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

Iran cover image

Iran

September 20, 2026

Tehran 1:00 pm

34°C

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

What to expect as UN General Assembly convenes amid Iran war

The US State Department denied visas to Palestinian officials seeking to attend the UN summit, yet authorized the Iranian delegation's travel to New York.

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.

Latest News

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

AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Name lists of parliamentary election candidates are seen on polling booths at a mosque, used as a polling station, in central Tehran March 2, 2012. Iranians voted on Friday in a parliamentary election which is expected to reinforce the power of the clerical establishment of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over hardline political rivals led by President M

Change in Iran Depends on New Reformers Linked to Conservatives

Change in Iran from the presidential elections will depend on new reformers, with links to the conservative movement, and who can pump new energy into the regime, writes Ali Mamouri.

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi speaks during his joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh in Amman May 7, 2013. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZDGZ

Five Reasons the US Should Stay Out Of Syria

The first order of business should be a negotiated cease-fire and a transition in Syria that recognizes the role of Iran and other regional parties, not arming the rebels or launching military attacks, writes Seyed Hossein Mousavian.

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is projected on a screen during a live broadcast as he speaks to his supporters at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Al-Nour radio station, which is operated by the Hezbollah in Beirut, May 9, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS MEDIA ANNIVERSARY) - RTXZGEB

Nasrallah Increases Stakes in Syria War

Famous for his use of allusions and nuance, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah spoke with an unusual clarity and directness on May 9 about Syria, writes Scarlett Haddad.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to China's President Xi Jinping (not pictured) during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing May 9, 2013. Netanyahu is on an official visit to China between May 6 and 10. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZFXC

Netanyahu's Chinese Wall

On an official visit to Beijing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to convince China that a nuclear Iran threatens the stability of not only the Middle East, but also the global energy market, writes Ben Caspit.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.
Iranian-made Fateh 110 (Conqueror) (L) and Persian Gulf (R) missiles are seen next to a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a war exhibition held by Iran's revolutionary guard to mark the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), also known in Iran as the "Holy Defence", at Baharestan square near the Iranian Parliament in southern Tehran September

The Airstrikes in Syria: Winners and Losers

A week has passed since the airstrikes in Syria, making it a good time to take stock of the situation from Israeli, Syrian, Hezbollah and Iranian perspectives, writes Yoav Limor.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY SALAM FARAJ
An Iraqi money dealer counts Iranian rial banknotes bearing a portrait of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, at an exchange office in Baghdad on February 3, 2012. Tens of thousands of Iranian visitors have been finding difficulty in using the Iranian currency in Iraq due to a depreciation of the rial against the dollar. AFP PHOTO/ ALI AL-SAADI (Photo credit should read ALI AL-SAADI/AFP/Getty Images)

Inflation Takes Its Toll on Iran

Iran's lower and middle-income classes have been the main losers in the country’s inflationary environment, writes Bijan Khajehpour.

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (C) greets Qatar's Ambassador to Jordan, Zayed bin Said Al-Khayareen during the official opening ceremony for the new headquarters of the Iranian embassy in Amman, May 7, 2013. REUTERS/Majed Jaber (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZDLU

Jordan, Iran Agree on Need For Political Solution in Syria

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi made a rare visit to Jordan, which showed some shared interest in a peaceful transition in Syria, writes Osama Al Sharif from Jordan.

GOLAN HEIGHTS - MAY 06: (ISRAEL OUT) A Israeli soldiers of the Golani brigade take part in an exercise near the border with Syria on May 6, 2013 at the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Syria has accused Israel of launching a series of airstrikes on targets near the Lebanon/Syria border, including an arms shipment and the Jamraya research centre, that was thought to produce chemical weapons. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

Iran, Israel Need to Talk About Syria

Meir Javedanfar writes that Iran, Hezbollah and Israel share a common and deadly enemy in Jabhat al-Nusra and radical Salafist groups, whose influence is growing.

Iraqi Sunni Muslims wave the old flags of Iraq during an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad May 3, 2013. Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims poured onto the streets of Ramadi and Falluja in the western province of Anbar following Friday prayers, in their biggest show of strength since the outbreak of protests last year. REUTERS/Mohanned Faisal (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZ987

Iraq's Sunni-Shiite DivideAbout Governance

Iraq needs a political solution that recognizes the grievances of Iraq's Sunni populations and regions, Harith Hasan writes.

Malta-flagged Iranian crude oil supertanker "Delvar" is seen anchored off Singapore March 1, 2012. Western trade sanctions against Iran are strangling its oil exports even before they go into effect, a U.S. advisory body has found, amid warnings that any shortages will only push up crude prices and strain a weak global economy. REUTERS/Tim Chong (SINGAPORE - Tags: ENERGY BUSINESS MARITIME TRANSPORT) - RTR2YO8E

US Complicates Turkey’s Energy Interests in Iraq, Iran

US sanctions on Iran and its disapproval of energy investments in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have complicated Turkey’s energy policies, writes Olgu Okumus.

A view shows part of Mount Qassioun and part of Damascus city, in this photo taken from the Syrian cabinet building May 5, 2013. Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi said on Sunday that Israeli air strikes against three targets on the outskirts of Damascus "open the door to all possibilities." REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTXZBD8

Do the US, Iran Agree on Red Line For Syrian Chemical Weapons?

The US and Israel escalate the war in Syria; Russia, Iran, Hezbollah, Khaled Meshaal; and Al-Monitor launches Iran Pulse.

A cleric speaks on his mobile phone on the campus of the Seminary in Qom, 120 km (75 miles) south of Tehran February 3, 2009. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN) - RTXB72O

Iran's Qom: Mystery and Surprise At the Hawza

Life in the seminary at Qom, which has produced numerous prominent reformist thinkers, remains mysterious but reveals surprises, writes Ali Mamouri.