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

Iran cover image

Iran

March 28, 2026

Tehran 2:37 am

8°C

Pieces of missiles and drones recovered after Iran's strikes are displayed during a press briefing by the UAE government held in Abu Dhabi on March 3, 2026.

Analysis

Iran regime turns sights on UAE as war widens beyond conventional front

Iran's hard-line authorities are particularly sharpening threats against the United Arab Emirates, signaling a potential shift in targeting the Gulf state for enabling US and Israeli operations.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Bibi Heybat mosque is seen in front of Bibi Heybat Oil Field, situated at the coast of the Caspian Sea outside Baku on March 19, 2019.

Analysis

How Azerbaijan benefits — and risks losing — from Iran war

Azerbaijan is cashing in on soaring oil prices and Israeli demand, but risks Iranian retaliation, pipeline attacks and regional blowback if the war escalates.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

A large banner with the image of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei adorns a main taxi rank close to Tajrish Square, one week on from the start of the US-Israel attack on Iran, in Tehran on March 7, 2026.

Iran warns Trump against ground invasion as US troop presence surges

Iranian media outlets have reported that the country has readied more than a million people fora possible ground conflict.

Flags of Saudi Arabia and Ukraine line the King Abdulaziz Road in the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah ahead of a visit by the Ukrainian President on March 10, 2025. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to arrive in Saudi Arabia on March 10, a day ahead of crucial talks between Ukrainian and US officials on ending the war with Russia. (Photo by Amer HILABI / AFP) (Photo by AMER HILABI/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraine's Zelenskyy capitalizes on Iran war to ink security deal with Saudi Arabia

Kyiv is using its domestic production of anti-drone technology and low-cost, AI-enabled interceptor drones to help Gulf states in countering Iranian drones.

Latest News

Exclusive

Israel suspects Trump betting on 3 Iran officials, including Ghalibaf, to end war

TEHRAN, IRAN - OCTOBER 4: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image/clip was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout image provided by the Iranian Leader's Press Office, Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei (C) with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (L) and Judiciary Chief Mohsen Ejeie (R), reading the Koran during the Friday prayer ceremony on October 04, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. Protesters supporting Iran's military position against Isra

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Analysis

In familiar standoff, US and Iranian demands leave little room for deal

US President Donald Trump attends the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner at Union Station on March 25, 2026, in Washington, DC.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Turkey confirms Iraq troop withdrawal as NATO pulls back due to Iran war

A handing over of command ceremony at Union III Camp in the Green Zone of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on May 22, 2025.

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

Obama’s Aleppo defense

US President Barack Obama says the brutality in Aleppo is solely the fault of "the Assad regime and its allies Russia and Iran." Does Israel benefit from Russia’s role in Syria? Bombings in Turkey spur an anti-Kurdish frenzy.

Iran President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a news conference in Rome, Italy, January 27, 2016. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi - RTX246ST

Rouhani to Sunnis: Iran not seeking 'Shiite crescent'

In a speech before the Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani sought to send a message of reassurance to the Arab world that Iran is not seeking a "Shiite crescent."

Iran balks at 'new' British policy toward Persian Gulf region

The UK prime minister’s apparent signaling of a shift in policy toward the Persian Gulf region has met harsh criticism from Iran.

Common sense lost in Iranian race for ultimate selfie

Like other technologically adept people around the world, Iranians are increasingly becoming fans of the selfie — but to an extent that is truly rare. The question is why Iranians go to the lengths they do to get the ultimate selfie.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani talks to journalists after he registered for February's election of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the supreme leader, at Interior Ministry in Tehran December 21, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX1ZKIQ

Iranians welcome Rouhani's 'nuclear response' to US efforts to extend sanctions

Iran's divided factions jointly welcome President Hassan Rouhani’s order for work to begin on designing and manufacturing nuclear engines.

Why Iran is moving to halt exports of raw minerals

The Iranian government’s plan to minimize iron ore exports to boost the production of processed goods jives with realities on the ground.

Supporters of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad carry their national flags as they celebrate what they say is the Syrian army's victory against the rebels, in Aleppo, Syria December 12, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RTX2UQKE

Fighting in Aleppo makes headlines in Tehran

Conservative news outlets in Iran celebrate victories of the Syrian army in Aleppo.

People check currency exchange rates at an currency exchange office in Istanbul, Turkey, November 25, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTST8W8

Dollar-hungry Turkey eyes Middle Eastern markets

Scrambling to overcome a foreign exchange crunch, Turkey’s government has outlined incentives to prop up exporters, and while Middle Eastern markets figure high on the target list, Ankara’s political conflicts with neighbors present an obstacle that needs to be addressed.

Protesters hold flags showing jailed PKK leader (Kurdistan Workers' Party) Abdullah Ocalan during a demonstration against Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in central Brussels, Belgium, November 17, 2016. REUTERS/Yves Herman - RTX2U3V0

Iranian-Turkish tug-of-war over Kurds

Allegations of Iranian support for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have created fresh tension in the region as Turkey faces new violence from Kurdish militants.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

The IranAir Boeing 747SP aircraft with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad onboard is pictured before leaving Tehran's Mehrabad airport en route to New York September 19, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: TRANSPORT POLITICS) - RTR2RJ5Q

Why do Iran's conservatives oppose deals with Boeing, Hyundai?

Iranian conservatives denounce the billion-dollar deals with Boeing and South Korea’s Hyundai to modernize Iran’s air and shipping fleets after years of sanctions.

Presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani casts his ballot during the Iranian presidential election in Tehran June 14, 2013. Millions of Iranians voted to choose a new president on Friday, urged by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to turn out in force to discredit suggestions by arch foe the United States that the election would be unfair. REUTERS/Yalda Moayeri (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTX10ND9

Presidential election could let Iranian pollsters shine

Contrary to perceptions of public opinion surveys in Iran being unreliable, Iranian pollsters are increasingly capable of providing high-quality polling data.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

A money changer holds Iranian rial banknotes as he waits for customers in Tehran's business district January 7, 2012. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTR2VZCL

Iran's Cabinet votes to change national currency

Decades after the first plan to slash zeros from the Iranian rial, President Hassan Rouhani’s Cabinet has sent a bill to parliament to make changes to the country's currency.