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

Iran cover image

Iran

June 15, 2026

Tehran 8:35 pm

32°C

A police officer stands holding a flag in Valiasr Square beneath a mural of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on April 23, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Breaking | Last Updated: June 15, 2026, 1:02 pm

Trump, Vance sign Iran-US framework

A US official said that the US president and vice president and Iran's parliament speaker signed the MoU electronically on Sunday.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Analysis

'He knew it was over': Inside Netanyahu’s response to Trump’s Iran deal as Israel recalibrates

Despite all his efforts, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu realized there is nothing he could do to prevent President Donald Trump from signing a deal with Iran.

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

Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP via Getty Images

Oil falls below $80 as markets rally on Iran-US peace deal: What to know

Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, fell around 3.15% to $79.99 as of 6:55 a.m. EDT on Monday.

Latest News

US and Iran reach deal, signing expected Friday

Iran

Analysis

Gulf aluminum pursues global deals as Hormuz crisis accelerates shift

Aluminum from Dubai sits in the BMW Landshut factory on Oct. 25, 2024 in Ergolding, Germany.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

How Iran is framing deal with US amid competing narratives

Motorists ride past a giant banner depicting Iranian missiles and a sword belonging to Imam Ali, the first Imam of the Shiites, at the Vanak Square in Tehran on June 10, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US strikes on Indian-crewed tankers spark tensions with New Delhi

Punit PARANJPE / 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

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shake hands following a joint press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on August 12, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

What's behind the Turkey-Iran tango?

The coup attempt in Turkey appears to have set in motion momentum for possible cooperation between Turkey and Iran on Syria.

Vehicles of the Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) take part in a military parade in the streets of Baghdad, Iraq July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTSHJ8K

Iraqi militias aspire to be like Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units consider themselves as an "alternative" state institution, like the IRGC; Russia-Turkey "reset" stumbles on Syria; United States and Russia need to conclude agreement on Syria.

An Iranian man takes a picture of a painting by 19th century painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec during the Modern Art Movement exhibition at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran August 29, 2005. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl MN/JJ - RTRLUWV

Tehran's famed modern art museum goes digital

After decades of carefully guarding its treasures, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is uploading its priceless collection of contemporary art.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and his Venezuelan counterpart Delcy Rodriguez hold a press conference following their meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran on April 20, 2015. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Post-nuclear deal, Iran looks to expand ties with Latin America

Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi discussed Iran’s economic goals in Latin America ahead of a trip by an Iranian delegation to the region.

Iraqi Shi'ite fighters salute to the shrine of Sayeda Zeinab, the granddaughter of Prophet Mohammad, at Sayeda Zainab area in Damascus May 25, 2013. Picture taken May 25, 2013. REUTERS/ Alaa Al-Marjani (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT) ) - RTX104SW

Will Iraq's Shiite militias flow to Syria after post-IS?

Expelling IS from Iraq will lead Iraqi Shiite militants to volunteer to fight in Syria, as the Syrian conflict continues to attract Sunni and Shiite fighters from around the world.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev arrive for their meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, August 8, 2016. REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool - RTSLUSE

Why Iran’s diplomatic success to its north isn’t replicated to its south

Under President Hassan Rouhani, Iran has managed to greatly improve its relations with its northern neighbors, but why has Iranian diplomacy succeeded in the South Caucasus and Central Asia and not in the Arab Middle East?

ISFAHAN, IRAN - JUNE 02: People spend an afternoon at Isfahan's Unesco-listed central square on June 2, 2014 in Isfahan, Iran. Isfahan, with it's immense mosques, picturesque bridges and ancient bazaar, is a virtual living museum of Iranian traditional culture. It's also the Iran's top tourist destination for both Iranian and domestic visitors. On June 4 Iran marks the 25th anniversary of the death of the Ayatollah Khomeini and his legacy of the Islamic Revolution. In the background of the photo is the Ima

Iran’s tourism sector growing, but is it enough?

Iran’s tourism industry has experienced a rebirth since the 2013 election of moderate President Hassan Rouhani. Yet the industry is still far from the realization of its full potential.

A Sukhoi Su-25 jet fighter flies during a drill at the Russian southern Stavropol region, March 12, 2015. Russia has started military exercises in the country's south, as well as in Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and in Crimea, annexed from Ukraine last year, news agency RIA reported on Thursday, citing Russia's Defence Ministry. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR4T448

Iran officials defend Russian use of Hamadan air base

Many Iranian officials were quick to downplay concerns about the legality of Russian jets using an Iranian airbase to strike targets in Syria.

Russian military jets are seen at Hmeymim air base in Syria, June 18, 2016. Picture taken June 18, 2016. REUTERS/Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defense Ministry via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX2H2BC

US says Russian use of Iran base unhelpful but won’t derail Syria talks

The United States said Russia’s use of an Iranian air base to fly long-range bombers to conduct airstrikes in Syria was unhelpful, but would not derail negotiations to reach a deal on Syria.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Iran?s Supreme National Security Council Director, in Damascus September 30, 2014,in this picture released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS) 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.

Iran official: Moscow and Tehran are in 'strategic cooperation'

The secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council said that Russia’s use of Iran’s air base is a sign of further cooperation rather than an exceptional situation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) during a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on August 12, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey, Iran rekindle courtship but take things slow

Ankara appreciates Iran’s position regarding the failed coup attempt in Turkey, but talk of a strategic "axis" between the two countries appears premature.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY ALI NOORANI - A picture taken on September 12, 2015 shows cars driving past a sales office of Iranian auto manufacturer SAIPA group in the capital Tehran. A campaign to boycott "substandard and expensive" Iranian-made cars has fired up social media in the Islamic republic, where its supporters have been accused of anti-revolutionary treason. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian carmakers' good fortune unlikely to trickle down

The impending joint venture between European carmakers and Iranian manufacturers is good news for the Iranian automotive industry, but such developments may not benefit consumers unless competitiveness is restored.