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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 22, 2026

Tehran 1:45 am

24°C

Wakil Kohsar / AFP via Getty Images

Iran threatens to expand war with new weapons if US attacks resume

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to expand its attacks in the region and use new weapons.

Gargash

UAE's Gargash expects 'prolonged' war, calls for Iran-Gulf security talks

"We need a new mindset that these sort of discussions ... can happen at an Iranian-American level, it should also take place at an Iranian-Arab level," Gargash told Al-Monitor.

United Arab Emirates

Waltz

Interview

Waltz: ‘Door open’ to Iran talks, more countries eye Abraham Accords

Speaking at Al-Monitor Live New York, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said that several more regional states have expressed their interest in joining the Abraham Accords.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

What to expect as UN General Assembly convenes amid Iran war

The US State Department denied visas to Palestinian officials seeking to attend the UN summit, yet authorized the Iranian delegation's travel to New York.

Latest News

Analysis

How a new Baluch militant coalition raises pressure on Iran-Pakistan border

A picture of Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed during Israeli strikes on Tehran in June, is displayed Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government on Dec. 18, 2025.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Analysis

As Iran regime marks 200 days of war, is it also preparing for dissent?

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over Hormuz payments

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

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

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

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on what is expected to be "implementation day," the day the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verifies that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal, in Vienna January 16, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX22N89

Did arrested Iranian negotiator influence nuclear talks?

Iranian negotiator Hamid Baiedinejad wrote on his Telegram account about the latest accusations against a fellow negotiator who was in charge of banking affairs.

Tu-22M3 bombers perform during the International Army Games 2016 at the Ashuluk military polygon outside Astrakhan, Russia, August 7, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RTSLJQO

Why Russian warplanes might return to Iran

Shared tactical objectives in Syria are likely to continue to drive Russian-Iranian cooperation despite the quick end to Moscow's use of the Hamedan air base.

Turkish soldiers on an armoured personnel carrier drive towards the border in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 27, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2N8HY

Did US drag Turkey into 'Syrian quagmire'?

The Turkish government remains defiant in the face of warnings from the US, but there are those who believe Ankara was forced into the Syrian quagmire by Washington.

Iran's Interior minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi talks during a news conference in Tehran March 15, 2008. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (IRAN) - RTR1YC1Z

Iran officials behind 1980s executions defend decision

Iranian officials involved in the executions of thousands of Mujahedeen-e-Khalq members in the 1980s are having to defend themselves publicly as the killings are back in the news.

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

A general view of housing complexes in northwestern Tehran on a clear day February 12, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: CITYSCAPE ENVIRONMENT) - RTR2IHNH

Corruption scandal hits Tehran City Council

According to a document by the General Inspection Office, members of the Tehran City Council have been handing out public property at a discount.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak shakes hands with Iranian Communications Minister Mahmoud Vaezi during a signing ceremony after their meeting in Moscow, Russia, July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev - RTSK8HC

How MasterCard debacle got one Iranian minister in trouble

When Iran's Minister of Communication and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi was recently quoted as saying that MasterCard services were coming to Iran, the reports were quickly denied as a misunderstanding, though a MasterCard-affiliated debit card service is set to begin issuing prepaid cards.

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

A currency exchange dealer displays a U.S. one dollar note at the window of his shop in a shopping centre in northern Tehran October 3, 2010. Iran's currency, the rial, defied central bank attempts to revive its value on Sunday, remaining weak after falling 13 percent against the dollar last week. Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS) - RTXSZ8M

Why cheaper rial could actually help Iran

Though the Central Bank of Iran has repeatedly announced imminent plans to unify the country’s dual exchange rates, it appears that conditions may make this goal tenable at last.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi attends a nuclear deal review meeting in Tehran August 9, 2015. Dozens of companies tied to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, a military force commanding a powerful industrial empire with huge political influence, will win sanctions relief under a nuclear deal agreed with world powers. 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 DAT

Iranian official avoids confirming arrest of nuclear negotiator

Iranian negotiator Abbas Araghchi refused to confirm or deny whether a member of the nuclear negotiation team was arrested for spying for a foreign country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during a news conference following their meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, August 9, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - RTSM49Z

Why Iran isn't rattled by Turkey-Russia turnabout

Post-coup Turkey raced to patch up ties with Russia, but Iran does not seem concerned that the rapprochement will be at its expense.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi and the Iran

Was Iranian negotiator arrested for spying?

Iranian media outlets have reported that a member of the nuclear negotiation team was arrested for spying for the British government, but Iranian officials have not confirmed the news.

A gas flare on an oil production platform is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Gulf July 25, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/File Photo - RTSIGQ1

Iran closer to rolling out new oil project contracts

Despite ongoing quarreling over Iran’s long-delayed new oil and gas model contracts, the issue finally seems set for a resolution.

A warplane, which activists said belongs to the Russian forces, flies in the sky over the southern Idlib province, Syria October 2, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTS7PZH

Why did Russian use of Iranian air base stir up controversy?

Despite controversy, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says Russian planes in Iran left according to a previously designated agreement.