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Iran

March 5, 2026

Tehran 5:37 pm

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TEHRAN, IRAN - JANUARY 10: Iranian Basij militia members display their drones during military manoeuvres on January 10, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij, a militia group that has played a prominent role in suppressing protests, held military manoeuvres in the Iranian capital. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Azerbaijan accuses Iran of drone strike on airport

The attacks damaged an airport in the Nakhchivan exclave and slightly wounded two civilians.

A picture from the formation of the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan on Feb. 22, 2026.

Which 6 Kurdish groups could join the war in Iran?

Iranian Kurdish groups that recently formed an alliance could soon join the United States and Israel in their campaign against the Islamic Republic, Al-Monitor has learned.

A member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) participates in a military drill in an outpost near Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq on Jan. 15, 2026.

Exclusive

US-backed Kurdish forces poised to enter Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan 'within days'

The CIA has reportedly been in contact with Iranian Kurdish armed groups since last year, as Israel has pressed for Kurdish engagement.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Cargo ships and tankers are seen off coast city of Fujairah, in the Strait of Hormuz in the northern Emirate on Feb. 25, 2026.

Strait of Hormuz clear of Iran navy ships, US commander says

US strikes have been finishing of Iran's naval fleet, senior officials said, but its threats to the Strait of Hormuz have not yet been eliminated.

Latest News

Iran’s targeting of Turkey unlikely to upend Ankara’s strategic balancing act

NATO intercepts Iran missile

After launching Iran war, White House scrambles to evacuate stranded Americans

An Emirati police vehicle deploys near the US Consulate in Dubai on March 3, 2026.

Analysis

Iran’s assault reveals Gulf defense gaps and reliance on US tech and intel

A plume of smoke rises from the port of Jebel Ali following a reported Iranian strike in Dubai on March 1, 2026.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Analysis

Could Kurds be Trump's lever in Iran regime-change scenarios?

Protesters hold a banner reading "Come and weave resistance together" and "Women, life, freedom."

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 releases jailed US Navy vet Michael White on medical furlough

Iran has released US Navy veteran Michael R. White on medical furlough, the State Department announced today. US President Donald Trump asked Syria for the release of US journalist Austin Tice.

Members of firefighters wear protective face masks, amid fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as they disinfect the streets, ahead of the Iranian New Year Nowruz, March 20, in Tehran, Iran March 18, 2020. Picture taken March 18, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC23NF9FQH2G

Iran medical council says coronavirus crisis still developing

Iranian medical officials warn that COVID-19 could well plague the country for at least another two months.

People wear protective face masks and gloves, amid fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as they walk at Tajrish market, ahead of the Iranian New Year Nowruz, March 20, in Tehran, Iran March 18, 2020. Picture taken March 18, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC22NF92HAWR

Will Iran's economy collapse under coronavirus crisis?

While the country’s economy will certainly take a massive hit by the ongoing pandemic, Iran has shown resilience toward such crises in the past.

People wear protective face masks, following the outbreak of coronavirus, as they sit in a metro in Tehran, Iran March 17, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2PLF9NILL2

Coronavirus spurs regional humanitarian outreach to Iran

The UAE, Kuwait and Qatar provide help to Coronavirus-stricken Iran, while there is talk that the United States could ease the way for aid to Iran while Iran released American prisoners who could be prime COVID-19 targets.

United Arab Emirates

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders speaks during the 11th Democratic candidates debate of the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign, held in CNN's Washington studios without an audience because of the global coronavirus pandemic, in Washington, U.S., March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - HP1EG3G03W5EF

Intel: Bernie Sanders uses coronavirus crisis to push for Iran sanctions relief

Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called on the Donald Trump administration to ease its Iran sanctions regime as Tehran struggles to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (not pictured) in Tokyo, Japan, December 20, 2019. Charly Triballeau/Pool via REUTERS - RC2YYD9DLX7A

Rouhani defends annual performance from floods to coronavirus

The Iranian president's end-of-year speech was full of boastful optimism, but the nation remembers a year that began with killer downpours and is ending with a deadly epidemic.

Turkey’s geostrategic orientation at crossroads amid Idlib tangle

Confusion prevails in Ankara on how to resolve the entangled Idlib crisis and the choices it will ultimately make could bear on its geostrategic orientations in the coming years.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech at his Jerusalem office, regarding the new measures that will be taken to fight the coronavirus, March 14, 2020. Gali Tibbon/Pool via REUTERS - RC2WJF9YZ20U

Coronavirus, not Iran, Netanyahu’s biggest test

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has focused his political career on battling the Iranian nuke program as the biggest threat to Israel, but his legacy ultimately hinges on the way he confronts the current coronavirus outbreak.

A member of the medical team wears a protective face mask, following the coronavirus outbreak, as he prepares disinfectant liquid to sanitise public places in Tehran, Iran March 05, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2MDF9WLNEP

UAE sends medical aid to Iran as coronavirus outbreak intensifies

The coronavirus outbreak is hitting Iran, which is already suffering under economic sanctions, hard, but the United Arab Emirates is offering substantial assistance.

United Arab Emirates

Members of the medical team spray disinfectant to sanitize outdoor place of Imam Reza's holy shrine, following the coronavirus outbreak, in Mashhad, Iran February 27, 2020. Picture taken February 27, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2FAF91QZ3P

Iran hard-liners storm shrines closed due to coronavirus

Groups of Iranian Shiite hard-liners briefly unsealed holy shrines in Qom and Mashhad in protest of the government's closure against the coronavirus epidemic.

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), briefs the media on the status of operations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility in the wake of the attacks; during a briefing at Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., March 13, 2020. President Donald Trump authorizes U.S. military to respond to rocket attack by Iran-backed militia in Iraq that killed two American troops and British service member. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC21JF9L5O31

Reports: US to reposition troops in Iraq

After two rocket attacks within a week on American troops in Iraq, the United States is preparing to reposition forces there.

Iran asks people to stay home for Nowruz holidays

As the coronavirus continues to spread, Iranian officials are asking Iranians to remain in their homes.