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

Iran cover image

Iran

June 17, 2026

Tehran 5:37 am

25°C

An Iranian woman waves a national flag at Valiasr Square in Tehran on June 15, 2026.

Analysis

Why Iran's hard-liners are turning on each other over US deal

Iran's memorandum of understanding with the United States has triggered unusual regime infighting, as the official line hails victory, while hard-liners worry about strategic concessions and hidden traps.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Snipers set up their positions above of the US Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Scrutiny builds over Iran deal kept from lawmakers

Both Republicans and Democrats are calling for the White House to show them the deal.

MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

How Iran's internal divide over Lebanon could shape US negotiations

Sources familiar with the indirect discussions between Tehran and Washington told Al-Monitor that Iran had prepared a significant response to Sunday's Beirut strike.

Ali Hashem

In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict

Latest News

Trump punts nuclear question with placeholder Iran deal

President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2026.

Gulf cautiously welcomes US-Iran deal as Hezbollah congratulates Tehran

Veiled women in black Chadors wave Iran and Hezbollah flags during commemoration at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 22, 2026.

Trump, Vance sign Iran-US framework

A police officer stands holding a flag in Valiasr Square beneath a mural of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on April 23, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

'He knew it was over': Inside Netanyahu’s response to Trump’s Iran deal as Israel recalibrates

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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

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

Why Boeing kept Iran dealings under the radar

As the world cashes in on an Iran ready to do business, the US risks being late to the game because of a mixture of political sensitivities, confusion about the remaining American sanctions and structural impediments.

Should Israel celebrate the Iranian elections results?

Following Iranian elections, Israeli security experts are divided between those optimistic about changes in the country and those who fear its growing regional hegemony.

After elections, is Rouhani’s economy minister now safe?

All three members of parliament who summoned the finance and economy minister failed to make it into Iran's next parliament.

Iranian worshippers wave Palestinian flags during a protest against Israel's attacks on Gaza, after Friday prayers in Tehran, January 2, 2009. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTR22ZRW

Iran stakes out position ahead of PA collapse

Iran's renewed interest in the occupied territories indicates that, unlike Israel, it is preparing for the possible collapse of the Palestinian Authority.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (C) waves after he registered for February's election of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the supreme leader, at the 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. - RTX1ZKJQ

Rouhani empowered as allies, supporters make gains in Iranian elections

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is set to have an easier last 15 months of his term due to voters' support of what Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami and Seyyed Hassan Khomeini stand for.

Why is Iran arresting more dual nationals?

If the Iranian government fails to address the arbitrary arrests of dual citizens, the circumstances will certainly undermine the vast potential that the Iranian diaspora and international business have in helping develop Iran.

Iranian voters queue to cast their vote for both parliamentary elections and the Assembly of Experts at polling station in Tehran on February 26, 2016.

Iranians began voting across the country in elections billed by the moderate president as vital to curbing conservative dominance in parliament and speeding up domestic reforms after a nuclear deal with world powers. / AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

How much change do Iranians really want?

Iranians want a lot of things. What they don’t want is to be told that their vote doesn’t count or that it doesn’t matter.

Supporters of Ali Motahari, a candidate for the upcoming parliamentary elections, hold his electoral posters during a campaign gathering of candidates mainly close to the reformist camp, in Tehran February 23, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMAATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX287FM

Pro-Rouhani candidates take early lead

Reformists and moderate conservatives allied with President Hassan Rouhani have made a strong showing in Iran's parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections, and key hard-liners seem to have lost big.

Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Samir Moqbel (L) speaks during a joint news conference with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at Beirut airport airbase during a ceremony to give weapons to the Lebanese army April 20, 2015. The first shipment of French weapons and military equipment arrived in Lebanon on Monday under a Saudi-funded deal worth $3 billion to bolster the Lebanese army's fight against militants encroaching from neighboring Syria. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTX19GVB

What is Riyadh's endgame in Lebanon?

In an effort to condemn Iran, Saudi Arabia is setting its sights on Hezbollah and Lebanon.

Why Tehran matters so much in Iranian politics

While the final nationwide results of Iran’s Feb. 26 elections have yet to be announced, it is clear that the elections have produced a stunning victory for the Reformist-moderate List of Hope alliance in Tehran. But why do electoral gains in the relatively small Tehran constituency mean so much?

Women win big in Iran's parliamentary elections

The number of women in Iran's next parliament is set to double compared to the incumbent parliament.

Head of the Badr Organisation Hadi al-Amiri (C) walks with Shi'ite fighters in Makhoul mountains, north of Baiji, October 17, 2015. Iraqi forces and Shi'ite militia fighters recaptured most of the country’s largest oil refinery from Islamic State militants on Thursday, security officials said. The report could not be independently confirmed because it is too dangerous for journalists to enter the battle zone around the refinery near the town of Baiji, about 190 km (120 miles) north of Baghdad. REUTERS/Thaie

Why Saudis may take on Iraq’s Shiite militias

Saudi Arabia sees Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units, formed from various Shiite militias to fight the Islamic State, as a dangerous long-term foe for the Sunni Islamic world.