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Iran

July 16, 2026

Tehran 10:06 am

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BEIRUT, LEBANON - OCTOBER 13: Lebanese people wave flags and hold portraits of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (not pictured) as he arrives in southern suberb of Beirut on October 13, 2010 in Lebanon. The controversial visit is seen as a boost for key ally Hezbollah. According to reports Mr Ahmadinejad may visit the border with Israel - the site of recent deadly clashes between Israeli and Lebanese forces. (Photo by Salah Malkawi/Getty Images)

Ahmadinejad denies alleged Mossad plot to install him as Iran leader: What to know

The former president, who was a virulent critic of Israel while in office, was reportedly part of a Mossad plan to replace the current Iranian leadership.

A ship sails off the coast of Ajman on July 10, 2026.

Interview

Why Strait of Hormuz no longer rattles oil markets as much: IMF

The fund's Middle East director, Jihad Azour, told Al-Monitor that the big Gulf energy producers now have more capacity to absorb the shock.

Jihad Azour

Jihad Azour

Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund

Latest News

Analysis

How UK's IRGC designation raises stakes for Iran and Europe

A general view of the Iranian Embassy on July 13, 2026, in London, England.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Bahrain sentences 3 to life in prison over ties to Iran's IRGC: What to know

A photograph shows a damaged building in the aftermath of a drone strike in the Seef district of Manama on March 10, 2026.

Trump hosts Iraqi PM Zaidi as Iran war intensifies

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, DC, July 14, 2026.

Trump retreats from Hormuz 20% fee plan in pivot to Gulf investment deals

SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

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's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh speaks to the media.

Iran nuclear negotiations at stalemate over IRGC terror listing

Iran and the United States seemingly do not want to budge over the designation of the IRGC in reviving the nuclear deal.

Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani, the daughter of the late former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, greets people attending the funeral of her father in Tehran, on Jan. 10, 2017.

Iranian Reformist faces backlash from hard-liners for criticizing IRGC

Outspoken Reformist Faezeh Hashemi has invited furious attacks from hard-liners after suggesting that the United States should keep the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on its terror list.

Qasem Soleimani pin

Iran's Foreign Ministry calls avenging Soleimani 'basic' foreign policy principle

As nuclear talks remain stalled, a spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry doubled down on threats to avenge the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

Iran Quds Force commander lauds Israel attacks

The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' overseas missions expressed admiration for the assailants behind the recent attacks in Israel, which he took as a sign of the Jewish state's vulnerability.

An Iranian woman walks past a mural showing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the capital Tehran on March 9, 2022.

Iran's supreme leader says stalled nuclear talks going well

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the country’s nuclear negotiators, saying Tehran is in a strong position.

Khamenei

As dialogue falters, Khamenei says 'no possibility' of Saudi victory in Yemen

The comments on Twitter by the supreme leader follow the suspension of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Iranians visit the spot in the courtyard of Imam Reza shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad on April 6, 2022.

Iran closes Afghanistan consulates after angry protests

Furious Afghans threw rocks at the Iranian Embassy in Herat after videos went viral of Afghan refugees being mistreated in neighboring Iran.

US Senator John Kennedy, R-LA, speaks during a full committee markup to vote, on the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 4, 2022.

Analysis

GOP senators warn Biden against taking Iran's IRGC off terror list

The Republican letter comes as nuclear talks remain at a standstill over Iran's insistence that the United States delist the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran says deal on prisoner release, foreign funds imminent

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed reports that an Omani delegation will travel to Iran to help finalize a deal concerning the country's frozen funds and certain foreign prisoners.

A view of The Crossing apartment building in the Navy Yard neighborhood on April 8, 2022 in Washington, DC. The building, which was raided by the FBI on April 6, is the home of two men accused of posing as federal law enforcement employees and ingratiating themselves with U.S. Secret Service agents.

Men accused of posing as US federal agents investigated for Iran ties: report

Iranian women, holding national flags, jubilate following their team's victory over Qatar at Doha's al-Gharrafa stadium during their World Cup 2006 qualifying match Oct. 13, 2004.

Culture

Debate on Iranian women’s access to soccer games flares up again

After 2,000 ticket-holding Iranian women were blocked from attending a soccer game in the city of Mashhad, gender inequality in Iran is back in the spotlight.

Iran covid

Iran lifts COVID-related travel bans

All vaccinated people will be able to visit the Islamic Republic following the end of the ban imposed during the Omicron wave.