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November 5, 2026

Tehran 4:15 am

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An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

Political sources describe the Democrats' midterm victory as a political blow to both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Iranians walk along a building installed with a giant poster depicting Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a rally in front of the former US embassy to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, in Tehran on Nov. 4, 2026.

Analysis

Iran cheers Democrats’ midterm victory but fears Trump's next move

The Democratic win was a victory Tehran had been waiting to claim and project as evidence that Trump's confrontation with Iran has backfired.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

The sun sets on the US Capitol on Election Day evening on Nov. 3, 2026 in Washington.

From Tehran to Tel Aviv, Democrats’ midterm triumph sparks Middle East reactions

Iranian officials responded gleefully to the Democrats’ sweeping victory in the Senate and House, while regional media highlighted Abdul El-Sayed’s election as the first Muslim American senator.

RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

War, oil, AI: What US midterms could mean for Middle East economies

Governments across the Middle East will be watching closely after the election amid fears the US-Israel-Iran war could spiral into a new cycle of violence.

Latest News

Iran executes two men in case tied to January protests: What to know

A police officer monitors traffic as he stands under portraits of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran, on Oct. 21, 2026.

Analysis

'All we can do is wait': Netanyahu's push for Iran strikes hangs on Trump’s post-midterm call

Evan Vucci/Getty Images

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

Iran gives 2-day window for Hormuz deal as US mulls strikes: What to know

Iranian motorists drive past a poster of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in central Tehran on Nov. 1, 2026. I

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

Zarif pushes Syria plan ahead of Iran-GCC talks

With a nuclear deal in hand, Iran is focusing on jump-starting regional diplomacy and dealing with Syria.

Tehran district grows by leaps and bounds

The Iranian capital's newest district presents plenty of opportunities, but also challenges.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 1: Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, co-chairman of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, prepares to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Capitol Hill Wednesday. The subcommittee heard the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future. (Photo by Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

Former US national security adviser endorses Iran deal

Brent Scowcroft, former Republican US national security adviser, tells Al-Monitor that US failure to implement the nuclear agreement with Iran “would be an abdication of America’s unique role and responsibility, incurring justified dismay among our allies and friends.”

An Israeli naval officer walks on the pier at a naval base in the northern city of Haifa as INS Tanin, a Dolphin AIP class submarine, docks after its arrival in Israel, September 23, 2014. Tanin is the fourth submarine Israel has acquired, and is the first of three German-built Dolphin AIP class vessels ordered by Israel, an Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: MILITARY) - RTR47EHT

Rethinking the Middle East's nuclear balance

Following the Iran nuke deal, the US and the regional powers must strive for a regional security agreement, either based on a mutual deterrence verification system or a nuclear-free Middle East.

Who is targeting Iranians in Turkey?

A series of attacks on Iranian interests in Turkey raises the question of why the PKK may seek to hit Iran at this point.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani smiles during a meeting with German Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel (unseen) in Tehran on July 20, 2015. Gabriel flew to Iran, becoming the first top Western official to visit the country since world powers and Tehran reached a historic nuclear deal. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

A new era of impeachments in Iran?

With the nuclear deal seemingly behind it, Iran's parliament is seeking to target Hassan Rouhani's Cabinet.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid attends a women's committee convention in Tel Aviv March 1, 2015. The era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ending, with Israeli voters clearly more concerned about economic and social issues than about security or fears over Iran, a leading election candidate said on Monday. Lapid, a telegenic former news anchor and TV host, leads the centrist, secular Yesh Atid party ("There's a Future"), which emerged out of the cost-of-living protests that swept Israel in 2011. Picture

Lapid: Israel has the right to criticize Iran deal

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid argues that as the prime target for an Iranian bomb, Israel has more justification to speak up against the nuclear agreement than other countries.

Congressional Democrats visiting Israel get earful about 'bad' Iran deal

Instead of adopting the assessment of several top security chiefs that the Iran deal is better than none, Zionist Camp leaders Tzipi Livni and Isaac Herzog have chosen to imitate the prime minister and deride the agreement in talks with Congressional Democrats visiting Israel.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

An Iranian woman stands in a currency exchange shop in northern Tehran January 3, 2012. The Iranian rial fell to a record low against the dollar on Tuesday following U.S. President Barack Obama signing a bill on imposing fresh sanctions against the country's central bank. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS) - RTR2VU75

Iran's troubled bond market

Even if sanctions are lifted, Iran's debt market faces several obstacles to realizing its full potential.

Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Kharazi, a former Iranian diplomat, advisor to Iran's former president Mohammad Khatami and head of the new reformist party, Nedaye Iranian, speaks during congress attended by some 200 supporters of the newly formed party in Tehran on February 26, 2015. Nedaye Iranian (The Call of Iranians) was established in December by reformist politicians who support the legacy of Khatami. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Kharazi sparks controversy within Reformist camp

Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Kharazi, who has founded a new political Reformist group, has stirred controversy with comments that he someday might expose names of Reformists who in the past had contacts with Americans.

Kuwait's Sunnis question fellow Shiites' loyalties

Kuwait is experiencing heightened Sunni-Shiite tensions, but the country's position in the region may make it difficult to address them should the situation worsen.

Rafsanjani's son enters prison amid media circus

Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani's son, entered Evin prison to serve a 10-year sentence for corruption.