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

Iran cover image

Iran

July 22, 2026

Tehran 4:22 pm

35°C

Hegset

Iran war to cost US $37.5B by end of September, Hegseth tells Senate

Pentagon’s conservative estimate includes military pay and "operations and maintenance" costs, but does not factor in damage to military bases in the region.

A Kurdish fighter from the Iranian Kurdish armed faction Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) stands with his rifle at a site near the Iraqi border with Iran in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on March 8, 2026.

Interview

PJAK leader mocks Iran’s claim Turkey spiked US Kurdish-backed regime-change plan

The PJAK co-leader says he does not believe Washington or Israel would abandon a strategic objective as significant as toppling Iran's government because of Turkish objections.

Siamand Moeini

Siamand Moeini

PJAK Executive Council Member

FILE PHOTO: A satellite view shows tunnel entrances at Pickaxe Mountain, of the Natanz nuclear facility, near Natanz, Iran, June 30, 2026. Vantor/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Analysis

Israel draws line on Houthi attacks, hopes for Trump strike on Pickaxe Mountain

From the perspective of the Israeli military and some politicians, the current situation of the US striking at Iran and Israel staying out of the conflict is ideal.

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

Latest News

US launches fresh strikes on Iran, reinforces air assets in region: What to know

In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 3, 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea.

Explainer

Iran's economy faces renewed pressure as ceasefire collapses

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

Iran's Araghchi reveals Turkey's role in thwarting Kurdish offensive

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart following a meeting in Baghdad on June 28, 2026.

Oil tops $90 as Iran warns Hormuz 'will not be safe'

Amir Hossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

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

With killing of Iranian-American, Iran turns tables on US

The killing of an Iranian-American by American police has been condemned by Iranian officials.

SHAHN ABAD, IRAN: TO GO WITH AFP STORY "IRAN-FARM-ECONOMY-LUXURY-SAFFRON" Iranian women wearing chadors pick saffron flowers on a farm in Shahn Abad village, near the town of Torbat-e Heydarieh, northeast of Iran, 31 October 2006. Despite Iran's status as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the saffron world, it has yet to realize the full economic potential of the 3,000 year-old industry and faces challenges to hold on to its rampant market share. MORE IMAGES AVAILABLE ON IMAGE FORUM AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ

Long road ahead for Iran’s medicinal plants industry

Once the world’s top exporter of medicinal plants, Iran now faces a multitude of obstacles to keep this industry on track.

Iran’s president: both diplomacy, military power needed in face of threats

Iran’s president said his country doesn’t seek confrontation with Saudi Arabia.

Saudi reforms put spotlight on Iran's women's movement

Absent political will to engage in genuine reform, Iranian women face a long road ahead in achieving their rights.

Israeli soldiers sit on top of tanks as they take part in an exercise in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, near the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria, March 20, 2017. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RC16E85FD020

Will Israel launch pre-emptive strike against Assad?

Israeli experts claim that the Israel Defense Forces should have struck the Bashar al-Assad regime at the beginning of the war in Syria.

Hamas stands with Hezbollah, says Arab League ignores Israeli terror

After an Arab League summit including delegates from the Palestinian Authority produced a statement denouncing Hezbollah as a terrorist entity, Hamas and other Palestinian groups responded with defiance.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Hossein Badamaki (R) of Iran's Persepolis, Mishal Al Saeed (C) and Saud Khariri of Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad fight for the ball during their AFC Champions League soccer match at Tehran's Azadi stadium May 3, 2011. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: SPORT SOCCER) - GM1E75400KD01

Soccer politics reaches fever pitch in Iran

Despite promises to promote the privatization of soccer, Iranian authorities retain a firm grip over the sport in the country.

Iranian wrestler’s deliberate loss stirs controversy

The story of an Iranian wrestler who was pressured to lose against a Russian opponent to avoid facing an Israeli wrestler has caused controversy in Iran.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani together with his counterparts, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, attend a joint news conference following their meeting in Sochi, Russia November 22, 2017. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1D16F4FF70

Sochi summit leaves Turkey facing unsavory possibilities

It's unknown how far Moscow will go to appease Ankara with regard to the Syrian Kurds.

A general view shows a deserted street at the beginning of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp April 29, 2015. A bout of fighting between militants over control of the Yarmouk refugee camp on the edge of Damascus has only compounded the misery of residents already suffering from acute shortages of food, clean water and power. REUTERS/Ward Al-Keswani - GF10000077547

Four-year-old siege still punishing civilians in Syria's Yarmouk camp

Despite talk of negotiations and a breakthrough, the siege imposed by the Syrian regime on the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus continues to claim the lives of civilians.

Iran prosecutor gets two years for being 'accessory to murder' of protesters

A former Iranian prosecutor receives a two-year sentence for murders at a notorious prison.

Iranians sit outside damaged homes after salvaging furniture and household appliances in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab in the western Kermanshah province near the border with Iraq, on November 15, 2017, following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that left hundreds killed and thousands homeless days before. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Earthquake response shows Iranians' nationalism — and mistrust of authorities

While ordinary Iranians’ response to the deadly Nov. 12 earthquake has been a show of national solidarity, it also displayed mistrust in authorities.