Top image: Azadi Tower, Tehran. Photo: Laurens R. Krol, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
By Avery Quest · Updated Oct. 30, 2026
Iran’s domestic affairs and politics, reported daily: who holds power in Tehran, what the rial and inflation mean for households, protests and human rights cases, the Revolutionary Guards at home, and life online under rising prices and restrictions. Every claim is attributed, Iranian state media is labeled, and anything we cannot confirm is marked as unverified.
Today’s Iran briefing
Iran Daily Briefing, Nov. 5, 2026: GDP fell 10.1% in the spring quarter, Khamenei rejects a midterms thaw, factories shift to mazut, campus sit-ins after a University of Tehran student self-immolation, and Iran Human Rights counted 77 executions in October. Also today: Iran’s economy contracts more than 10 percent as war damage and the blockade leave factories burning mazut.
Lead story
- Iran Claims 3 Vessels Catch Fire in Hormuz as UK Confirms Tanker Hit Off Qatar
Iran Guards claim 2 tankers and a tug caught fire in Hormuz; UK confirms a tanker hit off Qatar; Saudi defenses intercept Medina missile.
Iran key facts
As of Oct. 28, 2026. Each figure links to its source.
- Supreme Leader: Mojtaba Khamenei, chosen in March 2026 after Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 (AFP via Arab News). AFP reports he has not appeared in public since taking office.
- President: Masoud Pezeshkian (Straits Times, Bloomberg/AFP).
- Parliament speaker: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (Straits Times).
- Supreme National Security Council secretary: Mohsen Rezaei (AFP via Arab News).
- Rial: about 2,670,000 per U.S. dollar on the open market, Nov. 5 (Bonbast).
- Inflation: 88.7% year on year, 4.4% month on month, per the Statistical Center of Iran (Iran International, Oct. 28).
- Mobile internet: MCI and Irancell raised data, call and text prices by up to 40% from Oct. 23 (IranWire).
Latest Iran news
- Iran Claims 3 Vessels Catch Fire in Hormuz as UK Confirms Tanker Hit Off Qatar
- Iran Daily Briefing: Economy Contracts 10.1% as Khamenei Rejects Midterms Thaw
- Iran’s Economy Contracts More Than 10 Percent as War Damage and Blockade Leave Factories Burning Mazut
- U.S. Sanctions Iran MANPADS Brokers and a False-Flag Shadow Fleet Network
- U.S. Forces Have Redirected 144 Ships Under Iran Port Blockade as George Washington Enforces
- Houthi Siege of Taiz Hits 30 Days, Cutting Off 1.5 Million People as Saudi Arabia Sounds 3 Alerts
- Iran Daily Briefing: Two More Isfahan Protesters Hanged as Khamenei Says US Hostility Will Outlast Midterms
- Nine Hanged From One Square: Iran Executes Two More Young Isfahan Protesters as Rights Groups Cite Torture
- Trump Weighs a “Heavy Hit” on Iran After Qeshm Strike as Tehran Calls U.S. Hormuz Reply Unconvincing
- Middle East War Update, Nov. 3: U.S. Hits Iranian Missile Launcher on Qeshm as Iran Claims 3 Tankers Struck Mines
- Iran War: Doha Talks End Without a Breakthrough as Trump Weighs Strikes After the Midterms
- Two Projectiles Hit a Tanker Off Saudi Arabia as Iran Claims Its Mines Struck Two More Near Hormuz
Iran by topic
Politics and government
Economy and the rial
Protests and human rights
Security and the IRGC
Society and the internet
How we cover Iran
Our Iran desk reports from published sources, official statements and data, not from reporters inside the country. Outlets controlled by or affiliated with the Iranian state or the IRGC, such as IRNA, Fars and Tasnim Unverified claim, Tasnim (IRGC-affiliated), are labeled whenever we cite them. Claims that cannot be independently confirmed are attributed and marked as unverified. For the war, strikes and shipping, see the Iran War Tracker; for wider analysis, see Geopolitics and World Affairs. Corrections follow our corrections policy and editorial policy.
Iran news FAQ
What does The Boston Report’s Iran page cover?
Iran’s domestic affairs and politics: the government and leadership, the economy and the rial, protests and human rights, the IRGC and internal security, and daily life, including internet access and prices. War and Strait of Hormuz coverage is in our Iran War Tracker.
Who leads Iran in 2026?
Mojtaba Khamenei is Supreme Leader. AFP reported he was chosen in March 2026 to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. Masoud Pezeshkian is president and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is speaker of parliament.
What is Iran’s inflation rate?
The Statistical Center of Iran put year-on-year inflation at 88.7% and monthly inflation at 4.4%, as reported by Iran International on Oct. 28, 2026.
How much is the Iranian rial worth?
About 2,695,000 rials per U.S. dollar on the open market on Oct. 28, 2026, according to Bonbast. Official and open-market rates differ.
How often is this page updated?
A new Iran domestic affairs report is published most days. The latest stories appear at the top of this page automatically.
Sources
- AFP via Arab News: Iran says supreme leader met with security chief over Hormuz (Oct. 27, 2026)
- Straits Times: Mojtaba Khamenei reiterates conditions for ending war (Oct. 28, 2026)
- Iran International: Year-on-year inflation reaches 88.7% (Oct. 28, 2026)
- Bonbast: open-market rial rates
- IranWire: Internet and mobile prices rise 40% (Oct. 23, 2026)
Additional sources
- Tasnim Unverified claim, Tasnim (IRGC-affiliated): President pledges to implement Leader’s directive (Oct. 28, 2026)
- CIA World Factbook: Iran
- U.S. State Department: Iran human rights report