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Iran

July 8, 2026

Tehran 2:09 pm

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In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, prepares to take off from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026 at Sea.

US airstrikes hit Iran after tankers attacked in Hormuz

Iran's military headquarters threatened a "crushing response" after US warplanes bombed more than 80 targets in the third round of tit-for-tat attacks since the ceasefire.

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Iranian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

US revokes Iran oil waiver after Hormuz attacks

The United States had issued the two-month sanctions waiver as part of its preliminary deal with Iran.

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.

Latest News

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

Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei

Analysis

How Iran war shaped divergent paths to security among GCC states

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.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

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

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

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdoulahian hold a joint press conference following their talks in Moscow on March 29, 2023.

Iran to become full member of Shanghai alliance: Russian FM

Gulf states are also seeking to join China and Russia in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Robert Malley, Biden administration special envoy for Iran, waits to testify about the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations on Capitol Hill May 25, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran envoy Rob Malley on leave over security clearance probe

The State Department says Abram Paley is currently serving as the acting special envoy for Iran.

A photo illustration taken on March 30, 2018 in Beijing shows the screen of a laptop with the word "VPN" written in the search field of the Chinese Baidu website. Chinese authorities had announced that all unrecognised VPN services would be blocked by March 31, meaning that Chinese and foreign companies must choose from a limited number of state-approved VPNs. / AFP PHOTO / FRED DUFOUR (Photo credit should read FRED DUFOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran, Yemen, Saudi Arabia follow close behind China in VPN blocking

China led the ranking, blocking about 73% of all attempts to access VPN providers, with Iran and several Gulf Arab countries following close behind.

Iranian police chief General Ahmad-Reza Radan attends a military parade marking the country's annual army day in the capital Tehran on April 18, 2023. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran police chief makes rare visit to Russia for surveillance deals

The police commander's trip came against the backdrop of Iran's months-long unrest and reports that Tehran has been seeking Moscow's advice and surveillance equipment to crack down on dissent.

Antony Blinken

Blinken denies ‘agreement’ with Iran amid talk of informal deal

The US Secretary of State said "there is no agreement in the offing" amid reports the two countries are close to an informal arrangement aimed at de-escalating tensions.

Muslim worshippers take pictures of each other after attending the Eid al-Adha morning prayers at Doha's Education City Stadium, which hosted matches during Qatar's 2022 FIFA World Cup, on the first day of the Muslim holiday on June 28, 2023. Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, marks the end of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Qatar seen most peaceful in Middle East as Israel dips, Turkey ties Iran: GPI

The Global Peace Index placed Turkey as the least peaceful country in Europe ranking, and tied with Iran as the 147th most peaceful country globally.

Members of the People's Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) hold the picture of a deceased person.

Iran cheers Albania's raid on exiled MEK group, wants more

Tehran expressed satisfaction with the Albanian government's surprise crackdown on the largest exiled Iranian opposition organization, which has been engaged in violence against the Islamic Republic for over four decades.

Men hold a sign showing the face of Ahmed Mutawasilian, a fighter in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was kidnapped and killed in Lebanon in 1981, as they stand upon a podium showing a picture of a burning Israeli flag defaced with footprints during a rally marking Al-Quds Day (Jerusalem), a commemorative day held annually on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan by an initiative started by late Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran on April

Israel: seizure of millions of dollars in crypto linked to Iran IRGC, Hezbollah

The news follows Hamas announcing it will not use Bitcoin anymore and more government scrutiny of cryptocurrency transactions, including by the United States.

Saudi-Iran-China

New Al-Monitor Newsletter: The China-Middle East Briefing

Sign up to stay on top of China's quickly growing role in the region.

IAKOVOS HATZISTAVROU/AFP via Getty Images

Israel thanks Cyprus for stopping alleged Iranian plan to attack Israelis

Israel is expressing gratitude to Cypriot authorities who reportedly stopped an Iranian attack on Israelis in the country, where Iran was accused of plotting to attack Israelis back in 2021.

The flag of Iran is seen in front of the building of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Headquarters ahead of a press conference by Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, about the agency's monitoring of Iran's nuclear energy program on May 24, 2021 in Vienna, Austria.

Iran-US diplomacy trudges on as hopes of new nuclear understandings grow

Even if the nuclear deal is never revived, recent developments give hope that the nuclear situation will not deteriorate further.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transits the Strait of Hormuz as an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from the Nightdippers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 lifts off from the flight deck November 19, 2019. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strateg

Congress doubles down on Middle East defense architecture in NDAA markups

To counter China's influence and Iran activities, lawmakers want to expand cybersecurity, maritime and air and missile defense support to Middle East allies and enable Israeli Air Force pilots as Arab leaders begin to engage with Iran.