Iran Deal

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to the press, in front of the portrait of slain Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, after meeting with Syrian officials at the Iranian embassy in Damascus on Oct. 5, 2024.

Analysis

Araghchi’s second act: Meet diplomat behind Iran’s nuclear deal gambit

Back at the table in Muscat, Iran’s veteran negotiator blends bazaar tactics with diplomatic finesse as talks with the United States quietly resume.

Ali Hashem

In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict

The front page of Iran's newspapers in a sidewalk newsstand in Tehran, Iran, on April 13, 2025.

Trust gap widens ahead of next US-Iran nuclear talks

With distrust running high on both sides, will this next round of negotiations be the last?

This handout photo made available by the Iranian Army Office on April 17, 2025 shows Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major-General Mohammed Bagheri (L) receiving Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman (C) in Tehran on April 17, 2025.

Saudi defense chief meets Khamenei in historic Iran visit: What to know

Prince Khalid’s visit marks a further step in Iran and Saudi Arabia’s political reconciliation, but it comes at a tense time in the region, with the second round of US-Iran nuclear negotiations just two days away.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: U.S. President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump is meeting with Netanyahu to discuss ongoing efforts to release Israeli hostages from Gaza and newly imposed U.S. tariffs. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Analysis

US-Iran gaps seen as bridgeable as Israeli strike leak undermines Netanyahu

If the New York Times report is correct, the Israeli prime minister intended to strike Iran but backed away under pressure by the Trump administration, much like he did in 2011 and in 2012.

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

Latest News

IAEA chief in Tehran as Iran FM returns to Russia with Khamenei letter

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walk together after their meeting to give a joint press conference at the foreign ministry headquarters in Tehran on February 25, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Witkoff’s enrichment U-turn sows confusion over Trump’s Iran strategy

This combination of file photos created on April 9, 2025, shows US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff speaking to reporters.

Analysis

Iran claims upper hand in nuclear talks even as Trump floats military option

A man and woman walk past a mural depicting an Iranian official in civilian clothing sitting across the table from an American official wearing military fatigues painted on the outer walls of the former US embassy in Tehran, colloquially referred to as the "Spy Den," on April 8, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

As Witkoff hints US won't dismantle Iran nuclear program, Israel fears Trump may settle for 'bad deal'

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: U.S. President Donald Trump bids farewell to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he leaves the White House after a meeting on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump was meeting with Netanyahu to discuss ongoing efforts to release Israeli hostages from Gaza and newly imposed U.S. tariffs. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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

drones

Iran unveils new drones in military drill: What to know

Amid heightened tensions with the United States and Israel, Iran is flexing its military might.

In SPACE - MAY 19: This image captured by a satellite on May 19, 2001 shows the Bushehr Reactor in Iran. The nuclear facility is located approximately 17 kilometers south of the city of Bushehr. The reactor complex occupies a 2.5 Square Kilometer site area, which includes assembly halls, a concrete channel for cooling water that runs from the reactors to the Gulf, and a the harbor, which supports loading and unloading of foreign materials needed for construction and reactor operation. There are two reactor

Exclusive

Trump, Netanyahu have 'full understanding' on Iran as Israel mulls strikes on nuclear sites

A senior Israeli diplomatic source confirmed to Al-Monitor, on condition of anonymity, that Israel and the United States have reached a “full understanding” on the Iranian issue. This includes agreed steps if Iran rejects a stricter nuclear deal than the 2015 accord abandoned by Trump in 2018.

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

A picture shows copies of Iranian daily newspapers

Iran's Pezeshkian rejects Trump's call for talks, denounces 'plots' against Tehran

US President Donald Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" strategy against Iran while simultaneously calling for negotiations over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

This handout picture provided by the office of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him praying inside the tomb of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran on Jan. 30, 2025.

Analysis

What's next as Khamenei rejects Trump's offer for US-Iran diplomacy?

The Iranian supreme leader's adamant refusal laid bare divisions within Iran's political structure and has shaken pro-engagement camps that pinned hopes of economic reform on recent overtures from the US president.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

SAEID ARABZADEH/Middle East Images /AFP via Getty Images

Trump administration unveils sanctions on Iran oil exports to China

The opening shot of Trump's rebooted "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran comes after the president suggested this week that its leaders should "immediately" work with the US on a new nuclear agreement.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he signs an executive order to create a US sovereign wealth fund in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 3, 2025.

Analysis

Will Trump’s maximum pressure on Iran restart talks or force escalation?

President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum to impose “maximum pressure” on Iran, a campaign that — during his first term — levied intense sanctions on the country in hopes of bringing it back to the negotiating table for nuclear talks.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) speaks during to the IAEA's Board of Governors meeting at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria on September 11, 2023. The UN nuclear watchdog said on September 11, it regretted that "no progress" had been made by Iran on outstanding issues, including reinstalling cameras to monitor Tehran's nuclear programme and explaining uranium traces. (Photo by Alex HALADA / AFP) (Photo by ALEX HALADA/AFP via Getty Images)

Exclusive

Grossi: Trump open to new Iran nuclear deal, IAEA discussions underway

In an interview, International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said his organization was continuing discussions with Iranian officials and hopes to engage with the Trump administration about working out a transparency agreement with Iran.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

A picture shows copies of Iranian daily newspapers, including 'Sazandegi' (C) showing on its front page a picture of US President Donald Trump and a headline in Farsi reading 'Again Trump' at a newsstand in Tehran on Jan. 21, 2025.

How prepared is Iran to engage with the Trump administration?

Iran's upper echelons appear to be slowly bridging their gaps over potential dialogue with the new US administration, as the threat of the crippling "maximum pressure" policy looms large.

Donald Trump is sworn in as US president in the Rotunda of the US Capitol, in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2025.

From Syria to Yemen: Middle East reacts to Donald Trump’s inauguration

Donald Trump's inauguration sparked a mix of optimism and cautious reactions across the Middle East, with US allies expressing hope for continued collaboration, while Iran, Palestine and regional proxies voiced concerns about his policies and their impact on regional stability.

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) displays a map with the 2021 bases/facilities with reported U.S. access agreements during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan at the Rayburn House Office building on Capitol Hill on September 29, 2021 in Washington, DC. The committee held the hearing “to receive testimony on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and plans for future counterterrorism operations.” (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

After Gaza deal, Trump's top adviser says Saudi-Israel normalization 'huge priority'

Trump’s next national security adviser, Mike Waltz, emphasized on Wednesday that the incoming administration will place Saudi-Israel normalization atop its agenda now that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas seems imminent.

This handout picture provided by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran on Nov. 15, 2024.

Iran to ramp up nuclear power production as talks with E3 begin in Geneva

Iran is once again at the table for talks with the E3 to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement, which was effectively rendered hollow once the US withdrew from the deal under Trump in 2018.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (R) and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on Jan. 8, 2024.

Khamenei pushes for US withdrawal from Iraq in meeting with Sudani

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s trip to Tehran is his first since the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and comes ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.