Iran-backed militias hold their fire.

Russian army Mi-24 helicopters fly above a warship at the Turali range on the Caspian Sea coast in the Republic of Dagestan in Southern Russia on September 23, 2020 during the "Caucasus-2020" military drills gathering China, Iran, Pakistan and Myanmar troops, along with ex-Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus. - Up to 250 tanks and around 450 infantry combat vehicles and armoured personnel carriers will take part in the September 21 to 26 land and naval exercises that will involve 80,000 people including

Iran unveils new Deylaman warship capable of launching cruise missiles

The new warship is part of Iran’s efforts to increase its military presence in the Caspian Sea.

Houthi Movement via Getty Images

How risky is US-Houthi escalation after Navy thwarts tanker hijacking?

The Iran-backed rebels are risking new levels of escalation as they jockey for clout in talks with Saudi Arabia as Israel's war in the Gaza Strip grinds on.

US jets

Pentagon expands strikes on Iran-backed groups amid Iraq backlash

Iraq's government slammed US airstrikes that targeted Kata'ib Hezbollah command centers as 'an unacceptable violation of sovereignty' as Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani seeks to balance his support base with Baghdad's ties with Washington.

US gunship

US gunship strikes Iran-backed militias in Iraq after ballistic missile attack

US commanders ordered lethal strikes in quick response to a missile attack on the Ain al-Asad air base, in a sign the military is taking matters into its own hands to defend its personnel in Iraq.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein talks to the press during a EU-Iraq Cooperation Council, at the European Council Building in Brussels on March 19, 2023.

Iraqi FM says unless US stops Israel, conflict in Gaza will 'burn all of us'

Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein worries that the conflict in Gaza will drag on and expand beyond Israel’s borders.

Permanent Representative of Iran Amir Saeid Iravani is seen during the 5th plenary meeting of the Economic and Social Council regarding the removal of the Islamic Republic of Iran from membership in the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations headquarters, New York, Dec. 14, 2022.

Iran’s UN envoy: US military boost leaves it 'exposed' to attacks, Saudi-Israel normalization derailed by war

Saeid Iravani told Al-Monitor that Saudi Arabia’s normalizing relations with Israel in the foreseeable future has reached an impasse following war in Gaza.

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (2nd L) and U. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2nd R) chat with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani (R) and United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L), in Sde Boker, Israel on March 28, 2022. - Blinken and the top diplomats of Israel and four Arab states held a landmark meeting to discuss issues from the Iran nuclear negotiations to the global shockwaves of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Jacquelyn Mar

Gaza war tests Arab Gulf influence as GCC tries to avert regional escalation

Although the UAE and Bahrain have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, and Saudi Arabia was considering such a move, Arab states in the region have their own reasons to be cautious.

Iran Qaani

How far will Iran go to support Hamas in war with Israel?

Forty days into the Israel-Hamas war, the commander of Iran's Quds Force promised the militant group that Iran "will do anything required." Yet questions linger over Iran's willingness to risk direct involvement.