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Iran

September 28, 2026

Tehran 6:15 am

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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

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) listens as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement to the media from the Colonnade outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington September 1, 2010. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2HSTC

Could Netanyahu's Offensive Against Iran Backfire?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demands for Iran to be tested by its deeds, not words, but will Israel follow the same example when negotiating with the Palestinians?

Sunni Muslims pray in the Blue mosque in Istanbul September 19, 2009. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (TURKEY RELIGION SOCIETY) - RTR281VZ

The Real Beneficiaries Of Erdogan’s Democracy

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's democratization package has lifted restrictions on devout Sunnis imposed by previous secular governments, pleasing his Islamist constituency.

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah wave Hezbollah flags as they listen to him via a screen during a rally on the 7th anniversary of the end of Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel, in Aita al-Shaab village in southern Lebanon, August 16, 2013. Nasrallah renewed his commitment on Friday to the battle in Syria, where the Shi'ite militant group has been fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying he was ready to go himself if needed. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON

Hezbollah and Rouhani

Hezbollah's relationship with Iran is not dependent on the Iranian presidency or government, but rather insitutions connected with the office of Iran's supreme leader and the velayati-e faqih.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pictured on a television monitor while addressing the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York October 1, 2013. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FHES

Has Netanyahu Lost Battle Over Nuclear Iran?

Right-wing ideologist Arieh Eldad criticized the Israeli prime minister: "He gave up on the Land of Israel, but he also understands that he lost the battle over the Iranian nuclear program."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York October 1, 2013. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FHG3

Netanyahu Fails to Address Peace Talks in UN Speech

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's UN speech reflects his priorities, focusing almost entirely on the Iranian nuclear threat while referring only briefly to the negotiations with the Palestinians.

Shi'ite pilgrims gather to mark the death anniversary of Imam Ali at his shrine in the holy city of Najaf, about 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, July 30, 2013. Imam Ali, the son-in-law of Prophet Mohammad, was wounded in the head during a battle and died after two days in 661 AD in Najaf. REUTERS/Ahmad Mousa (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION) - RTX124BT

Rouhani’s Moderation Welcomed By Sistani, Iraqi Clerics in Najaf

After shunning the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad administration, Ayatollah Ali Sistani granted Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif a meeting, which has been distorted by Iran’s hard-line Arabic media.

Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian during scuffles following an attempt by European diplomats to deliver goods to locals in the West Bank herding community of Khirbet al-Makhul, in the Jordan Valley September 20, 2013. Israeli soldiers manhandled European diplomats on Friday and seized a truck full of tents and emergency aid they had been trying to deliver to Palestinians whose homes were demolished earlier this week. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY TPX IMAGES O

Netanyahu's Iran Obsession A Diversion from Palestine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's obsession with Iran was revealed during his UN General Assembly speech, which served to divert world attention from his refusal to compromise on the Palestinian issue.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also seen on a television monitor, addresses 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) - RTR3FHF1

Netanyahu Sidelined on Iran By His Anti-Rouhani Speech

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, known as “Mr. Public Diplomacy,” in fact could not adequately handle the change in tone on Iran, and turned Israel into a marginal player in the current diplomatic process.

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, September 30, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FG0U

Netanyahu Supports A 'Syrian Model' for Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would gladly embrace employing a military threat to convince Tehran to halt its nuclear program.

Seated at the table are French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (L), U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (4th L), Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (C), European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (4th R), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (3rd R) and British Foreign Secretary William Hague (R) during a meeting of the Foreign Ministers representing the permanent five member countries of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at th

US-Iran Deal Would Bring Good News to Lebanon

A thaw in US-Iran relations would, over time, have a positive effect on regional conflicts.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks to the media after a meeting of the foreign ministers representing the permanent five member countries of the United Nations Security Council, including Germany, at the U.N. Headquarters in New York September 26, 2013. U.S. and Iranian officials emerged upbeat on Thursday from a meeting on Iran's nuclear program but both sides also sounded a cautionary note, with the United States saying there was more work to do and Iran insisting on quick sanctions relie

Iran’s Foreign Minister Offers Help With Syria’s Chemical Weapons

Iran is ready to participate in the Geneva II process in Syria, but only if asked, says Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor.

Iran and Turkey Have DifferencesOn Syria, But Not a Crisis

Iran's ambassador in Ankara, Alireza Bikdeli, says if the Iranian and Turkish differences on Syria were between two other countries, it would have led to serious problems.