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

Iran cover image

Iran

November 9, 2026

Tehran 9:51 am

15°C

People vote on Election Day during the midterm elections

Analysis

From sanctions relief to deterrence: How Iran reads US elections

Iran's negotiators now view US elections through the lens of political pressure and the costs of conflict, while even Javad Zarif frames diplomacy as part of deterrence.

Jamshid Jamshidi

By Jamshid Jamshidi

Alexey BABUSHKIN / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Iran turns to Putin as war, US election reshape strategic calculations

A Kremlin meeting with Iran's top security official coupled with reports of new arms deals amid looming war demonstrate Tehran's push to turn vulnerability into strategic leverage.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Tump

Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

As Trump weighs Iran strikes, possible nuclear opening emerges

Sticking points include Iran's highly enriched uranium and lack of access for international inspectors.

Latest News

Russia to provide Iran with 90 missile launchers as military ties grow: Reports

Russian Mil Mi-8 military helicopters fly over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy, northeastern Hasakeh province, Syria, Feb. 4, 2021.

Turkey says soldier killed by gunfire from Iran at border: What to know

A sign marking the border of Turkey in Van, Turkey, on March 14, 2026.

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

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. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (R) and U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis hold a press conference following talks with Chinese diplomatic and defense chiefs at the State Department in Washington, U.S. June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTS183M9

US expected to recertify Iran compliance with nuclear deal

The secretaries of state and defense appear to have overruled Iran hawks in the White House and Congress.

An elderly man sits in front of a vegetable shop near damaged buildings in the province of Daraa, Syria July 11, 2017. REUTERS/ Alaa al-Faqir - RTX3AZSY

Jordan sees big gains in south Syria cease-fire

The cease-fire brokered by the United States, Russia and Jordan for southern Syria seems to be holding, for now.

Iranian President and presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani (R), along with current vice-president and presidential candidate Eshaq Jahangiri, attend a campaign rally for the upcoming presidential elections in the capital Tehran on May 13, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

New Iranian jobs plan faces major obstacles

The Rouhani administration has unveiled a comprehensive employment plan in a bid to realize the president’s campaign promises, but it is unclear whether the envisioned job creation will materialize given the obstacles that remain unaddressed.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal, in Vienna January 16, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTX22P9I

Iran's parliament criticizes remaining US sanctions

A report by Iran’s parliament says that the United States has made transactions between Iranian and large European banks challenging, impacting the effects of the nuclear deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump looks at French President Emmanuel Macron before a family photo at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX3AGKS

Trump and Macron seek common ground on Syria, terrorism

Despite tensions over the Paris climate change accord, the two leaders have common interests in the Middle East.

'Game of Thrones' fever grips Iran

Fans across Iran are waiting eagerly for the new season of "Game of Thrones," a show whose content and storytelling style resemble the epic tales Iranian children grow up with.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri prays during Friday prayer in a
mosque in Baghdad April 4, 2003. Terrified civilians fled into Baghdad
on Friday after U.S. forces battled their way into the nearby
international airport, their biggest prize yet in a war to oust a
defiant President Saddam Hussein. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

GOT/WS - RTRLD6S

Iraqi oppositionists appear safe in Qatar for now

Politically besieged Doha is moving closer to Iraq, which raises concerns about the future of the Iraqi opposition residing in Qatar.

MEYMEH, IRAN - JUNE 03: Farmer Abbas Hamamian works his wheat field on June 3, 2014 in Meymeh, Iran. He said he has owned the 4-hectare farm for 15 years, and this year's rains have been good for his crop. Iran is marking the 25th anniversary of the death of the Ayatollah Khomeini and his legacy of the Islamic Revolution. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Rouhani leads Iran’s return to wheat exports

After years of imports, Iran has once again regained its self-sufficiency in wheat production under the Hassan Rouhani administration.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani attends a meeting during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit at the Foreign Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha - RTSRK1N

Iran to US: Worry about your own domestic problems

Iranian officials have criticized US Secretary of Defense James Mattis for accusing Iran of causing instability in the region and saying regime change in Tehran will have to precede renewed ties with the United States.

Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims from Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) march during a parade marking the annual al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, in Baghdad, Iraq June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTS18BPH

Is Iran running Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units?

Some leaders and members of Iraq's PMU are heavily swayed by Iran, which is pressuring Iraq to distance itself from the United States.

Rise of new Saudi crown prince stirs serious concerns in Iran

While the elevation of Mohammed bin Salman was no surprise to many observers in Tehran, his de facto rule over Saudi Arabia is raising serious concerns in Iran.

People hold up pictures of the victims of the AMIA Jewish center bombing during a ceremony to mark the 22nd anniversary of the 1994 attack that left 85 dead in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Enrique Marcarian - RTSIJ2R

Iran ready to work with Interpol over 1994 Argentina bombing

Iran expressed readiness to start talks over its alleged involvement in a 1994 bombing in Argentina.