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

Iran cover image

Iran

August 28, 2026

Tehran 7:36 pm

36°C

Ali Saeedi/Getty Images

Oil prices fall after Iran steps up truce efforts, US says Hormuz mines cleared

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in an interview on Thursday that Iran was preparing a list of conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Abbas Araghchi and Sheikh Mohammed al-Thani

Qatar PM meets Pezeshkian, Rezaee as Doha seeks US-Iran mediation

Iran has recently signaled a desire to re-engage with the US but is hampered by internal divisions, said one expert.

Latest News

Qatar PM heads to Tehran amid flurry of regional diplomacy

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed al-Thani

Iraq summons Iran envoy over 'Persian Gulf' post, Baghdad name origins: What to know

Fred TANNEAU / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

How Iran is readying for economic protests as Trump escalates pressure

Demonstrations in Tehran, Iran

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

following a reported Iranian strike. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with Israel's public broadcaster reporting that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been targeted, as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP via Getty Images)

Three US troops killed in war with Iran: CENTCOM

Five additional troops were "seriously wounded," US Central Command said, as the US, Israel and Iran continue their bombing campaigns.

In this photo released by the official website of the Supreme Leader's Office on Thursday, June 26, 2025, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appears among his supporters for the first time since the Iran-Israel war, in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran via Getty Images)

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, architect of regional expansion, declared dead

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during US and Israeli strikes after serving for 36 years as the Islamic Republic’s second supreme leader.

A plume of smoke rises over Tehran after a reported explosion on February 28, 2026, after Israel said it carried out a "preemptive strike" on Iran as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and phone alerts warned of an "extremely serious" threat. (Photo by Ehsan / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

US officials blame strikes on Iran's 'stall tactics' in nuclear talks

"They were not serious about doing a deal," a senior Trump administration official said.

A smoke plume rises over Abu Dhabi from the site of an Iranian missile strike on February 28, 2026. Iranian missiles hit capital cities around the wealthy Gulf on February 28, killing at least one, in retaliation for a US and Israeli attack that threatened to spark a wider conflict. One civilian died in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, after being struck by falling debris, according to the ministry of defence. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)

Iran pounds Gulf, regional states after US-Israel strikes: What to know

Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, as well as Israel, Jordan and Iraq, have all been targeted by Iranian missiles.

Smoke rises following an explosion, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

US strikes Iran military targets as Trump calls for overthrow of regime

A US official speaking on condition of anonymity said the operation could last several days, depending on Iran's retaliation.

A cyclist rides past an anti-US billboard installed on a building along a street in Tehran on Feb. 26, 2026.

Analysis

How survival mode has reshaped Iran's calculations for potential US war

Iran is blending cautious diplomacy with fortified defenses, a survival mindset and readiness to escalate strategically if challenged.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Sayed Hassan/Getty Images

Shipping giant Maersk diverts from Suez route amid Iran-US tension

The shift comes in reaction to the growing possibility of a military confrontation between the United States and Iran.

An F-18E fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, Sept. 24, 2025.

Analysis

Israel, 'ready' for Iran escalation, looks to US to take lead

Israel ramps up military readiness as the world’s largest aircraft carrier approaches Haifa.

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

The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford departs Souda Bay on the island of Crete on February 26, 2026. (Photo by Costas METAXAKIS / AFP via Getty Images)

China, Canada urge citizens to leave Iran as Tehran proxies threaten US

Other countries including the US and Australia have called for the families of diplomats to leave Lebanon and Israel amid concerns of a regional spillover.

Israel US embassy

US embassy in Israel authorizes non-essential staff, families to leave

The embassy said that non-essential staff and family members of diplomats serving in the country could leave due to aecurity risk, adding that US nationals should leave the country as as flights are available.

The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford departs Souda Bay on the island of Crete, on Feb. 26, 2026.

US aircraft carrier nears Middle East as Geneva talks end without Iran breakthrough

Washington’s flagship aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is in transit across the Mediterranean as US and Iranian negotiators wrapped up a third round of talks in Geneva.

Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images

Live Updates

US, Iran resume nuclear talks as Trump ratchets up war threats

The negotiations come after President Donald Trump sought to build a case for war in his State of the Union address.