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

Iran cover image

Iran

June 19, 2026

Tehran 8:55 am

31°C

US President Donald Trump arrives for the G7 Leaders' Summit at the Hotel Royal, Evian Resort on June 15, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France.

Feature

Trump’s Iran deal sidesteps fate of detained Americans

The White House declined to say whether the release of the six Americans would be included in a final deal.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Achraf Hakimi #2 of Morocco shoots and misses a chance against Gabriel Magalhaes #3 of Brazil during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match between Brazil and Morocco at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 13, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Culture

Morocco, Egypt impress with notable draws despite winless World Cup start for Mideast teams

Several teams from the Middle East and North Africa could advance to the knockout stage under the new format, and Morocco climbed in the rankings despite a tie in its opener.

Explainer

Sanctions relief and reconstruction: How China benefits from Trump-Iran deal

It is no exaggeration to say that every provision of the 14-point deal favors China.

Latest News

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

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

Explainer

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

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

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

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

Kerry begins Iran deal sales push on Capitol Hill

A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of July 20.

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

The sun sets as a labourer works on the grounds of Tehran's Milad Tower October 19, 2010. Picture taken October 19. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN - Tags: CITYSCAPE EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS) - RTXTMW5

Preventing Iran's post-sanctions job crisis

With the expected lifting of economic sanctions against Iran, the government will need to formulate a set of policies to protect local industry while also taking into account the return of foreign businesses.

A Russian surface-to-air missile system S-300 PMU2 Favorit rolls during a rehearsal of the Victory Day Parade in Alabino, outside Moscow, on April 18, 2012. The parade will take place on the Red Square in Moscow on May 9 to commemorate the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany. AFP PHOTO / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)

Russia looks for new regional footing post-Iran deal

Beyond diplomatic niceties, real challenges and opportunities await Moscow, as the Iran deal is not the culmination but rather the beginning of some serious and complicated work.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deliver joint statements to the media in Jerusalem July 16, 2015. REUTERS/Debbie Hill/Pool - RTX1KKOC

Netanyahu rejects US offer of military support; IDF says not so fast

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects again the US offer for a security-compensation package, unlike the IDF that is taking the agreement as a done deal and wishes to cooperate closely with the United States on security follow-up.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (seated) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif as he prepares to leave the Austria Center in Vienna, Austria, July 14, 2015. Iran and six major world powers reached a nuclear deal on Tuesday, capping more than a decade of on-off negotiations with an agreement that could potentially transform the Middle East, and which Israel called an "historic surrender". REUTERS/US State Department/Handout via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS - FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR S

What are Iran's conservatives saying about the nuclear deal?

Iran's conservatives are warning that a nuclear deal with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany will not necessarily lead to better relations with the United States.

Palestinians hold a large flag depicting President Mahmoud Abbas (L) and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat during a rally marking the annual al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the fourth Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, at the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City July 10, 2015. An Israeli police spokesperson said on Friday that some 140,000 people attended the prayers on the compound and some 56,000 Palestinians from the West Bank enter

Palestinians hope to regain global attention after Iran deal

Israel and the Palestinians are both preparing themselves for the new period opening up after the signing of the nuclear agreement with Iran, with Netanyahu's government moving more to the right and the Palestinians encouraging a French-led UN resolution proposal.

A scientist works at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) environmental sample laboratory in Seibersdorf April 24, 2013. The self-styled "Sherlock Holmeses" of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, now seeking access to a major Iranian base, say they have the capability to find tiny traces of atomic material at a site even if a country were to try to cover it up. Picture taken April 24, 2013. TO GO WITH STORY NUCLEAR-IAEA/LABORATORY REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY SCIENCE TECHNOLO

Is IAEA capable of monitoring Iran nuclear program?

Technological advances and lessons learned from previous clandestine nuclear programs provide confidence that Iran cannot violate the terms of a new nuclear agreement.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Likud party meeting at the parliament in Jerusalem July 13, 2015. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX1K7NB

With Iran threat off table, Israel should resolve Palestinian issue

The nuclear deal with Iran actually offers Israel new opportunities, by pushing aside the ongoing focus on the nuclear threat and concentrating on resolving the conflict with the Palestinians.

As companies rush to Iran, Turkey slow to wake up to opportunity

As Western companies have already set up camp in Tehran, Turkey’s business circles are waiting and hoping, but political tensions with Iran do not bode well for openings to Turkey.

Residents gather at the Shabandar Cafe in Baghdad's Mutanabi street April 5, 2011. Reading books, buying books and discussing books are the defining pleasures of being a Baghdad intellectual, and for generations the life of the mind has orbited around this lane, the booksellers' market of the Iraqi capital. Four years ago, in a blow felt deeply by Iraq's intelligentsia, a car bomb killed 26 people here. Now, the street is again open, guarded and seemingly safe, and jammed every Friday with students, profess

Iraqi writer brings Persian literature to Arab world

Ghassan Hamdan bridges the Iranian-Arab divide with his translations of Persian literature into Arabic.

Iranian women walk past a satirical mural of the Statue of Liberty on the wall of former U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran April 16, 2006. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl - RTR1CJLR

The end of 'Death to America'?

Iranian media outlets have largely supported the nuclear deal between Iran and the UN Security Council, with one writer suggesting it is such a turning point in relations with the West that the chant "Death to America" will soon end.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) attend a meeting with Ali Akbar Velayati, a special envoy of the Iranian president, at the Kremlin in Moscow January 28, 2015. Putin, along with Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Lavrov, met with the envoy of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the Kremlin said in a statement on Wednesday. The Kremlin statement said bilateral relations along with global and regional issues were discussed at the meeting. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/R

Russia views Iran agreement favorably, for now

Russia's leaders have greeted the agreement on Iran's nuclear program favorably, although its repercussions down the road might not be welcomed.