Iran protests

Saudis shop for fresh products at a market in Riyadh on Feb. 18, 2026, on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia.

Analysis

Alternative supply routes emerge as Iran war tests Gulf food security

Roughly 61 million people in the Gulf rely on established food supply chains, many of which have been upended since the United States and Israel launched their attack against Iran on Feb. 28.

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

Iranian nationals arrive in Turkey after passing through the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing in Van, northeastern Turkey, on March 3, 2026.

Feature

Iranians crossing into Turkey haunted by regime crackdown more than war

Many Iranians crossing into Turkey suggest the regime’s deadly crackdown on recent protests, not the bombardment, is the trauma they cannot shake.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

A picture from the formation of the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan on Feb. 22, 2026.

Which 6 Kurdish groups could join the war in Iran?

Iranian Kurdish groups that recently formed an alliance could soon join the United States and Israel in their campaign against the Islamic Republic, Al-Monitor has learned.

A member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) participates in a military drill in an outpost near Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq on Jan. 15, 2026.

Exclusive

US-backed Kurdish forces poised to enter Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan 'within days'

The CIA has reportedly been in contact with Iranian Kurdish armed groups since last year, as Israel has pressed for Kurdish engagement.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, architect of regional expansion, declared dead

In this photo released by the official website of the Supreme Leader's Office on Thursday, June 26, 2025, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appears among his supporters for the first time since the Iran-Israel war, in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran via Getty Images)

New Zealand slaps 40 Iran officials with sanctions over protest crackdown

A member of the security forces stands guard during a rally marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran on Feb. 11, 2026.

Analysis

Iran’s student protests enter fourth day as campuses test limits to regime control

Fires are lit as protesters rally on Jan. 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iran’s IRGC begins naval drills in Strait of Hormuz on eve of US-Iran talks

Small boats loaded with merchandise sail past the St Kitt's and Nevis-flagged container ship Marsa Victory in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Khasab in the northern Musandam Peninsula, Oman, June 25, 2025.

Iranian protesters block a street as a slogan against Iran's supreme leader is spray-painted nearby during a demonstration in Shiraz, Iran, on Jan. 10, 2026.

Analysis

How Iran harnesses digital repression, China tech ties to quash dissent

Though Iran’s street protests have largely subsided, the struggle has shifted to the digital front, where a complex infrastructure of servers, satellites and centralized controls is being used to stifle dissent.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Analysis

Netanyahu 'skeptical' as Trump doubles down on Iran diplomacy

President Trump says he’d prefer a deal but warns of "traumatic” consequences for Iran if diplomacy fails.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

TOPSHOT - An Iranian crosses a street next to a billboard bearing the portrait of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a quote reads in Persian 'Sing Oh Iran' at the Enqelab Square in Tehran on July, 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran fires TV director over 'Death to Khamenei' blunder: What to know

Iranian authorities have stepped up their crackdown on journalists who covered the recent anti-regime protests.

A handout photo made available by Iran's Supreme National Security Council office shows Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani (C) arriving in Muscat, Oman, on Feb. 10, 2026.

Iran’s Larijani in Qatar, meets Hamas leadership: What to know

Qatar and Oman have played a vital role in mediating between Iran and the United States to avoid military confrontation that would spill over to the rest of the region.

A man holds a poster of Abdullah Ocalan, Turkish-jailed founder of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), during a gathering of Turkish Kurds for Nowruz celebrations in Diyarbakir, southeast Turkey, on March 21, 2025.

Analysis

Moving Iran talks from Turkey to Oman deepens Ankara’s PKK concerns

Ankara is brushing off Tehran’s venue switch to Oman, but fears Iran’s nuclear-only stance is shrinking diplomatic space and heightening the risk of US military escalation.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

An Iranian man walks past an anti-US and anti-Israel banner hanging on a building in Palestine Square in Tehran on Jan. 27, 2026.

Analysis

From 'help is on the way' to nuclear talks, Iranians wary of Trump's shift

After Trump repeatedly pledged to hold Tehran accountable for its protest crackdown, many Iranians are still waiting for him to make good on his promises.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Iranian instructor Maryam Ghelich stands with student Narghes as they look at Elham (3rd R), Leila and Mona, posing on their motorbikes before their lesson at a training center in northern Tehran on Dec. 7, 2025.

Iran formally allows women to drive motorcycles: What to know

The new resolution comes amid widespread unrest in Iran, where massive nationwide protests triggered by economic hardship and a severe government crackdown have shaken cities across the country.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff arrives for a press conference with the US president and Israel's prime minister in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Witkoff meets Netanyahu as Israel warns against potential Iran deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s security chiefs briefed US envoy Steve Witkoff on the country’s concerns ahead of Friday’s US-Iran talks.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Iran seeks nuclear-only US talks, to drop Turkey as host: Source

Iran’s push for a bilateral, nuclear-only format and a possible shift to Oman has frustrated mediators.

A state building is covered with a giant anti-US billboard depicting a symbolic image of the destroyed USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 1, 2026.

Iran arrests Oscar-nominated writer, civil rights figures in expanding crackdown

Iranian authorities arrested three prominent activists over the weekend, including Oscar-nominated screenwriter and journalist Mehdi Mahmoudian as arrests surge across Iran.

A person holds up a placard which reads "IRGC Terrorist" as they take part in a rally in solidarity with protesters in Iran on Jan. 11, 2026, in London, England.

Analysis

Will EU’s terror listing of besieged Iran's IRGC backfire?

The EU designation could ultimately render the IRGC an even more aggressive and defiant organization aboard, and a more assertive rights violator at home.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, arrives in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 27, 2025, to attend a memorial service for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Putin meets Iran’s top security official as Trump says Tehran wants deal

President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran is seeking a nuclear deal but declined to specify a timeline for negotiations.