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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 27, 2026

Tehran 12:36 am

25°C

A tugboat guides a ship at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

Analysis

Could Iran's 7-day Hormuz proposal culminate in diplomatic deal?

Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in seven days brings into focus the central challenge facing diplomacy with Washington: how to turn military leverage into a negotiated path without giving up too much in return.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

An Iran Air Airbus A300 prepares for boarding at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 16, 2016.

‘Free for all or for no one’: Iran warns neighbors over flight bans

Several countries in the region have suspended Iranian flights under US sanctions after Washington warned global companies they would no longer have access to the dollar system if they do business with Iranian airlines.

Hector RETAMAL / AFP via Getty Images

Iran flights continue, UAE route closes on day 2 of US sanctions

All flights by Iranian carriers to the UAE have been canceled, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.

AFP via Getty Images

Iran threatens to expand war to Indian Ocean: What to know

An adviser to Iran's supreme leader has threatened to open a new front in the Indian Ocean if the US resumes its strikes against Iran.

Latest News

Fresh clashes leave 6 dead in Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan: What to know

Iranian security forces stand guard in the capital city on July 03, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Rubio: US-Iran talks 'positive,' no breakthrough yet

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Cargo vessel attack in Hormuz kills 1 as world leaders gather at UN

The Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier vessel Manta Ursula is pictured moored in Muscat on July 25, 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

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East at the White House on Feb. 11, 2025.

Trump's Gaza diplomacy takes back seat to Iran, Ukraine in first 100 days

Gaza is on the back burner as nuclear negotiations with Iran and talks to end the Ukraine war command the attention of President Trump and his Middle East envoy.

This handout photo made available by the Iranian Army Office on March 12, 2025 shows navy vessels taking part in a joint Iranian-Russian-Chinese military drill in the Gulf of Oman.

Iran unveils new navy ship amid regional tensions, nuclear talks

Iran has been expanding its naval fleet in recent years amid tensions with the United States and Israel, though the Islamic Republic is currently engaged in negotiations with Washington.

Heavy smoke rises at the scene of an explosion that took place a day earlier at the Shahid Rajaee port dock on April 27, 2025.

Outrage grows at Iran port explosion as IRGC rejects blame: What to know

The Revolutionary Guard distanced itself from the blast after facing accusations that the cargo contained military-grade materials linked to Iran's missile program, as criticism mounted over conflicting official accounts and the government's post-disaster response.

ALIREZA/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

US sanctions China-Iran network aiding Tehran missile program

The Trump administration is stepping up sanctions on Iran as it conducts talks over its rapidly expanding nuclear program.

RAHIM/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

New explosion hits Iranian factory after deadly port fire: What to know

Iranian officials ruled out sabotage as being behind the recent fire at the Shahid Rajaee port but have not commented on the cause of Tuesday’s blast in Isfahan.

Iranians pass by the recently repainted, famous anti-American mural that depics the US flag with bombs and skulls in Tehran, Iran on April 10, 2025, two days before the first round of indirect nuclear negotiations with President Trump's administration hosted and mediated by Oman. (Photo by Mohammadali Najib / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMADALI NAJIB/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

'Out of loop': Israel increasingly fears being blindsided by a Trump-Iran deal

The Israeli prime minister had wanted to keep the military option on the table, but for now must grit his teeth and let US-Iranian negotiations run their course.

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

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey rank in top 20 global military spenders: What to know

Regional military spending saw a significant increase in 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, amid conflicts in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon, though it found that Europe drove the overall hike in global expenditures.

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Iran, Azerbaijan ink 7 MOUs as Pezeshkian visits Baku: What to know

As part of a broader diplomatic thaw, Iran and Azerbaijan have agreed to enhance cooperation in political, economic and security sectors during President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Baku.

A firefighting helicopter flies through thick clouds of smoke after a deadly explosion at Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, on April 27, 2025. The blast, believed to have originated from hazardous chemicals, killed at least 40 people and injured over 1,200, according to local sources. (Photo by Rahim / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by RAHIM/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

As fires rage at Iran's largest port, IAEA team visits Tehran for nuclear talks

The Iranian Foreign Ministry stressed on Monday that the country's right to enrich uranium domestically and the removal of sanctions are nonnegotiable.

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi (R), and Oman's foreign minister, Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi, give a joint press conference in Tehran on Dec. 30, 2024.

Analysis

Iran-US talks set to resume in Oman amid differences over enrichment: What to know

As Iran and the United States are set to kick off a third round of their nuclear negotiations, Tehran is grappling with mounting confusion about Washington's stance while reaffirming that its right to enrich uranium is not up for debate.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

NIKITA BORISSOV/AFP via Getty Images

Russia agrees to supply Iran with 55 bcm of gas, fund nuclear plant: What to know

Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad is in Moscow this week, meeting with Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev on Friday.

LEESBURG, VIRGINIA - APRIL 24: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Leesburg Executive Airport on April 24, 2025 in Leesburg, Virginia. Trump is attending the MAGA Inc. fundraiser dinner at Trump National Golf Club. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump willing to meet Iran's Khamenei but 'will be leading' war pack if no deal

In an interview with Time Magazine, President Donald Trump says he believes a deal with Iran can be reached via negotiations while expressing readiness for war in the event that it doesn't.