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

Iran cover image

Iran

April 12, 2026

Tehran 2:50 pm

21°C

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) walks with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif upon his arrival during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on June 1, 2022. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Inside Turkey’s role in the US-Iran ceasefire

Turkey used its intelligence networks and rare access to both Washington and Tehran to quietly facilitate the US-Iran ceasefire while advancing its own regional security priorities.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

People gather under a large portrait of Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, during a memorial to mark the 40th day since his father, Ali Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in US-Israeli joint strikes, on April 9, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

Ceasefire without relief: How Iranians are grappling with post-war repression

Despite the ceasefire, pressure is mounting inside Iran: arrests are rising, the internet remains largely shut down, and millions face deep economic uncertainty.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A woman walks past a digital screen displaying news of US-Iran peace talks along a road in Islamabad on April 10, 2026.

In Islamabad, US set to face a more defiant Iran at negotiating table

Iran's widening ambitions after the war include a bid to exercise permanent control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Latest News

Analysis

Ahead of Washington talks, Israel has little choice but to accept ceasefire in Lebanon

TOPSHOT - Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted an area in Beirut on April 8, 2026. Israel launched a series of strikes on Beirut on April 8, the most violent attack on the Lebanese capital since the start of war. The strikes came as Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, which drew Lebanon into the Middle East war by attacking Israel on March 2, claimed it was close to a "historic victory". (Photo by Dylan COLLINS / AFP via Getty Images) /

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Analysis

Sanctions relief, Pakistan role propel China backing of Iran-US ceasefire

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting regarding the situation in the Middle East on April 7, 2026, in New York City. A vote on a resolution in the Security Council introduced by Bahrain focusing on reopening the Strait of Hormuz failed after opposition from Russia and China. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Joyce Karam

By Joyce Karam , Rosaleen Carroll

UAE says no more 'niceties' with Iran, seeks clarity on fragile truce terms

TOPSHOT - People watch from a street as a tall smoke plume billows following an explosion in the Fujairah industrial zone on March 3, 2026. Iran's strikes on Gulf neighbours since February 28, following the US-Israeli attack, forced the UAE to shut its airspace, blindsiding travellers who thought they were headed to one of the region's safest holiday destinations. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)

United Arab Emirates

Lebanon rejects Iran negotiating on its behalf, PM says only Beirut handles talks

This picture taken on April 9, 2026, shows the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Basta neighbourhood of Beirut the day before. Calls were mounting for the ceasefire between the US and Iran to be extended to Israel's war with Hezbollah, after a massive wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed more than 200 people. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP via Getty Images)

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

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana speaks during the Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem October 21, 2009. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM POLITICS) - RTXPUPG

Solana: Syria War May Be Obstacle to Iran Nuclear Talks

Javier Solana, former NATO secretary-general and foreign policy chief for the European Union, warns that the Syria war is threatening the unity of nations negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program.

Sunday in the Persian Kitchen With Chef Najmieh Batmanglij

At a time of growing tension between the United States and Iran, Persian cuisine can be a bridge between cultures, writes Barbara Slavin.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during the 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran, August 30, 2012. REUTERS/Hamid Forootan/ISNA (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Hope for US-Iran Talks; Egypt in Crisis

Signs of a possible breakthrough in nuclear talks with Iran in Almaty; Egypt’s crisis deepens with reports of torture by the Muslim Brotherhood; Al-Monitor’s Pulse Pages now available in Arabic, Hebrew and Turkish.

Iranian workers stand in front of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, about 1,200 km (746 miles) south of Tehran October 26, 2010. Iran has begun loading fuel into the core of its first nuclear power plant on Tuesday, one of the last steps to realising its stated goal of becoming a peaceful nuclear power, state-run Press TV reported on Tuesday. REUTERS/Mehr News Agency/Majid Asgaripour (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTXTUI4

10 Ways to Understand Iran's Nuclear Decision-Making

Nabo Sanboli maintains that Western countries will not benefit if they continue to misunderstand Iran’s religious-rational approach to international issues.

Israelis, Iranians Meet at Summit

Shlomi Eldar is surprised to discover an Israeli flag fluttering beside the Iranian flag at the well-known tourist site of Mount Tahtali, Turkey.

cropped nabavi.jpg

Exiled Iranian Satirist Still Mocks Ruling Elites

It's not easy to make fun of people who want to imprison you, but satirist Ebrahim Nabavi has made a career of it. The prolific Iranian writer and performer, on tour in the US, is interviewed by Saideh Jamshidi.

Shahnameh of the Digital Age

A vibrant new version of the Persian epic reconstructs 500 years' worth of images and texts to create a modern mythology for English speakers and Iranians alike, writes Roja Heydarpour.

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi (R) greets Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki before the opening of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Cairo February 6, 2013. Leaders of Islamic nations called for a negotiated end to Syria's civil war at a summit in Cairo that began on Wednesday, thrusting Egypt's new Islamist president to centre stage amid political and economic turbulence at home. REUTERS/Egyptian Presidency/Handout (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVI

Egypt’s Interest in Iraq, Iran Is Economic, Not Ideological

Despite the concerns of Gulf states that Egypt’s recent rapprochement with Iraq, and by extension Iran, is founded on an ideological basis, experts assert the reason is purely economic, Abdelrahman Youssef writes.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks after addressing the nation about the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, August 31, 2010. Obama declared the U.S. combat mission in Iraq ended on Tuesday, but said the U.S. commitment to Iraq has not ended as he urged its leaders to quickly form an inclusive government. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT MILITARY IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2HRTE

Obama Misses TargetWith Nowruz Message

Sasan Aghlani writes that the message delivered in US President Barack Obama's annual Nowruz speech indicates that he fails to understand his target audiences and the effects of sanctions on Iran.

Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh writes notes as he attends the Board of Governors meeting at the UN atomic agency headquarters in Vienna, on March 6, 2013. Six world powers holding talks with Iran on its nuclear programme said Tuesday March 5, 2013 at a meeting of the UN atomic agency that they were "deeply concerned" by Tehran's recent atomic upgrades. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER KLEIN (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER KLEIN/AFP/Getty Images)

New Book Argues Talk, Not Bombs, Best Way to Delay a Nuclear Iran

In their new book, authors Geoffrey Kemp and John Allen Gay warn that attacking Iran might actually speed up the Iranian nuclear program and cause a "multigenerational catastrophe" if the object is regime change.

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

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reacts while attending a religious ceremony to commemorate the death anniversary of Fatima, daughter of Prophet Mohammad, in Tehran May 6, 2011. Picture taken May 6, 2011. REUTERS/Khamenei.ir/Handout (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION ANNIVERSARY) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY

Khamenei Shifts Stance: Open To Talks Between Iran, US

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei seems to be finding it increasingly difficult to ignore requests for direct talks between Iran and the US, writes Shahir ShahidSaless.

A view of Doura oil refinery in Baghdad April 9, 2012. OPEC is seeking a balance in world oil prices, but political instability rather than production issues are affecting the market price, Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said on Monday. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: ENERGY POLITICS) - RTR30IVA

Declining OPEC Leverage Predicted in BP Forecast

Growing energy production and diversification in the United States could make the US 99% energy sufficient by 2030, decreasing OPEC’s leverage over oil prices.