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Iran

August 16, 2026

Tehran 11:39 pm

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A Baluch Iranian man rides a bicycle

Analysis

Why Iran is intensifying wartime crackdown in restive Baluchistan

A string of security operations in Iran's southeast has underscored Tehran's enduring fears that wartime instability could aggravate longstanding ethnic, sectarian and economic grievances.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Motorists drive vehicles past a billboard depicting Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei along a street in central Tehran on August 8, 2026. Hopes for an imminent US-Iran deal to end the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz added to optimism that oil and gas, along with other key products, would again start flowing freely after more than five months of war. But oil prices turned higher ahead of the weekend in the absence of any confirmation of an accord, amid reports that Iran was planning to block US and Is

Explainer

What would BRICS Bank membership mean for Iran's reeling economy?

Iran’s Central Bank governor said the country will soon join the New Development Bank as he traveled to India this week for a meeting of the group’s finance leaders.

A photograph obtained from the Iranian Students’ News Agency shows an oil slick along the southern coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, August 13, 2026.

Oil spills off Oman, Iran's Qeshm Island reap environmental havoc amid war

One oil leak off the coast of Oman is estimated to cover more than 772 square miles, devastating local habitats.

Latest News

Iran’s Hormuz authority denies Trump claims of control over strait: What to know

Children swimming in the Strait of Hormuz

Hormuz traffic sinks to one-week low as ships attacked, talks stagnate

port attack

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

The downfall of two Iranian tycoons

Iranian lawmaker Amir-Abbas Soltani told Al-Monitor that Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab intentionally visited the US, knowing he would be detained, to avoid being arrested in Turkey and extradited to Iran.

More than 100 Iran MPs ask Rouhani to stop nuclear deal implementation

Members of the current conservative-led parliament have signed a written warning to President Hassan Rouhani asking that he return Iran’s nuclear program to previous levels before the nuclear deal if US "obstruction" continues.

Will 'free financial center' lure foreign banks to Iran?

Iranian authorities are weighing whether to launch a free financial center to encourage capital inflow into the economy.

Khamenei claims US is anti-Iran and anti-Shiite

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has delivered one of his most anti-American speeches in years.

Rouhani moves to slash IRGC budget, empower army

The Rouhani administration has moved to cut spending for the IRGC while increasing funding for the army, but not without a backlash.

English language classes set to become next battleground in Iran

President Hassan Rouhani emphasized the learning of foreign languages in helping Iran’s economy, which put him at odds with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Will Iran's new undercover morality agents have any impact?

The plan to dispatch 7,000 undercover morality agents has stirred much criticism in Persian-language media and social networks, with the backlash mostly focused on the project's social costs.

Why big European banks are reluctant to return to Iran

Iranians and Americans see different reasons for major European banks’ reluctance to return to the Iranian market after the nuclear deal.

Did Rouhani call for North Korea to give up nuclear weapons?

South Korean officials have welcomed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s comments about a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

Four reasons Sisi won’t turn against Iran

The Saudi efforts to forge an alliance with Egypt come in the context of Riyadh’s efforts to expand its anti-Iran coalition. But will Saudi Arabia succeed in bringing Egypt onboard?

Pro-Rouhani candidates scoop up most seats in runoff

The second round of Iran’s parliamentary elections gave most remaining seats to the Reformist-moderate camp that supports President Hassan Rouhani.

Khamenei to US Navy: Keep your drills in the Bay of Pigs

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran would not refrain from holding military drills in the Persian Gulf.