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Iran

July 27, 2024

Tehran 6:31 pm

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The Iran-flagged oil tanker ship Clavel is docked at Shahid Beheshti Port in the southeastern Iranian coastal city of Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman, during an inauguration ceremony of new equipment and infrastructure at the port on February 25, 2019.

Regional View

Amid US-sanction fears, can India, Iran move ahead with $370M port deal?

Will progress on the long-term bilateral agreement signed by New Delhi and Tehran on the development of the Shahid Beheshti port be stymied by US sanctions?

A police officer is seen in front of the Blue Mosque, housing the Islamic Centre of Hamburg, northern Germany, on July 24, 2024.

Regional View

Iran summons German ambassador, furious over Islamic center closure

Iran, which has been running similar foundations in several Western countries, condemned the ban as an act of Islamophobia after Berlin found the center to be propagating "extremism and fundamentalism."

Debris litters a loading dock a day after Israeli strikes on the port of Yemen's Houthi-held city of Hodeida on July 21, 2024.

Analysis

Israel’s Yemen attack against Houthis warning to nuclear Iran

While concerns grow in Israel over the continued drone and missile attacks by the Houthis in Yemen, the real threat remains that of Iran.

By Ben Caspit

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

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an NCAA championship team celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024, in Washington.

Quick Take

From Gaza to Iran: What Kamala Harris’ Middle East policy could look like

Harris has been described as more critical of Israel than President Joe Biden, but with similar views on Iran and relations with regional leaders, including in the Gulf.

Latest News

Middle East cheers Biden’s withdrawal, uncertain about Kamala Harris pick

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 29: U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris wave to members of the audience after speaking at a campaign rally at Girard College on May 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Biden and Harris are using today's rally to launch a nationwide campaign to court black voters, a group that has traditionally come out in favor of Biden, but their support is projected lower than it was in 2020. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Beatrice Farhat

By Beatrice Farhat

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Analysis

Where are Iran-Afghanistan ties headed under Pezeshkian?

A Taliban fighter stands guard outside the US embassy as people demonstrate against videos of allegedly showing Afghan refugees being beaten by Iranians went viral, near the Ahmad Shah Massoud square in Kabul on April 12, 2022.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Regional View

Iran applauds Houthis for Israel attack, yet keeps distance to avoid blame

An Israeli policeman makes a phone call on the scene where an explosion took place in Tel Aviv on July 19, 2024.

Quick Take

Middle East takeaways from Trump’s Republican convention speech

JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Armed attack in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province kills police officer

ATTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages

Beatrice Farhat

By Beatrice Farhat

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

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

Bijan Khajehpour

In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics

Rahim Rahimov

In Baku, reporting on Middle East-Caucasus ties

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Two Iranian women are walking in the street of Tehran with optional covering.

Women activists face 'severe sentences' in Iran, as new president vows easing of restrictions

A woman labor activist was sentenced to death in Iran for allegedly belonging to an outlawed Kurdish group, as authorities continue their crackdown against any type of dissent.

Beatrice Farhat

By Beatrice Farhat

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Police stay guard in front of the former Azerbaijan Embassy in Tehran on January 27, 2023, following an attack.

Regional View

As Azerbaijan reopens Iran embassy, normalization remains shaky

Though both sides have welcomed the reopening as a key step in mending their strained ties, the two neighbors appear to have a long road ahead in resolving deep-seated geopolitical and ideological differences.

Supporters cheer as newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrives at the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran on July 6, 2024.

Analysis

How Iran’s new government will impact ties with Pakistan

Will Pezeshkian's victory in Iran result in relational shifts with its neighbors and the West alike? Experts believe that remains to be seen.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2L) meets with Iran's conservative Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (2R) on the sidelines of a BRICS (the bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) parliamentary forum in Saint Petersburg on July 11, 2024.

Regional View

Iran advances de-dollarization among BRICS members to counter US dominance

As a new addition to the BRICS group of nations, Iran has been promoting an ambitious campaign within the alliance to counter US influence over global markets and alleviate the impacts of American sanctions on its own economy.

Newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a visit to the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, on July 6, 2024, in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

Will Iran join global financial watchdog FATF under Pezeshkian?

Pezeshkian has promised better days for Iran, but will he revive the once-thwarted negotiations required to make change happen?

Ali Dadpay

By Ali Dadpay

TEHRAN, IRAN - JULY 6: Newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian gestures during a visit to the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on July 6, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. Masoud Pezeshkian, considered the reformist candidate among the six approved contenders for the country's presidency, won office on Friday after a runoff election. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

After Pezeshkian win, Iran nuclear diplomacy hinges on US election

Iran’s president-elect, Masoud Pezeshkian, says he wants to negotiate with the United States, but is the feeling mutual?

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a visit to the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran on July 6, 2024.

Quick Take

Iran's Pezeshkian assures Russia’s Putin, Hezbollah chief of continued support

Masoud Pezeshkian's messages indicate that Iran's strategic ties with Russia and militia allies are unlikely to change under his presidency, as the agenda largely rests with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 04: Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines speaks during a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. Haines testified alongside Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier and took questions on the intelligence communities annual threat assessment. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Top intelligence official warns Iran meddling in Gaza protests inside US

The director of national intelligence said "actors tied to Iran's government" are encouraging the protests and "even providing financial support" to those participating.

Al-Monitor Staff

By Al-Monitor Staff

Iranian reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian (C-R) and Iran's former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (C-L) gesture after voting in Tehran on July 5, 2024. Polls opened on July 5 for Iran's runoff presidential election, the interior ministry said, pitting reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili in the race to succeed Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May helicopter crash. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Can Iran's new president challenge country's powerful hard-liners?

From the revival of the nuclear deal and fixing the battered economy to easing hijab restrictions and improving women's rights, the Reformist president has made ambitious promises to the disillusioned electorate.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Iranian reformist presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian (C) gestures while surrounded by supporters outside a polling station in Tehran on July 5, 2024.

Quick Take

Polls close in Iran's presidential runoff: Estimates of nearly 50% turnout

Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and hard-liner Saeed Jalili faced off in Friday's vote after many Iranians boycotted the first round of the voting.

Presidential candidates Masoud Pezeshkian (L) and Saeed Jalili are seen in a screen grab from Monday's debate.

Regional View

Iran’s Jalili, Pezeshkian spar over sanctions as calls for boycott grow

Iran's supreme leader remained silent on the record-low turnout seen last week, and state media went out of their way to draw in more voters to prevent further embarrassment.

An Iranian woman casts her vote at a polling station in Tehran during Iran's presidential election on June 28, 2024.

Analysis

Iran's record low voter turnout stirs debates on eroding legitimacy

Amid widespread boycotts and despite the state's media campaigns to bring out voters, Iran's presidential election registered the lowest ever turnout for the theocratic establishment that has long invested in public support to boost its legitimacy abroad.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics