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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 28, 2026

Tehran 5:41 am

22°C

A tugboat guides a ship at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

Analysis

Could Iran's 7-day Hormuz proposal culminate in diplomatic deal?

Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in seven days brings into focus the central challenge facing diplomacy with Washington: how to turn military leverage into a negotiated path without giving up too much in return.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

An Iran Air Airbus A300 prepares for boarding at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 16, 2016.

‘Free for all or for no one’: Iran warns neighbors over flight bans

Several countries in the region have suspended Iranian flights under US sanctions after Washington warned global companies they would no longer have access to the dollar system if they do business with Iranian airlines.

Hector RETAMAL / AFP via Getty Images

Iran flights continue, UAE route closes on day 2 of US sanctions

All flights by Iranian carriers to the UAE have been canceled, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.

AFP via Getty Images

Iran threatens to expand war to Indian Ocean: What to know

An adviser to Iran's supreme leader has threatened to open a new front in the Indian Ocean if the US resumes its strikes against Iran.

Latest News

Fresh clashes leave 6 dead in Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan: What to know

Iranian security forces stand guard in the capital city on July 03, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Rubio: US-Iran talks 'positive,' no breakthrough yet

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Cargo vessel attack in Hormuz kills 1 as world leaders gather at UN

The Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier vessel Manta Ursula is pictured moored in Muscat on July 25, 2026.

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

Islamic Jihad militants ride on a pickup truck as they follow the convoy of freed Palestinian prisoner Ibrahim Baroud, upon his arrival in the northern Gaza Strip April 8, 2013. Baroud, who was convicted of his affiliation with the armed group of Islamic Jihad and for carrying out armed attacks against Israel, was released on Monday after serving 27 years in an Israeli jail, according to media reports. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYD6V

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Worried By Possible US-Iran Entente

Islamic Jihad is quietly concerned that improved US-Iran relations might result in Tehran rethinking its approach to the Palestinian cause.

The enigma of Qasem Soleimani and his role in Iraq

Al-Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, profiled in last month's New Yorker, has been among the most influential, and controversial, figures in Iran-Iraq relations.

A general view shows Dubai's cityscape September 24, 2013. Dubai's government is working on new rules to protect its real estate market and prevent any excessive rise of property prices that could end in a crash, a senior official said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: REAL ESTATE BUSINESS CITYSCAPE) - RTX13Y0C

Gulf Cities Emerge As New Centers of Arab World

While historic Arab capitals such as Cairo, Baghdad and Damascus are embroiled in civil strife, Gulf cities are powering ahead as new centers for Arab culture, education and business.

United Arab Emirates

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.An Iranian girl looks on as she and her mother attend a religious ceremony to commemorate the death anniversary of Fatima, daughter or Prophet Mohammad, in southern Tehran May 17, 2010. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: ANNIVERSARY RELIGION) - RTR2E0C8

Anger, Confusion Cloud Iran's Adoption-Marriage Bill

While Iran's parliament sought to make marriage illegal between parent and adoptive child, the powerful Guardian Council intervened, drawing unwanted attention to an unusual case.

A member of Iran's delegation speaks to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (R) before a news conference in New York September 27, 2013. New Iranian President Rouhani said on Friday he wanted talks with major powers on Iran's nuclear program to yield results in a short period of time and that the improved mood in U.S.-Iranian relations could lead to better ties. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTX142D6

Iran Hints at Nuclear Concessions, Wants to See Endgame

A deal may entail limited uranium enrichment on Iranian soil in return for stringent verification and an end to all nuclear-related sanctions, but time to take the first step is short.

Fatwa allows sex changes in Iran, but stigma remains

While homosexuals are not legally recognized in Iran, the government has subsidized surgery for those individuals wanting to live as the other sex.

Turkey Suspects Turkish Students Who Visited Iran of Espionage

The detention of 25 Turkish students who visited Iran on suspicion they had been used for spying and propaganda activities reveals how tense Iran-Turkey relations actually have become.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem September 17, 2013. Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on September 30, an Israeli official said on Tuesday, for talks expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13O85

The Israeli-Sunni Coalition Against Iran

Is there a quiet coalition among the Gulf states and Israel to thwart a possible thaw in US-Europe-Iran ties?

U.S. President Barack Obama talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during a phone call in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington September 27, 2013. U.S. President Barack Obama and new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held the historic phone call on Friday, in the highest level conversation between the estranged nations in more than three decades. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Obama said both men had directed their teams to work expeditiously toward an agreement on Iran's nuclear

Obama, Rouhani Should Talk More Often

Progress in nuclear negotiations with Iran will have positive consequences for other regional security issues.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enters a door to speak at the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York October 1, 2013. Netanyahu said on Tuesday the only way to peacefully stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons is to combine tough sanctions with a credible military threat and that Israel was ready to stand alone in defending itself. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FHFO

Israel Contemplates New Regional Strategy

Israel is anticipating how to manage the consequences of a thaw in US-Iran relations.

SAFDAR HOSSEINI, IRAN'S NEW MINISTER OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE AND NASSER KHALEQI MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS SPEAK AT PARLIAMENTARY CONFIRMATION IN TEHRAN. Safdar Hosseini(R), Iran's new Minister of the economy and finance and Nasser Khaleqi Minister of Labour and Social Affairs speak with one another during their parliamentary confirmation in Tehran April 25, 2004. Iran's reformist-dominated parliament approved President Mohammad Khatami's nominees for new economy and labour ministers, a move crit

Development Fund to Fill New Role, Hopes Iran's Private Sector

Iran’s National Development Fund has been a disappointment, but there is hope that under a new managing director, it can play a meaningful role in job creations and growth.

View of the Israeli nuclear facility in the Negev Dest outside Dimona August 6, 2000. Mordechai Vanunu, a former nuclear technical, spilled Israel's nuclear secrets to a British newspaper in 1986 and a short while later was abducted to Israel to stand trial. He is currently in the 13th year of an 18-year jail term. Vanunu claimed Israel had built 200 atomic bombs at the Dimona site. Today, August 6, is the 55th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in Japan where some 200,000 people were killed, le

Israel Should Acknowledge Its Own Nuclear Program

Instead of focusing solely on Iran, the international community should examine Israel's purported nuclear arsenal and its refusal to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.