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Iran

June 17, 2026

Tehran 8:34 am

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An Iranian woman waves a national flag at Valiasr Square in Tehran on June 15, 2026.

Analysis

Why Iran's hard-liners are turning on each other over US deal

Iran's memorandum of understanding with the United States has triggered unusual regime infighting, as the official line hails victory, while hard-liners worry about strategic concessions and hidden traps.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Snipers set up their positions above of the US Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Scrutiny builds over Iran deal kept from lawmakers

Both Republicans and Democrats are calling for the White House to show them the deal.

MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

How Iran's internal divide over Lebanon could shape US negotiations

Sources familiar with the indirect discussions between Tehran and Washington told Al-Monitor that Iran had prepared a significant response to Sunday's Beirut strike.

Ali Hashem

In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict

Latest News

Trump punts nuclear question with placeholder Iran deal

President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2026.

Gulf cautiously welcomes US-Iran deal as Hezbollah congratulates Tehran

Veiled women in black Chadors wave Iran and Hezbollah flags during commemoration at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 22, 2026.

Trump, Vance sign Iran-US framework

A police officer stands holding a flag in Valiasr Square beneath a mural of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on April 23, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

'He knew it was over': Inside Netanyahu’s response to Trump’s Iran deal as Israel recalibrates

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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

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

Iranian Parliament speaker Ali Larijani (L) speaks with Hassan Khomeini, grandson of Iran's late founder of the Islamic Republic, during a mourning ceremony for the former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani at the Jamaran mosque in Tehran on January 9, 2017.
Rafsanjani died in hospital on January 8 after suffering a heart attack. Rafsanjani, who was 82, was a pivotal figure in the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997. / AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo

Khomeini family breaks taboo, backs Rouhani

For the first time after the demise of the founder of the Islamic Republic, the family of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini has expressed support for a candidate in a presidential election.

Who's behind campaign to probe Rouhani's doctoral thesis?

Accusations of plagiarism in President Hassan Rouhani’s doctoral thesis first surfaced in 2013. Four years later, ahead of Iran’s May 19 presidential election, a group of students has decided to look into the matter more closely.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends a press conference in Berlin, Germany, June 15, 2016. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt - RTX2GGHH

Trump expected to waive Iran sanctions today

Issuing the waivers would be a sign of the Trump administration’s begrudging inclination to go along with the nuclear deal, at least for now, even as it huddles with Sunni allies and Israel to push back on Iranian expansionism.

U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S. May 17, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTX367P8

Did Trump endanger Israeli-US intelligence cooperation?

Israel is at loss over revelations that President Donald Trump exposed sensitive intelligence information to Russia.

Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi looks on during a campaign rally in the capital Tehran on April 29, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

The reason Tehran's mayor dropped out of presidential race

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Tehran mayor and one of the leading conservative candidates, withdraws from the presidential race in Iran.

Tehran Mayor and Iranian presidential candidate Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf speaks at a campaign rally in Khomeinishahr in central Iran June 10, 2013. The Iranian presidential election will be held on June 14. Picture taken June 10, 2013. REUTERS/Fars News (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS -

Why Tehran's mayor just can’t seem to win over Iranian voters

Are Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s constant transformations responsible for the premature end of his third bid for the Iranian presidency in the past 12 years?

A satellite view of Sednaya prison complex near Damascus, Syria is seen in a still image from a video briefing provided by the U.S. State Department on May 15, 2017. Department of State/DigitalGlobe/Handout via REUTERSFOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNSTHIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTX35Z4Y

Trump demands Russia, Iran halt Assad atrocities ahead of any deal

The Donald Trump administration accuses Bashar al-Assad's regime of building a crematorium to cover up evidence of mass murder.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (R) shakes hands with Qatar's Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani before their meeting at Cankaya Mansion in Ankara, on September 8, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

If push comes to shove, will Turkey defend Qatar against Iran?

Turkey's main opposition party has lots of questions about what message Ankara would be sending to Iran, and others, by deploying troops in Qatar.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a joint news conference following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 28, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - RTX332WP

Will Rouhani be able to weather jobs crisis?

Despite a drastic cut in its "misery index" and the signing of the nuclear deal, Iran remains plagued by stubborn joblessness.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin walls in Moscow, Russia March 28, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RTX330KR

Did Rouhani sell 'grand bargain' with US to Iranian voters?

At a campaign rally, President Hassan Rouhani said Iranian officials are ready to negotiate with the United States on non-nuclear issues.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivers remarks to the employees at the State Department in Washington, U.S., May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RTS14YZY

US may waive Iran sanctions in coming days

The Trump administration could issue waivers of some Iran nuclear sanctions the week of May 15 as it adheres to the nuclear deal for now while conducting a review of its Iran policy.

Struggle over Iran’s largest private university heats up

The clash over the future of Islamic Azad University, perhaps the biggest legacy of the late Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, heats up in Iran.