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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 23, 2026

Tehran 12:08 pm

33°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

Iranian president calls Trump 'novice in politics'

Iran’s defense minister has confirmed the reports of a new Iranian missile test, saying it is not in violation of the nuclear deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu climbs out after a visit inside the Rahav, the fifth submarine in the fleet, after it arrived in Haifa port January 12, 2016. The Dolphin-class submarines, widely believed to be capable of firing nuclear missiles, were manufactured in Germany and sold to Israel at deep discounts as part of Berlin's commitment to shoring up the security of the country set in part as a haven for Jews who survived the Holocaust.REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX221FU

Could submarine scandal blow up in Netanyahu’s face?

A private report by Zionist Camp Knesset member Erel Margalit claims that the submarine purchase affair and the possible involvement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu run much deeper than preliminary revelations in the press.

Why Rafsanjani’s real lasting legacy in Iran isn’t in politics

While long considered a pillar of Iran’s post-revolutionary political establishment, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s most lasting legacy is more likely in higher education.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault (L) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) attend a news conference in Tehran, Iran, January 31, 2017. REUTERS/John Irish - RTX2YZ8H

French FM sends clear message to Trump from Tehran

France’s foreign minister, during a two-day trip to Iran, emphasizes the importance of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, while also saying France is studying the reports of a Jan. 29 Iranian missile test.

People walk past a billboard depicting Syria's President Bashar al-Assad at Saadallah al-Jabri Square, in the government controlled area of Aleppo, Syria December 17, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RTX2VGTH

Is Syria any closer to political solution after Astana talks?

It remains unclear whether the Astana talks were a success or a failure, amid intransigence by the Syrian government and the opposition to keep implementing their own agendas.

Iran’s president: We’re neither xenophiles nor xenophobes

Amid continuing criticism by hard-liners over the US visa ban, Iran’s president has lashed out, asserting that independence is not equivalent to isolation.

Gulf of mistrust mars Kuwaiti initiative for Iran-GCC dialogue

Despite Kuwait’s reported initiative to resolve tension between Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council, it appears that the two sides are not yet ready to address the deeper causes of conflict and tension.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks at a rocket warhead tip after a simulated test of atmospheric re-entry of a ballistic missile, at an unidentified location in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on March 15, 2016. REUTERS/KCNA 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 A

Netanyahu's road to Iran runs through North Korea

Israel fears that if North Korea continues to develop its nuclear arsenal, Iran will no longer agree to restraints on its nuclear program.

A picture taken on November 10, 2016 in the Iranian capital Tehran shows local newspapers displaying articles on US president-elect Donald Trump a day after his election.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on November 9 there was "no possibility" of its nuclear deal with world powers being overturned by US president-elect Donald Trump despite his threat to rip it up.

/ AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranians react harshly to US visa ban

Iranian officials and media react harshly to US President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban the entry of Iranian citizens to the United States.

Women sit on a park bench in Tehran June 9, 2009. Iranians vote on Friday in the 10th presidential election since the 1979 Islamic revolution which toppled the U.S.-backed Shah. Three decades after the revolution, Reuters invited some older Iranians who witnessed the Shah's overthrow to look back at the changes they have lived through. To match feature IRAN-ELECTION/REVOLUTION REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR24JM3

Why pension funds in Iran could face bankruptcy tsunami

Years of mismanagement and populist legislation, coupled with an increasingly ageing population, have driven Iranian pension funds to the brink of mass bankruptcy.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during the 2017 "Congress of Tomorrow" Joint Republican Issues Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. January 26, 2017. REUTERS/Mark Makela - RTSXK0Z

British leader defends Iran deal in meetings with Republicans

British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to urge Donald Trump not to mess with the nuclear deal after delivering the same message to congressional Republicans.

U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (standing, L-R), Vice President Mike Pence and Staff Secretary Rob Porter welcomes reporters into the Oval Office for him to sign his first executive orders at the White House in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSWLVK

Iranian conservative, Reformist media jointly lash out at Trump’s planned visa ban

Donald Trump’s reported decision to at least temporarily ban Iranians from entering the United States has angered Iranians, leading a prominent actress to boycott the upcoming Academy Awards. Meanwhile, Iranian media are warning the government to prepare for the new US administration’s other possibly punitive measures.