Long-Awaited Thriller ‘Tehran’ Returns to Apple TV
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Apple TV is ushering in the new year with a bang, debuting the long-delayed season 3 of its international thriller Tehran as the first in its slate of programming for 2026.
The Isreali-Iranian espionage series was actually one of the first of its genre to come to Apple’s streaming service. It was announced in June 2020 and premiered that September, just before Apple TV’s first anniversary. The first season had an eight-episode run, followed by another eight-episode second season over the summer of 2022.
However, despite being renewed for a third season in February 2023, and in the can that summer, the series mysteriously failed to resurface on Apple TV.
Too Close to Reality?
Apple never officially commented — it very rarely does — but it’s almost certain the company believed that a show about an Mossad intelligence agent infiltrating Iran would come across as a bit tone-deaf after the October 7, 2023 attacks sparked a new round of geopolitical tensions that resonated far beyond the Middle East.
Israeli broadcaster Kan, which co-produces the show with Apple, was more transparent, issuing a statement to Ynetnews in April 2024 that the debut had been “postponed by mutual agreement following the outbreak of the war.”
While Apple holds the international rights, Kan broadcasts the series in Israel. Nevertheless, the nature of the agreement between the two companies allowed Apple to insist that Kan hold back its broadcast as well. “Our team is constantly in talks with Apple TV+ to pin down a new date for the premiere,” Kan said.
While season 3 had already been filmed, nobody was quite sure if it would ever see the light of day, and insiders reported that Apple had put a hold on season 4 as it believed “the outbreak of a regional war would render the storyline of Israeli intelligence agents versus Iran irrelevant.”
Kan eventually got the green light from Apple to debut Tehran season 3 on December 9, 2024, but Apple continued to hold it back. Its reasons for this aren’t entirely clear, but when it finally announced the show’s comeback on December 4, 2025, it was accompanied by confirmation that there will also be a season 4, suggesting that Apple may simply want to ensure the show regains momentum rather than leaving another extended delay between the next two seasons.
The ‘Nail-Biting’ Action Continues
Warning: Spoilers ahead for those who haven’t yet finished season 2
Star Niv Sultan returns as agent Tamar Rabinyan for the third season, alongside Shaun Toub and Shila Omni.
However, in the new season they’re notably joined by English actor and comedian Hugh Laurie (House, Blackadder, The Night Manager), in the role of Eric Peterson, a South African nuclear inspector.
“Tehran” follows Tamar (Sultan), a Mossad hacker-agent who infiltrates Tehran under a false identity. After going rogue at the end of season two and reeling from the loss of her closest allies, in season three, Tamar must find a way to reinvent herself and win back the Mossad’s support if she is to survive.
Apple
The first episode of season 3 is available on Apple TV today, January 9, for another eight-episode run, with new episodes every Friday through February 27. The fourth season of Tehran is also already in production, suggesting that we won’t have to wait nearly as long for the continuation of the saga — assuming nothing blows up in the Middle East between now and then.
