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

Iran cover image

Iran

July 20, 2026

Tehran 2:16 pm

38°C

AFP

Analysis

How Hormuz crisis is turning Fujairah into the UAE’s strategic lifeline

New projects and infrastructure could turn the UAE's overlooked east coast emirate into one of the economic winners from the US-Israel-Iran war.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

People wave flags of Kurdistan during a march in Erbil, Iraq, on April 21, 2026, expressing support for the unity of Iranian Kurdish parties and condemning Iranian missile strikes and military actions against Kurdish groups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Analysis

Why Iran's Kurdish front is becoming a growing wartime concern

A Friday Iranian strike on a Kurdish dissident base underscores Tehran's concern that its oldest internal security challenge has now become a wartime vulnerability.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement brandish their weapons as they rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon in Sanaa on April 10, 2026.

Yemen's Houthis raise Red Sea stakes for Trump

With President Donald Trump ratcheting up his threats, will Iran play its Houthi card?

The sun sets behind overhead power lines in Kuwait City, June 19, 2024.

Iran strike damages Kuwait power, desalination plant: What to know

Kuwait, the world’s most water-stressed country, urged residents to reduce electricity and water use following the attack.

Latest News

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

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)

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

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo listens to a reporter's question during a press conference with Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein at the State Department in Washington, DC on August 19, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Intel: Pompeo says US to trigger snapback sanctions on Iran 'soon'

The Donald Trump administration will "soon" act on its threat to trigger a return of international sanctions on Iran, Secretary of State Pompeo said Wednesday after the United States lost its bid to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Tehran.

Iran’s hard-liners push legislation to exit nuclear deal

If passed, the legislation proposed by hard-liners would effectively force the government into a farewell to the fragile nuclear deal depending on UN action.

Iranian hard-liner under fire after opening Pandora’s box of corruption

Allegations of deep-rooted corruption raised by a top hard-line politician against some of Iran’s most powerful institutions have sparked intense infighting and are further blurring the political stage ahead of the next presidential race.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 28, 2019, US President Donald Trump speaks to the troops during a surprise Thanksgiving day visit at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. - President Donald Trump has shattered through norms and niceties on the world stage in his nearly three years in office. Entering an election year, Trump is unlikely to slow down as he seeks what has largely eluded him -- a headline-grabbing victory. The tycoon turned president closes 2019 with a new stride after what was perhaps

Intel: Iran paid bounties to Taliban for US soldiers, influencing Soleimani strike

US officials tell CNN the administration took no action against the Taliban in order to preserve its peace deal with the insurgents.

Iran's Rouhani assails UAE-Israeli deal as 'huge mistake'

IRGC goes even further, terming the agreement "the biggest betrayal in history."

UN Security Council rejects US-sought extension on Iran arms embargo

The resolution failed by a 2-2 vote with 11 abstentions.

Intel: Iran’s navy boards oil tanker near Strait of Hormuz, US says

A Liberian-flagged ship was seized by Iranian forces in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US-led maritime security coalition.

Iranian official reveals claims of corruption at highest levels

Accusations of corruption have led to speculation that a former Iranian official under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration may seek the presidency.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif listens as Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly September 25, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Don Emmert / AFP) (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)

Zarif says UN will vote down US proposal on Iran arms embargo

Iran's top diplomat expressed doubt that the United States' last-minute efforts at the UN Security Council will succeed in extending an arms embargo against Iran.

What are vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris' views on the Middle East?

Joe Biden's running mate has views on Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Syria that fall in line with the Democratic party establishment.

Iran’s hard-line parliament set to impeach two Rouhani allies

The impeachment bid is the latest in a series of measures the new hard-line parliament had promised to take against President Hassan Rouhani in the closing year of his term.

TOPSHOT - Demonstrators protest against Iran's President Hassan Rouhani outside the United Nations headquarters, where Rouhani addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York on September 22, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran arrests alleged spies for UK, Germany, Israel

Iran executed men it said spied for the United States and Israel last month.