Iran protests

Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi speaks at a candidates' registration office in Tehran on May 30, 2024, during the first day of registration ahead of the country's presidential election.

Who is Ahmad Vahidi, IRGC chief and hard-liner against nuclear compromise?

A longtime Revolutionary Guard insider with strong ties to Iran’s security apparatus and proxy network, Ahmad Vahidi has taken over the IRGC at a moment of crisis, with some reports suggesting he is playing an outsized role in the country’s decision-making.

Mahdi Farid, who was convicted of espionage for Israel’s Mossad, was executed after his death sentence was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court, Tehran, Iran, April 22, 2026.

Iran executes 14th person since war over alleged Mossad ties: What to know

Iran has carried out multiple executions since the outbreak of the war with the United States and Israel, as it intensifies a crackdown on individuals accused of spying for Israel.

Haruna Furuhashi /Getty Images

Could UAE tap US currency swap line as Iran war strains Gulf economies?

The Gulf country apparently wanted reassurances from Washington in case its economy is severely damaged by the Iran war.

United Arab Emirates

A man walks past a screen displaying stock indices at the Dubai Financial Market stock exchange in Dubai, March 4, 2026.

Oil rises, Gulf stocks slide after Iran ship seizure throws truce into doubt

In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said the US Navy fired at and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman.

Latest News

Iran says Strait of Hormuz 'completely open' to ships

MUSCAT, OMAN - MARCH 25: Locals take photos of two bulk carriers anchored at Muscat Anchorage on March 25, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which conveys about 20% of the world's oil and gas, has mostly come to a halt after the joint U.S.-Israeli war with Iran that began on February 28. Iran, in a defiant reply to a ceasefire proposal from the United States, has claimed that sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz "is its natural and legal right." Under international law, t

Eurozone's inflation jumps 2.6%, jet fuel shortages loom amid Iran war

A fuel truck CarbOil services an Easyjet aircraft at Milan's Malpensa Airport on April 13, 2026.

Iran arrests Ahwazi separatist leader amid war crackdown: What to know

Iranians carry the coffin of one of the people killed in a shooting attack, during their funeral in the city of Izeh in Iran's Khuzestan province, on November 18, 2022. In some of the worst violence since the protests erupted, assailants on motorbikes shot dead seven people, including a woman and two children aged nine and 13, at a central market of Izeh on the evening of November 16, 2022, state media said. (Photo by ALIREZA MOHAMMADI / isna / AFP) (Photo by ALIREZA MOHAMMADI/isna/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Ceasefire without relief: How Iranians are grappling with post-war repression

People gather under a large portrait of Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, during a memorial to mark the 40th day since his father, Ali Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in US-Israeli joint strikes, on April 9, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Men walk past a mural in the Iranian capital Tehran, on October 11, 2022. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

In Iran, hardliners successfully orchestrate takeover of state TV

Iran's state TV has been taken over by hard-line figures who use it to transmit ideological and hard-line views targeting the Reformists and opposition, including in entertainment shows.

A woman walks with an umbrella at Enghelab Square in Iran's capital Tehran on December 5, 2022. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

China's Saudi-Iran deal clouded by uncertainty on protests, nuclear talks

The evolution of the Saudi-Iranian agreement hinges the factors that led to it: Iran’s nuclear program and political unrest, future of Russia’s war in Ukraine, US-China relations, and whether these will lead to a new world order.

Iranian Armenian schoolgirls walk home after class in the Julfa neighbourhood in the historic city of Isfahan, some 400 kms south of the capital, Tehran on April 21, 2015. Julfa neighborhood in Isfahan is where the biggest Armenian community in Iran resides and was established as an Armenian quarter by Persian Safavid King Shah Abbas I in 1606. Some 180.000 Armenians were living in Iran before the Islamic revolution in 1979, compared to some 60000 today, according to official figures. Most of the community

Fury in Iran as officials fail to address schoolgirls' poisonings

Iranian authorities either looked the other way or blamed the students, failing to soothe the public rage at the fresh suspected gas attacks on schoolgirls.

Marines

Setback for Iran as US court orders $1.68 billion payout for 1983 Beirut bombing

One analyst told Al-Monitor that the families of the US Marines killed in the attack could finally receive compensation following years of legal battles.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.

Breaking | Last Updated: March 20, 2023, 4:57 pm

US outlines Iran abuses including torture in annual report

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the international community to confront Iran's violent clampdown on protests.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani (L).

Iran, Iraq sign security deal boosting border cooperation

The deal follows the Islamic Republic escalating its attacks on Kurdish groups in Iraq amid the ongoing protests in Iran.

An Iranian man walks past banners at a street exhibition by Iran's army and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard force to celebrate "Defence Week", marking the 41th anniversary of the start of 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, at the Baharestan Square in Tehran, on September 25, 2021. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

EU, UK slap new sanctions on Iran's IRGC leadership

Shortly after the British Foreign Ministry announced more sanctions against Iranian officials, the European Union added its own new sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities.

OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images

Iran committed 'horrific acts of torture' against detained children says Amnesty

The London-based organization says Iranian intelligence and security forces used brutal torture methods against children as young as 12 who were arrested in the crackdown on the country’s protests.

France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) arrives with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a working dinner at presidential Elysee Palace in Paris on July 28, 2022. - French President Emmanuel Macron host Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks in Paris on July 28, 2022, outraging rights groups and the fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Photo by BENOIT TESSIER / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BENOIT TESSIER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

France cautious about China's role but welcomes Iran-Saudi agreement

Paris would have much preferred that the Saudi-Iran rapprochement would have been reached by means other than Chinese mediation.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A picture obtained by AFP outside Iran, reportedly shows a garbage container on fire in the capital Tehran on October 8, 2022. - Iran has been torn by the biggest wave of social unrest in almost three years, which has seen protesters, including university students and even young schoolgirls chant "Woman, Life, Freedom". (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran protesters torch Soleimani monument as crackdown intensifies

Amid renewed protests six months into the unrest, the Iranian establishment's heavy-handed response appeared to have failed to bridge its widening gap with the disillusioned public.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen addresses a joint press conference after talks with his German counterpart at the Foreign Office in Berlin, Germany on February 28, 2023. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)

After thaw with Iran, Saudi Arabia sends negative signals to Israel

From Israel’s point of view, the China-brokered Iran-Saudi Arabia agreement could dramatically hamper its efforts to normalize with Riyadh.

STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images

Iran lashes out at France as efforts to release French prisoners stall

Tehran is blaming Paris' unhelpful attitude and 'interventionism' as efforts to release six French people detained in the country drag on.