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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 13, 2026

Tehran 4:33 pm

32°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

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov during a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Vientiane, Laos July 26, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva - RTSJMOU

Are regional powers finally reaching consensus on Syria?

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari spoke to Iranian media about Syria after meeting with Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's deputy foreign minister.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong strike a gong during their joint news conference in Jerusalem March 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTSCN29

Why Netanyahu's 'Asian option' is raising eyebrows in Israel

With a difficult relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama as the backdrop, Netanyahu has invested obvious effort in getting closer to China and Russia.

A journalist takes photos of a school destroyed by a Saudi-led air strike in the southwestern city of Taiz, Yemen July 27, 2016. REUTERS/Anees Mahyoub - RTSJWDA

Saudi Arabia may keep playing 'Iran card' to defer decision on Yemen

Yemen victim of Saudi-Iran hostility; Islamic State tries, and fails, to recruit Kurds; Al-Monitor resumes series on lobbying by Middle East governments.

A view of the camp city at Mina, near the holy city of Mecca September 24, 2015. At least 310 pilgrims were killed on Thursday in a crush at Mina, outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, where some two million people are performing the annual Haj pilgrimage, Saudi authorities said. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood - RTX1S7WX

Will film on 2015 hajj disaster further tarnish Iran-Saudi relations?

The imminent unveiling of an Iranian film about the deadly hajj stampede in 2015 is causing waves even before it has been screened, with some warning that it could further inflame relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C front) listens to his supporters during the funeral ceremony of Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi, who was killed in Saudi Arabia in a stampede at the haj pilgrimage, after Friday prayer in Tehran November 27, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX1W3E5

Confiscated $2 billion could spell legal trouble for Ahmadinejad

After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to Barack Obama asking for the return of $2 billion, Hassan Rouhani asked the judiciary to investigate why the funds belonging to Iran were never pulled out of the United States.

Iranian women take part in a protest in front of the Tehran University in Tehran June 12, 2005. About 300 women took part in the protest against gender discrimination in the Islamic republic of Iran. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi PJH - RTRE6DE

Why some are accusing Rouhani of playing the woman card

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has ordered the cancellation of the annual Civil Service Examination over allegations of discrimination against women. While some hail the decision, others accuse him of playing the "woman card" ahead of the 2017 presidential vote.

Iranian dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri speaks with Reuters at his home in Qom, 120 km (75 miles) south of Tehran, May 19, 2005. Iran's Islamic system has been abused to deny the president real power, sapping public interest in next month's election, Montazeri told Reuters. Picture taken May 19, 2005. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl MN/DY/TZ - RTRBTXJ

New audio file sheds light on 1980s executions in Iran

In a recently released audio file, Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri can be heard disagreeing with the executions that took place in Iran in the late 1980s.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks during a media conference at Iran's embassy after he attended the Developing-8 summit in Islamabad November 22, 2012. Israel has a "childish" desire to attack Iran and Tehran is capable of defending itself, Ahmedinejad said on Thursday. REUTERS/Mian Khursheed(PAKISTAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3AQUH

Why Rouhani may have Khamenei to thank for avoiding Ahmadinejad

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to be making plans for a comeback in next year’s presidential vote — but will the conservatives forgive him for his disobedience of the supreme leader?

- PHOTO TAKEN 30NOV05 - Hundreds of trucks bringing in diesel from Iran line up on a road as they head to the eastern province of Van in Turkey November 30, 2005. [In the shadows of mountains bordering Iraq and Iran, Turkey's Hakkari province may one day be an outpost of the European Union. But for now, it feels cut off from the world. Picture taken November 30, 2005.] - RTXO1TK

Can Iran go around Turkey to reach Europe?

The regional turmoil, and particularly the unstable situation in Turkey, is prompting Iran to speed up plans to establish alternative trade routes to Europe.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attend a news conference with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann in Tehran February 27, 2016.REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTS88J7

Will Rouhani sue critics who insult him?

Iranian Vice President for Legal Affairs Hojjat al-Islam Majid Ansari said that the judiciary will pursue cases against critics who insult the president.

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

Ahmadinejad wants Obama to give back Iran’s $2 billion

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written US President Barack Obama another letter.

Why Abbas-MEK meeting made waves everywhere but Palestine

Though many observers fret that the meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi was a sign that Abbas is taking sides in the region, the event was barely on the Palestinian radar.