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

Iran cover image

Iran

May 4, 2026

Tehran 2:41 pm

29°C

Crops of wheat and barley in Terbol village on May 10, 2022, in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

Analysis

MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers

Home to many of the world's largest wheat importers, the Middle East and North Africa face acute food security risks as the US-Israel-Iran war disrupts global fertilizer flows and pushes up prices.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Soldiers from Iran's land, navy, air force and special forces parade on the occasion of National Army Day in Tehran, capital of Iran on April 18, 2025, in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

How Iran is rebuilding its bruised military as ceasefire masks recalibration

Iran is using the fragile truce to recover by blending redeployment and reverse engineering into broader preparedness for renewed conflict.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies during a Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 22, 2026 in Washington, DC.

US sanctions Iran’s shadow banking channels moving oil proceeds from China

The latest sanctions come as the Trump administration weighs Iran's latest proposal to end the war.

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Without exit strategy, Israel faces emboldened Hezbollah, limited options on Iran

While President Donald Trump remains undecided on striking Iran again, the Israeli military is sinking deeper into its Lebanon quagmire with a reinforced Hezbollah.

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

Latest News

Trump faces three paths ahead in Iran war as Hormuz standoff intensifies

This photo obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, on April 21, 2026.

In defiant message, Iran’s Khamenei threatens US but appeals to Gulf

AFP via Getty Images

US blockade tests Iran's limits, but will global pain force Trump’s hand?

QESHM ISLAND, IRAN - APRIL 28: Boats navigate the sea on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's latest proposal for ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz calls on the United States to end its naval blockade of Iran's ports, and sets aside questions about what to do with Iran's nuclear program. The United States has not formally responded to the latest proposal, which was delivered by Iran's foreign minister to Pakistan two days ago. (Photo by Asghar Besharati/Getty Images

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

Zarif and Mottaki

Iran leaked tape scandal claims its first victim

One of the most powerful members of President Hassan Rouhani's inner circle has stepped down as the repercussions of a leaked audio file containing controversial statements by Iran's foreign minister continue to shake the country's political scene.

A grab from an AFPTV video taken on April 25, 2021, shows fighters loyal to the Saudi-backed Yemeni government along the Mashgah frontline against Houthi rebel forces near the contested northeastern city of Marib.

Iran’s Zarif backs cease-fire in meeting with Yemen’s Houthis

Saudi Arabia and Iran held talks in Baghdad earlier this month to de-escalate tensions.

Khamenei

As Iran looks to boost production, major political barriers remain

Iran’s leaders have put a renewed focus on increasing domestic production, yet to achieve this goal there must be political stability and sincere efforts to push back on corruption.

An Iranian health worker injects university professor Mahnaz Rasouli-Nejad with a dose of a locally made Iranian COVID-19 vaccine during the second phase of trials in the capital, Tehran, on March 15, 2021.

Iran enters third trial phase of domestic coronavirus vaccine

Iran-made vaccines may be available this summer as cases continue to rise despite lockdown measures.

Iranian Army office/AFP via Getty Images

US Navy fires warning shots in encounter with Iranian patrol boats

A US Navy patrol ship fired warning shots to ward off Iranian boats in the Persian Gulf on Monday, marking the second run-in between the two countries’ naval forces this month.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Rouhani defends Zarif, Soleimani as Iran roils over leaked audio

Iran’s president and speaker of parliament both defended assassinated Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani after critical comments by the foreign minister became public.

Zarif

Zarif faces fury from Iranian hard-liners after leaked tape

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called for an investigation into the leak of a tape meant for posterity.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif gestures during a meeting with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza (out of frame), at the Casa Amarilla palace in Caracas, on Nov. 5, 2020.

Leaked recording of Iran's foreign minister stirs debate

The recording of Iran’s foreign minister has led to speculation as to motivations and meanings.

BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

Iran sentences British-Iranian aid worker to another year in jail

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had just competed her five-year sentence when she was summoned to court on a new propaganda charge.

Mohammad Nourizad

Khamenei critic faces 'imminent death' in Iran prison

Relentless pleas from international rights groups and members of the Iranian civil society for the release of outspoken journalist Mohammad Nourizad continue to remain unheeded by Iranian authorities.

Israeli search for missile debris

Iranian military leader threatens Israel following missile strike from Syria

The new deputy commander of Iran's elite Quds Force claimed Israel will soon "collapse" as Iranian-Israeli tensions continue to rise.

In this handout provided by the EU Delegation in Vienna, Representatives of the European Union, Iran and others attend the Iran nuclear talks at the Grand Hotel on April 15, 2021, in Vienna, Austria. Representatives from the United States, Iran, the European Union, Russia, China and other participants from the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are meeting directly and indirectly over possibly reviving the plan.

The Takeaway: Two tracks lead to Tehran: one through Vienna, another through Baghdad

Plus: Egypt’s train wrecks; new Nile Dam tensions; Turkey’s trafficking scandal; Iraq’s tribal vote; more!