It’s one of the best spy shows on TV, yet it’s been missing in action for almost two years. Tehran, the smartly written Middle East-set espionage thriller from Apple TV+, wrapped production on its third season back in 2023, but it has yet to air outside of Israel. Now, with the Gaza war potentially coming to an end or at least some sort of final phase — and Apple quietly revisiting its release plans — the long-delayed season is reportedly set to arrive soon after a two-year delay.
That’s according to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, which cites a source familiar with Apple’s plans. While the company hasn’t officially confirmed anything yet, it’s believed this could finally bring the show’s third season to global audiences “in the coming months” — complete with a storyline focused on Iran’s nuclear program and the addition of Hugh Laurie to the cast as a South African inspector.
Apple had actually planned to release the new season back in April 2024, but the streamer hit pause following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which triggered a wider conflict across the region. Inside Apple, the thinking was that airing a Mossad-focused drama about Israeli intelligence infiltrating Iran might not play well during an especially volatile time in the region.
While Season 3 aired on Israeli TV last December, it’s been radio silence from Apple ever since. And that’s a shame, because Tehran is one of Apple’s most well-done foreign-language original dramas — and certainly a must-see spy series, especially if you’re already a fan of Apple’s Slow Horses. It won an International Emmy for Best Drama, and it stands out not just for its tense plotlines but also for how it reflects (and sometimes seems ripped directly from) real-world headlines.
Season 1, for example, was about Israeli jets preparing to strike a nuclear plant in Iran, which obviously turned out to be an all-too-prescient plot point. Season 2 involved a targeted assassination via cellphone detonation, just two years before Israel did exactly that to Iran-backed operatives. And in Season 3, which reportedly centers around uranium enrichment and a nuclear program hidden deep underground, the story again overlaps with current headlines — like Israel’s recent strike on the Natanz facility and the U.S. bombing near Fordow.
For now, Apple hasn’t commented on when exactly Season 3 will arrive globally. But if this new report holds, Tehran could soon return to the world stage, just as its fourth season enters production in Athens this fall.
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