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

Iran cover image

Iran

May 14, 2026

Tehran 5:45 am

21°C

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump (C) is escorted by China's Vice President Han Zheng (R) upon his arrival at Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing on May 13, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran looms large over Trump’s China visit, but breakthrough unlikely

Analysts say China is cautiously looking to de-escalate the US-Iran war while limiting its direct involvement.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

Iran's IRGC holds anti-helicopter drills in Tehran: What to know

Iran said it downed two US helicopters last month as American forces use the aircraft for strikes in the Gulf.

FADEL Itani / AFP via Getty Images

In first, Lebanon files formal UN complaint against Iran: What to know

The move comes as relations between Iran and Lebanon continue to deteriorate in light of what is perceived as ongoing Iranian interference in Lebanese affairs via its proxy group, Hezbollah.

Latest News

Analysis

Ahead of Trump-Xi summit, Iran looks to China as guarantor — but with reservations

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Kuwait unveils Iran IRGC infiltration plot, arrests 4: What to know

TTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages

US hits China-linked Iran oil trade with sanctions ahead of Trump trip

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Panamanian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

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

U.S. President Donald Trump listens to questions during a meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House national security adviser John Bolton look on in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1ACBBDB270

Trump may chicken out on Iran, frets Israel

Israeli security officials are getting worried that escalating tensions between the United States and Iran could spill over into Israel through an attack by Hezbollah on the northern border.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a chart of military hardware sales as he welcomes Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC14FF352EF0

Senate votes to constrain Trump on Gulf arms sales as Iran tensions heat up

A bipartisan group of senators rebuked President Donald Trump for his Iran emergency declaration hours after Tehran shot down a US drone over the Persian Gulf.

US sanctions fail to bend Iran’s economy, expert says

Al-Monitor contributor Bijan Khajehpour said at an Al-Monitor event in Washington today that the Donald Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign has not succeeded in crippling the country's economy.

The MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system completes its inaugural cross-country ferry flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland in this U.S. Navy photo taken September 18, 2014. The Pentagon's review of intelligence and surveillance programs should be completed by mid-October, which will help clarify the future of the Navy's proposed carrier-based unmanned spy plane, a senior Navy official said on Tuesday. REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Erik Hildebrandt/Handout (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY) THIS IMAGE HAS

Intel: What's next for US-Iran tensions after drone downing

Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated further as both sides confirmed that Iran shot down a US military drone today.

A money changer displays U.S. and Iranian banknotes at the Grand Bazaar in central Tehran October 7, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. NOT FOR USE BY REUTERS THIRD PARTY DISTRIBUTORS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS

Iran's 'throw money' economic strategy failing

Among its many other problems, Iran's economy is suffering because of poor and brash decisions of the past and needs to get back to the basics.

U.S. Air Force maintainers prepare a U.S. military drone RQ-4A Global Hawk for takeoff at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, December 2, 2010. Picture taken December 2, 2010. Courtesy Eric Harris/U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC17D81CAF00

IRGC: Drone downing 'message’ against foreign invasion

Iran claims that the US drone it shot down was flying over Iranian territory when hit by a surface-to-air missile.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks during an interview at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC12E94345A0

Intel: How Democrats are using John Bolton’s Iraq War baggage to push back on Trump’s Iran policy

National security adviser John Bolton wasn’t on Capitol Hill today, but he still took center stage as Democrats grilled State Department Iran coordinator Brian Hook on the Donald Trump administration’s maximum pressure policy.

Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi (C) arrives with crowds of supporters to cast his vote during the presidential election in Tehran, Iran, May 19, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RC115996ACD0

Iran chief justice dismisses 60 judges to uproot internal corruption

An iron-fisted policy against corruption promoted by Iran's new chief justice, Ebrahim Raisi, has seen 60 judges dismissed within a few weeks.

Can fiction help an anti-death penalty campaign in Iran?

A 456-page semi-autobiographical work by prominent Iranian rights activist Emadeddin Baghi aims to turn the public against the death penalty in the country.

U.S. President Donald Trump listens to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a lunch meeting with Poland's President Andrzej Duda in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 12, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC120F191060

Pompeo visits CENTCOM amid mixed messaging from US on Iran

In a strange move for a top US diplomat, Mike Pompeo visited a US military command solo to avow that the United States doesn't want war with Iran.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and head of delegation Sergey Ryabkov attend a Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) conference in Beijing of the UN Security Council's five permanent members (P5) China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, China, January 30, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/Pool - RC15C6930520

As Jerusalem meeting nears, Russia seeks ways to ease US-Iran tensions

Russia is urging the United States to cease provocations of Iran and also is seeking to persuade Tehran to stay in the nuclear deal.

Is Iran’s Reformist-moderate coalition coming to an end?

With Iran’s next parliamentary elections just eight months away, the moderates and Reformists are talking about ending their coalition, raising concerns that the hard-liners will return to power.