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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 13, 2026

Tehran 5:38 am

23°C

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities gather in Sanaa on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

As Houthis seize Bab el-Mandeb, Iran appraises value of new Red Sea card

Iran is celebrating the Houthis' rapid advance toward Bab el-Mandeb, but appears reluctant to act on the win.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

member of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces firing a heavy machine gun

Claude AI used for missile, influence projects in UAE, Iran, Yemen: Anthropic

Military and government actors across the Middle East — from Iran to Yemen to the United Arab Emirates — have used Anthropic's Claude AI model for war planning and influence campaigns.

Pedestrians walk past a wall mural along a street in downtown of Tehran on Aug. 31, 2026.

Analysis

Could Iran’s nuclear ambitions harden as war escalates?

A new report has raised alarm about the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran’s Pickaxe mountain tests limits of Trump’s military options

A secretive Pentagon innovation agency has hastened to test munitions that may penetrate deeper than the GBU-57 bombs dropped on Iran’s two main enrichment facilities.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Latest News

Iran's IRGC set to declare new ‘sanctions zone’ beyond Hormuz: What to know

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

Brent crude sails past $100 as Middle East war intensifies

AFPTV / AFP via Getty Images

US strikes Iranian tankers after attempted attack on Navy ship

Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait off the coast of Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas on September 7, 2026. Iran's top negotiator threatened on September 6 of a more forceful response to any further US attacks after Tehran targeted American warships in their latest round of clashes. The exchanges of fire, which began with US raids last week, come amid a deadlock in the six-month war between the two foes. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

What Houthi setbacks in Yemen mean for Iran's regional influence

Forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government

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

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (C) speaks with MPs after presenting his budget for 2017-2018 to the parliament on December 4, 2016, in Tehran. / AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Rouhani: Do you think we’ll let Trump rip up nuclear deal?

Iranian politicians used the occasion of Student Day to slam US President-elect Donald Trump and to vow to uproot corruption at home.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers in Tehran September 14, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File Photo - RTX2FG6B

Can Iran moderates hold ground against US pressure?

The US Congress vote to extend the Iran Sanctions Act has provoked harsh rhetoric in Tehran as well as a tempered response from decision-makers.

Iranian hard-liner alleges FM Zarif is American spy

A prominent Iranian hard-liner accused Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of being an American spy as anger toward the US and the Rouhani administration heats up.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (R) welcomes Russia's President Vladimir Putin during the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Tehran, Iran, November 23, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX1VGAC

What Iran's presidential election means for Russia

As Russia’s and Iran’s foreign policies become congruent, Russia looks to Iran’s 2017 elections for clues into their future relationship.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Jerusalem July 10, 2016 REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTSH5M1

Will Trump bring Egypt, Israel closer?

Observers wait to see what role, if any, the Trump administration might play in a rapprochement between Israel and Egypt.

Iran's political paranoia includes children of foreign fathers

Iran’s civil code excludes children born to Iranian mothers and foreign fathers from Iranian citizenship, leaving tens of thousands of children in limbo.

Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoumeh Ebtekar delivers a speech during the opening session of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) at Le Bourget, near Paris, France, November 30, 2015. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe - RTX1WKDZ

Iranian women demand inclusion in Rouhani's Cabinet

Despite having appointed three female vice presidents, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani remains under pressure from women's rights activists to appoint more women to his Cabinet.

Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh talks to journalists during a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna, Austria, November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader - RTSTYU0

Iranian media praises OPEC deal as victory over Saudi Arabia

Iranian media welcomes OPEC's agreement to exempt Iran from cutting output, characterizing it as a victory over Saudi Arabia.

Iranian soldiers march during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of the start of Iran's 1980-1988 war with Iraq, on September 21, 2016, in the capital Tehran. / AFP / CHAVOSH HOMAVANDI (Photo credit should read CHAVOSH HOMAVANDI/AFP/Getty Images)

Should IRGC be worried by latest Iran army promotion?

The appointment of a new deputy head of the army may represent more than a simple promotion for Ahmad Reza Pourdastan.

Iranian MP appears before court for 'spreading lies'

The issuing of a warrant for the arrest of an Iranian lawmaker apparently over his call for more transparency in the judiciary fans political infighting.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 22, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RTX2B9VC

Kerry urges Senate Democrats to back off Iran sanctions renewal

The US secretary of state is on a mission to protect President Barack Obama's foreign policy legacy — and his own.

Stephane Michel, Total's head of Middle East exploration and production, speaks during a conference with Iran's Oil Minister after signing an offshore gas field agreement in Tehran, on November 8, 2016.
Iran signed a deal with France's Total to develop a major offshore gas field, its first big contract with a Western energy firm since sanctions were loosened in January.

/ AFP / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Will Total deal pave way for other oil majors' return to Iran?

After six years, French oil giant Total has become the first major Western energy company to return to Iran in what Tehran hopes is only the first step in the reopening of the Iranian market.