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

Iran cover image

Iran

August 5, 2026

Tehran 2:34 pm

36°C

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport on Aug. 2, 2026 in Morristown, New Jersey.

Trump’s strategy on Iran may pay off as deal appears imminent

Through far-sighted diplomacy and a durable new regional architecture, Trump has cornered Iran between alignment and atrophy — and a deal may now be imminent.

Two brothers watch oil tankers, general cargo ships, bulk carriers, and fishing boats anchored in the waters off Muscat near the Strait of Hormuz on June 18, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Analysis

Why Iran is fighting to keep Hormuz at center of US negotiations

As Washington seeks a broader deal with Iran, Tehran says the Strait of Hormuz is the only issue on the table, reflecting a wider struggle over maritime security and regional power.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (2nd L), Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (2nd R) and Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi (R) walk inside a building in Muscat, Oman, on June 22, 2026.

Explainer

The emerging Iran-Oman Hormuz deal: What's at stake?

A framework that gives Tehran a formal role in determining how ships move through the waterway could strengthen its hand in future negotiations with the US.

Latest News

Analysis

Another US-Iran truce, same Hormuz standoff: What comes next

TOPSHOT - This aerial photograph shows boats anchored off Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula near the Strait of Hormuz on June 27, 2026. Iran launched attacks on US sites in the Gulf in response to American strikes on the country, state media said on June 27, after Washington accused Tehran of attacking one of its cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The trading of fire raised questions about efforts to keep the crucial waterway open while Washington and Tehran negotiate a final settlement to a war that beg

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Analysis

Lacking leverage over Trump, Israel stays quiet on US-Iran talks

US President Donald Trump (C) is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport on Oct. 13, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

US military options narrow as Trump calls off Iran strikes: What to know

US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listen to questions from the press during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland, on July 31, 2026.

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

Lebanese Army soldiers on their military vehicles take part in a military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Lebanon's independence, in downtown Beirut November 22, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: ANNIVERSARY POLITICS MILITARY) - RTX15OH2

Why did Riyadh cancel $4 billion in aid to Lebanon?

Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah provide different reasons for the cancellation of billions of dollars in aid that the Gulf state had pledged to Lebanon, until it decided otherwise on Feb. 19.

Hard-liners move to keep Iranian voters at home

Ahead of Iran’s hotly disputed parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections, hard-liners are seemingly making efforts to lower voter turnout.

Poll predicts big turnout for Iran elections

A new poll suggests that voter turnout will be high in today's elections in Iran despite the disqualification of most Reformist candidates.

Iranian officials push for large election turnout

With one day left to the elections, Iranian officials asked voters to show up to the ballot box.

An Iranian woman gestures as she attends a reformist campaign for upcoming parliamentary election, in Tehran February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX27K9Y

How some Iranians are mobilizing to get voters off the couch

Amid hot contests with Principlist rivals and mass disqualifications of candidates, Iranian Reformists face a boycott campaign and voter apathy ahead of key polls.

A Turkish Shi'ite girl holds a chain as she mourns during an Ashura procession in Istanbul November 24, 2012. Muslims all over the world mourn the slaying of Imam Hussein during the first ten days of the Islamic month of Muharram. Imam Hussein was killed by his political rivals along with 72 companions in the seventh century battle of Kerbala. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: ANNIVERSARY RELIGION) - RTR3ATV2

Is 'Iran-phobia' spreading in Turkey?

The former leader of Turkey's main opposition party raises hackles with what his critics say is sectarian rhetoric.

Men stand in line to vote during the Iranian presidential election at a mosque in Qom, 120 km (74.6 miles) south of 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/Fars News/Mohammad Akhlagi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ON

Wary voters await elections in Iran

Conservatives are suspicious of foreign influences as Iran prepares to hold key elections.

Khamenei warns of subtle US influence on elections

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said in a speech that while the United States has been quiet on the Iranian elections, Iranians must be wary of attempts to polarize their society.

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 general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor, 1,200 km (746 miles) south of Tehran, August 21, 2010. Iran began fuelling its first nuclear power plant on Saturday, a potent symbol of its growing regional sway and rejection of international sanctions designed to prevent it building a nuclear bomb. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: BUSINESS ENERGY P

Will IAEA be able to verify Iran's nuclear program?

The GAO warns that budget pressures and uncertain access could enable Iranian cheating.

Is BBC Persian meddling in Iranian elections?

Pre-election sniping ahead of the Assembly of Experts vote heats up as Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s ticket is labeled “British.”

Iran's Supreme Council of Cyberspace announces plans for social media monitoring

Given the widespread use of smartphones, Iranian officials say there is a need to monitor election-related social media activity.

A man pushes a trolley full of Dell computers through a company factory in Sriperumbudur Taluk, in the Kancheepuram district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in this June 2, 2011 file photograph. Dell Inc's shares fell 9 percent on August 17, 2011, a day after weak technology spending forced the world's second-largest PC maker to slash its full-year revenue forecast. REUTERS/Babu/Files (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTR2Q1AT

Did the UN ship restricted technology to Iran?

House lawmakers finally hear from patent agency whistleblowers after four years of stonewalling.