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Iran

June 18, 2026

Tehran 12:56 pm

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A shop owner counts Iranian banknotes at a store in the capital Tehran on Jan. 7, 2026.

How Iran stands to win major financial relief in Trump-backed deal

Iran will receive some upfront sanctions relief despite the Trump administration's pledge of “no dust, no dollars.”

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on Feb. 9, 2026.

Explainer

Oil’s slide wavers as Trump warns US-Iran deal ‘not final’

Brent crude prices briefly jumped back above $80 per barrel on Wednesday as traders digested conflicting signals about efforts to end the war and reopen Hormuz.

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

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.

Latest News

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

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.

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.

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

Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington March 1, 2015. Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu has come under almost unprecedented criticism from the U.S. administration and in Israel for his planned speech to Congress on Tuesday, as international talks with Iran are under way to secure a deal on Teheran's nuclear program. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4RMVE

Senate bill splits Iran deal advocates

Nuclear deal skeptics seek to put the screws on Tehran without blowing up the agreement.

Is Syria bringing Iran, Egypt together?

Egypt's seemingly shared interests with the Syrian government may provide grounds for improved relations with Iran.

Khamenei warns ‘appeasement’ won't end enemy hostility

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei counseled military leaders that it is futile to compromise with Iran's enemies and that the nation must maintain its independent path for generations to come.

Iranian hard-line newspaper falls out of Khamenei's favor

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seems to be breaking ties with the hard-line Kayhan newspaper, long understood to be his mouthpiece.

Imprisoned 'economic basij' pleads case to Rouhani

Babak Zanjani, the former "economic basij" imprisoned for allegedly using international sanctions to keep $2 billion from the Oil Ministry, has claimed innocence in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani.

U.S. President Barack Obama addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - RTX1SXTI

Iranian sources confirm Zarif, Obama handshake

Iranian sources have confirmed the handshake between Iran's foreign minister and the US president, although they said it was not planned.

What Rouhani's done to fight corruption

The Rouhani administration has done a great deal to fight pervasive corruption in Iran, and though progress is slow, the removal of sanctions will clear the way for further efforts.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RTX1SX63

Rouhani settles into a more 'normal' UN routine

On his third trip to the UN as Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani is eclipsed by Pope Francis, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the deaths of hundreds of Iranian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

Why is Jalili pouncing on the nuclear deal?

In Iran, leading conservatives use the platform of a new parliamentary commission to attack the nuclear deal. But why?

The mystery of Iran's missing ambassador

As Saudi sources claim that Iran's former ambassador to Lebanon never entered Saudi Arabia for the hajj, Iranian media outlets are crying foul play.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) and Mohammad Nahavandian the Head of Iran Presidential Office (R) arrive for a meeting during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos January 22, 2014. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX17PZ0

Rouhani's chief of staff: More US-Iran anti-terrorism cooperation possible

The Iranian president's chief of staff, Mohammad Nahavandian, tells Al-Monitor that the implementation of the nuclear deal will be a test of the West's sincerity.

Congress pursues 'death by 1,000 cuts' strategy against Iran deal

A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Sept. 28.