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Iran

May 4, 2026

Tehran 1:52 am

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Crops of wheat and barley in Terbol village on May 10, 2022, in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

Analysis

MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers

Home to many of the world's largest wheat importers, the Middle East and North Africa face acute food security risks as the US-Israel-Iran war disrupts global fertilizer flows and pushes up prices.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Soldiers from Iran's land, navy, air force and special forces parade on the occasion of National Army Day in Tehran, capital of Iran on April 18, 2025, in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

How Iran is rebuilding its bruised military as ceasefire masks recalibration

Iran is using the fragile truce to recover by blending redeployment and reverse engineering into broader preparedness for renewed conflict.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies during a Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 22, 2026 in Washington, DC.

US sanctions Iran’s shadow banking channels moving oil proceeds from China

The latest sanctions come as the Trump administration weighs Iran's latest proposal to end the war.

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Without exit strategy, Israel faces emboldened Hezbollah, limited options on Iran

While President Donald Trump remains undecided on striking Iran again, the Israeli military is sinking deeper into its Lebanon quagmire with a reinforced Hezbollah.

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

Latest News

Trump faces three paths ahead in Iran war as Hormuz standoff intensifies

This photo obtained by AFP from the Iranian news agency Tasnim shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, on April 21, 2026.

In defiant message, Iran’s Khamenei threatens US but appeals to Gulf

AFP via Getty Images

US blockade tests Iran's limits, but will global pain force Trump’s hand?

QESHM ISLAND, IRAN - APRIL 28: Boats navigate the sea on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's latest proposal for ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz calls on the United States to end its naval blockade of Iran's ports, and sets aside questions about what to do with Iran's nuclear program. The United States has not formally responded to the latest proposal, which was delivered by Iran's foreign minister to Pakistan two days ago. (Photo by Asghar Besharati/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

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.

A member of the US Airforce looks on near a Patriot missile battery at the Prince Sultan air base in Al-Kharj, in central Saudi Arabia on February 20, 2020.

US officials skeptical of China's deal but concerned about deterring Iran

China’s diplomatic reach into heart of Middle East was an unmistakable signal to Washington. Read more in the weekly security-focused newsletter from Al-Monitor’s Pentagon Correspondent Jared Szuba.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi leaves Downing Street after a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on October 22, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Explainer: How Iraq planted the seeds for China's Saudi-Iran deal

Iran and Saudi Arabia finalized their negotiations in Beijing after five sessions of mediation in Baghdad since 2019.

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.

Ali Shamkhani with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed

Top Iran official meets UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed after Saudi thaw

On his trip to Abu Dhabi, Iran's Ali Shamkhani spoke of "constructive" engagement as Tehran is exhausting all channels to push back on its growing isolation.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi arrives for the IAEA Board of Governors meeting on March 06, 2023 in Vienna, Austria.

IAEA’s Grossi expects Iran’s cooperation as technical team readies visit

Peugeot 207 and 206 cars are parked at a hangar after exiting production lines at the Iran Khodro auto plant, west of the Iranian capital Tehran, on August 14, 2022. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran's automotive 'mega project' will have limited impact

The Iranian government plans to sell 500,000 cars directly to consumers in order to limit the influence of intermediaries and reduce market prices. Here's why that won't work.

Bijan Khajehpour

Bijan Khajehpour

In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics

Chinese foreign affairs Minister Wang Yi speaks during the 2023 Munich Security Conference (MSC) on February 18, 2023 in Munich, Germany.

Meet China's top diplomat Wang Yi, architect of Saudi-Iran deal

Wang’s tenure as foreign minister saw China make large inroads into the Middle East, including among US allies.

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.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House December 12, 2022 in Washington, DC. Sullivan spoke at length about the this week's upcoming U.S-Africa Leaders Summit, with dozens of African leaders visiting Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

'No deal' on US-Iran prisoner exchange: White House

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed "there's no deal" to free the Americans held by Iran.

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.