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

Iran cover image

Iran

August 7, 2026

Tehran 3:34 pm

32°C

Khaled ZIAD / AFP via Getty Images

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

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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

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.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif talks to journalists as he stands on the balcony of Palais Coburg, the venue for nuclear talks, Austria, July 13, 2015. Iran and six world powers appeared close to a deal on Monday to give Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme, but Iranian officials said talks could run past their latest midnight deadline and success was not guaranteed. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger - RTX1K8T6

Zarif after deal: 'The world has changed'

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke about balcony diplomacy, regional cooperation and why Israel sees the agreement as an "existential threat."

Yair Lapid, head of Yesh Atid party, speaks to supporters during a conference in Holon near Tel Aviv March 12, 2015. Israelis will vote in a parliamentary election on March 17, choosing among party lists of candidates to serve in the 120-seat Knesset. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTR4T55G

Netanyahu hopes Iran deal will be steppingstone to Israeli unity government

Iranian nuke deal might present an opportunity for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expand his narrow coalition.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem July 14, 2015. Netanyahu said on Tuesday Israel would not be bound by the nuclear deal between world powers and Iran and would defend itself. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX1KA98

Netanyahu threatens to 'kill himself' in order to stop Iran deal

Israel should be aware that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's continued opposition to the Iranian deal will inevitably hurt US-Israeli security coordination.

Iranian rapper drops bomb with pro-nuke video

An underground Iranian rapper who had previously been in trouble with the law sparks an online backlash after making a pro-government video.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reacts during a plenary session at the United Nations building 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/Leonhard Foeger - RTX1K9Q9

Zarif's domestic popularity soars with nuclear deal

The popularity of Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has peaked on social and Reformist traditional media with the announcement of the nuclear deal.

Republican presidential candidate Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) addresses a legislative luncheon held as part of the "Road to Majority" conference in Washington June 18, 2015. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX1H4T6

Republicans come out swinging against Iran deal

Republican lawmakers are vowing to derail the Iran deal, declaring their opposition before the ink is dry.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reacts as he delivers a statement on the Iran talks deal at the Vienna International 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/Leonhard Foeger - RTX1KA1V

Nuke deal chance for 'new chapter' with Iran

The signing of a deal after three weeks of final negotiations has diplomats hailing a "win-win" solution.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu points to a red line he drew on the graphic of a bomb used to represent Iran's nuclear program as he addresses the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 27, 2012. The red line represents a point where he believes the international community should tell Iran that they will not be allowed to pass without intervention. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR38I79

Why Bibi is personally responsible for Iran policy failure

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be held solely responsible for Israel's diplomatic failure on Iran, maintaining too much control over too many portfolios and surrounding himself with people who won't criticize him.