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

Iran cover image

Iran

April 7, 2026

Tehran 1:15 pm

16°C

TOPSHOT - A view of the B1 bridge is pictured, a day after it was destroyed by a strike in Karaj, around 20miles (35kms) southwest of Tehran, April 3, 2026. US President Donald Trump said on April 2 the tallest bridge in Iran had been destroyed, hours after threatening to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages." (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

With Trump's goals unmet, can strikes on Iran's economy force a deal?

Ordering the US military to destroy Iran's road transit system and electrical grid risks war crimes that may harden Iranian resistance after five weeks of bombing has failed to deliver Trump’s strategic objectives.

Indian vessel Nanda Devi, carrying liquefied petroleum gas, arrives at Vadinar Port in the Jamnagar district of Gujarat state on March 17, 2026, after Iran allowed it to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a

From France to India: Who is Iran allowing through the Strait of Hormuz?

Ships from Qatar turned around on Monday after sailing toward the Strait of Hormuz, while a growing number of countries have received permission to traverse the waterway.

US President Donald Trump looks on during a press conference about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, on April 6, 2026, in Washington.

‘No bridges, no power plants’: Trump ups threats against Iran if deal fails

President Trump said he wasn't worried that striking civilian infrastructure could amount to war crimes.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan walks alongside his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Shibani, as he arrives in Damascus, April 5, 2026.

Analysis

How the Iran war can help Syria manage Turkey and its regional rivals

Rising regional tensions and disrupted oil flows are giving Damascus leverage to balance Ankara and other neighbors while exploring alternative energy corridors.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Iran rejects latest ceasefire proposal as Trump deadline looms

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 06: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he attends the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Easter Egg Roll is a White House tradition dating back to 1878. The Trumps also honored the 250th anniversary of the United States during the event. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Iran's IRGC intel chief killed as Israel expands targeted strikes: What to know

Seyed Majid Khademi

Third Turkish ship clears Hormuz as Ankara presses Tehran on safe passage

A bulk carrier sits anchored at Sultan Qaboos Port on March 23, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Analysis

Hostage to Hormuz, can Gulf rewire future energy flows to bypass Iran’s chokepoint?

A police speed boat patrols the port as oil tankers and high speed crafts sit anchored at Muscat Anchorage near the Strait of Hormuz on March 30, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

A general view shows buildings in Tehran, Iran August 3, 2017. Picture taken August 3, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1A118A8860

Iran's Supreme Court upholds death sentences for corruption

Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of two individuals charged with economic crimes in what the judiciary hopes is a “warning” to others.

US warns Lebanon that Hezbollah Cabinet pick would cross ‘red line’

The Trump administration might take limited measures that are not likely to alter the fundamentals of US policy in Lebanon should Hezbollah get the Health Ministry in the new Cabinet formation.

A general view of the Damavand summit northeast of Tehran, Iran, May 19, 2006. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File Photo - S1BETELLNFAA

Tehran set for yet another mayor amid Reformist infighting

Tehran is set to get yet another mayor amid ongoing infighting among the Reformists. The question is whether the next internal mayoral vote will put an end to the bickering.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C) in Tehran, Iran November 1, 2017. Sputnik/Dmitry Azarov/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - UP1EDB1169X0K

Khamenei instructs Iranian scholars to look eastward

In a speech, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei encouraged young scientists to look east rather than west for academic connections.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Education Minister Naftali Bennett with pupils during a visit at the "Tamra HaEmek" elementary school on the first day of the school year, in the Arab Israeli town of Tamra, Israel September 1, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - S1AETYTKZEAA

Netanyahu ignores Iran's scientific, educational advances

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised himself for security achievements, but neglected to address the worrying decline in Israeli research and higher education.

Iranian women watch the practice session of Iran's national soccer team from behind the railings as they banned from entering the stadium at Azadi (freedom) sport complex in Tehran, Iran May 21, 2006. WORLD CUP 2006 PREVIEW REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl - GM1DSQRUFHAA

Big score for Iranian women as doors open to men's soccer games

For the first time since 1979, Iranian women are allowed to watch men's soccer matches in Tehran despite stubborn and stiff opposition from hard-liners.

President Hassan Rouhani speaks at the Iranian Parliament in the capital Tehran, on August 28, 2018. - It was the first time Rouhani had been summoned by parliament in his five years in power, with MPs demanding answers on unemployment, rising prices and the collapsing value of the rial, which has lost more than half its value since April. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Why Iran must seriously act to address rent seeking

While the top elites of the Islamic Republic are recognizing the need to address mismanagement of the Iranian economy, the core issue remains the rent seeking that is thwarting genuine reform.

Zeyzoun thermal station is pictured after fighters from a coalition of rebel groups called "Jaish al Fateh", also known as "Army of Fatah" (Conquest Army), took control of it from forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, activists said, in al-Ghab plain in the Hama countryside July 29, 2015. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah - GF20000007888

Iran sets sights on Syrian reconstruction projects

Iran is ready to help rebuild Syria, and seems especially interested in getting the power back up and running, but restructuring projects will remain stalled until a political solution is reached.

Iraqi students take an English language exam at a bookstore in Kirkuk, Iraq, July 24, 2018, Picture taken July 24, 2018. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed - RC1F5E5EA660

India, Iran or Turkey: Iraqi students look abroad for post-grad studies

Stiff competition for a very limited number of seats at public universities and high fees at private institutions are pushing Iraqi students to pursue post-graduate studies abroad.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the Innovation and Industry Forum during an official visit in Bern, Switzerland, July 3, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse - RC17EB456B20

Rouhani touts meeting with top economists on containing crisis

Iran's president held a meeting with the country's top economists to discuss the ongoing crisis, but some hard-liners have lambasted the secrecy surrounding the talks.

A general view of Palangan village (bottom, C) 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: CITYSCAPE SOCIETY RELIGION) - GM1E75C0SHZ01

IRGC masses troops on Iraq border amid rising tensions with Kurdish groups

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is beefing up its control of Iran’s border with Iraqi Kurdistan a month after its missile strike on the headquarters of the main armed Iranian Kurdish opposition group.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

Men read newspapers and magazine headlines in Tehran, Iran October 14, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC181F519590

Iranian papers ask US outlets to condemn sanctions

Four of Iran's biggest newspapers ran a joint editorial asking their Western counterparts to speak up about the impact of US sanctions on Iran.