https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Thu, 09 Jul 2026 21:24:51 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Iran's clerical establishment has shown time and again it has few rivals at staging a mass funeral. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's was a spectacle built to be seen as a referendum on the Islamic republic's popularity. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-khameneu-funeral-referendum-human-rights/33798717.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-khameneu-funeral-referendum-human-rights/33798717.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:16:13 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Headline Iranian state media and outlets close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have uniformly condemned the US-brokered Israel-Lebanon framework agreement, calling it a 'document of shame' that legitimizes Israeli occupation and betrays Lebanese sovereignty. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-lebanon-israel-framework-deal-condemn/33791135.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-lebanon-israel-framework-deal-condemn/33791135.html Mon, 29 Jun 2026 18:03:07 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East In the 1990s, US and Russian scientists pulled off the ultimate nuclear magic trick: "downblending" weapons-grade uranium so it could never be used in a bomb. Now, the US and Iran are trying to repeat history. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nuclear-weapons/33787735.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nuclear-weapons/33787735.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 07:38:40 +0200 VideosIranThe Rundown Stories Iran has pushed back against US claims that any frozen Iranian assets released under a framework deal would be used to buy American agricultural products but stopped short of ruling it out, as the proposal sparked a sharp backlash from the country’s hard-liners. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-assets-us-agriculture-farmers-food-backlash/33787940.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-assets-us-agriculture-farmers-food-backlash/33787940.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:47:57 +0200 IranNewsNuclear TalksThe Rundown Headline Israeli strikes have killed dozens in south Lebanon despite the US-Iran memorandum's first clause calling for an end to the war there. Tehran is facing a rising chorus from hard-liners demanding a response. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-lebanon-israel-war-us-agreement-pressure/33785116.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-lebanon-israel-war-us-agreement-pressure/33785116.html Sat, 20 Jun 2026 12:16:43 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East While the U.S. and Iran have reached a historic agreement to restore stability in the Strait of Hormuz, the path to a full global energy recovery is dangerously lopsided https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-deal-energy-prices/33783923.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-deal-energy-prices/33783923.html Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:12:51 +0200 IranThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East When thousands of Albanians began protesting plans for a billion-dollar resort in a once-protected wetlands area for pink flamingoes, few could have expected that Iran would see it as an opportunity for a brawl with the Albanian government. https://www.rferl.org/a/albania-zvernec-sazan-resort-iran/33777693.html https://www.rferl.org/a/albania-zvernec-sazan-resort-iran/33777693.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:44:13 +0200 VideosIranThe Rundown Stories Internet access in Iran has been partially restored after the government shut down communications at the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign in late February. Iranians told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that they had been unable to check on their loved ones' safety during months of deadly air strikes. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-internet-restored-blackout/33767726.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-internet-restored-blackout/33767726.html Thu, 28 May 2026 19:10:53 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideos Iran and the United States launched fresh strikes on targets in the Persian Gulf region highlighting a precarious cease-fire amid a diplomatic push to reach a compromise deal to end their three-month old war. https://www.rferl.org/a/gulf-strikes-highlight-fragile-iran-us-cease-fire/33767403.html https://www.rferl.org/a/gulf-strikes-highlight-fragile-iran-us-cease-fire/33767403.html Thu, 28 May 2026 11:16:49 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Headline After 88 days of a near-total Internet blackout, Iranians are slowly reconnecting, but to the same heavily censored, regulated network they had before. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-internet-restrictions-shutdown/33766824.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-internet-restrictions-shutdown/33766824.html Wed, 27 May 2026 16:34:32 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Headline A senior Iranian official says Tehran has imported Chinese equipment to support a “permanent” internet shutdown, as the country’s unprecedented blackout enters its third month. Experts say Iran's censorship model is cheaper than the Chinese version and easier to replicate for other states. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-china-internet-blackout-censorship-tool/33764398.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-china-internet-blackout-censorship-tool/33764398.html Mon, 25 May 2026 17:21:36 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineNews Analysis A state-approved photo story intended to celebrate motherhood and volunteerism became a political controversy in Iran because the images used showed a woman unveiled at home. The photos were deleted within hours and the state news agency’s boss was later summoned by the authorities. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-foster-child-hijab-woman-irna-censor/33761942.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-foster-child-hijab-woman-irna-censor/33761942.html Fri, 22 May 2026 10:35:41 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Iran's appointment of parliament speaker and chief US negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf as special envoy for China signals Tehran is playing its most valuable political card on two fronts at once. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-qalibaf-envoy-china-us-talks/33759380.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-qalibaf-envoy-china-us-talks/33759380.html Mon, 18 May 2026 14:13:28 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesChina Iranian outlets with ties to the IRGC have floated the idea that Tehran assert control over undersea fiber-optic cables running under the Strait of Hormuz. Experts say the proposal has little legal merit but warn that Iranian sabotage remains a threat. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-undersea-cable-hormuz-toll-internet/33754408.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-undersea-cable-hormuz-toll-internet/33754408.html Mon, 11 May 2026 14:49:50 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East It has been over two months since one of the world’s key oil chokepoints was shut down. And it has meant a seismic global readjustment and a number of creative workarounds. https://www.rferl.org/a/strait-of-hormuz-workarounds-adjustments-oil-shipping/33748056.html https://www.rferl.org/a/strait-of-hormuz-workarounds-adjustments-oil-shipping/33748056.html Sun, 03 May 2026 10:44:36 +0200 IranVideosThe Rundown Headline The unity that Iran’s rival political camps maintained through 40 days of US and Israeli strikes is fracturing over negotiations to end the war. The real divide, experts say, is not necessarily about whether to talk but rather when. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-politics-divide-us-israeli-war-/33745286.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-politics-divide-us-israeli-war-/33745286.html Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:20:12 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Iran's Internet shutdown has passed 52 days, the longest since the 2011 blackout in Libya but affecting nearly 15 times the population. Business leaders warn of up to $80 million in daily losses. The government's answer: a paid Internet Pro tier that critics say helps no one. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-internet-shutdown-costs-rights/33736283.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-internet-shutdown-costs-rights/33736283.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:33:10 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Headline A cease-fire has paused the Iran war but the contradictions are already multiplying. Who foots the bill for Iran’s Hormuz toll? What did Iran and the United States actually agree to on enrichment? And does the deal even cover Lebanon? https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-ceasefire-what-know/33727669.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-ceasefire-what-know/33727669.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:14:04 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Yemen's Houthis have entered the Iran war, raising fears of a twin chokepoint crisis. But analysts say the missile attack may have been less a shot at Israel than a warning to Gulf Arab states, especially the Saudis, not to deepen their involvement in the conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/houthis-attack-israel-iran-war-energy-crisis/33718713.html https://www.rferl.org/a/houthis-attack-israel-iran-war-energy-crisis/33718713.html Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:53:03 +0100 IranThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle EastNews Analysis The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, not by a physical blockade, but through a chokehold of missile strikes, mine-laying, massive GPS spoofing, and soaring insurance costs. Military options face high risks and low yields, leaving a political solution as the only clear path. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-blockade-strait-hormuz-navy-escort/33711699.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-blockade-strait-hormuz-navy-escort/33711699.html Sat, 21 Mar 2026 15:25:00 +0100 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East