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

Iran cover image

Iran

August 22, 2026

Tehran 5:40 pm

35°C

People shop at a store in the Grand Reza Bazaar near the shrine of Imam Reza following the funeral of slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and his family members in Mashhad on July 10, 2026.

Analysis

Can Trump's economic war ultimately force Iran to compromise?

President Trump's new economic offensive comes as Iran is grappling with war damage, tighter oil restrictions and a shrinking ability to absorb another major shock.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Caught in the middle, Oman shrugs off Trump's latest Iran threat

For the second time in months, President Donald Trump has threatened to strike the US partner as it holds talks with Iran.

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Houthis claim new strikes on Saudi Arabia after IRGC warning: What to know

A senior Iranian commander said Saudi Arabia will be unable to the defeat the Yemeni group as the conflict intensifies.

Latest News

China slams Trump over economic war on Iran: What to know

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian holds a press conference on Aug. 19, 2026.

Trump’s Iran ‘economic D-Day’ threat sends oil prices above $94

Iranians drive past an anti-US billboard at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Aug. 3, 2026.

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

An Iranian Sunni Kurd woman stands behind a satellite dish on her home's rooftop at Palangan village in Kurdistan province, about 660 km (412 miles) southwest of Tehran May 11, 2011. Iranian Shi'ite and Sunni Kurds live in harmony with each other in Palangan, although Sunni is the religion of the majority of the people. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: SOCIETY RELIGION BUSINESS) - RTR2MADK

Iran official says satellite jamming can cause cancer

An Iranian official has said that the practice of jamming satellites can cause cancer and recommended that Iran's jamming efforts be eliminated.

Shi'ite volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against militants of the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), carry a picture of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf, August 16, 2014. School is out, but northern Baghdad's classrooms are packed - not with students, but with people who have travelled further than most to escape the Sunni militant onslaught splitting Iraq. REUTERS/Alaa Al

Salafist danger spawns pan-Shiite solidarity

Rising incitement against Shiites by Salafist forces has prompted solidarity among the various sects of Shiite Islam.

BytMWveCEAAjWSL.jpg_large-1.jpg

Iran dervishes protest prisoner treatment, media blackout

Iranian Gonabadi dervishes have taken to the streets to protest the treatment of prisoners, claiming a the media blackout on their plight.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gathers materials as he concludes his address to the 69th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York September 29, 2014. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR487Y0

Iranian UN delegate slams Netanyahu speech

Iran's UN delegation took the floor to criticize the address by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly.

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

Mohammad Reza Naghdi, commader of Iran's Basij militia, speaks during Friday prayers at Tehran University November 26, 2010. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS) - RTXV35D

Iran's Basij announces donation efforts for Gaza

The head of Iran's Basij has said that the organization is collecting money for reconstruction in Gaza.

US leverages Iran-Iraq-Syria axis against Islamic State

New alignment offers the potential for breakthrough in the battle against extremist groups; the Arab world has a pulse, not an illness.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addresses a meeting of the United Nations Security Council
at the 69th U.N. General Assembly in New York, September 24, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR47KZB

Moscow backs fight against IS … to an extent

Russia is expressing cautious solidarity with the United States in fighting the Islamic State, while continuing its unequivocal support of the Syrian government.

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (L) meets with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani during the 69th United Nations General Assembly in New York September 24, 2014. REUTERS/Timothy A. Clary/Pool (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR47JEP

Rouhani's meeting with Cameron draws criticism in Iran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been criticized for comments made by UK Prime Minister David Cameron after the two conducted a "historic" meeting.

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

Spokesman for Iran's Joint Armed Forces Staff Masoud Jazayeri speaks during a news conference in Tehran January 30, 2012. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR2X2ST

Iran nuclear negotiators have no 'authority' to discuss IS

Iranian Gen. Massoud Jazayeri said that Iran's nuclear negotiators only have the authority to conduct talks on the nuclear issue, and not the Islamic State, with US officials.

Members of the Iranian army pray at a university as they attend for Tehran's Friday prayers, April 10, 2009. Reform minded youth see America as the land of opportunity and would like to see ties with the U.S. restored but conservative minded youth see the U.S. as the enemy and feel that the Islamic Revolution?s goals must be kept alive. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTXDXUQ

Iranian conservative says the US needs Iran

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iranian conservative Amir Mohebian discussed why he believes Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is pessimistic about the nuclear negotiations, how US policy in the Middle East has benefited Iran and how the United States is now in a position where it needs Iran to deal with regional issues.

Members of international advocacy group Avaaz take part in a protest wearing masks of Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani (R) and U.S. president Barack Obama, outside the U.N. headquarters in New York September 24, 2013. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX13Y0V

Who’s afraid of a handshake?

With President Hassan Rouhani in New York for UN General Assembly, the issue of a possible handshake between Rouhani and the US president is a prime concern in Iranian media.

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter launches mortar shells towards Zummar, controlled by Islamic State (IS), near Mosul September 15, 2014. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR46B59

US, Iran woo rival Kurdish factions in battle against IS

While US airstrikes against the Islamic State have mostly benefited areas controlled by Kurdistan Democratic Party forces, Iran has reportedly provided materiel and advisers to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.