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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 28, 2026

Tehran 6:20 am

22°C

A tugboat guides a ship at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

Analysis

Could Iran's 7-day Hormuz proposal culminate in diplomatic deal?

Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in seven days brings into focus the central challenge facing diplomacy with Washington: how to turn military leverage into a negotiated path without giving up too much in return.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

An Iran Air Airbus A300 prepares for boarding at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 16, 2016.

‘Free for all or for no one’: Iran warns neighbors over flight bans

Several countries in the region have suspended Iranian flights under US sanctions after Washington warned global companies they would no longer have access to the dollar system if they do business with Iranian airlines.

Hector RETAMAL / AFP via Getty Images

Iran flights continue, UAE route closes on day 2 of US sanctions

All flights by Iranian carriers to the UAE have been canceled, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.

AFP via Getty Images

Iran threatens to expand war to Indian Ocean: What to know

An adviser to Iran's supreme leader has threatened to open a new front in the Indian Ocean if the US resumes its strikes against Iran.

Latest News

Fresh clashes leave 6 dead in Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan: What to know

Iranian security forces stand guard in the capital city on July 03, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Rubio: US-Iran talks 'positive,' no breakthrough yet

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Cargo vessel attack in Hormuz kills 1 as world leaders gather at UN

The Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier vessel Manta Ursula is pictured moored in Muscat on July 25, 2026.

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

Jared Elizabeth US-Iran proxy webinar

US confrontation with Iran’s proxies: Live Q&A with Jared Szuba and Elizabeth Hagedorn

A group of US soldiers looks for an enemy that fired on their position.

Worried about retaliation, Iran distances itself from US base attack

To avoid confrontation, Iranian authorities rejected claims of involvement in the deadly drone attack on US troops in Jordan as worries about escalation were already sending shock waves through Iran's troubled economy.

Defense Department spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder holds a press conference at the Pentagon on Aug. 31, 2023, in Arlington, Virginia.

Pentagon: US retaliation coming despite Kataib Hezbollah vow to suspend attacks

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he had already decided how to respond to Sunday's drone attack at the Tower 22 base in Jordan, the deadliest attack on US forces since the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul.

A man walks past a charred truck container torched by armed separatist group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) at central Bolan district in Balochistan province on January 30, 2024. At least six militants were killed in an overnight gun battle with security forces in western Pakistan's Balochistan province, an official said on January 30. (Photo by Banaras KHAN / AFP) (Photo by BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan foils separatist attack in Baluchistan hours after Iran FM visit

Separatist rebels launched a coordinated attack against army and security forces in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, hours after a visit to Islamabad by Iran’s top diplomat.

A US soldier takes part in the "Eager Lion" multinational military manuever, in the Al-Zarqa governorate, some 85km northeast of the Jordanian capital Amman, on Sept. 14, 2022.

After Jordan drone attack, US has few options to de-escalate with Iran

The Biden White House faces increasing pressure to respond to the deadliest attack on the US military since 2021 as Israel's war in Gaza thrusts some 30,000 troops in the Middle East closer toward war with Iran and its proxies.

US President Joe Biden speaks at a ”Reproductive Freedom Campaign Rally" at George Mason University on Jan. 23, 2024.

Biden faces Iran dilemma after drone attack kills US troops

The Biden administration is under pressure from Republicans to strike inside Iran after an attack by one of its proxies killed three American troops in Jordan.

A seal on the exterior of the US Department of Treasury building, March 13, 2023.

Who are the Iranians sanctioned by US, UK for murder plots against dissidents?

One of the plots culminated in the 2019 assassination of Iranian government critic Mas’ud Vardanjani in Istanbul, according to a statement by the US Treasury Monday.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a news conference in the capital Tehran, on Feb. 16, 2020.

Why are Iran hard-liners axing Rouhani from political scene?

By disqualifying Rouhani, Iran's ruling hard-liners pushed yet another boundary in their campaign to ensure that no influential, moderate figure will have a say in deciding the country's next supreme leader.

JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Iran says it won’t interfere in Lebanon-Israel border talks

Tehran will still need to sign off on deal if it happens; Iran and Sudan; Netanyahu is a prisoner of hostage talks; US rethinks its force posture in Syria and Iraq; and a US envoy says Israel must be ‘absolutely sure’ in Gaza military operations.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

Samuel Wendel

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti , Samuel Wendel

A pro Palestinian activist waves Palestinian and South African flags as she demonstrates following the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling of the case against Israel brought by South Africa in The Hague at the U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg on January 26, 2024. South African lawyers presented their case at the UN's top court in The Hague, where South Africa lodged an urgent appeal to force Israel to "immediately suspend" its military operations in Gaza. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled

Arab world, Iran, Turkey welcome ICJ ruling in Israel's genocide case

The region welcomed the ICJ’s ruling demanding Israel act to prevent acts of genocide against Gazans.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi (R) and Niger's Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine meet in Tehran on January 25, 2024. (Photo by president.ir)

How significant is Niger's PM visit to Iran post-coup and amid Africa push?

Iran wants better economic and political relations with sub-Saharan African states, including the sanctioned military junta in Niger.

While hosting Iran’s Raisi, Turkey’s Erdogan avoids harsh criticism of Israel

Erdogan's measured tone on Israel comes in midst of US-Turkey rapprochement following Ankara's ratification of Sweden's entry into NATO this week.