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

Iran cover image

Iran

October 10, 2026

Tehran 9:12 pm

21°C

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shake hands during a meeting in Turkmenbashi on Oct. 8, 2026.

Analysis

Putin offers to help end Iran war, but can Russia deliver?

As Washington and Tehran weigh their next moves, Moscow is seeking a diplomatic foothold in a war where influence may prove harder to convert into concrete results.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump speaks at the "Golden Age of American Innovation Summit" at the Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, on Oct. 8, 2026.

Trump offers Iran path to nuclear deal while keeping up military pressure

Iran has previously discussed compromises on enrichment.

GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA - OCTOBER 05: U.S. President Donald Trump wraps up an appearance at a campaign rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds on October 05, 2026 in Grand Island, Nebraska. Trump is campaigning for incumbent U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Gov. Jim Pillen ahead of the November midterm elections. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Analysis

Deal or war? Israel fears fallout from Trump’s next move on Iran

Israel is struggling to decipher the White House’s intentions toward Iran, given Washington's contradictions around launching a fresh military campaign.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A Baluch Iranian man rides a bicycle in Zahedan, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan on Dec. 18, 2025, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government.

Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province witnesses uptick in attacks

Iranian authorities accuse foreign-backed armed groups of being behind a string of deadly attacks in the southeast, amid concerns about the resumption of war with the United States.

Latest News

Trump says no Iran strikes before midterms amid ‘productive’ talks

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 7, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Pezeshkian to meet Putin as Iran looks to Russia for support: What to know

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, on Sept. 1, 2026.

Meet Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi, Iran's defense minister nominee

An undated image of Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi.

Iran joins SCO drill as China resists direct intervention in US-Iran war

Kyrgyz servicemen take part in the "Eurasia-Antiterror 2023" joint military drills

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

Will Bahrain, Israel establish formal relations in 2018?

Bahrain could become the first Gulf Cooperation Council member to establish official diplomatic and trade relations with Israel, though this may largely depend on the GCC states' response to the Jerusalem crisis.

United Arab Emirates

Iran’s jihadi gambit

A history of support for Kurdish extremists comes back to haunt Tehran.

Iranian pilgrims wait at the Imam Khomeini Airport as they depart for the annual haj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, in Tehran, Iran July 31, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi /TIMA via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS ñ THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1534FF7A20

Iran moves to tax its frequent travelers

The Rouhani administration has come under fire for proposing higher departure taxes for Iranians who travel frequently.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley briefs the media in front of remains of Iranian "Qiam" ballistic missile provided by Pentagon at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, U.S., December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1F4A4BF4D0

US envoy to the UN points finger at Iran in Yemen war

Ambassador Nikki Haley vowed a tough US response after displaying what she called “concrete evidence” that Iran provided missiles that Houthi rebels used to target Saudi Arabia.

Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) speaks about the recent attack on the Republican Congressional Baseball Team in Alexandria, Virginia, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 14, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC14AE7171E0

Congress advances bill imperiling Iran nuclear deal

The House today passed a bill that could undermine the Iran nuclear deal by complicating civilian aircraft sales to Iran, but its future in the Senate remains murky.

The genesis of a new Iranian nationalism

The wave of nationalist sentiment in Iran is far from merely a reaction to outside threats such as the Islamic State and the Trump administration’s rhetoric.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - OCTOBER 19: Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy arrives ahead of a European Council Meeting at the Council of the European Union building on October 19, 2017 in Brussels, Belgium. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May attends along with the other 27 members Heads of State. Under discussion are the Iran Nuclear Deal, Brexit and North Korea. Mrs May has offered assurances to EU nationals that her government will make it as

EU foreign policy chief reveals Iran deal 'secret'

While EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini said a part of the nuclear deal's preamble hinting at more engagement was added the request of Tehran, the latter denies the accord was intended to open the door to other talks.

Baghdad could take oil in new direction — away from Turkey

Now that Iraq's central government in Baghdad has reclaimed oil-rich Kirkuk from the Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq is considering changes that could hurt Turkey's standing in the oil market there.

U.S. President Donald Trump displays an executive order after he announced the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, U.S. December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1C3DD4DEC0

Iran's hard-liners aren't only ones empowered by Trump's Jerusalem move

Trump’s Jerusalem announcement is only the latest in a series of missteps that have empowered various camps in Iran, including that of Rouhani.

(L-R) Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov attend a news conference during a summit of Caspian Sea regional leaders in the southern city of Astrakhan September 29, 2014. REUTERS/Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SE

Despite rumors, Iran says it's not surrendering share of Caspian Sea

In response to reports that the government was giving up too much of its control of the Caspian Sea, a former Iranian deputy foreign minister explained the latest on talks over the sea with Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia.

Turkey's 'shadowy' gold trade raises questions about Iran's involvement

Unexplained rises in Turkey’s gold exports and imports have led experts to wonder whether Iran has reintroduced its trade mechanisms to circumvent international sanctions.

United Arab Emirates

Iran's envoy in Jordan: Support for Hezbollah maintains Arab security

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iranian Ambassador to Jordan Mojtaba Ferdosipour discusses regional developments, including accusations against Iran of supporting terrorism in the Arab world.