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Iran

August 7, 2026

Tehran 7:59 am

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Explainer

Iran-Oman deal spurs Hormuz hopes as Red Sea threats evolve

Iran has signaled that an agreement was reached with Oman establishing a Hormuz shipping route even as Houthi attacks in the Red Sea expand.

Latest News

US stock markets soar to new records amid Hormuz deal hopes

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US lifts sanctions on Iraqi airline linked to Iran's IRGC: What to know

A memorial depicting Qassem Soleimani, the slain commander of the "Quds Force" of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who was killed by a US airstrike in Iraq in 2020, is pictured at Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026. Israeli strikes killed the intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as the Islamic republic on April 6 defied threats from the US President to devastate civilian infrastructure if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Ima

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

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

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

Which ancient leader is really buried in colossal Tower of Tughrul?

Controversy surrounds a 12th-century tomb tower carrying the name of the founder of the Seljuk dynasty, Tughrul Beg.

(FILES) Iranian women look at the "Si-o-Se Pol" bridge (33 arches bridge) on Zayandeh Rud river in Isfahan 13 July 2002. A young French tourist has been shot dead by a known criminal in the Iranian city of Isfahan, one of the country's main tourist draws, the Fars news agency reported 10 December 2007. AFP PHOTO/Behrouz MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Esfahan’s bridges to history threatened by development, neglect

The Iranian city of Esfahan is renowned for it centuries-old bridges, but these architectural marvels are under threat due to pollution, neglect and a governmental water diversion scheme.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano (R) welcomes Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi in his offfice at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna February 24, 2015. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTR4QWK7

Araghchi: Iran's nuclear achievements led to agreement

Iranian negotiator Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Iran had decided to achieve an "irreversible" amount of progress in nuclear program before entering new round of talks.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) talks with Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam upon his arrival at the Government Palace in Beirut, Lebanon August 11, 2015. Zarif visits Lebanon for the first time since Iran reached an agreement with world powers on the country's nuclear program. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RTX1NXWG

What’s behind Zarif’s visit to Beirut?

An Iranian diplomat shared with Al-Monitor some behind-the-scenes information regarding the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Beirut and its implications for Lebanon and the region.

An Israeli soldier throws a gas grenade towards a Hizbollah bunker that was uncovered in southern Lebanon August 27, 2006, in this picture released by the Israeli Defense Forces August 28, 2006. Israeli special forces have been exploiting the end of fighting with Hizbollah to uncover and destroy the guerrilla group's tunnel and bunker networks in southern Lebanon, military officials said on Monday. Picture taken August 27, 2006. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY REUTERS/IDF/Handout (LEBANON) - RTR1GRL7

New IDF strategy dismisses Iran nuclear threat

The IDF's new strategy document declares Iran's nuclear program non-threatening and instead prepares to deal with attacks by Iranian proxies and other armed organizations in the region.

Palestinian official denies Abbas resignation rumors

In an interview with Al-Monitor, senior Palestinian official Mohammad Shtayyeh said the Palestinian leadership is focused on establishing a "healthy relationship" with Iran and denied the rumors surrounding the resignation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Activists prepare to leave after delivering more than 400,000 petition signatures to Capitol Hill in support of the Iran nuclear deal in Washington July 29, 2015. Secretary of State John Kerry intensified efforts on Tuesday to beat back criticism of the Iran nuclear deal and convince U.S. lawmakers that rejecting it would give Tehran a fast track to a weapon and access to billions of dollars from collapsed sanctions. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RTX1MAT0

Iran deal looking safer in Congress

Opponents of the nuclear agreement have so far failed to gain much traction during the summer recess.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (L) welcomes Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif before a meeting in Damascus January 15, 2014, in this handout released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION W

Zarif presses diplomacy on Syria

Iran brokers humanitarian cease-fires in Syria; Yair Lapid discusses “dreadful gamble” in US-Israel relations; Turkey’s Stone Age temple may predate Stonehenge and Egyptian pyramids by thousands of years.

Zarif pushes Syria plan ahead of Iran-GCC talks

With a nuclear deal in hand, Iran is focusing on jump-starting regional diplomacy and dealing with Syria.

Tehran district grows by leaps and bounds

The Iranian capital's newest district presents plenty of opportunities, but also challenges.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 1: Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, co-chairman of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, prepares to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Capitol Hill Wednesday. The subcommittee heard the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future. (Photo by Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

Former US national security adviser endorses Iran deal

Brent Scowcroft, former Republican US national security adviser, tells Al-Monitor that US failure to implement the nuclear agreement with Iran “would be an abdication of America’s unique role and responsibility, incurring justified dismay among our allies and friends.”

An Israeli naval officer walks on the pier at a naval base in the northern city of Haifa as INS Tanin, a Dolphin AIP class submarine, docks after its arrival in Israel, September 23, 2014. Tanin is the fourth submarine Israel has acquired, and is the first of three German-built Dolphin AIP class vessels ordered by Israel, an Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: MILITARY) - RTR47EHT

Rethinking the Middle East's nuclear balance

Following the Iran nuke deal, the US and the regional powers must strive for a regional security agreement, either based on a mutual deterrence verification system or a nuclear-free Middle East.