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

Iran cover image

Iran

April 23, 2026

Tehran 3:53 am

16°C

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.

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 seizes two cargo ships in Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire

The IRGC Navy’s seizure of two cargo vessels follows US Navy interdictions of two Iran-linked crude oil tankers in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean earlier this week.

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.

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

Iran has carried out multiple executions since the outbreak of the war with the United States and Israel, as it intensifies a crackdown on individuals accused of spying for Israel.

Latest News

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

Trump extends ceasefire with Iran ‘until discussions concluded’

President Donald Trump walks toward reporters before answering questions before boarding Air Force One on April 10, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

Analysis

Gulf energy deals face Iran war stress test as global expansion meets oil shock

A picture shows the Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar's principal site for production of liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquid, administrated by Qatar Petroleum, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital Doha, on Feb. 6, 2017.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Israel sees chance of US-Iran deal as almost 'non-existent,' readies for war

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Peugeot 207 and 206 cars are parked at a hangar after exiting production lines at the Iran Khodro auto plant, west of the Iranian capital Tehran, on August 14, 2022. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran's automotive 'mega project' will have limited impact

The Iranian government plans to sell 500,000 cars directly to consumers in order to limit the influence of intermediaries and reduce market prices. Here's why that won't work.

Bijan Khajehpour

Bijan Khajehpour

In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics

Chinese foreign affairs Minister Wang Yi speaks during the 2023 Munich Security Conference (MSC) on February 18, 2023 in Munich, Germany.

Meet China's top diplomat Wang Yi, architect of Saudi-Iran deal

Wang’s tenure as foreign minister saw China make large inroads into the Middle East, including among US allies.

A picture obtained by AFP outside Iran, reportedly shows a garbage container on fire in the capital Tehran on October 8, 2022. - Iran has been torn by the biggest wave of social unrest in almost three years, which has seen protesters, including university students and even young schoolgirls chant "Woman, Life, Freedom". (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran protesters torch Soleimani monument as crackdown intensifies

Amid renewed protests six months into the unrest, the Iranian establishment's heavy-handed response appeared to have failed to bridge its widening gap with the disillusioned public.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen addresses a joint press conference after talks with his German counterpart at the Foreign Office in Berlin, Germany on February 28, 2023. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)

After thaw with Iran, Saudi Arabia sends negative signals to Israel

From Israel’s point of view, the China-brokered Iran-Saudi Arabia agreement could dramatically hamper its efforts to normalize with Riyadh.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House December 12, 2022 in Washington, DC. Sullivan spoke at length about the this week's upcoming U.S-Africa Leaders Summit, with dozens of African leaders visiting Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

'No deal' on US-Iran prisoner exchange: White House

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed "there's no deal" to free the Americans held by Iran.

STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images

Iran lashes out at France as efforts to release French prisoners stall

Tehran is blaming Paris' unhelpful attitude and 'interventionism' as efforts to release six French people detained in the country drag on.

Lukashenko (L) meeting Raisi in Tehran.jpg

Belarus' President Lukashenko in Iran, meets Raisi

The first visit in 17 years comes as Iran and Belarus are increasingly brought together over their alliance with Russia amid the war in Ukraine.

A man in Tehran holds a local newspaper reporting on its front page the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, March 11, 2023.

China triumphs with Saudi-Iran deal, but devil in implementation

The deal marks a turning point in Middle Eastern politics, but China may find its role undermined by failures in implementation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) speak after a news conference in Ankara, on June 8, 2022. -

Russia to host Turkey, Syria, Iran diplomats on Wednesday

Senior Turkish, Syrian, Iranian and Russian diplomats are set to meet to advance the stalled rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus.

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Freedom House

MidEast freedom rankings: Syria worst, Tunisia in decline, says Freedom House

Syria remains to be the least and Israel the best performing country when it comes civil and political freedoms while the biggest one-year decline has been observed in Tunisia.

Saudi-Iran-China

Analysis

China leaps into Saudi-Iran diplomacy as nuclear talks move

Iranian official says next move on prisoner exchange depends on US.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

OREN BEN HAKOON/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli leaders trade accusations over Saudi-Iran rapprochement via China

Coalition and opposition leaders are trading accusations over which government is to blame over the relations-renewal deal between Tehran and Riyadh.