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

Iran cover image

Iran

October 3, 2026

Tehran 11:42 pm

22°C

Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitary forces stand guard during an election rally for the "Asaib Ahl al-Haq" movement in the capital Baghdad, on October 7, 2021.

Analysis

After US exit, Iran gains space in Iraq and a harder balancing act

For Iran, the easier part may have been getting Washington out, but it may now have to struggle turning the absence into durable influence and reviving its allied militias without provoking instability.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026.

Trump’s integration policies build on Gulf, Turkey ties and Syria success

Iran’s influence, and the potential for renewed conflict, complicate progress in Iraq.

A Caspian Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 lands at Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, on Aug. 17, 2014.

Turkey seizes Iran’s Caspian Airlines jet over $3.4M debt

The court-ordered seizure at Istanbul Airport comes as Iranian carriers face mounting pressure from sweeping new US aviation sanctions.

A woman crosses a street near a giant billboard erected on the facade of a building depicting a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps placing his foot on a US sea drone, reportedly seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, in Vanak Square in Tehran, on Sept. 24, 2026.

Analysis

As Iran’s grip on Hormuz weakens, what leverage does Tehran have left?

Six months into the war, Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz is weakening. The world is slowly learning to live with it, oil flows are recovering, alternative routes are expanding and Tehran's own economy is bearing the cost of keeping the waterway under pressure.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

After indirect talks, new US sanctions target Iran's weapons supply

Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles are seen on display beside a large portrait of Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei at Baharestan Square in Tehran on Sept. 28, 2026.

Saudi stocks hit wartime low as Aramco slides, Gulf oil exports rebound

Iran’s rial hits record low as pressure on oil exports mounts

A man counts Iranian rial notes

Iran’s IRGC slams Trump as Ghalibaf threatens oil infrastructure

Ghalibaf

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

A view of the water nuclear reactor at Arak, Iran December 23, 2019. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC221E9YL22A

Iran claims nuclear program will continue after end of US waivers

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization dismissed the decision by the United States to end waivers on cooperation involving the country's nuclear program and said the nation will be self-sufficient in those areas.

A man holds a poster of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf one of parliamentary candidate in Tehran, Iran February 18, 2020. Picture taken February 18, 2020, Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2Q3F9OA8S5

Iran’s parliament taps hard-line former IRGC commander as speaker

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the former national police chief and former mayor of the capital, Tehran, was selected as parliament speaker.

A picture taken on April 11, 2019 shows a partial view of a street in Ahvaz, the capital of Iran's southwestern province of Khuzestan. - Authorities ordered tens of thousands of residents of the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz to evacuate immediately on April 10 as floodwaters entered the capital of oil-rich Khuzestan province, state television reported. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran arrests 'separatists' in southwest Khuzestan province

Arab opposition groups are active in Iran's diverse and oil-rich area of Khuzestan, and a recent protest took place in the province against the lack of drinking water.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media at the State Department in Washington, DC, U.S., May 20, 2020. Nicholas Kamm/Pool via REUTERS - RC2FSG9O20JT

Intel: Trump administration defended Iran nuclear waivers as 'restrictions,' then ended them

The Donald Trump administration ended sanctions waivers on Iranian nuclear facilities today — a mere two months after characterizing them as “restrictions” on Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran arrests man over ‘honor killing’ of 14-year-old daughter

According to local media, 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi was beheaded in her sleep.

Erdogan dashes hopes of Turkey-Israel reconciliation

The resumption of El Al cargo flights to Turkey does not mean that relations between Israel and Ankara have thawed.

TEHRAN, IRAN - MAY 27: President of Iran Hassan Rouhani attends the first official session of 11th round of the Iranian parliament after its opening ceremony in Tehran, Iran on May 27, 2020. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Iran opens new parliament packed with Rouhani critics

The tough road ahead of President Hassan Rouhani in the upcoming closing year of his term is expected to be made even even bumpier by the new ultraconservative legislature.

Speaker Ali Larijani attends a session of parliament in Tehran, Iran July 16, 2019. Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC17FA4094A0

Speculation grows in Iran about outgoing parliament speaker's possible presidential bid

Political circles in Iran are busy debating where Ali Larijani is headed next following his farewell as parliament speaker after 12 years.

The Iranian tanker ship "Fortune" is seen at El Palito refinery dock in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela May 25, 2020. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2XVG9MDORW

Iran claims it circumvents US sanctions with shipments to Venezuela

Venezuelan officials welcome the second Iranian tanker carrying gasoline to the Latin American nation; three more vessels are on their way.

Iranians visit the Shah Abdol-Azim shrine in the capital Tehran on May 25, 2020, following the reopening of major Shiite shrines across the Islamic republic, more than two months after they were closed because of the Middle East's deadliest novel coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran reopens holy shrines amid easing of coronavirus restrictions

Closed since mid-March, the religious sites are opening their doors with social distancing measures in place.

This handout picture provided by the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA) on January 7, 2020 shows Iranian lawmakers raising their hands to vote during a parliamentary session in Tehran. - Iran's parliament passed a bill designating all US forces "terrorists" over the killing of a top Iranian military commander in a US strike last week. Under the newly adopted bill, all US forces and employees of the Pentagon and affiliated organisations, agents and commanders and those who ordered the "martyrd

New law cuts contact for families split between Israel, Iran

Prearranged contact with Israelis has become a criminal offense in Iran in a harsh blow to remaining Jews in the country and tens of thousands of Iranian-Israelis, populations already traumatized by loss and disconnection.

A man is reflected in a monitor as he takes part in a training session at Cybergym, a cyber-warfare training facility backed by the Israel Electric Corporation, at their training center in Hadera, Israel July 8, 2019. Picture taken July 8, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC168E30C5C0

Israel response to cyber attack sends clear warning to Iran

The Israeli authorities reportedly took Iran's cyber attack on its water systems very seriously, retaliating quickly and warning Tehran of its capabilities.