Iran-US tensions

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

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

In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, US President Trump said the US Navy fired at and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman.

Jewel SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon-Israel negotiations to continue even as Iran talks stall

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also said that Lebanon will lead the negotiations and that no other party will take part, emphasizing that this track is separate from any other talks.

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

Latest News

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

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

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

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

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)

In this handout photo released by Iraq's National Security press office, Iraq's National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji (R) meets with the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani (C) in Baghdad on March 19, 2023. (Photo by IRAQI SECURITY MEDIA CENTRE / AFP) / XGTY / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO /IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY PRESS OFFICE" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by -/IRAQI SECURITY MEDIA CENTRE/A

Analysis

Iran-Iraq agreement about more than borders

Tehran reinforces position in Iraq with border deal; Syria heats up despite Arab rapprochement; Iraq-Turkey manage differences on water, oil and PKK.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

US-made armoured vehicles bearing markings of the US Marine Corps are seen on a road north of Raqa in northern Syria on March 27, 2017. US-backed forces battled the Islamic State group around a key Syrian town, after the capture of an airbase brought them closer to besieging the jihadists in their stronghold Raqa.Operations are currently focused on the strategically important town of Tabqa on the Euphrates River, and the adjacent dam and military airport. / AFP PHOTO / DELIL SOULEIMAN (Photo credit should r

Second attack on US military in Syria following Pentagon’s airstrikes

The US military said it struck Iranian-affiliated targets in eastern Syria in response to an earlier drone attack.

Marines

Setback for Iran as US court orders $1.68 billion payout for 1983 Beirut bombing

One analyst told Al-Monitor that the families of the US Marines killed in the attack could finally receive compensation following years of legal battles.

US General Mark Alexander Milley, 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Feb. 14, 2023.

Top US general says ‘multiple options’ ready if Iran develops nuclear weapon

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said Iran could produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon in less than two weeks.

A handout picture made available by the Iranian Army official website on January, 21 2022 shows an navy-man firing atop a warship during a joint military drill in the Indian ocean. - Iran, Russia and China will began today joint naval drills for three days in the Indian Ocean, seeking to reinforce "common security", an Iranian naval official said. (Photo by Iranian Army office / AFP) (Photo by -/Iranian Army office/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran flexes military muscle after joint naval drills with Russia, China

The exercise included China's powerful Nanning warship and coincided with Tehran’s recent diplomatic pushes to reposition itself in the regional power play by adhering to the “look to the East” policy.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) meets with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud in Moscow on March 9, 2023. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia, Iran FMs to meet 'soon' after phone call

Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed earlier this month to resume relations in a deal brokered by China.

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images

10 soldiers killed in Yemen as fighting with Houthis resumes in Marib

The fighting in oil-rich Marib is disrupting renewed efforts to end the Yemeni war amid the cautious optimism that has followed the Saudi-Iranian deal.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (L) talks with China's President Xi Jinping (R), ahead of the Belt and Road Forum, in Beijing on May 13, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / JASON LEE (Photo credit should read JASON LEE/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan sees opportunities, questions in China's Iran-Saudi deal

Having often been caught in the middle between the rivals, Pakistan is looking forward to calmer Saudi-Iran relations and reaping economic benefits through its partner, China.

The US Treasury building in Washington, DC, on Dec. 19, 2021.

US imposes fresh sanctions over Iran drone procurement

The US Treasury Department designated four entities and three people, including one based in Turkey, accused of aiding Iran's drone and weapons programs.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.

Breaking | Last Updated: March 20, 2023, 4:57 pm

US outlines Iran abuses including torture in annual report

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the international community to confront Iran's violent clampdown on protests.

A member of the US Airforce looks on near a Patriot missile battery at the Prince Sultan air base in Al-Kharj, in central Saudi Arabia on February 20, 2020.

US officials skeptical of China's deal but concerned about deterring Iran

China’s diplomatic reach into heart of Middle East was an unmistakable signal to Washington. Read more in the weekly security-focused newsletter from Al-Monitor’s Pentagon Correspondent Jared Szuba.

OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images

Iran committed 'horrific acts of torture' against detained children says Amnesty

The London-based organization says Iranian intelligence and security forces used brutal torture methods against children as young as 12 who were arrested in the crackdown on the country’s protests.