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September 18, 2026

Tehran 6:21 am

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A pedestrian passes by the Treasury Building in Washington, DC on Jan. 18, 2023.

US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over Hormuz payments

The US government says the exchange was used to channel payments from an Iranian maritime-insurance scheme to the regime.

AFP via Getty Images

China presses Iran, US to reopen Hormuz as disruptions threaten oil supply

Conflicts in the region are disrupting two key routes for oil bound for China, with Iranian crude affected by the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi shipments facing growing risks in the Red Sea.

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Senior Israeli intelligence sources told Al-Monitor that Israel seeks to avoid involvement in the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, despite concerns that Yemen could further unravel and that Iran is backing the group.

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

Latest News

Analysis

How far will Iran push Houthis against Saudi Arabia amid raging conflict?

Houthi fighters marching

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia's balancing act with US, Iran, Houthis risks collapse

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities shout slogans during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 10, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Exclusive

Houthi top diplomat says no intention to shut down Red Sea shipping, group open to talks

Houthi

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

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 man walks while using his phone past damaged buildings in Deraa, Syria July 15, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Faqir - RTX3BL5E

Syrian cease-fire a delicate balance of vastly different goals

Iran welcomes the Russian/US truce initiative in southern Syria, but will Russia be able to keep juggling the broad, and often conflicting, interests of the various players?

Iranian soldiers march during a parade marking the country's Army Day, on April 18, 2017, in Tehran. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Understanding Iranian threat perceptions

Rather than perpetuating mantras about Iranian expansionism, the United States and its regional allies should take a closer look at the origins of Iranian threat perceptions.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (R) and U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis hold a press conference following talks with Chinese diplomatic and defense chiefs at the State Department in Washington, U.S. June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTS183M9

US expected to recertify Iran compliance with nuclear deal

The secretaries of state and defense appear to have overruled Iran hawks in the White House and Congress.

An elderly man sits in front of a vegetable shop near damaged buildings in the province of Daraa, Syria July 11, 2017. REUTERS/ Alaa al-Faqir - RTX3AZSY

Jordan sees big gains in south Syria cease-fire

The cease-fire brokered by the United States, Russia and Jordan for southern Syria seems to be holding, for now.

Iranian President and presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani (R), along with current vice-president and presidential candidate Eshaq Jahangiri, attend a campaign rally for the upcoming presidential elections in the capital Tehran on May 13, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

New Iranian jobs plan faces major obstacles

The Rouhani administration has unveiled a comprehensive employment plan in a bid to realize the president’s campaign promises, but it is unclear whether the envisioned job creation will materialize given the obstacles that remain unaddressed.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal, in Vienna January 16, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTX22P9I

Iran's parliament criticizes remaining US sanctions

A report by Iran’s parliament says that the United States has made transactions between Iranian and large European banks challenging, impacting the effects of the nuclear deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump looks at French President Emmanuel Macron before a family photo at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX3AGKS

Trump and Macron seek common ground on Syria, terrorism

Despite tensions over the Paris climate change accord, the two leaders have common interests in the Middle East.

'Game of Thrones' fever grips Iran

Fans across Iran are waiting eagerly for the new season of "Game of Thrones," a show whose content and storytelling style resemble the epic tales Iranian children grow up with.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri prays during Friday prayer in a
mosque in Baghdad April 4, 2003. Terrified civilians fled into Baghdad
on Friday after U.S. forces battled their way into the nearby
international airport, their biggest prize yet in a war to oust a
defiant President Saddam Hussein. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

GOT/WS - RTRLD6S

Iraqi oppositionists appear safe in Qatar for now

Politically besieged Doha is moving closer to Iraq, which raises concerns about the future of the Iraqi opposition residing in Qatar.

MEYMEH, IRAN - JUNE 03: Farmer Abbas Hamamian works his wheat field on June 3, 2014 in Meymeh, Iran. He said he has owned the 4-hectare farm for 15 years, and this year's rains have been good for his crop. Iran is marking the 25th anniversary of the death of the Ayatollah Khomeini and his legacy of the Islamic Revolution. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Rouhani leads Iran’s return to wheat exports

After years of imports, Iran has once again regained its self-sufficiency in wheat production under the Hassan Rouhani administration.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani attends a meeting during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit at the Foreign Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha - RTSRK1N

Iran to US: Worry about your own domestic problems

Iranian officials have criticized US Secretary of Defense James Mattis for accusing Iran of causing instability in the region and saying regime change in Tehran will have to precede renewed ties with the United States.

Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims from Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) march during a parade marking the annual al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, in Baghdad, Iraq June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTS18BPH

Is Iran running Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units?

Some leaders and members of Iraq's PMU are heavily swayed by Iran, which is pressuring Iraq to distance itself from the United States.