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Iran

July 15, 2026

Tehran 10:41 am

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A ship sails off the coast of Ajman on July 10, 2026.

Interview

Why the Strait of Hormuz no longer rattles oil markets as much: IMF

The fund's Middle East director, Jihad Azour, told Al-Monitor that the big Gulf energy producers now have more capacity to absorb the shock.

Jihad Azour

Jihad Azour

director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund

A general view of the Iranian Embassy on July 13, 2026, in London, England.

Analysis

How UK's IRGC designation raises stakes for Iran and Europe

Following Britain's designation, Iran has presented a unified front in which all institutions are projecting the IRGC as an integral component of national sovereignty.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A photograph shows a damaged building in the aftermath of a drone strike in the Seef district of Manama on March 10, 2026.

Bahrain sentences 3 to life in prison over ties to Iran's IRGC: What to know

The sentencing comes as Bahrain continues to crack down on individuals allegedly spying for Iran, at a time when the IRGC has resumed its strikes against US assets in the Gulf.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, DC, July 14, 2026.

Trump hosts Iraqi PM Zaidi as Iran war intensifies

President Donald Trump emphasized Iraq’s “tremendous oil reserves” and possible deals with US companies.

Latest News

Trump retreats from Hormuz 20% fee plan in pivot to Gulf investment deals

SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

Oil prices climb to $85 as US-Iran attacks intensify, Hormuz traffic stalls

AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As Trump prioritizes Hormuz, Israel fears Iran rebuilding nuclear program while preserving ballistic missile threat

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

Analysis

'The word belongs to the battlefield': Why Iran, US are drifting back to conflict

Ali Hashem

In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict

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

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh speaks to reporters at the Islamic Republic’s petroleum ministry in Tehran, Iran April 29, 2017. Picture taken April 29, 2017. REUTERS/Alissa De Carbonnel - RC1F7FBF27E0

Can Iran combat corruption in petroleum sector?

Iran is showing a greater transparency about corruption, perhaps in part because of the problems caused by sanctions, but has a long way to defeat this scourge.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a meeting with tribal leaders in Kerbala, Iraq, March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-Deen - RC1138FEB880

Rouhani takes fire from hard-liners for defending nuclear deal

President Hassan Rouhani's latest speech in defense of the Iran nuclear deal prompted a barrage of attacks from hard-liners, who have long demanded he apologize for the "humiliating" accord.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivers a speech at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan June 15, 2019. REUTERS/Mukhtar Kholdorbekov - RC18D8234850

Iran's Rouhani eases conditions for talks with Trump

Iran's president says sanctions removal alone could initiate a Tehran-Washington dialogue, marking a departure from his earlier position where he strictly demanded the US rejoin the nuclear deal before any negotiation.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrives at the EU council in Brussels, Belgium May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman - RC1873ED5BB0

Tehran issues deadline for bypass to US sanctions

Iran is stepping up its pressure on Europe to devise a successful workaround that will provide economic relief from US sanctions.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrives to attend a news conference in Tehran, Iran August 5, 2019. Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC16176AD180

Zarif says he was sanctioned for refusing to meet Trump

Iran’s foreign minister claims he was warned in New York that if he refused to meet Trump at the White House he would be sanctioned.

Division threatens Islamic Dawa after Maliki’s reelection

The Islamic Dawa Party could on the verge of division after the reelection of Nouri al Maliki as its secretary-general; however, many party leaders see the party as continuing to be a strong and unified one.

Israeli Air Force F-35 flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel December 26, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1B826A4350

Tinderbox: Israeli military attacks in Iraq could complicate US strategy in Middle East

Washington may need to draw some red lines to protect its larger regional interests.

Iranian former vice president and candidate for parliamentary election Mohammad Reza Aref waves after casting his ballot with his wife (C) during elections for the parliament and Assembly of Experts, which has the power to appoint and dismiss the supreme leader, in Tehran February 26, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - GF10000324086

Why Iran's Reformists are disillusioned with one of their own

The political maneuvering of Reformist leader Mohammad Reza Aref has already cost him a bid for the presidency two years before the race begins.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is seen before meeting with Oman's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah (not pictured) in Tehran, Iran July 27, 2019. Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC170D699600

Iranians unite to condemn sanctions on Zarif

Iranian officials from opposing political sides have united in defense of the country’s foreign minister, the latest target of US sanctions.

Members of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) walk as they enter their headquarters in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq July 2, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RC1350C4F160

Shiite military factions have long way to integrate into state forces

Despite Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's decree about the Popular Mobilization Units, they have a long way to go to integrate into state forces.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif talks to the media during the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Coordinating Bureau in Caracas, Venezuela July 20, 2019. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero - RC197678EF30

US blacklists Iranian foreign minister

After the United States placed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, White House officials told the media that he was merely a propaganda chief not worth negotiating with; experts, however, said Zarif was an effective messenger for the Islamic Republic.

Iran's crackdown on corruption reaches elites

The Iranian judiciary seems to have gotten serious about fighting corruption with speedy trials and harsh verdicts for powerful businessmen once thought untouchable.