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

Iran cover image

Iran

August 17, 2026

Tehran 1:22 am

35°C

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

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani (2nd R) talks to lawmaker Ahmad Tavakoli in parliament in Tehran August 31, 2009. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN POLITICS) - RTR27ADD

Outgoing Iran parliament moves to radically cut cash handouts

Iran’s outgoing parliament has voted to oblige the Rouhani administration to halt monthly cash subsidy payments to one-third of the population.

Air France propels debate over veil in Iran

After protests by Air France’s female flight attendants over having to wear the obligatory veil on Iranian soil, discussion on this matter has been reignited in Iranian media and social networks.

Iran court rules cancer-stricken prisoner must complete term

After Iranian political prisoner Omid Kokabee's kidney was removed due to a cancer diagnosis, Iran’s judiciary is still refusing calls to release him early.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits a military outpost on Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights over looking the Israel-Syria border February 4, 2015. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR4O8P8

Did Netanyahu miss out on a 'Golan-Iran' deal?

Israeli sources claim that after the Iran deal was negotiated, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu missed out on a historic opportunity to strike a deal on the Golan.

Civil defence members rest amid rubble of damaged buildings after an airstrike on the rebel-held Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria April 23, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2BBAO

Salafi armed groups increase attacks in Syria

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura warns that the cessation of hostilities is in “great trouble.”

Can US, Iran maintain ties after Obama?

After three years of frequent and intense US-Iranian diplomatic contacts during the successful Iran nuclear deal negotiations, can the United States and Iran maintain their diplomatic opening after President Barack Obama leaves office and John Kerry is no longer secretary of state?

A youth leans against a police car after being detained for a Western-style haircut in Tehran June 16, 2008. Iranian police have launched a more extensive crackdown on "social corruption" such as women flouting Islamic dress codes, the Farhang-e Ashti newspaper reported on Monday. The daily also reported that men with Western-style haircuts were confronted by the police and barber shops that gave them such haircuts were sealed off. Picture taken June 16, 2008. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAN) - RTX71DO

Tehran police chief defends new undercover morality police force

Tehran’s police chief, Hossein Sajedinia, has defended the decision to introduce 7,000 undercover morality officers in the capital, explaining the force will monitor security issues as well as appropriate women’s veiling.

Jordan's King Abdullah (2nd L) speaks with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L), upon his arrival at the Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan, August 4, 2015. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTX1N1G0

Jordan pivots to Saudi Arabia

After years of a cool relationship between Jordan and Saudi Arabia, the two Arab kingdoms seem to be united to fight Iran’s regional interference.

U.S. Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY) speaks to the media before attending a closed meeting for members of Congress on the situation in Syria at the U.S. Capitol in Washington September 1, 2013. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX133XB

Fight over Iran's access to dollars takes partisan turn

A flurry of Republican bills are getting no love from Democrats.

How sanctions relief became a tool in Iran’s domestic battles

Opponents of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani have stepped up their criticism, claiming that Iran has not yet been reconnected to the global financial communications system.

Iranian former vice-president Mohammad Reza Aref and his wife Hamideh Moravvej Farshi attend a reformist campaign for upcoming parliamentary election, in Tehran February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX27KDQ

Will Tehran's top Reformist MP take last shot at political leadership?

With Iran's next parliament close to being sworn in, Reformist frontrunner Mohammad Reza Aref is likely to challenge Ali Larijani for the position of speaker.

How one tragedy is bringing Afghans, Iranians together

The horrendous murder of a 6-year-old Afghan girl living outside Tehran brings Afghans and Iranians together.