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

Iran cover image

Iran

April 24, 2026

Tehran 3:36 pm

25°C

Refueling trucks are seen at Southend Airport on April 17, 2026, in Southend, England.

Which airlines are cutting flights amid Hormuz fuel disruption?

European and Asian airlines have been most impacted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is throttling jet fuel supplies.

US forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska on April 20, 2026, after firing upon the Iranian-flagged vessel. (Handout Photo by the U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Analysis

China gets around Iran blockade as Gulf courts Beijing

Beijing is responding to the Iran war on two fronts: economically, sustaining Iranian oil flows and its Strait of Hormuz routes despite the US blockade; and diplomatically, deepening ties with Gulf states.

Joyce Karam

Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi speaks at a candidates' registration office in Tehran on May 30, 2024, during the first day of registration ahead of the country's presidential election.

Who is Ahmad Vahidi, IRGC chief and hard-liner against nuclear compromise?

A longtime Revolutionary Guard insider with strong ties to Iran’s security apparatus and proxy network, Ahmad Vahidi has taken over the IRGC at a moment of crisis, with some reports suggesting he is playing an outsized role in the country’s decision-making.

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via Getty Images

How are Iran-linked tankers still moving through Hormuz blockade?

At least 19 Iran-linked tankers have passed through the US blockade on the strait to exit the Gulf while at least 15 have entered, according to the cargo-tracking group Vortexa.

Latest News

Iran seizes two cargo ships in Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire

Fishing and cargo ships and ferries are pictured in the Gulf off the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, which is the main base of the Islamic Republic's navy and has a strategic position on the Strait of Hormuz, on April 29, 2019.

Iran executes 14th person since war over alleged Mossad ties: What to know

Mahdi Farid, who was convicted of espionage for Israel’s Mossad, was executed after his death sentence was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court, Tehran, Iran, April 22, 2026.

Analysis

As Iran's power struggle deepens, US talks stall, who’s calling the shots in Tehran?

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to the press during a visit to the shrine of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs on Jan. 8, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said (R) walks with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani upon Rouhani's arrival in Muscat March 12, 2014. REUTERS/Sultan Al Hasani (OMAN - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTR3GQAH

Oman and Iran: friends with many benefits

Oman is willing to brave the GCC's disapproval to take advantage of opportunities with and for Iran.

A truck carries Iranian-made cars in a parking at carmaker Iran Khodro, west of Tehran February 6, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX25Q85

What Iran’s first non-oil trade surplus means for its economy

Iran’s non-oil trade balance has turned positive for the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but is this good news?

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Iranian women walk past an anti-U.S. mural on the wall of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran October 12, 2011. U.S. authorities said on Tuesday that they had broken up a plot by two men linked to Iran's security agencies to kill the Saudi envoy, Adel al-Jubeir. One man was arrested last month while the other was believed to be in Iran. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl

How the nuclear deal's failings ignited anti-Western sentiment in Iran

In the absence of what Iranian officials see as the lack of full implementation of the nuclear deal, the factors that could reignite anti-US sentiment in Iran appear to be back in place.

Iranian army soldiers march during the Army Day military parade in Tehran April 18, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTR1OR7Q

Who sent Iranian Green Berets to Syria?

For the first time since Iran’s 1980-88 war with Iraq, the Iranian army is conducting foreign military operations. But who sent its Green Berets to Syria?

Who’s to blame for US seizure of $2 billion in Iranian assets?

Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has rejected blame in a US Supreme Court case that ruled Iran's assets of $2 billion can be seized.

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers a foreign policy speech at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, US April 27, 2016. REUTERS/Jim Bourg - RTX2BXBK

Trump meets the DC foreign policy establishment

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump rolls out his "America First" foreign policy speech, leaving many unanswered questions about his plans to secure the United States and stabilize the world's trouble spots.

Khamenei says US pushing 'Iranphobia' to block foreign investment

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized the United States for removing the sanctions on paper but in effect scaring large banks from doing business with Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 22, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RTX2B9VC

How 'almost nothing' in DC turned into something in Tehran

In Iran, the remarks by the head of the Central Bank during his recent US visit that Tehran has gotten "almost nothing" from the JCPOA has become a rallying cry for hard-liners.

Khamenei adviser calls US court ruling 'international stealing'

Iran has filed an official complaint against the US Supreme Court ruling that would allow families of terrorist attack victims to collect nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian funds.

Egypt sets conditions for dialogue with Iran

Egypt's foreign minister has made a list of measures Iran must take before the two countries can discuss normalizing relations, but it's doubtful that he really expects Iran to meet them.

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.