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

Iran cover image

Iran

July 29, 2026

Tehran 6:48 pm

35°C

An EA-18G Growler assigned to Electric Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) while the ship is moored in Honolulu, Hawaii, during Exercise RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) 2026 on July 17, 2026.

US, Saudi Arabia strike Iran-aligned militias in Iraq as IRGC targets US forces in Jordan

The IRGC’s attempt to redraw the status quo amid an uneasy stalemate comes as White House hedges its military options and Omani officials seek to bring the two enemies back to the negotiating table.

A man stands near a boat moored along a beach on the Caspian Sea coast in Sorkhrud in Iran's northern Mazandaran province on March 24, 2026, where many families have relocated due to the ongoing war with the US and Israel. Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on February 28, killing the Islamic republic's supreme leader and sparking a war that has since spread across the Middle East. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

Why Ukraine's strike on Iranian ship marks dangerous new phase in ties

Tehran has warned Kyiv of consequences, as pent-up tensions couple with what Iran believes is Ukrainian alignment with the US and Israel in the recent war.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A commercial vessel passes through an international shipping lane off Yemen's Hanish Island in the Red Sea on July 27, 2026.

Explainer

Tankers keep sailing Red Sea despite Houthi threats as Saudi oil lifeline faces strains

Roughly a dozen oil tankers were sailing in the vicinity of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as of Tuesday evening, following an uptick in traffic the day before as shippers bet on new US-Iran diplomacy.

Latest News

Khamenei says Hezbollah's agenda 'strategic mandate' for Iran

A giant billboard depicts late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (2nd L), and his son Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, with Arabic writing that reads: "Thank you Iran," in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, on June 15, 2026.

On eighth visit, Israel’s Netanyahu seeks to repair ties with Trump

Trump Netanyahu

Trump says Iran seeks talks after strikes halted

US President Donald Trump takes questions from the media during a bilateral meeting with President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office of the White House on July 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.

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

U.S. Marine M1 Abrams tanks from the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Marine Division take up defensive positions during a firefight near the main traffic checkpoint in Falluja June 24, 2004. A U.S. Marine Cobra helicopter gunship was shot down during the battle but the two pilots escaped uninjured. At least 15 insurgents were killed and three Marines injured in the fighting, a military spokesman said. REUTERS/Bob Strong RCS/acm - RP5DRHZSARAA

Military audit confirms US tanks ended up with Iran-backed militias

The US effort to assess Iraq’s military capabilities is plagued by weak oversight, an inspector general report found.

Iran’s Zarif: Nuclear deal only remaining Obama legacy Trump hasn't removed

Iran’s foreign minister plays down the likelihood that the Trump administration will tear up the nuclear deal.

Iraqi Kurds maneuver to get closer to Iran

Following the rupture caused by the Sept. 25 independence referendum, the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iran are moving to bolster ties.

Will Europe be there when Israel needs it?

If the Israeli government expects the international community to heed the “serious threat” posed by Iranian activity in the region, it must be prepared to discuss the serious threat posed by Israeli activity in the Palestinian territories it occupies.

Rouhani: Iran has no need to negotiate over its defense

In a speech at an event for the Iran-Iraq War, President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran has no need to negotiate over its defensive capabilities.

How Iran sees Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria

A complex series of considerations — including the ignition of blowback from Kurdish groups elsewhere in the region — has caused Iran to remain muted in its response to Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria.

Dropping interest rates could increase inflation in Iran

While high interest rates continue to keep liquidity locked into bank deposits, a nonholistic approach to job creation could lead lower interest rates to simply result in the return of high inflation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands as they attend an event marking the International Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the breakthrough the Nazi Siege of Leningrad in the World War II, at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre in Moscow, Russia January 29, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - UP1EE1T16MCI6

Israel presses Russia to help contain 'Iranian threat'

Israel is looking to Russia to help dial back Iran's ambitions to expand its presence and influence.

A construction worker transports bricks for the reconstruction of destroyed building in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq August 5, 2017. REUTERS/Marius Bosch - RC14F63418D0

Saudis see opportunities in helping to rebuild Iraq

Riyadh's role in restoring Iraq's war-torn areas will play up Saudi Arabia's presence there and, the Saudis hope, help stop the spread of Iran's influence.

A newspaper featuring a picture of U.S. President Donald Trump is seen in Tehran, Iran, October 14, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1FE8998310

Latest Iran poll suggests Trump rhetoric benefits hard-liners

The new poll also highlights Iranians' preoccupation with corruption, unemployment and climate change.

Will Brexit jump-start Iran-UK trade?

While bilateral trade has increased following the implementation of the nuclear deal, trade between Iran and Britain remains far below its potential.

Rouhani urges government to listen to critics

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that voices of criticism must be heard and acknowledged for a government to be successful.