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September 15, 2026

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Houthi top diplomat says no intention to shut down Red Sea shipping, group open to talks

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Acting Foreign Minister of the Houthi-led administration Abdulwahid Abu Ras said concerns over a potential closure of the Red Sea are being fueled by Saudi Arabia.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

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

Latest News

Oil tops $109 after Houthi strikes, Saudi pipeline shutdown

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.

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

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 with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif at a hotel in Vienna, Austria June 30, 2015. Kerry and Zarif held a "productive" meeting in Vienna on Tuesday, the State Department said, as negotiations on curbing Iran's nuclear program were extended. REUTERS/State Department/Handout FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVI

Momentum for Iran deal builds

The Iran nuclear talks have been extended until July 7 as the Iranian and US officials present in Vienna express optimism and mutual reassurance.

Khamenei adviser: IS warned about Iraq shrines

The military adviser for Iran's supreme leader said the Islamic State was warned about approaching Shiite shrines.

A 900-year-old sycamore tree (plane tree), which is one of the eldest trees in the Iranian capital, stands in the courtyard of the shrine of Emamzadeh Yahya in downtown Tehran on December 30, 2014. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

New developments grow where Tehran's historic sycamore trees used to stand

Tehran's sycamore trees on Valiasr Street are being cut down to make room for businesses and developers; because the trees have a protected status of sorts, it is believed that some are being intentionally dried out in order to kill them.

A policeman waits outside the venue of nuclear talks in Vienna, Austria, June 28, 2015. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Sunday that a last-minute deal between Iran and world powers on Tehran's nuclear programme was still possible. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader - RTX1I4II

Critics make last-ditch effort to hamper Iranian deal

US skeptics are putting maximum pressure on negotiators ahead of June 30 deadline.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sits between U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz (L) and Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano during a meeting at a hotel in Vienna, Austria June 29, 2015. Iran is backtracking from an interim nuclear agreement with world powers three months ago, Western officials suggested on Sunday, as U.S. and Iranian officials said talks on a final accord would likely run past a June 30 deadline. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX1I8AB

Reality of deal sets in for Iran, P5+1

A senior US negotiator suggested that all parties, but particularly the Iranians, may be experiencing some eleventh-hour jitters.

White smoke rises from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, indicating a new pope has been elected at the Vatican March 13, 2013. White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel and the bells of St. Peter's Basilica rang out on Wednesday, signaling that Roman Catholic cardinals elected a pope to succeed Benedict XVI. REUTERS/Tony Gentile (VATICAN - Tags: RELIGION) - RTR3EXR7

Awaiting 'white smoke' in Vienna

An Iranian source tells Al-Monitor that it is Iran, not the US Congress, that needs reassurances as nuclear talks in Vienna approach the deadline.

A serviceman carries a air-to-ground missile next to Sukhoi Su-25 jet fighters during a drill at the Russian southern Stavropol region, March 12, 2015. Russia has started military exercises in the country's south, as well as in Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and in Crimea, annexed from Ukraine last year, news agency RIA reported on Thursday, citing Russia's Defence Ministry. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR4T425

Did Moscow’s 'air defense' diplomacy land Saudi deal?

After decades of disappointment, it appears Russia might finally become an arms supplier to Saudi Arabia, after also reaching deals with Iran and Egypt.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY STUART WILLIAMS
Iranian Hossein Shariatmadari, director of the hardline Kayhan (Universe) newspaper group for the past 15 years, sits next issues of the newspaper at his office in Tehran, 16 September 2007. Ridiculing the latest US threats against Tehran and advocating the need to expose traitors, Shariatmadari remains one of the most ardent champions of Iran's Islamic system. Appointed by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself, few in Iran can match Shariatmadari's authority

Iranian newspaper warns against showing enthusiasm for US

The Kayhan paper, sensing a nuclear deal is imminent, is worried about certain media outlets depicting the United States in a positive light.

Ebrahim Yazdi, secretary-general and chairman of Central Council Freedom Movement of Iran, speaks during an interview at his home in northern Tehran June 15, 2009. Iranian opposition politician Yazdi has been released from jail a day after he was detained while in hospital, a source close to him said on June 19, 2009. Yazdi, who heads the banned Freedom Movement, was one of scores of reformist activists detained since Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election. Picture taken June 15, 2009. REUTERS/Mortez

Former Iran FM warns of continued Iran-Saudi tensions

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iran's first foreign minister after the 1979 Islamic Revolution talked about the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Rouhani administration and the lack of respect for the law within the country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (2nd R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd L) at a hotel in Vienna, Austria June 27, 2015. Senior U.S. and Iranian officials said much hard work still needs to be done to bridge significant differences on an agreement to curb Iran's nuclear programme. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX1I13O

Zarif travels to Iran after nuclear talks with Kerry

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif departed nuclear talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry and P5+1 diplomats in Vienna June 28 for consultations in Tehran, as officials say they will need a few days past the June 30 deadline to try to conclude the nuclear deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (2nd R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd L) at a hotel in Vienna, Austria June 27, 2015. Senior U.S. and Iranian officials said much hard work still needs to be done to bridge significant differences on an agreement to curb Iran's nuclear programme. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX1I13O

Did Khamenei blur his own red lines on sanctions?

Supreme Leader Khamenei gives strong backing for Iran’s negotiating team heading into Vienna talks; Assad holds off on hitting Islamic State, for now; Israel forced to clarify position on Jabhat al-Nusra; Egypt seeks to counter Turkey’s role in Syria.

Did Khamenei demand immediate sanctions relief?

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s acknowledgement of the time necessary for the West to uphold its commitments gains great importance when put into the context of what he defines as “signing of the agreement.”