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Iran

September 15, 2026

Tehran 2:09 pm

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VTB Bank in Moscow

US hits major Russian bank VTB with Iran-linked sanctions

State-controlled VTB becomes one of the most prominent global names yet caught up in Washington’s ongoing effort to squeeze Iran's economy.

Milak border crossing near the town of Zabol, Iran

Third Sunni cleric killed in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province: What to know

Iran says it is stepping up its crackdown on armed groups in the impoverished province as Sunni clerics have been reported killed there and in the predominantly Kurdish northwest.

AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Saudi pipeline shutdown exposes shrinking global oil-supply buffers

Oil prices have climbed to their highest since May as disruptions to flows through the Strait of Hormuz and the temporary shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline tighten global supply.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

A sailor from the navy of Yemen's Aden-based internationally recognized government stands at a machine-gun position aboard a vessel patrolling a shipping lane off Hanish Island in the Red Sea on July 27, 2026.

Oil tops $109 after Houthi strikes, Saudi pipeline shutdown

The Houthi militia said on Monday that it fired dozens of drones and ballistic missiles at military targets in Saudi Arabia in retaliation for airstrikes by Riyadh in Yemen.

Latest News

Analysis

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

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

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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

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

Analysis

Could Iran’s nuclear ambitions harden as war escalates?

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

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Analysis

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

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)

Jared Szuba

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

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

Rafsanjani's son enters prison amid media circus

Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani's son, entered Evin prison to serve a 10-year sentence for corruption.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moualem walk before they start a meeting in Tehran August 5, 2015. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for talks with officials from allies Iran and Russia that are expected to focus on efforts to end the civil war in his country. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT,

How Iran deal could bring multilateralism to Middle East

As the Joint Cooperative Plan of Action comes into effect, the region could see the emergence of a new era of greater cooperation by all regional actors, including Iran.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (R) gestures next to his Omani counterpart Yousef bin Alawi during a joint news conference in Tehran February 21, 2012. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2Y704

Inside the secret US-Iran diplomacy that sealed nuke deal

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei authorized direct talks with the United States on the nuclear issue as early as 2011, but real progress was not made until Hassan Rouhani, unaware of the talks, came into office in August 2013, US and Iranian officials say.

Is Iran’s military funding the media?

Hesam al-Din Ashna, cultural adviser to the Iranian president, said that some media in Iran receive money from the country's defense budget and are established enough to attack other media.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi (R) speaks as the head of the country's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, listens during a nuclear deal review meeting in Tehran August 9, 2015. Dozens of companies tied to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, a military force commanding a powerful industrial empire with huge political influence, will win sanctions relief under a nuclear deal agreed with world powers. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIR

Iranian negotiators remain confident about nuclear deal

At a conference in Tehran on the nuclear agreement with the P5+1, Iran's senior negotiators expressed their satisfaction with the deal and confidence in its implementation.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd L) arrives for a Likud party meeting at parliament in Jerusalem July 20, 2015. REUTERS/Nir Elias - RTX1L1RF

Bibi, king of the Jews

In opposing the Iranian nuclear deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees himself as the savior of the Jews, a perception that leads him to view the American Jewish community as within his jurisdiction, rather than as US citizens with an understandable loyalty to their country and president.

US wins support from GCC, Asian allies for Iran nuclear deal

Israel is outlier on nuclear deal; Rafsanjani tells Al-Monitor that Iran “does not inherently have any issues with Saudi Arabia”; Zarif proposes civil nuclear cooperation with Arab states; Syrian, Iranian and Russian officials meet in Tehran; Al-Monitor’s second annual Middle East lobbying investigation and cultural heritage series.

Nuke deal won't change Iran's approach to region

In the aftermath of the JCPOA, Iran and other regional powers are seeking to engage, but will likely pursue policies to strengthen positions ahead of anticipated talks.

Iran’s sagging housing market may face price shock

With a nuclear deal in hand and the business environment improving, Iranian investors may begin piling cash into the country's ailing housing market — causing a price shock.

Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff accused of links to embezzlement

Iran's justice minister said that former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief of staff is linked to an Iranian embezzlement case.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.†

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, delivers the opening speech during the biannual meeting of the assembly in Tehran September 22, 2009. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN POLITICS) - RTR284SA

Exclusive: Rafsanjani on future of Iran-US ties, Saudi Arabia

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani speaks about the future of Iran-US ties, Tehran's troubled relationship with Riyadh and how to move forward.

How will Iran ratify the deal?

In Tehran, there is intense debate about how the nuclear deal with six world powers should be ratified, with the government and conservatives split about whether to involve parliament.