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

Iran cover image

Iran

October 18, 2026

Tehran 5:30 pm

29°C

shoppers walking through the Tajrish Bazaar, a traditional market in Tehran

Analysis

As Iran’s oil lifeline runs dry, can it outlast Trump's economic siege?

The country's last barrels of crude stockpiled beyond the reach of a US naval blockade fell to zero in October, raising the stakes for Tehran amid mounting economic distress.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a press conference in Tehran on November 30, 2025.

Analysis

Turkey turns to Iran to contain Houthis as Saudi defense commitments grow

Ankara is trying to contain the fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis through Tehran’s help, but Iran may see an advantage in allowing the Houthis to maintain pressure on the kingdom.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

US President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Oncenter Convention Center in Syracuse, New York, on Oct. 9, 2026.

Window for diplomacy with Iran may be closing as Trump again threatens Pickaxe Mountain

Israel still wary of Damascus, writes Ben Caspit from Israel; our correspondent in Tehran and Amberin Zaman explain how Iran and Turkey look to exploit Azerbaijan’s headscarf controversy; Qatar’s top diplomat offers energy assistance to Lebanon, Beatrice Farhat reports from Beirut.

A vessel transits the Gulf of Oman

Analysis

How much oil can cushion another Middle East supply shock?

Global oil inventories stood at 3.35 billion barrels in October, the lowest level on record since January 2017, according to Kpler.

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

Latest News

Analysis

How hijab dispute is opening new front in Iran-Azerbaijan tensions

A woman walks past a wall painting in the colours of the Iranian flag in Tehran on February 25, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Trump rules out US troops in Iran, leaves Pickaxe Mountain strike on the table

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 7, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Female commander in Iran's Basij units assassinated: What to know

People attend the funeral ceremony of Mahan Setareh, a member of the paramilitary Basij force who was killed in the recent Israeli attacks on June 26, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. A cease-fire between Israel and Iran has brought an end to 12 days of daily aerial attacks that started with Israel's strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites on June 13. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Analysis

What's behind Iran’s intensifying attacks on shipping in Hormuz?

Ships are docked along a pier at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

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

A view of Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world, which is located in the northwest of Iran, while the drought has affected the entire country and put the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran.

Regional water tensions in focus as Iran FM visits Turkmenistan

Severely hit by a worsening water crisis in recent years, Iran has been seeking to claim its share of water from reservoirs originating in its neighbors' territory.

A display of photos of protesters killed during a candlelight vigil on the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in Iranian custody, Washington, DC, Sept. 16, 2023

Iran continues crackdown on women as executions approach 100 for the year

Iran handed prison sentences to 11 activists defending women’s rights and has executed 98 people this year.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) receives Hamas' Doha-based political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Iran reassures Hamas of continued support as Haniyeh visits Tehran

The meetings in Tehran were held as Iranian officials celebrated a moment of triumph for Hamas after the United States allowed the UN Security Council to pass a Gaza cease-fire resolution.

A motorcyclist rides past a high school at Panjgur district in Balochistan province on Jan. 17, 2024. Pakistan recalled its ambassador from Iran on Jan. 17, and blocked Tehran's envoy from returning to Islamabad after an Iranian air strike killed two children in the west of the country on Jan. 16.

More attacks in Baluchistan regions of Iran, Pakistan following border dustup

Iran and Pakistan reconciled after their border conflict earlier this year, but clashes involving Baluchi separatists and unidentified armed groups remain an issue.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh speaks to protesters at the border fence with Israel, Gaza Strip, May 15, 2018.

Hamas’ Haniyeh heads to Iran for second time since Gaza war

Haniyeh's visit comes one day after the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Large oil tanker ship in the Persian Gulf, Iran.

Iran vows retaliation against tanker seizures as it bolsters naval presence

Iran has in recent months been flexing its naval capabilities in the Persian Gulf in anticipation of potential confrontations with the United States, which has dispatched reinforcements to push back on Iranian harassment of international vessels.

A view of refinery No. 2 (Phases 2, 3) of the South Pars Gas-Condensate field in Asalouyeh Seaport, north of the Persian Gulf in Iran.

What’s behind Iran’s $13B investment in domestic oil industry?

Iran’s oil exports are on the rise, particularly to China, though the country faces challenges in maintaining its oil production levels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Saint Petersburg on Oct. 11, 2022.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, others shower Russia’s Putin with congratulatory messages

Several leaders in the region have extended their congratulations to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin over his reelection, as Western countries condemned the Russian elections as unfair.

Azerbaijan's Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov meets with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Mehrabian in Tehran on March 15, 2024.

Iran-Azerbaijan ties still off track despite diplomatic gestures

Azerbaijan's energy minister visited Tehran for preparations to reopen his country's embassy, but such hot-button issues as the Nakhchivan corridor and Azerbaijan's affinity with Israel appeared as stumbling blocks on the path to effective normalization.

Iranian Navy boats take part in maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz, Jan. 3, 2012.

Are Iran-Russia-China naval drills 'symbolic' or security tilt to East?

While this marked the fifth consecutive year the three nations held joint naval exercises, current regional dynamics lent this edition "much deeper symbolism" than a routine drill.

In this photo taken on February 18, 2022 a Taliban fighter stands guard at the entrance gate of Afghan-Iran border crossing bridge in Zaranj. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP) (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran sends delegation to Afghanistan as Taliban-Tehran ties see boost

Iran’s relations with the Taliban are seeing a thaw after a period of tension over deportation of Afghans from the Islamic Republic last year.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard boats attack a naval vessel during a three-day military drill in the Gulf on April 22, 2010.

Iran, Russia, China conduct new military drills, defying Western pressure

The exercise brought together the three countries' lead warships for the stated purpose of bolstering maritime security, while Tehran-backed Yemeni rebels continued to target international navigation in the wake of the Gaza war.