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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 23, 2026

Tehran 12:39 am

27°C

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian disembarks from his plane

Analysis

As Trump confirms US-Iran meeting, can Pezeshkian find at UN path to a deal?

In New York, Pezeshkian will be seeking leverage, not reconciliation, as Iran scrambles to balance military defiance, economic crises and tentative mediation against the costs of prolonging the conflict.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Turkish carriers halt Iran flights as US sanctions bite: Who could follow?

On Monday, three major Turkish carriers canceled flights to and from Iran ahead of new US sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector.

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

Latest News

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

Wakil Kohsar / AFP via Getty Images

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

Gargash

United Arab Emirates

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

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

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers in Tehran September 14, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File Photo - RTX2FG6B

Does Iran's Khamenei really have a preferred candidate?

Ebrahim Raisi has been depicted as the Iranian supreme leader's candidate in both Western and Iranian media — but does Ayatollah Ali Khamenei really have a preference?

Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defense Minister Mohammed Al-Ayesh meets U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (R) next to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (L) during a meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Virginia Mayo/Pool - RTSYZVU

Saudis seek renewed relations with US under Trump

The Saudis want US President Donald Trump to reconsider policies made during the Obama administration, especially regarding Iran, which they say has not changed its conduct since the nuclear deal.

Shi'ite fighters chant slogans in al-Fatha, northeast of Baiji, October 18, 2015. Iraqi forces backed by Shi'ite militia fighters say they have retaken a mountain palace complex of former President Saddam Hussein from Islamic State fighters, as government forces push ahead on a major offensive against the insurgents. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RTS4Z0Y

How Iraqis view Iran’s influence in their country

Iranian statements on the role of Iraqi armed groups in protecting Iranian national interests are a violation of Iraq’s national sovereignty, Iraqi officials say.

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Maryland, attends the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) at Le Bourget, near Paris, France, December 5, 2015. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe - RTX1XC9L

Is lack of direction from Trump hampering Congress on Iran?

Democrats complain they have no idea what the president thinks of Congress' sanctions proposals.

Is Putin interfering in Iran’s presidential elections?

Conservative presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi’s meeting with a visiting Russian official has raised debate on Moscow’s potential interference in Iran’s May 19 vote.

An Iranian woman fills in her ballot during elections for the parliament and a leadership body called the Assembly of Experts, which has the power to appoint and dismiss the supreme leader, in Tehran February 26, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX28SH7

Why did over 1,600 Iranians sign up to run for president?

Over 1,600 Iranians showed up at the Interior Ministry to register to run in the May 19 presidential election, fully aware that the Guardian Council will block their running.

How North Korea nuke crisis affects Israel

Israeli intelligence believes that North Korea, Syria and Iran are collaborating on the development of missile systems and nuclear programs.

Iranian cleric and head of the Imam Reza charitable foundation, Ebrahim Raisi, gestures while registering his candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections at the ministry of interior in the capital Tehran on April 14, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran's conservative presidential candidates pledge more cash handouts, jobs

Presidential candidates Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Ebrahim Raisi focus on the economy and make pledges to create jobs to attract votes.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Mayor of Tehran, shows his ink-stained finger after registering his candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections at the ministry of interior in the capital Tehran on April 14, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran polling: Will vote see Rouhani-Ghalibaf rematch?

Polls suggest incumbent Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will get a strong challenge from Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, but can cleric Ebrahim Raisi close the gap?

Iraqi fighters from Hashid Shaabi take part in a training at Makhmur camp in Iraq December 11, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX2UHUL

Will Iraqi government-PMU disputes spiral into armed clashes?

With the Islamic State nearly defeated in Iraqi cities, disputes between PMU-affiliated Shiite factions and the Iraqi government have surfaced, threatening future military clashes between them.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (R) and Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani attend a news conference after an extraordinary meeting of the foreign ministers of GCC, in Riyadh January 9, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RTX21N8K

Why region should prepare for long Saudi-Iranian confrontation

Despite the efforts of smaller players such as Kuwait and Oman to defuse tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, there is little on the horizon suggesting an end to Riyadh’s determination to directly confront Tehran.

Iranian cleric and head of the Imam Reza charitable foundation, Ebrahim Raisi, delivers a speech after registering his candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections in the capital Tehran on April 14, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Is conservative Iranian candidate reviving Ahmadinejad’s Cabinet?

Ebrahim Raisi is increasingly leaning on officials from former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency.