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

Iran cover image

Iran

July 7, 2026

Tehran 12:28 pm

36°C

A picture taken on Nov. 10, 2019, shows workers on the construction site of a second reactor in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, during an official ceremony to kick-start the works at the facility.

Russia’s Rosatom says staff to return to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant: What to know

Russia evacuated hundreds of personnel from Bushehr after the start of the US-Israel-Iran war, but it has pledged to continue helping Iran develop its nuclear capabilities.

Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei

Iran’s hard-line judicial chief Mohseni Ejei gets second term: What to know

The veteran judicial official, who has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union, has been accused of overseeing widespread human rights violations for decades. His reappointment by Mojtaba Khamenei signals continuity in Iran's hardline judicial policies and crackdown on dissent.

A man walks past the flags of the countries attending the Gulf Cooperation Council summit at Bayan palace in Kuwait City on Dec. 5, 2017.

Analysis

How Iran war shaped divergent paths to security among GCC states

The Iran war left the Gulf more fragmented than united, with competing security strategies replacing any prospect of a common regional defense.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Latest News

Analysis

Iran set to bury Khamenei, but his hard-line legacy may endure

Iranians walk past a billboard bearing a picture of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei ahead of his funeral in Tehran on July 3, 2026. Iranian leaders began paying their respects on July 3 before the coffin of the country's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei's body arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on July 3 ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. (Photo by AFP via Getty

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

As US-Iran talks falter, Israel views war outcome as 'total strategic failure’

Motorists drive past a billboard bearing a picture of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, ahead of his funeral in Tehran on July 3, 2026. Iranian leaders began paying their respects on July 3 before the coffin of the country's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei's body arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on July 3 ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. (Photo by AFP via Ge

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

As Trump touts nuclear progress, US-Iran talks show little momentum

Nathan Howard / AFP via Getty Images

Oil falls below $71 as US-Iran talks continue, Gulf exports rebound

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and vessels sit anchored around Qaboos Port on June 22, 2026, in Muscat, Oman.

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

A US-built F-5 Tiger light fighter aircraft that was used by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force is displayed at the Holy Defense Museum, Tehran, Iran, Feb. 7, 2024.

Iran vows it will respond 'within seconds' if Israel retaliates

The latest Iranian attack on Israel in response to a suspected Israeli strike against Iran’s consulate in Syria has set off fears of a full-blown war in the region.

An Israeli self-propelled artillery howitzer shells southern Lebanon from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel on Jan. 4, 2024.

Israeli military says it will respond to Iran, weighing 'variety of options'

Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday in retaliation for the suspected Israeli strike that killed senior members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria.

ROY ISSA/AFP via Getty Images

How Iran's attack on Israel is disrupting air traffic

The weekend's Iranian attack has massively disrupted air traffic across the region.

An F-15E Strike Eagle fighter aircraft of the Israeli Air Force Aerobatic team flies during a rehearsal for the upcoming Independence Day air show in Tel Aviv on April 24, 2023.

Iran’s attack on Israel stress tests Washington's Middle East coalition

President Joe Biden urged Netanyahu to "think carefully and strategically" about next steps as the White House ruled out supporting any Israeli retaliation against Iran.

Israel's Iron Dome defence missile system is on alert, stationed close to the southern Israeli town of Sderot on Oct. 12, 2023.

Analysis

Israel's Netanyahu 'unlikely to disobey Biden' as Iran attack readjusts alliances

Israel would have no choice but to retaliate forcefully, but that changed after 99% of the projectiles from Iran were intercepted, causing minimal damage in Israel, and President Joe Biden spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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

In this handout photo provided by the White House, US President Joe Biden meets with members of the National Security team regarding the unfolding missile attacks on Israel from Iran, on April 13, 2024 in the White House Situation Room in Washington, DC.

Biden urges Israel to 'think carefully' as it mulls response to Iran attack

The United States has told Israel it won’t participate in any counteroffensive against Iran, senior administration officials said.

A woman walks past an anti-Israeli mural depicting fighters with assault rifles along a wall in Palestine Square in Tehran on April 14, 2024. Iran on April 14 urged Israel not to retaliate militarily to an unprecedented attack overnight, which Tehran presented as a justified response to a deadly strike on its consulate building in Damascus. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran gloats as Arab states, Turkey exercise caution after attack on Israel

Iran conducted an unprecedented and large-scale attack on Israel in retaliation for the strike that killed IRGC members in its Syrian consulate.

Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees Pakistan activists protest in Lahore on Jan. 19, 2024, after Iran launched an airstrike in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province.

Iran has a Baluchistan problem on restive Pakistan border

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza City, in Sderot on May 10, 2023.

Breaking | Last Updated: April 14, 2024, 12:09 pm

Iran launches attack against Israel with missiles, drones in response to Syria strike

Middle East tensions are at an all-time high as the US military moved more forces to the region and multiple countries closed their airspaces in response to Iran's unprecedented attack. A 7-year-old Bedouin girl was reportedly injured by debris in the Negev region.

From left: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European Union Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell, hold a joint press conference in Brussels on April 5, 2024. (Photo by Johanna Geron / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JOHANNA GERON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

As EU courts Armenia, Iran and US are bound to clash in South Caucasus

Yerevan’s pivot to the West is a challenge for Tehran, yet Iranian authorities and media kept mum on a high-level trilateral EU-US-Armenia meeting last week.

Iranian attend the funeral procession for seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike in Syria, which Iran blamed on Israel, in Tehran on April 5, 2024.

Iran’s delicate balance between striking Israel, avoiding full-blown war

The Islamic Republic has been assessing the potential consequences of its much-expected retaliation against Israel, as speculation is growing that an attack is imminent yet will be limited.

This US Navy photo released Jan. 15, 2015 shows an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from the Red Lions of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 15 as it prepares to land on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) on Jan. 13, 2015 in the Gulf.

Pentagon shifts forces to Middle East ahead of expected Iran attack on Israel

The threat of Iranian retaliation has thrust the Biden administration into a precarious balancing act, as it seeks to help defend Israel while avoiding a wider conflict with Iran and its proxies.