https://www.rferl.org/z/660 RFE/RL's latest news, features, commentary, and multimedia content on Iran. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/660 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:11:18 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL President Donald Trump said the United States may become the "guardian angel" of the Strait of Hormuz after a new wave of air strikes, sparked by activity in the key waterway, rocked the Gulf region. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-threatens-to-take-control-of-hormuz-strait-after-fresh-round-of-attacks-rock-the-gulf/33802722.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-threatens-to-take-control-of-hormuz-strait-after-fresh-round-of-attacks-rock-the-gulf/33802722.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:08:34 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Iran's cafes are navigating economic hardship and growing official scrutiny as they struggle to survive. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-tehran-cafe-culture-young-people/33799555.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-tehran-cafe-culture-young-people/33799555.html Sun, 12 Jul 2026 12:13:13 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories The United States struck targets around southern Iran in response to Tehran's attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Iranian attacks on its Gulf neighbors, sparking claims from Bahrain that civilians were targeted. https://www.rferl.org/a/centcom-iran-strikes-hormuz-shipping-irgc/33801945.html https://www.rferl.org/a/centcom-iran-strikes-hormuz-shipping-irgc/33801945.html Sun, 12 Jul 2026 03:08:23 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Senior US officials have said that Iran has privately acknowledged it made a mistake by attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz https://www.rferl.org/a/us-says-iran-acknowledged-mistake-in-strait-attacks-ahead-of-oman-talks/33801548.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-says-iran-acknowledged-mistake-in-strait-attacks-ahead-of-oman-talks/33801548.html Sat, 11 Jul 2026 11:15:12 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories The United States imposed sweeping new sanctions targeting an Iranian businessman accused of managing a global financial network for Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and several exchange houses that Washington says have helped Tehran evade sanctions and maintain access to foreign currency. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-sanctions-khamenei-financial-exchange/33801202.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-sanctions-khamenei-financial-exchange/33801202.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 21:40:10 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump said Iran has as requested that “talks” between the two countries continue, although he emphatically warned Tehran that the current cease-fire is no longer in effect amid a flurry of tit-for-tat strikes by both sides. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-ceasefire-talks-qatar-hormuz/33801090.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-ceasefire-talks-qatar-hormuz/33801090.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 17:19:06 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Iran staged an extravagant, weeklong funeral procession for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Absent from the events was his son, Mojtaba, the new supreme leader. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-mojtaba-khamenei-irgc-funeral/33800891.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-mojtaba-khamenei-irgc-funeral/33800891.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:28:13 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Despite days of military exchanges between the United States and Iran, Washington insists it remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution. To better understand Washington's posture, RFE/RL spoke with the Heritage Foundation's James Jay Carafano. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-negotiations-heritage-foundation-james-jay-carafano/33800905.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-negotiations-heritage-foundation-james-jay-carafano/33800905.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:07:51 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Authoritarian powers are increasingly working together across military, economic, and information fronts, even without a formal alliance, analyst Christopher Walker says. He argues democracies need a long-term strategy to counter their growing cooperation. https://www.rferl.org/a/christopher-walker-russia-china-iran-authoritarian-axis/33800288.html https://www.rferl.org/a/christopher-walker-russia-china-iran-authoritarian-axis/33800288.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 19:49:28 +0200 FeaturesIranRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesChina As the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL's Central Newsroom and Iranian service, Radio Farda, deliver ongoing updates and analysis. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 07:34:46 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories The unraveling of the 60-day memorandum of understanding (MoU) was always likely to expose unresolved disputes over who controls one of the world's most strategic waterways, Noam Raydan, the William Sudhaus Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, tells RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-strait-hormuz-raydan-shipping/33799680.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-strait-hormuz-raydan-shipping/33799680.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:31:39 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories The US military said it had launched new strikes on targets in Iran just hours after President Donald Trump said a cease-fire accord with Tehran was "over" and threatened to "hit them [Iran] hard tonight." https://www.rferl.org/a/us-strikes-iran-trump-threat/33799674.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-strikes-iran-trump-threat/33799674.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 23:36:42 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Headline US President Donald Trump said the Iran deal was "over" and said he'd agreed to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles during a busty day -- our correspondent Zoriana Stepanenko reports from Ankara. https://www.rferl.org/a/video-trump-nato-iran-ukraine-ankara/33799659.html https://www.rferl.org/a/video-trump-nato-iran-ukraine-ankara/33799659.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 21:34:12 +0200 VideosIranUkraine The NATO summit in Turkey got off to a rocky start, with US President Donald Trump slamming Spain for failing to spend on defense and other alliance members for refusing to pitch in during the Iran war. But by the end of the day, unity was the key word from leaders, including the US president. https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-unity-takeaways-summit-turkey-rutte-trump/33799567.html https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-unity-takeaways-summit-turkey-rutte-trump/33799567.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:53:34 +0200 News AnalysisNewsIranUkraineThe Rundown HeadlineEurope US President Donald Trump has said the deal with Iran “is over” following renewed strikes in recent hours. Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, he added that negotiations with Iran could continue, saying, "As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them." https://www.rferl.org/a/trumps-says-negotiations-with-iran-waste-of-time-amid-new-us-iran-strikes-/33799385.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trumps-says-negotiations-with-iran-waste-of-time-amid-new-us-iran-strikes-/33799385.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:25:48 +0200 VideosIranVideo ArchiveThe Rundown Stories RFE/RL spoke with Zineb Riboua, a research fellow with the Hudson Institute, about Iran's post-Khamenei power structure, the expanding influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Core (IRGC), and why she believes growing repression reflects weakness rather than confidence. https://www.rferl.org/a/zineb-riboua-iran-irgc-weak/33799380.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zineb-riboua-iran-irgc-weak/33799380.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:04:22 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump has gone into key meetings with NATO and other leaders on Day 2 of the alliance's summit, with the Iran conflict looming large. Later, he'll hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. RFE/RL's Zoriana Stepanenko reports from Ankara, Turkey. https://www.rferl.org/a/video-nato-trump-iran-turkey-ankara-summit/33799326.html https://www.rferl.org/a/video-nato-trump-iran-turkey-ankara-summit/33799326.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:29:36 +0200 VideosIranUkraineVideo Archive As NATO leaders gather in Ankara for a summit expected to shape the alliance's future direction, European capitals are looking to what many see as the meeting's defining challenge: whether the alliance can demonstrate political unity at a moment of profound geopolitical change. https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-transatlantic-order-cecire-trump-europe/33799298.html https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-transatlantic-order-cecire-trump-europe/33799298.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:09:10 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesEurope The United States launched a new round of military strikes against Iran and revoked a key sanctions waiver covering Iranian oil sales after accusing Tehran of attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, putting a fragile cease-fire into peril. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-renews-strikes-on-iran-vessels-hit-hormuz-strait/33798855.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-renews-strikes-on-iran-vessels-hit-hormuz-strait/33798855.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:17:44 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories 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