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

Iran cover image

Iran

October 6, 2026

Tehran 12:58 pm

26°C

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran

Hormuz tanker attacks mount, putting oil flows at risk

Roughly a dozen reported attacks on tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz suggests Iran is once again dialing up the pressure as US economic sanctions plunge the rial to new lows.

Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad looks on during the 27th Gas Exporting Countries Forum ministerial meeting, Doha, Qatar, Oct. 23, 2025.

Iran’s economy deteriorates, oil minister resigns, workers protest: What to know

Iran’s oil minister has resigned amid mounting economic pressure from US sanctions and restrictions on the country’s exports.

US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping hold a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office

Analysis

Why Trump-Xi summit did not move the China needle away from Iran

Beijing's incentive to alienate Iran has shrunk as the war has dragged on.

Yun Sun

In Washington, DC, reporting on China-Middle East ties

nyse

Analysis

Gulf oil exports are back, but how durable is recovery?

Middle East oil exports rebounded in September as Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz erodes, but markets have hardly celebrated a crude revival that could prove short-lived.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Analysis

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

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.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

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.

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

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

Analysis

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

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.

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

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) arrives at the EU headquarters in Brussels on May 13, 2019. - The US Secretary of State arrived in Brussels on May 13 to discuss the Iran nuclear deal, as Britain issued a stark warning about the risk of conflict erupting "by accident" in the Gulf. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Frustrated European allies warn Pompeo against US-Iran escalation

European foreign ministers did little to hide their distress that Secretary of State Pompeo abruptly decided to consult them on rising Iran tensions, which they had warned would be a consequence of quitting the nuclear deal.

UAE Navy boats are seen next to Al Marzoqah, Saudi Arabian tanker, off the Port of Fujairah, UAE May 13, 2019.REUTERS/Satish Kumar - RC1AA0D0CE30

Iran: UAE sabotage incident should be no excuse for US ‘adventurism’

Iran has dismissed President Donald Trump’s offer to talk on the phone, saying if it was genuine, he would have stuck to the nuclear deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Panama City, Florida, U.S., May 8, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1E60C5DE30

Trump flashes art of the deal to Iran

Iraqi leaders meet all night following Pompeo visit.

Will China play a role in lessening US pressure on Iran?

As the United States continues to enforce its "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, the Islamic Republic is relying on China not as a sole savior but at least as part of the solution.

Iranian National Oil Company opens office in Iraq

Tehran expands its economic and political influence in Iraq via its National Iranian Oil Company.

Despite FM's warm reception in Moscow, Russia can’t do much to save JCPOA

Tehran's disappointment with the Europeans leaves Russia as perhaps the only leverage Iran still has with the West on the nuclear deal, but there's little Moscow can do to help at this point.

U.S. President Donald Trump participates in NORAD Santa tracker phone calls from the White House in Washington, U.S. December 24, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC150CF26F80

Trump to Iran: Call me

Amid rising tensions, President Donald Trump urged Iran three times to call him and said he believed they could make a fair deal.

Pentagon’s new Middle East chief fixes sights on Iran threat

Gen. Frank McKenzie, the Pentagon’s new top military commander in the Middle East, faces the lingering threat of Iran with limited military authorities at his disposal and a wary Congress.

Afghans wait in line at the Soleimankhani centre for refugees in Tehran, Iran, October 24, 2016. Picture taken on October 24, 2016. REUTERS/Gabriela Baczynska TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - S1AEUJNHAXAA

Amid US pressure, Iran warns Europe of another ‘wave’ of refugees

Iran has warned Europe that if US sanctions continue to take a toll on its economy, it will no longer be able to host Afghan refugees.

Iraq's President Barham Salih meets with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Baghdad, Iraq May 7, 2019.The Presidency of the Republic of Iraq Office/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC16C5E30E00

Pro-Iran militia leader lashes out against Pompeo visit to Baghdad

Following US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Baghdad, pro-Iranian forces in Iraq sent a strong warning to the United States.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) speaks after the senate voted on a resolution ending U.S. military support for the war in Yemen on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC1B1270FAB0

Democrats slam ‘massive failure’ of Trump policy after Iran restarts nuclear activity

Democrats are blaming the Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign for Tehran’s decision to resume some enrichment activity constrained by the 2015 nuclear deal.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia May 8, 2019. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina - RC1B21865100

Intel: How Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign is bringing Iran and Russia closer together

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif's long-planned visit to Moscow today quickly turned into a grievance-sharing session with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov about the Donald Trump administration.