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

Iran cover image

Iran

April 24, 2026

Tehran 5:11 am

14°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

Iran market

Inflation continues to rise in Iran

Inflation may be higher than the government is letting on due to US sanctions and government fiscal policy.

Iran Kurds

Iran deploys heavy weaponry to crush Kurdish protests

The Iranian government’s escalating violence against protesters in Kurdish cities has led to chains of funerals.

A Kurdish peshmerga fighter stands guard on a building following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye.

Iran launches more attacks against Kurdish groups in Iraq

Iran has continued to attack Kurdish areas of Iraq as protests intensify in Iran's Kurdish regions.

Iranians call for the release of rapper Toomaj Salehi who was arrested on Oct. 30, 2022.

Culture

Over 100 Iranian artists reportedly detained, banned after siding with protests

The Iranian Alliance of Motion Picture Guilds has expressed serious concern over the persecution of dissident artists in the wake of unprecedented nationwide protests in Iran.

A policeman regulates traffic at an intersection during a power outage in Tehran, on May 23, 2021.

Iran begins linking electricity with Russia

Tehran is seeking help from neighboring states in part due to the impact of US sanctions on Iran’s power grid.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Tensions simmer as Azerbaijan-Turkey alliance unsettles Iran

Iran is increasingly worried over Azerbaijani and Turkish geopolitical gains in the region as calls for “Greater Azerbaijan” push a hot button in Tehran.

Journalists take images of Peugeot 207 and 206 car production lines at the Iran Khodro auto plant.

Iran sanctions French carmakers

Peugeot, Renault and Citroen all do considerable business in Iran. The move follows new European Union sanctions against Iran in relation to the anti-government protests in the country.

World Cup

Culture

Iran, Saudi, other MidEast teams warm up in Qatar as World Cup approaches

Iran is looking to advance to the second round for the first time ever, but the team is mired in controversy over the protests in the country while host Qatar itself is facing criticism at home.

Rally in Germany for Iran protests

As Iran's crackdown on protests enters violent new phase, casualties surge

Lethal force was used against mourners at funerals, women were tear-gassed at a crowded subway station, and more than two months of unrest in Iran appeared far from fizzling out.

A picture shows an oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf, on February 23, 2016.

Breaking | Last Updated: November 17, 2022, 5:09 pm

US sanctions firms in China, UAE over Iranian oil sales

The latest sanctions follow designations for Iranian state-run media staff and firms sending drones to Russia.

Demonstrators marching in solidarity with protesters in Iran stand around the Lincol Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, on Oct. 29, 2022.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Republicans to dial up Iran pressure in 2023

Plus, Israeli officials were surprised by the reported FBI investigation into Shireen Abu Akleh's death, and the US blames Iran for a drone attack in the Gulf of Oman.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Tehran, IRAN: TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY FARHAD POULADI: Iranian staff members of "Press TV" news channel work at the newsroom in Tehran, 20 June 2007. An increasingly crowded market for 24-hour news is facing a new rival -- a channel from Iran whose self-proclaimed aim is to break the "stranglehold" of the West over the world?s media. Iran's state broadcaster is to launch "Press TV" on July 2 at a time of mounting international tension over its nuclear programme, complete with international journalists brough

Breaking | Last Updated: November 16, 2022, 7:55 pm

US sanctions employees of Iranian state-run broadcaster

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting is accused of airing hundreds of forced confessions, including from the relatives of Iranians killed in the ongoing protests.