Iran’s deepening isolation is drawing divided reactions from Persian-language social media users, with some welcoming US pressure to weaken the country’s rulers and others warning that ordinary people will bear the cost without producing political change.
Iran said on Tuesday it is awaiting a US response to its proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as regional oil flows continued to recover and the rial sank past 2.5 million to the dollar.
Iran International has obtained exclusive information and documents indicating that Mostafa Ahadi, a senior official in the IRGC Intelligence Organization, runs the organization’s corruption network in the sale of Iran’s oil.
Iran’s rapidly narrowing international air connections are forcing travelers onto longer and costlier routes while adding friction with neighboring states, as Tehran pressures regional governments over flight restrictions.
The UAE has found ways to blunt Iran’s ability to disrupt oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz by exploiting its maritime tactics, Iranian state television commentators said in a recent broadcast.
US President Donald Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping that direct or indirect assistance to Iran, including intelligence, components and military equipment, was unacceptable, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said Friday.
Iran threatened to disrupt regional air travel if its airlines lose access to flights and airport services, as Iraq's Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniya joined other destinations restricting Iranian connections under mounting US sanctions pressure.
The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday it had suspended all flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the country from Thursday until further notice, citing US sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector.
Iran threatened to disrupt airports in neighboring countries that comply with a US campaign to ground Iranian airlines, escalating its response to new sanctions that have already begun cutting some of the country’s remaining air links.
Canada imposed sanctions on five Iranian individuals and five entities over what it described as Tehran’s continued human rights violations and restrictions on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, Global Affairs Canada said.
Expanding US pressure on Iran's aviation sector is bringing a class dimension to the debate over the costs of the country's growing isolation, with some Iranians welcoming restrictions they say are finally reaching the better-off.
Iran has canceled flights from Tehran to Baghdad and Muscat from midnight Wednesday as regional airports begin restricting Iranian carriers under mounting US pressure aimed at cutting the country’s airlines off from international operations.
Iranian applicants are turning to costly overseas trips and alternative exams after access to international tests narrowed, compounding difficulties caused by internet disruption, payment restrictions and the falling value of the rial.
Iranian investigative journalist Yashar Soltani says the middlemen who move Iran's sanctioned oil revenues had a financial motive to wreck the June deal with Washington, and that the tanker attacks weeks later served it. Hardline outlets have answered with accusations of treason.
Travel to and from Iran is becoming harder as major foreign airlines, including the flag carrier of Turkey, a key affordable hub for Iranians, suspend services and new US sanctions threaten remaining international routes operated by Iranian carriers.
Turkish Airlines has suspended all flights to Iran until at least March 2027, a company representative told Iran International, as Iraq also moves to halt Iranian carriers following a US Treasury warning of a worldwide shutdown of their operations.
Iran’s economic crisis and rising currency costs are making essential safety equipment harder for coal mines to obtain, increasing risks for workers already operating in dangerous conditions, labor news agency ILNA reported on Monday.
Iranian manufacturers are rapidly running down stocks of raw materials as supply disruptions and rising costs deepen pressure on industrial production, according to the latest survey by the Iran Chamber of Commerce.
The sharp fall in Iran’s oil loadings is forcing it to curb production, raising costs beyond lost sales, from restarting aging wells to maintaining reservoir pressure and protecting shared fields. But could the shutdowns cause lasting damage?
The US Treasury is offering whistleblowers up to 30% of collected penalties for information leading to enforcement actions over Iran-related sanctions evasion or money laundering, as Washington seeks intelligence on Tehran’s financial networks abroad.
The US House of Representatives passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, clearing the sweeping measure for President Donald Trump’s signature as Washington also signaled that the Iran war could be approaching a diplomatic turning point.
Turkey has stepped in to take control of shareholder rights at a bank accused by Washington of helping Tehran turn oil revenues into cash and gold: the latest chapter in a decades-long story linking Turkish banking, US sanctions and Iranian money.