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

Iran cover image

Iran

June 17, 2026

Tehran 9:53 pm

29°C

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks with Tehran's Chamber of Commerce, June 17, 2026.

After US-Iran deal, Ghalibaf says Tehran seeks deeper ties with China

“China must believe and will believe that we are not just a customer or a trading partner, but a partner in every sense,” Ghalibaf said.

Trump

Breaking | Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 2:21 pm

Read the full 14-point US-Iran deal

The US will issue waivers for Iranian oil sales upon the deal's signing, and Iran will have access to its frozen funds upon implementation.

US President Donald Trump arrives to attend a musical interlude before a gala dinner as part of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 16, 2026.

Trump says deal 'not final,' warns Iran to 'behave' or face renewed strikes

President Donald Trump threatened to "go back to shooting" if he doesn't like the deal.

Latest News

Analysis

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

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

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Scrutiny builds over Iran deal kept from lawmakers

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

Analysis

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

MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP via Getty Images

Ali Hashem

In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict

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. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) speaks with Turkey's Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu on the sidelines as their two heads of state address reporters at the Regnum Carya Resort in Antalya, Turkey, November 15, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTS753C

How Turkey’s foreign affairs 'strongman' left his mark

Sources say Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s close circle is keen to develop the relationship with Israel in terms of the energy dimension in the wake of the crisis with Russia.

A worker walks past the pumping station on the border between Iran and Turkey during the innauguration ceremony for the Iran - Turkey gas pipeline January 22, 2002. Iran could increase gas pumped to Turkey through a newly-opened pipeline to 13 billion cubic metres a year, above the 10 billion cubic metres planned. - RTXL0AM

If it ain't broke, don't fix it: Why Turkey and Iran's 376 years of peace will continue

Despite increasing tensions over Syria, Iraq and Yemen, Iran and Turkey are unlikely to allow verbal confrontations to turn physical.

Hezbollah members carry the coffin of Hezbollah militant leader Samir Qantar, as supporters wave Lebanese, Palestinian and Hezbollah flags, during his funeral in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon December 21, 2015. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RTX1ZMHA

How will Nasrallah retaliate for death of Hezbollah leader in Syria?

Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah vowed to respond to Samir Kuntar’s assassination in Syria.

Argentina's President Mauricio Macri attends a session of the Summit of Heads of State of MERCOSUR and Associated States and 49th Meeting of the Common Market Council in Luque, Paraguay, December 21, 2015. REUTERS/Jorge Adorno - RTX1ZMNH

Iran headed for trouble in Argentina

Argentina's new president vows to ask lawmakers to end the country's 2013 deal with Iran on a probe into the deadly 1994 Argentine Israelite Mutual Association bombing in Buenos Aires.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) registers 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. - RTX1ZKJH

Who will choose Iran's next supreme leader?

Hassan Rouhani and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani both addressed the Assembly of Experts' role in choosing the next leader as they registered to run.

HADARIM PRISON, ISRAEL - JULY 16: In this handout image from Hadarim Prison, Lebanese prisoner Samir Kantar is released by Israeli prison guards on July 16, 2008 at the Hadarim Prison in central Israel. Kuntar, who was jailed in Israel in 1979 at the age of 16 for murder and attempted murder, was swapped in the UN mediated handover with soldiers Eldad Regev, 27, and Ehud Goldwasser, 32. (Photo by Hadarim Prison via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Samir Kantar

Will Hezbollah, Iran avenge the killing of Kuntar?

The killing of veteran terrorist Samir Kuntar, adopted by Hezbollah, is perceived as a blow to Iran, which supported and nurtured Kuntar over the past year.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) is greeted as he arrives at the German Mission to the United Nations in New York, December 17, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RTX1Z6LJ

US, Iran move to avert firestorm over visa waiver program changes

Intense diplomacy appears to have averted a potential firestorm between the United States and Iran over changes to the visa waiver program.

United States Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, at the United Nations in New York, September 26, 2015. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX1SNOV

Zarif: Iran sees 'mostly negative signals' from US

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in an interview with Al-Monitor, confirmed brief bilateral exchanges with Saudi counterparts and said numerous disagreements remain inside the international Syria support group on a political transition.

Why Saudi Arabia needs to trust its man on Iran

Considered an Iran expert in Saudi foreign policy circles, Minister Adel al-Turaifi has the background to help mend ties with Tehran; yet, he has so far been either unable or unwilling to resist pressure to take steps to achieve the exact opposite.

How one Iranian TV show is breaking censorship boundaries

Sold in supermarkets, the private sector-produced "Shahrzad" TV series is turning out to be a serious rival of state-sponsored productions.

An Iranian anti-narcotics policeman stands guard beside a display of confiscated drugs during a ceremony concluding anti-narcotics manoeuvres in Zahedan, 1,605 kilometers (1,003 miles) southeast of Tehran May 20, 2009. The head of the U.N. crime agency praised Iran during a visit on Wednesday for curbing the flow of smuggled heroin from Afghanistan and helping keep the drug off Western streets. Picture taken May 20, 2009. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN CRIME LAW POLITICS SOCIETY) - RTXKL1B

Will Iran end the death penalty for drug smuggling?

Some members of Iran's parliament are launching a bill to eliminate the death penalty in nonviolent drug smuggling cases, though the plan is expected to face staunch opposition.

Has Bibi given up his battle against Iran nuke deal?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who dedicated years to claiming that Iran was working toward a nuclear bomb, has been silent on the IAEA's decision to close its investigation into the matter due to a lack of evidence.