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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 22, 2026

Tehran 8:46 pm

29°C

Iranians walk past a wall decorated with the image of assassinated Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the national flag, in central of Tehran on Sept. 14, 2026.

Iran seizes assets of 394 people accused of spying for 'hostile enemy'

The crackdown comes amid heightened tensions in the region as the US and Iran trade threats.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Why Netanyahu is distancing himself from Trump ahead of Israeli election

No meeting has been announced between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit in New York.

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

Wakil Kohsar / AFP via Getty Images

Iran threatens to expand war with new weapons if US attacks resume

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to expand its attacks in the region and use new weapons.

Gargash

UAE's Gargash expects 'prolonged' war, calls for Iran-Gulf security talks

"We need a new mindset that these sort of discussions ... can happen at an Iranian-American level, it should also take place at an Iranian-Arab level," Gargash told Al-Monitor.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Interview

Waltz: ‘Door open’ to Iran talks, more countries eye Abraham Accords

Waltz

What to expect as UN General Assembly convenes amid Iran war

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

Analysis

How a new Baluch militant coalition raises pressure on Iran-Pakistan border

A picture of Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed during Israeli strikes on Tehran in June, is displayed Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government on Dec. 18, 2025.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Analysis

As Iran regime marks 200 days of war, is it also preparing for dissent?

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Ivanka Trump and White House senior advisor Jared Kushner, delivers remarks to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX36VDD

7 perils of Trump's attempt to isolate Iran

President Donald Trump’s alignment of US foreign policy with that of Saudi Arabia will only serve to exacerbate tension and confrontation in the Middle East.

Saudis trumpet Trump

Saudi Arabia gives US President Donald Trump the fully rolled out red carpet treatment in hopes of getting heightened US action against Iran.

A supporter of Iranian president Hassan Rouhani holds his poster as she celebrates his victory in the presidential election, in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX36RDP

In wake of Rouhani's win, conservative rivals vow to remain on scene

While President Hassan Rouhani’s victory was called a landslide by some, Iran’s conservatives will give the president a tough fight in implementing campaign promises.

Bahrain’s ongoing political crisis threatens stability

The Bahraini government is taking a strong stand against the militant Shiite opposition factions that have become more radical in the past few years.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (2-L) welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and first lady Melania Trump as they arrive aboard Air Force One at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX36OP5

Is Trump holding a Russian card in the Middle East?

Trump visit launches new US-Saudi partnership, but the endgame in the Middle East still depends on Moscow and Tehran.

Voters cast their ballots during the presidential election in a Jewish and Christian district in the center of Tehran, Iran, May 19, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX36KLY

On election day, Iranians divided over future of country

Polls close after Iranians turn out in large numbers to cast their votes in the 2017 presidential election.

Meet Iran’s potential next first ladies

Though some progress has been made since Iranian presidential candidate's wives first stepped into the campaign spotlight in 2009, they still do not fully participate in their husbands’ campaigns.

An Iranian Sunni Kurd couple is seen near Marivan in Kurdistan province, 512 km (320 miles) west of Tehran May 13, 2011. Iranian Shi'ite and Sunni Kurds live in harmony with each other in Marivan, although Sunni is the religion of the majority of the people. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: SOCIETY RELIGION) - RTR2ME01

Iran’s Kurds voice frustrations, hopes heading into election

Security and the economy remain high on the list of priorities for Iranian Kurds who depend on the smuggling of goods into their country.

Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi (R-2) holds hands with former presidential candidate and mayor of Tehran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (L), as he greets his supporters during a campaign rally at Imam Khomeini Mosque in the capital Tehran on May 16, 2017.
Iran's presidential election on May 19 is effectively a choice between moderate incumbent Hassan Rouhani and hardline jurist Raisi, with major implications for everything from civil rights to relations with Washington. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE

After his withdrawal from presidential race, who will get Tehran mayor's votes?

Although Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has withdrawn from the presidential race and urged his supporters to back fellow conservative Ebrahim Raisi, there are doubts about voters heeding his call.

A girl holds posters of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during a campaign rally in Tehran, Iran, May 17, 2017. Picture taken May 17, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX36BFD

In final day before vote, Rouhani lashes out at Iran’s hard-liners

In his final campaign speech, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued criticisms of his main conservative rival, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij and state TV.

A ballistic missile is launched and tested in an undisclosed location, Iran, March 9, 2016. REUTERS/Mahmood Hosseini/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. NOT FOR USE BY REUTERS THIRD PARTY DISTRIBUTORS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO

Trump waives nuclear sanctions but slaps Iran on missiles, human rights

The Trump administration sanctioned seven new entities for their alleged role in Iran’s ballistic missile program even as it complied with the letter of the nuclear deal.

Iranian Presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a campaign meeting at the Mosalla mosque in Tehran, Iran, May 16, 2017. REUTERS/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX363P5

Do Iran's conservatives have a foreign policy agenda?

While Iran's 2013 presidential election focused primarily on foreign policy issues, this year's election is all about the economy.