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

Iran cover image

Iran

June 18, 2026

Tehran 9:41 am

26°C

A shop owner counts Iranian banknotes at a store in the capital Tehran on Jan. 7, 2026.

How Iran stands to win major financial relief in Trump-backed deal

Iran will receive some upfront sanctions relief despite the Trump administration's pledge of “no dust, no dollars.”

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on Feb. 9, 2026.

Explainer

Oil’s slide wavers as Trump warns US-Iran deal ‘not final’

Brent crude prices briefly jumped back above $80 per barrel on Wednesday as traders digested conflicting signals about efforts to end the war and reopen Hormuz.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks with Tehran's Chamber of Commerce, June 17, 2026.

After US-Iran deal, Ghalibaf says Tehran seeks deeper ties with China

“China must believe and will believe that we are not just a customer or a trading partner, but a partner in every sense,” Ghalibaf said.

Trump

Read the full 14-point US-Iran deal

The US will issue waivers for Iranian oil sales upon the deal's signing, and Iran will have access to its frozen funds upon implementation.

Latest News

Trump says deal 'not final,' warns Iran to 'behave' or face renewed strikes

US President Donald Trump arrives to attend a musical interlude before a gala dinner as part of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 16, 2026.

Analysis

Why Iran's hard-liners are turning on each other over US deal

An Iranian woman waves a national flag at Valiasr Square in Tehran on June 15, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Scrutiny builds over Iran deal kept from lawmakers

Snipers set up their positions above of the US Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.

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

Lebanese sit in front of giant posters bearing portraits of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanon's militant Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah (L), the founder of Iran's Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (R) and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C) on March 1, 2016, in the southern town of Kfour, in the Nabatiyeh district during the funeral of a Hezbollah fighter, Mohammed Hassan Nehme, who was killed while fighting alongside Syrian government forces in Syria.
Mohammed Hassan Nehme wa

In Syria, Iran sees necessary war

New accounts detailing Iran’s decision to intervene in the Syrian war shed light on an important and previously unknown chapter of the conflict.

Iranian lawmaker Ali Motahari speaks during a reformist campaign for upcoming parliamentary election, in Tehran February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX27KC9

Iranian MP threatens to impeach intelligence minister

An Iranian parliamentarian has threatened to begin impeachment procedures against the intelligence minister if he is not forthcoming about recent arrests of activists using Telegram.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.
Motorists travel on a highway in Tehran as the city is covered in dust July 6, 2009. The government closed private educational centres, state offices, industrial units and military bases for two days and raised its pollution alert status due to the dust, which an official from Tehran's environment office attributed the source to dust from dried marshland in Iraq blown towar

Why dust storms still suffocate Iran’s Khuzestan province

The administration of President Hassan Rouhani has declared that it has made great strides in combating dust storms and pollution in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan, but the region appears to still be in the grip of recurring environmental crises.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C) meets with Iraq's Vice President Khudair al-Khuzaie (not seen) during his visit in Baghdad July 18, 2013. REUTERS/Hadi Mizban/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX11QSK

The real reason Ahmadinejad still covets media attention

Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s attempts to attract attention ahead of the May 19 elections spark outrage among moderates and Reformists.

Iranian Parliament speaker Ali Larijani speaks during a press conference in the capital Tehran, on December 6, 2016. / AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran’s parliament speaker throws weight behind Rouhani

Iran’s powerful parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has thrown his weight behind Hassan Rouhani, supporting him in the upcoming May 19 presidential elections.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks at a news conference near the United Nations General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., September 22, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTSP0SP

Has Rouhani achieved his goals for Iranian economy?

With his first term coming to an end in the next few months, it is time to assess President Hassan Rouhani’s management of the Iranian economy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Pavel Golovkin/Pool - RTS124IG

Whose ears burn most when Russia, Israel meet?

Moscow has been hosting an array of dignitaries recently, leaving observers to speculate on the possible topics of conversation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shake hands following a joint press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on August 12, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Why Iran-Turkey tension won’t spiral out of control

Despite the increasing verbal confrontations between Iran and Turkey, tension between the neighbors is unlikely to spiral out of control.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends a joint news conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, Japan, December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon - RTSV1FS

Zarif gives Netanyahu lesson in Jewish scripture

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments on ancient Persia have angered Iranian officials.

American army vehicles drive north of Manbij city, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTS126K2

US puts off announcing decision on Raqqa until after Turkey referendum

The US military wants to work with local forces against the Islamic State in Raqqa, but still is working out many of the details, including who should hold what ground after IS is defeated.

Women hold a banner as they take part in a protest marking the International Women's Day outside the United Nations offices in Sanaa, Yemen March 8, 2017. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RTS11XSB

Yemen war turns two

Saudi Arabia and the United States need to put more thought into the endgame for the war in Yemen.

A general view of the Central Bank of Iran building in Tehran January 23, 2006. Iran's central bank has not implemented any measures in preparation for U.N. action over its atomic programme because it does not believe sanctions will be imposed, the bank said on Monday. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl - RTR18RHP

Why do Iranian banks remain stuck with toxic assets?

Will the continued fragile condition of Iranian banks compel the Central Bank to launch a quantitative easing program?