Iran - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent since 2012

Iran cover image

Iran

A general view of Navigator Terminals, an oil storage depot along the River Thames, London, March 10, 2026.

Oil plunges 9% after Trump extends Iran ultimatum

In a Truth Social post, US President Trump said that Washington and Tehran “have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.”

US President Donald Trump walks through the Cross Hall as he arrives for a ceremony to present the Commander-in-Chief Trophy to the Navy Midshipmen football team of the United States Naval Academy in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 20, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Breaking | Last Updated: March 23, 2026, 9:08 am

Trump announces five-day pause on Iran energy strikes after 'productive' talks

US President Trump has paused planned US strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure for five days following “productive” talks, easing tensions after a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz that rattled oil markets.

An undated image of Eran Etzion.

Interview

Ex-Israeli security official: Netanyahu pushed US, Israel into Iran war without imminent threat

Eran Etzion, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser and opposition politician, says Netanyahu might decide to prolong the war against Hezbollah and Iran even if the United States opts out.

US President Donald Trump and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi clasp hands as they speak to the press before their meeting on Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

How Egypt is navigating limited options in Iran war to stay neutral

Egypt, so far spared from Iranian retaliatory attacks, is pushing for a diplomatic solution as the war with the US and Israel threatens its already fragile economy.

Latest News

Analysis

Iran war drives Turkey-Gulf defense alignment, but not alliance

United Arab Emirates army helicopters fly from the Burj al Arab hotel (R) toward Burj Khalifa, Dubai, Jan. 16, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Iran’s longest-ever internet blackout leaves 99% offline: What to know

Traffic rolls along a main throughfare under a banner with images of past and present leaders that reads in Farsi, "Domino fall", as daily life returns to the streets following nationwide protests, in the Iranian capital Tehran on January 19, 2026. Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years. Limited internet access briefly returned in Iran before dropping again, a monitor said January

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Unclear chains of command in Iran complicate Russia’s diplomatic play

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrive for a documents signing ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 17, 2025. (Photo by Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Anton Mardasov

By Anton Mardasov

Analysis

Meet the hard-liner who could replace Larijani as Iran’s wartime security chief

Saeed Jalili, the radical presidential candidate of Iran, among supporters at Shahada airport on July 2, 2024.

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

An Iranian man walks past a Qatar Airways branch in the capital Tehran on June 6, 2017.
A ban on Qatari flights imposed by Saudi Arabia and its allies took effect as first efforts were made to resolve the biggest feud to hit the Arab world in years. Saudi Arabia and allies including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar on Monday, accusing the Gulf state of supporting extremism.
/ AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/A

Iranians debate whether to take advantage of Qatar crisis

The crisis surrounding Qatar has caught the attention of Iranian media, with debate emerging about whether to take advantage of Doha’s isolation from its Arab neighbors.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (C) arrives to welcome Qatar's Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani (Unseen) before their meeting at Cankaya Mansion in Ankara, on September 8, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey can't afford to take sides in Qatar crisis

A rattled Ankara is trying to keep to the middle ground in the crisis around its ally Qatar, but its soft calls for dialogue are unlikely to have much impact.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal gestures as he announces a new policy document in Doha, Qatar, May 1, 2017. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon - RTS14OTL

New 'rules of the game' for Israeli-Hamas standoff

The expulsion from Qatar of Hamas leaders and the movement's reconciliation with Iran has potentially changed the "rules of the game" between Israel and Hamas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Jordan's King Abdullah attend a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi, Russia November 24, 2015. Speaking before a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah, Putin called Turkey's downing of a Russian fighter jet "a stab in the back" carried out by the accomplices of terrorists, saying the incident would have serious consequences for Moscow's relations with Ankara. REUTERS/Maxim Shipenkov/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Jordan pins hopes on US-Russian accord on southern Syria

Amid talks about secret trilateral meetings being held in Amman between Jordan, the United States and Russia to establish a de-escalation zone in southern Syria, Jordan would reject the presence of Islamic State militants on its northern borders, or fighters supported by Iran.

The curious timing of the Qatar crisis

The latest Middle East crisis, the rift between Qatar and its Gulf Cooperation Council partners, has come at a sensitive time for the Gulf states.

Smoke rises after shelling on a rebel-held area of Deraa, Syria, June 4, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Faqir - RTX3909A

Applying the ‘Bosnian model’ to Syria’s crisis

Could the United States and Russia learn from the Dayton Agreement to reach a lasting peace deal in Syria?

A supporter of Iranian president Hassan Rouhani holds his poster as she celebrates his victory in the presidential election, in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX36R4M

Re-elected Rouhani now stuck in 'middle-class trap'

The Iranian middle class made sure President Hassan Rouhani was elected to a second term, but if their grievances are not properly addressed, the middle class could also ensure the rise of another hard-liner to power.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the death anniversary of the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran, Iran, June 4, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX38ZP3

Iran’s supreme leader attacks US for support of Saudi Arabia

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran must not compromise with Western demands.

U.S. President Donald Trump poses for a photo with Arab and Islamic countries' leaders during Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX36UH3

Saudi bloc splinters over hard line on Iran

Riyadh summit may have fueled sectarian animosities; Hamas resets its ties with Iran and Russia.

Members of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a militia affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), sit with an Arab tribal fighter (L) in a house in the village of Umm al-Dhiban, northern Iraq, April 30, 2016. They share little more than an enemy and struggle to communicate on the battlefield, but together two relatively obscure groups have opened up a new front against Islamic State militants in a remote corner of Iraq. The unlikely alliance between the Sinjar Resistance Units, an offshoot of a le

Despite deadly border clash, Iran-PKK war unlikely

Though attributed to the PJAK, the recent deadly border clash along Iran’s border with Turkey involved the PKK and is unlikely to escalate.

In eye of regional storm, Hamas pushed closer to Tehran

Iran has recently welcomed the election of Hamas’ new leadership, which raises questions about Hamas’ next step in forming and mending its regional relations.

Kurdish Regional Government President Masoud Barzani speaks to the media during his visits in the town of Bashiqa, after it was recaptured from the Islamic State, east of Mosul, Iraq, November 16, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTX2TYYB

Iraqi Kurdistan faces many obstacles to independence referendum

Amid a strong regional disagreement, Iraqi Kurdistan is insisting on holding a referendum on independence in the fall.