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Iran

September 16, 2026

Tehran 1:42 am

27°C

Houthi fighters marching

Analysis

How far will Iran push Houthis against Saudi Arabia amid raging conflict?

As Iran-backed Houthis broaden attacks on Saudi Arabia, Tehran's delicate calculation is exploiting the current conflict without being dragged into an escalation of its own making.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities shout slogans during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia's balancing act with US, Iran, Houthis risks collapse

Houthi rebels escalated their attacks on Tuesday, triggering alerts around the holy city of Mecca, Taif and the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Houthi

Exclusive

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

Latest News

US hits major Russian bank VTB with Iran-linked sanctions

VTB Bank in Moscow

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

Milak border crossing near the town of Zabol, Iran

Analysis

Saudi pipeline shutdown exposes shrinking global oil-supply buffers

AFP via Getty Images

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

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.

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

IRGC university warns Rouhani administration about foreign policy

Imam Hussein University, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has warned officials in the Rouhani administration about having a "simplistic" view in its negotiations with the United States.

Why did Saudi Arabia intervene in Yemen?

As Yemen fell into the Houthis' hands, Saudi Arabia was left with one choice: to intervene militarily, as the kingdom has long been the country's main financial supporter.

A Palestinian boy wearing an Islamic Jihad headband joins other Palestinians taking part in a protest against what they say are recent visits by Jewish activists to al-Aqsa mosque, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 7, 2014. In recent months, a campaign for the prayer ban on Jewish worshippers at the site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, to be overturned, led by settler activists, has gathered momentum, raising alarm among Palestinians and Muslims further

Islamic Jihad's coffers run dry

The cutting off of economic support from Iran and the closing of smuggling tunnels to Egypt have left the Islamic Jihad unable to pay the salaries of its personnel.

An Iranian couple sit on the bank of Zayandeh roud river, which was completely dry in recent years, in the historic city of Isfahan some 400 kms south of the capital, Tehran, on April 21, 2015. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Why are young Iranians losing interest in marriage?

Societal and economic factors have led to a decline in marriage rates, despite the government's desire to see an increase in population.

Iranian secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani (L) speaks to reporters at the Damascus airport on September 30, 2014. AFP PHOTO/ STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

P5+1 asked to interview Iran’s security council secretary

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani has said that the six world powers had requested to interview him as part of a comprehensive nuclear deal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R), accompanied by Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, attends a meeting with the BRICS countries' senior officials in charge of security matters at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 26, 2015. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - RTX1EM1D

Russia and the nuclear-free zone

While Russia blames the US, the UK and Canada for not supporting a recent international agreement on a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm is said to be exploring the options of providing Saudi Arabia with a nuclear power plant.

US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz (L) and US Secretary of State John Kerry wait for the start of a trilateral meeting at the Beau Rivage Palace Hotel in Lausanne March 28, 2015. The foreign ministers of France and Germany joined the top U.S. and Iranian diplomats on Saturday to help break an impasse in nuclear negotiations as major powers and Iran closed in on a 2- or 3-page accord that could form the basis of a long-term deal. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool - RTR4V9Q6

Capitol Hill counts down days until Iran nuclear deadline

A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of June 1.

Arezoo Abassi (C) walks along a street in Tehran June 24, 2007, three weeks after undergoing nose surgery. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN) - RTR1R44J

Unlicensed cosmetic surgery on rise in Iran

As the popularity of cosmetic surgery increases in Iran, low-cost, unlicensed clinics have increased as well.

Kerry counselor expected to succeed Sherman in key job

State Department Counselor Tom Shannon, a former US ambassador to Brazil, is expected to be picked to succeed Wendy Sherman as under secretary of state, US officials tell Al-Monitor.

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

Construction cranes work on a high rise buildings in the foothills of the Alborz mountains in north Tehran April 15, 2010. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has asked 5 million Tehranis to evacuate the capital since they know their sprawling metropolis is due for a massive earthquake. When the last major earthquake hit, in 1831, Tehran was tiny compared to the metro

Will Iran's new mortgage plan stimulate housing market?

New plans to increase the ceiling for mortgages in Iran creates unnecessary bureaucracies and is not enough to stimulate demand in the housing market.

Members of Iran's Assembly of Experts, Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi (up-R) and head of the Guardian Council, Ahmad Janati (up-C), attend a session to appoint a new chairman on March 10, 2015 in Tehran. The Assembly of Experts, the clerics who appoint and can dismiss the country's supreme leader, picked the ultraconservative Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi as their new chairman in a surprise appointment. AFP PHOTO / BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran MPs try to sidestep Guardian Council oversight

Iranian MPs attempted to pass a bill that would reduce the Guardian Council's powers in the 2016 parliamentary elections.

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

Leading Iranian reformist Saeed Hajjarian is helped to a seat in his home after he was released from prison in Tehran September 30, 2009. Iran freed the senior reformer, accused of fomenting opposition protests after a disputed presidential election in June, on bail on Wednesday after more than three months in detention. REUTERS/Yalda Moaiery/ISNA (IRAN POLITICS) FOR EDI

Reformist media welcomes rare appearance of Hajjarian

The presence of Saeed Hajjarian, the main Reformist theoretician, has energized Reformist media.