Iran - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Iran cover image

Iran

July 2, 2026

Tehran 12:38 am

26°C

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian listens during a joint press conference alongside Armenia's Prime Minister in Yerevan on August 19, 2025.

Analysis

Why Iran's Pezeshkian is facing an uphill battle in postwar diplomacy

As President Masoud Pezeshkian's administration advances dialogue with Washington, its fiercer contest is in the corridors of power within the Islamic Republic itself.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

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

3 IRGC members killed in twin attacks as Iran intensifies Kurdish crackdown

Members of the crowd wave Iranian flags during a funeral procession held for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Benjamin Houghton

In Durham, reporting on China in the Middle East

Rahim Rahimov

In Baku, reporting on Middle East-Caucasus ties

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Palestinians carry a placard bearing the image of the leader of the militant Hamas group during a protest in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on July 31, 2024, denouncing his killing.

Iran vows revenge for Haniyeh killing amid questions over security failures

The attack exposed vulnerabilities in Iran's long-fought intelligence war with Israel and stirred up debates on possible Israeli infiltration within the Islamic Republic's security apparatus.

United Airlines passenger aircrafts are lined up at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on May 11, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Shekel drops 1.2% as United Airlines, Delta halt Israel flights after Haniyeh's killing

The currency fell by 1.2% after Hamas blamed Israel for the strike in the Iranian capital of Tehran, Bloomberg reported.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to reporters after his meeting with the Egyptian president, at the Cairo airport, on June 10, 2024.

US says not involved in killing of Hamas leader Haniyeh

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip is “imperative” following the assassination of Hamas' political leader.

Ismail Haniyeh, the Doha-based political bureau chief of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, speaks to the press after a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister in Tehran on March 26, 2024. Haniyeh's visit to Tehran comes a day after a resolution adopted by the UN Security Council called for an "immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, leading to a "lasting" truce. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh killed while visiting Iran

While no party has claimed responsibility, the Gaza-based militant group immediately accused Israel of being behind the killing.

New Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is greeted as he arrives for the swearing in ceremony at the parliament in Tehran, on July 30, 2024.

Hamas and Hezbollah officials in Iran for Pezeshkian’s inauguration, France’s Macron calls

Officials from the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia went to President Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration in Tehran amid significant tensions in the region.

AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s Khamenei reaffirms opposition to Azerbaijan’s corridor plan to Armenia PM

Iran remains opposed to an Azerbaijani corridor through Armenia that would cut off the Islamic Republic’s access to the Black Sea.

Armenia's foreign minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, meets with his counterpart from Iran in Tehran on July 24, 2023.

Even as Iran denies $500M arms deal with Armenia, foothold in Caucasus is priority

The report came as Iran has been accused of siding with Armenia in its conflict with Azerbaijan, while Tehran is also advancing an agenda of influence in the Caucasus to counter the presence of its Western adversaries and Israel.

The Iran-flagged oil tanker ship Clavel is docked at Shahid Beheshti Port in the southeastern Iranian coastal city of Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman, during an inauguration ceremony of new equipment and infrastructure at the port on February 25, 2019.

Amid US-sanction fears, can India, Iran move ahead with $370M port deal?

Will progress on the long-term bilateral agreement signed by New Delhi and Tehran on the development of the Shahid Beheshti port be stymied by US sanctions?

A police officer is seen in front of the Blue Mosque, housing the Islamic Centre of Hamburg, northern Germany, on July 24, 2024.

Iran summons German ambassador, furious over Islamic center closure

Iran, which has been running similar foundations in several Western countries, condemned the ban as an act of Islamophobia after Berlin found the center to be propagating "extremism and fundamentalism."

Debris litters a loading dock a day after Israeli strikes on the port of Yemen's Houthi-held city of Hodeida on July 21, 2024.

Analysis

Israel’s Yemen attack against Houthis warning to nuclear Iran

While concerns grow in Israel over the continued drone and missile attacks by the Houthis in Yemen, the real threat remains that of Iran.

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

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an NCAA championship team celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024, in Washington.

From Gaza to Iran: What Kamala Harris’ Middle East policy could look like

Harris has been described as more critical of Israel than President Joe Biden, but with similar views on Iran and relations with regional leaders, including in the Gulf.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 29: U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris wave to members of the audience after speaking at a campaign rally at Girard College on May 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Biden and Harris are using today's rally to launch a nationwide campaign to court black voters, a group that has traditionally come out in favor of Biden, but their support is projected lower than it was in 2020. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Middle East cheers Biden’s withdrawal, uncertain about Kamala Harris pick

Many people in the region were joyful about President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection, as they blame him for the crises including the war in the Gaza Strip.