Political reporting on Iran — the government and Supreme Leader, elections, nuclear negotiations, and the factional struggles inside the Islamic Republic — collected from independent English-language outlets.
The 60-day period associated with the Iran-US interim peace deal ended Monday without a breakthrough, with Washington rejecting an extension and a senior Iranian official saying the US had a few weeks to meet the agreement’s terms before further talks.
UAE, Omani leaders discuss regional, global affairs in Abu Dhabi The president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, hosted a meeting with Oman’s Sultan, Haitham bin Tariq, in Abu Dhabi to discuss “developments in regional and international affairs”, according to a post from the Royal Oman Family on X. This comes after US President Donald Trump repeated his threats to bomb Oman, as it finalises a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 📹 جلالةُ السُّلطان المُعظّم /حفظهُ اللهُ ورعاهُ/ يقوم بزيارةٍ أخويّةٍ خاصّة إلى دولة #الإمارات العربية المتحدة الشقيقة، التقى خلالها بأخيه صاحب السمو الشيخ #محمد_بن_زايد آل نهيان رئيس الدولة.
Kushner says Iran, US conversations are robust but no understanding reached yet US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, said in an interview with Fox News on Monday that conversations between the US and various parts of the Iranian government were probably more robust than ever, but the two sides had not yet reached an understanding. This comes after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied claims that they were conducting backchannel talks with the US.
Trump approval hits new second-term low According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, US President Donald Trump's approval has fallen to 33 percent, a new low during his second term in office. The poll found that 64 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's performance in the White House. Meanwhile, 80 percent of Americans expect US involvement in Iran to continue for an extended period of time after the interim US-Iran ceasefire expired and Trump said that he will not be pursuing an extention on the deal.
Trump says US not seeking to extend interim deal with Iran President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that Iran would not make the type of deal with the US that he thought was necessary. He added that the US is not seeking an extension of the memorandum of understanding with Iran, after the deal expired.
A bill before Iran’s parliament that would impose new restrictions on contacts with foreign media, universities and organizations has drawn widespread objections over its potential impact on routine academic, cultural and civil-society activity.
UAE issues rare denial of 'imperial ambitions' in Africa Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 08/17/2026 - 18:53 Expert says UAE's denial contains 'flawed logic', as it bolsters militias and scoops up key assets in Africa This handout picture, released by the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 30 October 2025, shows RSF members reportedly detaining a fighter known as Abu Lulu (L) in El-Fasher, in war-torn Sudan’s western Darfur region (RSF/AFP) Off The UAE has pushed back against a Financial Times (FT) article charting the Gulf state’s growing military and economic footprint in Africa. In a rare rebuttal published by the FT on Monday, the UAE’s director of strategic communications, Afra al-Hameli, said Abu Dhabi was “disappointed” that the newspaper portrayed it as pursuing an “imperial ambition” in Africa. “To describe partnerships negotiated with sovereign African governments as evidence of ‘imperial ambition’ is deeply patronising,” Hameli wrote.
Turkey, Iran discuss efforts to reopen Strait of Hormuz, continue US-Iran ceasefire Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi on Monday to discuss efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz and ensure the continuation of a ceasefire between Iran and the U. S. according to Reuters, citing a Turkish diplomatic source.
Washington [US], August 17 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains Washington's 'number one Goal' in the ongoing conflict with Tehran in West Asia, placing a renewed emphasis on the nuclear issue despite some of his advisers highlighting energy security and keeping oil and gas prices low as equally important priorities.
Netanyahu says talks with Trump's 'Board of Peace' are 'deep and constructive' In a statement to X on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that his meeting with Trump's "Board of Peace" had "deep and constructive discussions". The statement said that they agreed to establish "two working groups": "one on disarmament and demilitarisation of Gaza" and the other for "sanitation, clean water and other public health issues for the people of Gaza". Israeli President Isaac Herzog also added in a post on X on Monday that he was "grateful" for the ongoing efforts of the Board of Peace delegation led by US special envoy and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner "to advance to the next stages in Gaza, in accordance with President Trump's 20-Point Plan".
IRGC rejects Trump’s claims of talks with the US IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohammadi rejected President Donald Trump’s claim that the US has been conducting talks with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “There are no talks between IRGC officials and the Americans,” Mohammadi told the state-run Tasnim news agency on Monday. “This lie from Trump is simply a fantasy that he is experiencing due to delusions and nightmares resulting from defeat and desperation in the war,” he said, adding that “currently, no talks are taking place with the Americans in this area either, due to broken promises and the dark experiences of repeated and constant violations of agreements by the United States”.
Kushner, Netanyahu agree on path forward for Gaza, Board of Peace official says An agreement was reached on Monday between President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a path forward for the war on Gaza after a "lengthy, in depth, and very productive" meeting, a Board of Peace official said, according to Reuters. The two sides "agreed that no redeployment or reconstruction would take place in the Gaza Strip before Hamas is disarmed throughout Gaza", a senior Israeli official told AFP. "It was also agreed that the first step toward the demilitarisation of the Strip would be to require Hamas to hand over its weapons for decommissioning under the supervision of an American general," the official said.
An Iranian state television presenter has sparked widespread criticism after saying “southern Iran be sacrificed for southern Lebanon” while dismissing criticism over the damage caused by recent US airstrikes on Iran’s southern provinces.
President Trump took aim at Oman, a U. S. ally that has been mediating the talks, as efforts to end a war he started have faltered.
Why the Mecca Agreement has given the UAE-Israel alliance the jitters Submitted by David Hearst on Mon, 08/17/2026 - 11:04 With their destructive wars, Netanyahu and Trump have brought the Gulf to the brink of destruction - the Mecca pact represents rightful pushback for their recklessness UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) with Saudi's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman ahead of their meeting at Qasr Al-Rawdha in Abu Dhabi on 1 December 2024 (AFP) On Intelligence services don’t like surprises, especially those who pride themselves on being able to listen in on any conversation anywhere in the world. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement , signed on 7 August, came as a surprise to the Emiratis and Israeli intelligence services. The Emiratis only found out about it two weeks before it was declared and by then it was too late.
Israel formally allows Jewish prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque in violation of status quo Submitted by Lubna Masarwa on Mon, 08/17/2026 - 14:44 Israeli police allow settlers to bring Jewish prayer books into Al-Aqsa, formalising group prayers and marking a significant breach of the decades-old status quo governing the holy site Israelis seen during a raid at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on 23 July 2026 (Ilia Yefimovich/AFP) Off Israeli authorities have formally allowed Jewish prayer for the first time inside Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, in the latest violation of the site’s decades-old status quo. Israeli police allowed settlers raiding the site on Sunday to bring in siddurim, or Jewish prayer books, and perform group prayers, according to a Palestinian source from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. While such practices have occurred in the past, they have largely been carried out without official approval.
Tehran [Iran], August 17 (ANI): Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Monday said the 60-day period referred to in the 14-point MoU is 'no longer relevant', accusing the United States of committing 'gross and widespread violations' of the understanding shortly after it was signed.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps spokesperson denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington is holding backchannel talks with the IRGC officials, calling the statement a delusion stemming from the US failure in the war.
Tehran [Iran], August 17 (ANI): Iran and Oman are continuing talks to establish a mechanism for secure commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran saying the discussions have been prolonged due to the complexity of the issue, the involvement of multiple actors and what it called 'destructive efforts' by malicious parties.
Iran bars two French diplomats from returning Iran said on Monday that two French diplomats briefly arrested last month over alleged “interference” would not be allowed to return to the country. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the pair had left Iran and that Tehran had formally informed France they would be barred from re-entry. France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on 20 July that the diplomats had been targeted by Iranian security officials in violation of diplomatic immunity and described the incident as an “extremely serious act of intimidation”.
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