At Iran's World Cup opener, a banned flag became a flashpoint at the stadium gates

June 18, 2026
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Two hours before Iran's national soccer team opened World Cup play against New Zealand on Monday night, an Iranian American man and his teenage daughter got in line to enter SoFi Stadium.

Fans hold up pre-revolutionary Iranian flags as Iran played New Zealand in a FIFA World Cup 2026 match at Los Angeles Stadium on June 15, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)

Inside the US-Iran Memorandum: The 14 Points Released by IRNA

June 18, 2026

Iranian state media have published the full text of a 14-point memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington.

Back to Bad Beginnings: The Iran-US Memorandum of Understanding

June 17, 2026
Binoy Kampmark

Ships in the Strait of Hormuz. (Screengrab from video posted to YouTube.)

The U.S. and Iran have struck a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz, but Israel may prevent an end to the war

June 16, 2026
Mitchell Plitnick 

The U.S. and Iran have reportedly signed a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz and to begin negotiations to end the war. It is a hopeful sign that this disastrous war of choice may soon be over, but once again, Israel stands to be the spoiler.

President Donald Trump hosts a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Monday, December 29, 2025, at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

خالق

یکی‌ از موضوعاتی که همواره بشر را به تفکر واداشته است دنیای خارج از زندگی‌ روزمره است. پیش از آنکه ما به این دنیا قدم بگذاریم چه بودیم، و پس از اینکه این دنیا را ترک می‌کنیم چه خواهیم بود؟ چگونه این جهان شکل گرفت و آیا پایانی برای آن متصور است، و اگر پایانی دارد، این پایان در چه زمانی‌ و چگونه است؟ آغاز دنیا در چه زمان و چگونه بوده است، و آیا کسی‌ و یا نیروئی در ایجاد و کنترل این جهان نقش داشته است؟ا

Vance Says US-Iran MOU Has Already Been Signed ‘Digitally’

June 15, 2026
Dave DeCamp

The vice president said that Tehran could eventually gain access to a major Gulf-funded reconstruction fund

Will Israel Blow Up Trump’s Deal? Jeremy Scahill on Iran Talks, Strait of Hormuz, Nukes & More

June 15, 2026
More than 100 days into hostilities, Iran and the United States say they have reached a preliminary deal to end the war. Israel, however, is not a party to the tentative deal and says it plans to keep occupying areas of southern Lebanon — a position still contested by Iran and the key sticking point to the partial ceasefire deal agreed to by the U.S. and Iran in April. Although the new agreement is set to be signed Friday, Israel’s unrelenting assault on Lebanon could once again spoil any deal.

Iran warns ‘no point’ in deal with US if Israel remains unrestrained

June 14, 2026

Another top Iranian official said Washington’s ‘rabid dog’ must be ‘controlled’ following Israel's latest strike on Beirut

Live: US-Iran deal close as Israel bombs south Lebanon

June 13, 2026

Diplomats prepare for possible Geneva signing while implementation questions remain

Women walk past Iran's national flag in Vanak Square in Tehran, Iran, on 10 June 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP)

In Rare Step, Iran FM agrees with Trump, Trump retweets him

June 13, 2026
Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The announcement by President Trump on Friday that he had decided not to pursue further attacks on Iran for the moment after a round of tit for tat strikes midweek provoked two different reactions in Iran

“We Will Be Taking Kharg Island” — Trump Threatens Invasion of Iran

June 11, 2026
Chris Walker

Trump threatened to hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” then announced hours later he had “cancelled the scheduled strikes.”

 
President Donald Trump speaks to the press on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 before departing the White House for Beijing, China.

Bonnie Cash/Pool/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

‘Trillionaires Shouldn’t Exist’: Obscene Musk Milestone Spurs Calls for Aggressive Wealth Tax

June 12, 2026
Jake Johnson

“The level of wealth that Mr. Musk has reached requires human exploitation, wage theft, wage suppression, anti-competitive markets, monopolistic control, price collusion, inadequate tax systems, and corruption.”

 
A poster attacking Elon Musk’s wealth in a world of large-scale hunger is displayed on a bus shelter on June 11, 2026 in Tottenham, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Trump hints at ground invasion to get ‘total control’ of Iran oil

June 11, 2026
Stephen Prager

But he said he wasn’t sure Americans, who are strongly opposed to strikes against Iran according to recent polls, have ‘the appetite’ for it

Screen shot from video Trump released, saying it showed damage to Kharg terminal March 13, 2026.

Who Is the Aggressor?

June 10, 2026
Joe Lauria

That is the most important question today that we strive everyday to answer.

زبان

ما به یکی‌ از اعضائ بدن خود که برای مکالمه با دیگران از آن استفاده می‌کنیم زبان می‌گوئیم. گویش، سخنگوئی، و تکلم نیز با همین واژه ادا می‌شود. عجیب است که یکی‌ از اندام بدن ما که در دهان ما قرار دارد و عضو اصلی‌ برای سخنگوئی است را می‌توان به جای واژهٔ سخنگوئی بکار برد. عجیب‌تر آنکه در بسیاری از گویش‌های دیگر نیز این واژه در هر دو مورد بکار می‌رود! در انگلیسی‌ به زبان تانگ، و همچنین لنگوئج می‌گویند، که اولی‌ به معنی‌ عضو بدن، و دومی‌ به معنی‌ گویش است، در حالی‌ که می‌توان از تانگ بجای لنگوئج نیز استفاده کرد، مانند آنچه که در زبان فارسی است. در بسیاری از گویش‌های دیگر نیز چنین وجه تشابهی‌ را می‌توان مشاهده کرد.ا

How are Saudis viewing the US‑Iran war? Our polling suggests Gulf kingdom is split on key issues

June 9, 2026
Naomi Schalit
Since the beginning of the Iran war, Saudi Arabia has been grappling with how best to respond to the expansion of Middle East conflict.

Saudis at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center. Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Is Losing Control of the Iran War

June 8, 2026
Connor Echols

After a weekend of escalation, the Houthis launched missiles at Israel and vowed to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea.

 

A man looks at the wreckage of an Iranian missile that landed near the West Bank city of Jericho on June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Iran blames US for Israeli ceasefire breaches as Trump tells both sides to ‘stop shooting’

June 8, 2026

The US president earlier said both sides “had their fun” and should stop, after Tehran fired missiles at Israel in response to Sunday’s strikes on Lebanon

Iran war 100 days: How the conflict impacted Iran and the world

June 7, 2026
Hanna Duggal

From the human cost to the economy, Al Jazeera visualises how the US-Israel war on Iran has unfolded since February 28.

Missiles and negotiations: Iran 100 days into the war with US and Israel

June 7, 2026
Maziar Motamedi

Talks and projectile attacks have continued for months, and could last much longer absent a breakthrough.

Portraits in Tehran of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, left, and assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei [File: Vahid Salemi/AP] 

Iran’s New Grand Strategy

June 3, 2026
Narges Bajoghli and Vali Nasr

How a Remade Islamic Republic Will Reshape the Middle East

How Russia and Iran are repositioning commercial geography in the Caspian Sea

June 6, 2026
Lorenzo Maria Pacini

The Caspian no longer represents a secondary route: it is becoming one of the silent pillars of the Eurasian response to U.S. hegemony.

Tehran says it fired shots at US destroyers amid Trump comments: Live

June 5, 2026
Iran’s navy has said that it fired warning missiles and drones at US warships in the Gulf of Oman on Friday.

Trump's art of the deal meets Iran's long memory of foreign exploitation

June 4, 2026
Tanya Goudsouzian & Ibrahim Al-Marashi

Washington may view these talks as a standard business transaction, but history has taught Tehran that a compromise with the West is a trap

LIVE BLOG: Iran Announces Retaliatory Strike after Reported US Attack near Hormuz – Day 95

June 3, 2026

Hezbollah intensified attacks in southern Lebanon as Israeli strikes, missile interceptions, and unexplained explosions signaled widening regional tensions.

A resistance drone attack moments before striking an Israeli military vehicle inside South Lebanon. (Photo: Military Media)

دمکراسی

Why Trump Blinked on Iran

June 2, 2026
Sophia Gonzalez
Donald Trump did not suddenly become a dove. He did not wake up one morning converted to the wisdom of Quincy Adams, George Kennan, or the old conservative suspicion of crusading wars. When he paused another planned attack on Iran, the public explanation was diplomatic: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates had urged restraint; Pakistan had carried a proposal; talks had become serious enough to justify delay. That explanation is true as far as it goes. It is not enough.

Iran war live: US bombs Iranian sites as Trump seeks tougher deal

June 1, 2026

Kuwait reports missile and drone attacks following Iranian retaliation claims

Will Trump sideline Israel is order to make a deal with Iran?

May 31, 2026
Mitchell Plitnick 

Donald Trump reportedly has a deal on the table to suspend fighting and begin negotiations to end the Iran war and the resulting global economic crisis. But Israel and Iran hawks see it as a disaster and are working to undermine it. Who will win out?

Why Trump’s Hormuz Blockade may Bolster the Iranian State

May 30, 2026
Juan Cole
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Iranian government continues to dicker with the Trump administration about the final form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that would bring an end to the current standoff at the Strait of Hormuz, which threatens the world’s energy.

The art of the deal author has no clue about how to make a deal

May 29, 2026
Martin Jay

The more Trump threatens, the more it is clear he is weak and desperate, writes Martin Jay.

US Treasury slaps sanctions on Iranian authority overseeing Hormuz

May 28, 2026

Washington seeks to criminalize the newly established maritime shipping mechanism by labeling fee collection as ‘extortion’

Iran Says US Violated Ceasefire and Vows It Will ‘Leave No Act of Aggression Unanswered’

May 26, 2026
Dave DeCamp

Iran's IRGC said that its air defense forces downed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone

US military photo from the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship operating in the Arabian Sea as the US enforces a blockade on Iran (CENTCOM)

از کاخ شاه تا زندان اوین

در سال هزار و سیصد و هشتاد و یک، کتاب "از کاخ شاه تا زندان اوین" نوشتهٔ احسان نراقی که به فرانسه نوشتار شده بود، با ترجمهٔ سعید آذری به فارسی، برای چهارمین بار منتشر شد.ا

U.S. Bombs Iran Despite Peace Talks; Israel Strikes Lebanon to “Force Trump’s Hand”: Negar Mortazavi

May 26, 2026
We get an update on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran from journalist Negar Mortazavi, following the Pentagon’s so-called self-defense strikes on two Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz Monday despite an official ceasefire and ongoing peace negotiations. The “chaotic” ceasefire “has been violated from day one,” says Mortazavi, who notes that Israel’s continuous attacks on southern Lebanon are delaying attempts to end the war — and that this is exactly the intention of the Israeli government. “Clearly, Netanyahu doesn’t want this war with Iran to end,” she says. “Every step of escalation is definitely going to harm the final outcome and narrow the path to a final agreement.” Mortazavi also comments on the new political reality for Iran’s Gulf neighbors in the aftermath of Iranian strikes on U.S. military bases hosted in the region. “The Iranian message is: If war comes to us, it will not stay inside our borders.”

This Tehran Music School Took Ages to Build Up. Airstrikes Turned It to Rubble.

May 25, 2026
Kourosh Ziabari

The destruction of Honiak Music Academy shows the devastating impact of the US-Israeli war on Iran’s creative spaces.

Hamidreza Afarideh and Sheida Ebadatdoust inspect the ruins of the Honiak Music Academy in Tehran, Iran, after U.S.-Israeli airstrikes destroyed the private arts school on March 23, 2026.

Warmongers in meltdown as Trump heralds Iran deal

May 24, 2026
Trita Parsi

In essence, this agreement brings the situation to where it was supposed to be following the announcement of the original ceasefire

GOP Hawks Alarmed as Trump Mulls Deal to End His Illegal Iran War

May 24, 2026
Brad Reed

“Nothing was accomplished by Operation Epic Fury except putting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in charge of Iran and the Strait of Hormuz,” said one critic of the war.

Pakistan’s moment in the Sun: Can it really end the Iran war?

May 23, 2026
Leon Hadar

The very things that make Islamabad useful as a postman also limit what it can deliver as a peacemaker

Vice President J D Vance, left, talks to Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir, right, and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, center, before boarding Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, April 12, 2026. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / Pool

When privacy disappears: What life looks like inside displacement shelters in Gaza

May 23, 2026
Marwa Rommaneh

In Gaza's displacement shelters, privacy is not suspended; it is erased

Tents and shelters for displaced families in Gaza. Picture by the author, used with permission

They are killing us off- A Poem

May 22, 2026
Marge Piercy

 

The farce of Israel’s ‘liberal’ investigative journalism

May 22, 2026
Sebastian Ben Daniel (John Brown)

A recent exposé on the killing of three hostages by Israeli soldiers highlights how even critical news programs form part of an architecture of public denial.

The war in Iran – again – points to the strategic shortcomings of assassination as policy of foreign affairs

May 21, 2026
Brian O'Neill
The coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes at the outset of the war in Iran killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with other key regime figures. In doing so, the United States and Israel crossed what The New York Times and others described as “a new Rubicon”: the deliberate, overt killing of a head of state.

Iran war live: Trump says he’s in ‘no hurry’ to reach a deal

May 20, 2026
Elis Gjevori, Adam Hancock and Jillian Kestler-D'Amours

• Iran has warned that the Middle East war would spread far beyond the region if the United States and Israel resumed their attacks.
• US President Donald Trump has given Iran “two to three days” to reach a deal, as his deputy, JD Vance, said the two sides have made a “lot of progress” in talks.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting Russian leader Vladimir Putin for talks expected to focus on energy and weapons deals that are heavily influenced by the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
• Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi heading to Tehran for talks. Iran’s state media reported.
• Israeli forces have intercepted another boat from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, the 61st so far, as international outrage grows over the abduction of hundreds of activists.

قصه

یکی‌ بود یکی‌ نبود، غیر از خلأ هیچی‌ نبود. قصهٔ ما از اونجایی شروع میشه که پیروز، پسر بهروز و مهبانو، داشته جلوی خونش که وسط یه جنگل قرار گرفته بود بازی میکرده، که یه مرتبه یه سیرنگ از آسمون سرازیر میشه و تو یه چشم بهم زدن با نوکش یقهٔ پیرهن اونا میگیره و پیروز رو از زمین بلند میکنه و پرواز کنون به سمت لونش تو کوه قاف میره.ا

Chris Hedges: Trump’s Iranian Nightmare

May 19, 2026
Chris Hedges

Trump’s catastrophic miscalculation in Iran and refusal to accept the inevitability of defeat is pushing us towards a global depression and ensuring the suffering and immiseration of millions.

Iran conflict cost global businesses $25bn – Reuters

May 18, 2026

Companies throughout the world have faced supply shocks linked to the Hormuz blockade, the outlet has said

Trump’s Iran warning sends oil prices soaring and markets tumbling

May 18, 2026
Global markets experienced a turbulent start to the week, with Asian stocks largely retreating and oil prices surging, following a stark warning from Donald Trump to Tehran that "the clock is ticking" amid stalled negotiations over a permanent end to the conflict.

LIVE BLOG: Iran Rejects US Conditions as Hezbollah Escalates Attacks – Day 78

May 17, 2026
Israeli attacks killed and wounded Palestinians in Gaza as Hezbollah escalated strikes and Israeli military losses mounted.

An Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon. (Photo: video grab, via social media)

Araghchi: BRICS look at Iran with Different Eyes after “American Failure”

May 16, 2026
Juan Cole
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The BRICS (a broad geopolitical group including Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates) held a summit for foreign ministers in New Delhi on May 14-15 that was overshadowed by the relatively fruitless Trump meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Iran, which attended as an observer, was naturally a big subject of conversation.