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Iran

November 2, 2026

Tehran 11:12 pm

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US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Oct. 27, 2026.

Will Iran take up Vance lifeline to avoid another US attack?

Vance’s letter comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity ahead of the Nov. 3 deadline; Jordan and Syria move to deepen security ties following a terrorist attack.

Tehran

Analysis

Who will blink first in latest US-Iran diplomacy efforts?

The prospects for a US-Iran deal may depend less on the scope for compromise than on whether either side can afford to make the first concession.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait

Limpet mine attack in Hormuz suggests Iran may be shifting tactics

UKMTO report of the first successful limpet mine attack on a commercial vessel in the Middle East since 2019 appeared to undermine the Pentagon's claims to have fully cleared and opened the Strait of Hormuz.

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell, New York City, Sept. 28, 2026.

Oil tops $114 as traders brace for Iran escalation after US midterms

On Friday, BP posted its highest profits in 18 years as a result of the Iran conflict, which has driven up oil and gas margins.

Latest News

Analysis

Mediators scramble to avert US-Iran fighting after Trump's midterm restraint fades

US President Donald Trump walks on stage

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

CENTCOM chief briefs Trump on Iran strike options

US CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper speaks during a press briefing

Iran arrests 16 in connection with alleged US-Israel-linked cells: What to know

John Moore/Getty Images

Analysis

How wartime urgency pushed Iran to court Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan

A woman walks past a mural bearing the Iranian national flag

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

Is BBC Persian meddling in Iranian elections?

Pre-election sniping ahead of the Assembly of Experts vote heats up as Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s ticket is labeled “British.”

Iran's Supreme Council of Cyberspace announces plans for social media monitoring

Given the widespread use of smartphones, Iranian officials say there is a need to monitor election-related social media activity.

A man pushes a trolley full of Dell computers through a company factory in Sriperumbudur Taluk, in the Kancheepuram district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in this June 2, 2011 file photograph. Dell Inc's shares fell 9 percent on August 17, 2011, a day after weak technology spending forced the world's second-largest PC maker to slash its full-year revenue forecast. REUTERS/Babu/Files (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTR2Q1AT

Did the UN ship restricted technology to Iran?

House lawmakers finally hear from patent agency whistleblowers after four years of stonewalling.

Why this election of Iran's Assembly of Experts is more important than ever

The next Assembly of Experts is also being selected this election season, and this one has a good chance of determining the next supreme leader of Iran.

'Special messages' aside, Iran's S-300 missiles still up in air

Despite the increasing regional cooperation between Iran and Russia, the Tehran-Moscow relationship is marred by distrust over the long-stalled S-300 air defense missile deal.

How one Kurdish woman went from child soldier to Swedish lawmaker

Swedish parliamentarian Amineh Kakabaveh tells Al-Monitor about her remarkable journey from Kurdish guerrilla camps in Iraq’s mountains to the rostrum of European politics.

Iranian women take part in a reformist campaign for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Tehran February 20, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX27UFB

Everything you need to know about this week's elections in Iran

Thousands of contenders are rushing to make use of Iran's short campaigning window in a contest that will determine crucial support for President Hassan Rouhani's policy efforts.

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters through a giant screen during a rally commemorating the annual Hezbollah Martyrs' Leader Day in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon February 16, 2016. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RTX278R4

Does Hezbollah seek Israel’s elimination? 'Not so,' says Nasrallah

Hezbollah leader says group will not open new front against Israel; Turkey’s two-front war; battles for Aleppo “unlike any others”; Saudi military exercise provides distraction.

Tunisian Foreign Minister Taieb Baccouche (R) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Tunis, Tunisia November 13, 2015. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi - RTS6SST

Kerry sells foreign aid budget

A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Feb. 22.

Iranian women holding electoral signs attend a reformist campaign for upcoming parliamentary election, in Tehran February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX27KCQ

Among Iranian Reformists, hope goes hand in hand with pragmatism

How do Iranian Reformists see the future of their country — including the prospect of change — in the aftermath of the nuclear deal?

How Iran's supreme leader prepares for election day

The website for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei published a number of fatwas about the elections.

Hamas and Iran: New era, new rules

After a cooling of ties following the outbreak of the Arab Spring, Hamas appears to be moving to restore its relations with Iran.