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

Iran cover image

Iran

November 12, 2026

Tehran 12:23 am

9°C

Iraqi President Nizar Amede (R) greets Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (L) on the sidelines of COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, on Nov. 11,2026. Iraqi Presidency

Iranian, Iraqi presidents meet after border closure, militia row: What to know

It was the first meeting between the countries’ leaders since Iraq shut the Sheeb border crossing with Iran in late October, a move a senior Iraqi official later tied to pressure from Washington.

Shoppers enter a SuperValu store in Haggardstown, Dundalk, Ireland on November 2, 2026. Grocery stores in at least six European countries saw temperatures in their cold cases soar on Monday, with several confirming they had been hit by a cyberattack similar to one three weeks ago in France. Supermarkets in Ireland, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Luxembourg and Sweden were among those affected in the latest hacker attack. (Photo by Arthur CARRON / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran's alleged cyberattacks in France raise fears of wider confrontation

Iran's wartime threats are increasingly reaching beyond the Middle East, exposing vulnerabilities in Europe's civilian infrastructure and raising questions about Tehran's use of deniable operations to pressure its adversaries.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles

Iran unveils new underground 'missile city': What to know

Iran has moved much of its missile stockpile underground as the threat of a new war looms.

Latest News

Hormuz LNG shipments hit wartime high, but Qatar lags

PATRICK MEINHARDT / AFP via Getty Images

GCC to build military command center in Kuwait as region simmers: What to know

ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images

France blames Iran for supermarket fridge hack, seeks EU sanctions

This photograph shows empty fresh-food refrigerators at an Intermarche supermarket in Nevez, France, on Oct. 12, 2026, following a cyberattack that caused its refrigerators to defrost.

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. President Barack Obama (L) listens as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement to the media from the Colonnade outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington September 1, 2010. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2HSTC

Could Netanyahu's Offensive Against Iran Backfire?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demands for Iran to be tested by its deeds, not words, but will Israel follow the same example when negotiating with the Palestinians?

Sunni Muslims pray in the Blue mosque in Istanbul September 19, 2009. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (TURKEY RELIGION SOCIETY) - RTR281VZ

The Real Beneficiaries Of Erdogan’s Democracy

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's democratization package has lifted restrictions on devout Sunnis imposed by previous secular governments, pleasing his Islamist constituency.

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah wave Hezbollah flags as they listen to him via a screen during a rally on the 7th anniversary of the end of Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel, in Aita al-Shaab village in southern Lebanon, August 16, 2013. Nasrallah renewed his commitment on Friday to the battle in Syria, where the Shi'ite militant group has been fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying he was ready to go himself if needed. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON

Hezbollah and Rouhani

Hezbollah's relationship with Iran is not dependent on the Iranian presidency or government, but rather insitutions connected with the office of Iran's supreme leader and the velayati-e faqih.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pictured on a television monitor while addressing the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York October 1, 2013. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FHES

Has Netanyahu Lost Battle Over Nuclear Iran?

Right-wing ideologist Arieh Eldad criticized the Israeli prime minister: "He gave up on the Land of Israel, but he also understands that he lost the battle over the Iranian nuclear program."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York October 1, 2013. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FHG3

Netanyahu Fails to Address Peace Talks in UN Speech

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's UN speech reflects his priorities, focusing almost entirely on the Iranian nuclear threat while referring only briefly to the negotiations with the Palestinians.

Shi'ite pilgrims gather to mark the death anniversary of Imam Ali at his shrine in the holy city of Najaf, about 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, July 30, 2013. Imam Ali, the son-in-law of Prophet Mohammad, was wounded in the head during a battle and died after two days in 661 AD in Najaf. REUTERS/Ahmad Mousa (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION) - RTX124BT

Rouhani’s Moderation Welcomed By Sistani, Iraqi Clerics in Najaf

After shunning the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad administration, Ayatollah Ali Sistani granted Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif a meeting, which has been distorted by Iran’s hard-line Arabic media.

Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian during scuffles following an attempt by European diplomats to deliver goods to locals in the West Bank herding community of Khirbet al-Makhul, in the Jordan Valley September 20, 2013. Israeli soldiers manhandled European diplomats on Friday and seized a truck full of tents and emergency aid they had been trying to deliver to Palestinians whose homes were demolished earlier this week. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY TPX IMAGES O

Netanyahu's Iran Obsession A Diversion from Palestine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's obsession with Iran was revealed during his UN General Assembly speech, which served to divert world attention from his refusal to compromise on the Palestinian issue.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also seen on a television monitor, addresses the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York October 1, 2013. Netanyahu said on Tuesday the only way to peacefully stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons is to combine tough sanctions with a credible military threat and that Israel was ready to stand alone in defending itself. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FHF1

Netanyahu Sidelined on Iran By His Anti-Rouhani Speech

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, known as “Mr. Public Diplomacy,” in fact could not adequately handle the change in tone on Iran, and turned Israel into a marginal player in the current diplomatic process.

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, September 30, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FG0U

Netanyahu Supports A 'Syrian Model' for Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would gladly embrace employing a military threat to convince Tehran to halt its nuclear program.

Seated at the table are French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (L), U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (4th L), Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (C), European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (4th R), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (3rd R) and British Foreign Secretary William Hague (R) during a meeting of the Foreign Ministers representing the permanent five member countries of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at th

US-Iran Deal Would Bring Good News to Lebanon

A thaw in US-Iran relations would, over time, have a positive effect on regional conflicts.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks to the media after a meeting of the foreign ministers representing the permanent five member countries of the United Nations Security Council, including Germany, at the U.N. Headquarters in New York September 26, 2013. U.S. and Iranian officials emerged upbeat on Thursday from a meeting on Iran's nuclear program but both sides also sounded a cautionary note, with the United States saying there was more work to do and Iran insisting on quick sanctions relie

Iran’s Foreign Minister Offers Help With Syria’s Chemical Weapons

Iran is ready to participate in the Geneva II process in Syria, but only if asked, says Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor.

Iran and Turkey Have DifferencesOn Syria, But Not a Crisis

Iran's ambassador in Ankara, Alireza Bikdeli, says if the Iranian and Turkish differences on Syria were between two other countries, it would have led to serious problems.