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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 20, 2026

Tehran 2:56 am

26°C

A picture of Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed during Israeli strikes on Tehran in June, is displayed Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government on Dec. 18, 2025.

Analysis

How a new Baluch militant coalition raises pressure on Iran-Pakistan border

Iran's military standoff with the US may be creating opportunities for Baluch groups to launch operations from the mountainous, sparsely populated frontier region with Pakistan.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march

Analysis

As Iran regime marks 200 days of war, is it also preparing for dissent?

Seven months into the war with the US, Iranian authorities staged a pro-government mobilization in Tehran, combining patriotic spectacle with a carefully calibrated demonstration aimed for domestic internal security capacity.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A pedestrian passes by the Treasury Building in Washington, DC on Jan. 18, 2023.

US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange BitBank over Hormuz payments

The US government says the exchange was used to channel payments from an Iranian maritime-insurance scheme to the regime.

AFP via Getty Images

China presses Iran, US to reopen Hormuz as disruptions threaten oil supply

Conflicts in the region are disrupting two key routes for oil bound for China, with Iranian crude affected by the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi shipments facing growing risks in the Red Sea.

Latest News

Exclusive

Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Analysis

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

Houthi fighters marching

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

Israel's armed forces chief Major-General Benny Gantz (R) speaks to U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey before an honour guard ceremony at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv August 13, 2013. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTX12JHT

Egypt, Iran Top Dempsey's Agenda in Israel

Visiting Israel again, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey will urge Israel not to attack Iran while his counterparts will press Washington to deepen their involvement in Egypt.

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

Iranian clergymen debate at Talebiye seminary before noon prayer ceremony in Tabriz historic market, 633 km (393 miles) northwest of Tehran, early morning August 28, 2011. The Tabriz market was located along the Silk Road trade route and comprised of interlinked structures and spaces for various commercial, religious and educational uses. This market has been registered a

Iran on Quest to Legitimize Velayat-e Faqih in Iraqi Seminaries

Iran has always tried to secure religious legitimacy for its velayat-e faqih doctrine by supporting loyalists in the Qom and Najaf Shiite seminaries.

AppleMark

US Rep. Keith Ellison Calls For Obama-Rouhani Summit

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ellison says, “If the United States had direct negotiations with Iran, the first item should be stopping the bloodshed in Syria.”

Senior Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh (L) and Mahmoud Al-Zahar (R) pray at the stage during a rally marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas, in Gaza City December 8, 2012. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, in an uncompromising speech during his first ever visit to Gaza after decades of exile, told a mass rally on Saturday he would never recognise Israel and pledged to "free the land of Palestine inch by inch". REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY CIVIL UNREST RELIGION) - RTR3BCZ

Iran-Hamas Rebuild Ties Following Morsi’s Ouster

After the ouster of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood from power, Hamas is again looking to Iran for support.

Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman speaks during a ceremony marking the 67th Army Day, at a military academy in Fayadyeh, near Beirut, August 1, 2012. REUTERS/Dalati Nohra/Handout (LEBANON - Tags: ANNIVERSARY POLITICS MILITARY) 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 SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR35TE4

Rouhani, Suleiman: Vanguards Of Moderation in Middle East

Like his counterpart in Beirut, Tehran’s new President Hassan Rouhani embraces just the kind of moderation the region may need at this tumultuous time.

Members of Iranian Armed Forces march during the Army Day parade in Tehran April 18, 2013. REUTERS/Hamid Forootan/ISNA/Handout (IRAN - Tags: MILITARY ANNIVERSARY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - RTXYQI5

Gay Men in Iran's Military Can Seek Exemption

Gay Iranian men desiring exemption from mandatory military service must undergo rigorous physical and medical examinations.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani speaks with a Reuters correspondent during a private interview in Tehran February 6, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi RH/CJF/AA - RTRMHK5

Rouhani and the Prospects For US-Iran Nuclear Talks

Iran's new president will have to balance Iran's domestic politics with its international and regional position in the course of handling nuclear negotiations with the West.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu hold a joint news conference at the Russian embassy in Washington after their meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, August 9, 2013. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX12FAI

Russia’s Course in Syria Unchanged

Al-Monitor’s coverage of US and Russian policies toward Syria; the protests in Egypt; and the return of reformist and Islamic chic in Iran.

A man hangs pictures of (from R to L) Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, near
the site of an explosion in Beirut's southern suburbs, July 9, 2013. A car bomb exploded on Tuesday in a Beirut stronghold district of the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group that has been fighting in Syria's civil war, wounding at least 38 people, a hospital official told Reuters. REUTERS/Khalil Hassan (L

Iran's Ties to Hezbollah Unchanged

Although there are expectations of a more moderate approach to foreign affairs under Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Iran's relations with Hezbollah will remain the same.

Syria Splits Shiite Clergy in Iraq, Iran

While Shiite authorities in Iran and Iraq have historically had a close relationship, Iran has been dismayed by Najafi clerics's refusal to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war.

Arab foreign ministers attend a bi-annual meeting of the Arab League in Cairo September 9, 2009. Among the issues being discussed is US President Barack Obama's Middle East peace initiative where he has called on Israel to freeze all settlement activity, as a basis for a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict. Israel recently authorized construction of hundreds of housing units on occupied Palestinian land. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT POLITICS) - RTR27MDV

Middle East Needs 'Win-Win' Approach to Regional Security

An approach is overdue for regional security that recognizes the interests of Iran, Israel and all the states of West Asia.

Supporters of moderate cleric Hassan Rohani celebrate his victory in Iran's presidential election along a street in Tehran June 16, 2013. Rohani won Iran's presidential election on Saturday, the interior ministry said, scoring a surprising landslide victory over conservative hardliners without the need for a second round run-off. REUTERS/Yalda Moayeri (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTX10PBG

Iranian Reformists Return To Public Sphere

Like bears emerging from a four-year hibernation, Iranian reformists are beginning to speak out again, empowered by the election of President Hassan Rouhani and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's departure.