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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 8, 2026

Tehran 5:34 pm

31°C

The former chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohsen Rezaei, takes part in a demonstration against American "crimes" following the killing of IRGC Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a US strike on his convoy at Baghdad international airport, Tehran, Iran, Jan. 3, 2020.

Iran to announce new Gulf restricted zone, Hormuz route: What we know

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the restricted zone would begin at the point where the US blockade of Iranian ports starts and extend into the Gulf.

A man walks past a mural depicting oil pumps and the Venezuelan flag, with portraits of Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar (L) and former late President Hugo Chavez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 3, 2026.

Analysis

Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order?

Washington’s growing role in controlling the Latin American country's crude riches could help reshape an energy order centered on OPEC as the Hormuz crisis pressures Gulf exports.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

mural of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Analysis

How Iran's campaign against US bases is forging a new Gulf defense network

Iran's targeting of Gulf states is fueling a regional security architecture designed to counter the Islamic Republic.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Amir Yaryab

Who is Amir Yaryab, IRGC’s cyber commander in US crosshairs?

The US State Department has offered up to $10 million for information on Amir Yaryab, who oversees a key part of Iran’s cyber operations.

Latest News

Analysis

Playing for time: Despite US pressure, Israel stalls Lebanon talks until after election

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

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

US sanctions Turkey-based bank over Iran ties

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Saudi oil exports hit nine-year low as tanker attacks threaten recovery

A commercial vessel passes through an international shipping lane off Yemen's Hanish Island in the Red Sea on July 27, 2026.

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

A handout picture provided by the Iranian Army official website on September 11, 2020, shows an Iranian navy warship during the second day of a military exercise in the Gulf, near the strategic strait of Hormuz in southern Iran. - The Iranian navy began a three-day exercise in the Sea of Oman near the strategic Strait of Hormuz yesterday, deploying an array of warships, drones and missiles. One of the exercise's objectives is to devise "tactical offensive and defensive strategies for safeguarding the countr

Iran says crew of seized South Korean ship free to leave

Tehran says it made a "humanitarian decision" to release the sailors aboard a Korean ship it seized in the Persian Gulf, though the Hankuk Chemi will remain in Iran as an investigation and talks over oil funds withheld by Seoul continue.

A health worker displays a vial of the Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, in a vaccination centre for medical health workers, at the basketball court of Argentine club River Plate, bellow the grandstand of the Monumental stadium, in Buenos Aires on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Juan MABROMATA / AFP) (Photo by JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty Images)

Tehran to begin vaccinations as Iran remains divided over Russian shot

Iran’s president is hopeful that his country’s vaccination drive will kick off in the coming weeks despite growing criticism from the Iranian medical community against the Russian vaccine.

An outside view of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters taken ahead of a virtual IAEA Board of Governors' meeting at the IAEA headquarters of the UN seat in Vienna, Austria, on November 18, 2020. (Photo by Christian BRUNA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN BRUNA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel predicts 6-month nuclear breakout time for Iran

Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said Iran is close to amassing the fissile material needed to build a nuclear weapon, but it would be a year or two before it could produce a nuclear weapon.

Iran suggests European Union ‘choreograph’ return to nuclear deal

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif doubled down on his stance that the United States must relieve sanctions first but suggested the EU could coordinate mutual steps.

A woman wearing a face mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic walks by closed shops in the Iranian capital Tehran, on November 30, 2020. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran mandates quarantine for European travelers

The Iranian government also announced that the first batch of coronavirus vaccines will arrive this week.

Men walk while wearing face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Iranian capital Tehran, on November 30, 2020. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran says coronavirus cases increasing in those under 25

According to an Iranian official, hospitalizations in Tehran have increased and they are seeing an uptick in positive cases among individuals under 25 years old.

Biden picks Robert Malley as special envoy for Iran

Malley, who currently runs the International Crisis Group in DC, will oversee Biden's efforts to rejoin the Iranian nuclear agreement.

Pentagon reassures Middle East partners on deterring Iran

The US military is signaling its show of force against Tehran may continue as the State Department explores paths toward a renewed nuclear agreement.

Intel: Progressives defend Robert Malley as Biden's possible Iran envoy

Critics accuse the former Obama official of overlooking Iran's human rights record.

Iran reaches 20% uranium enrichment

The increase in enrichment levels complicates the Biden administration's efforts to get Iran to return to compliance before reentering the Iran nuclear deal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken faces reporters during his first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC, on January 27, 2021. (Photo by CARLOS BARRIA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS BARRIA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran’s FM tweets 'reality check' to US on nuclear deal

Iran's foreign minister responded over Twitter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments regarding US reentry to the deal.

Iranians check a display board at a currency exchange shop in the capital Tehran, on September 29, 2020. - For Iran, struggling from sanctions imposed under Washington's policy of "maximum pressure", the US presidential race raises hope of change -- but also fears that life could get even worse. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Could humanitarian bank project advance US, Iranian interests?

The complex network of sanctions on Iran means that even exempted humanitarian transactions remain difficult, and a humanitarian bank could provide the Iranian-American community with a legitimate, closely monitored channel to conduct business as well as prevent black market activities.