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

Iran cover image

Iran

June 20, 2026

Tehran 1:21 am

31°C

US President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 29, 2025.

Analysis

How Netanyahu used Lebanon strikes to push back on Trump’s Iran deal

The latest ceasefire in Lebanon leaves Netanyahu squeezed between Washington and domestic pressure.

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

US President Donald Trump arrives for the G7 Leaders' Summit at the Hotel Royal, Evian Resort on June 15, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France.

Feature

Trump’s Iran deal sidesteps fate of detained Americans

The White House declined to say whether the release of the six Americans would be included in a final deal.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Achraf Hakimi #2 of Morocco shoots and misses a chance against Gabriel Magalhaes #3 of Brazil during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match between Brazil and Morocco at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 13, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Culture

Morocco, Egypt impress with notable draws despite winless World Cup start for Mideast teams

Several teams from the Middle East and North Africa could advance to the knockout stage under the new format, and Morocco climbed in the rankings despite a tie in its opener.

Latest News

Explainer

Sanctions relief and reconstruction: How China benefits from Trump-Iran deal

How Iran stands to win major financial relief in Trump-backed deal

A shop owner counts Iranian banknotes at a store in the capital Tehran on Jan. 7, 2026.

Explainer

Oil’s slide wavers as Trump warns US-Iran deal ‘not final’

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on Feb. 9, 2026.

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

Rouhani criticizes IRGC's arrest of journalists

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani publicly voiced his objection to the recent arrest of journalists accused of being part of an "infiltration network."

Start studying, it takes more than just good looks to be a model in Iran

The Iranian authorities are set to regulate the country's nascent modeling industry.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani waits for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry before their meeting at the Diwan Palace in Doha, August 3, 2015. Kerry is meeting his Gulf Arab counterparts for talks in Qatar as he attempts to ease the concerns of key allies over the Iran nuclear deal. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool - RTX1MTEV

Is Qatar Iran's door to the Gulf?

The recent Iranian-Qatari rapprochement has created further controversy in the Middle East but some countries see it as a positive step in alleviating the ongoing conflict.

Iranian olive branch offers diplomatic paradigm shift

To resolve regional crises before they become even worse, Iran and its Arab neighbors must engage in dialogue based on a new paradigm for conflict resolution.

Landscape

Khamenei warns Iranians not to rely on the US

Ahead of the anniversary of the US Embassy takeover, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned against relying on the United States.

Will Iran's nuclear diplomacy lead to regional solutions?

Will progress on regional issues be achieved if Iran's role in the region is recognized?

IRGC head warns of 'sedition' post-nuclear deal

The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Ali Jafari, warned that the United States will use the post-nuclear deal climate in Iran to gain influence in the country.

Iran sees 'battle of the brands' as US franchises look to enter

Bootlegs of American franchises in Iran may very well fall victim of the nuclear deal as Western companies consider expanding their businesses there.

Lebanon's Hezbollah members stand at attention in front of a picture of Hassan al-Haj, one of Hezbollah's top commanders who was killed fighting alongside Syrian army forces in Idlib province, during his funeral in his hometown of al-Luwaizeh, southern Lebanon October 12, 2015. Lebanon's Hezbollah on Monday buried a commander described as the group's most important military figure to be killed in the four-year-long Syrian war. Hassan al-Haj was killed in Idlib province in northwestern Syria, where the Irani

The Russian, Iranian, Hezbollah military triangle

It seems that Russia, through its military intervention in Syria, is complementing the Iranian-Hezbollah axis there, instead of replacing it, as Hezbollah sources confirm that coordination is ongoing between Moscow, Iran and the party.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan poses as he casts his ballot at a polling station in Istanbul, Turkey November 1, 2015. Turks began voting on Sunday amid worsening security and economic worries in a snap parliamentary election that could profoundly impact the divided country's trajectory and that of President Tayyip Erdogan. The parliamentary poll is the second in five months, after the ruling AK Party founded by Erdogan failed to retain its single-party majority in June. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX1U7U8

Turkey’s dispiriting elections

Erdogan offers an uncertain democratic future for Turkey; Syria Contact Group avoids divisions over Assad’s fate; Iranian and Russian support pivotal in Syrian military campaign to retake Aleppo.

How to get Iran to improve its human rights

The arrest of another Iranian-American dramatizes efforts by Iran’s security establishment to undercut President Hassan Rouhani but also jeopardizes economic gains from the nuclear agreement.

After Iranian, Russian military advances Syrian opposition suffers setback in Aleppo

Regime forces were able to retake large swathes of Aleppo’s southern countryside from the opposition, whose weaponry is insufficient in the face of Iranian and Russian ground and air support.