https://www.rferl.org/z/651 RFE/RL journalists report the news in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We broadcast in 27 languages to 22 countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/651 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Wed, 13 May 2026 22:17:21 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL The resignation of the UN High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, has exposed deep divisions among key international actors over the future of international oversight in the country more than three decades since the end of the 1990s Bosnian war. https://www.rferl.org/a/bosnia-eufor-un-christian-schmidt-/33756125.html https://www.rferl.org/a/bosnia-eufor-un-christian-schmidt-/33756125.html Wed, 13 May 2026 17:37:01 +0200 Bosnia-HerzegovinaFeaturesThe Rundown Stories The conflict involving Iran is revealing new lessons about how artificial intelligence is being weaponized in modern warfare and statecraft. https://www.rferl.org/a/lego-hip-hop-deepfakes-iran-ai-propaganda/33756098.html https://www.rferl.org/a/lego-hip-hop-deepfakes-iran-ai-propaganda/33756098.html Wed, 13 May 2026 17:14:34 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Power has become increasingly decentralized in Iran following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the selection of his son as the new supreme leader. So, who holds power in the Islamic republic now? https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-irgc-khamenei-qalibaf/33756085.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-irgc-khamenei-qalibaf/33756085.html Wed, 13 May 2026 16:37:57 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Iranian women have been disproportionately affected by the Internet blackout that authorities have imposed since the war broke out. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-internet-blackout-women-brunt-labor-market/33755949.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-internet-blackout-women-brunt-labor-market/33755949.html Wed, 13 May 2026 13:25:12 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories A corruption scandal closes in on Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff Andriy Yermak. How badly could it hurt Ukraine’s wartime president? https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-yermak-corruption-gray-cardinal-graft/33755369.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-yermak-corruption-gray-cardinal-graft/33755369.html Tue, 12 May 2026 20:29:24 +0200 News AnalysisFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories In an interview with RFE/RL, Ken Moriyasu, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, says Beijing may tactically help ease tensions between Washington and Tehran, but will resist any effort that could threaten the survival of Iran’s regime. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-regime-survival-iran-moriyasu-trump-xi-summit/33755145.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-regime-survival-iran-moriyasu-trump-xi-summit/33755145.html Tue, 12 May 2026 12:49:55 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesChina The two leaders are expected to negotiate over rare earth exports and economic tensions while navigating growing friction over Tehran and security in Asia. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-xi-summit-iran-war-trade-rare-earths-minerals-taiwan/33755104.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-xi-summit-iran-war-trade-rare-earths-minerals-taiwan/33755104.html Tue, 12 May 2026 11:30:28 +0200 ChinaFeaturesIranRussiaThe Rundown Stories Migrant workers from India, Bangladesh, and elsewhere are taking up manual labor jobs inside the warring countries as Moscow and Kyiv struggle to offset shortages in their labor forces. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-migrant-workers-india-demographic-crisis/33754530.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-migrant-workers-india-demographic-crisis/33754530.html Mon, 11 May 2026 18:44:06 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories 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 Sources in the Pakistani Taliban told RFE/RL that the group’s leadership has been ordered to relocate from the Afghan capital, Kabul, where it is allegedly based. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-taliban-ttp/33752593.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-taliban-ttp/33752593.html Fri, 08 May 2026 15:02:29 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesPakistanThe Rundown Stories For years, President Vladimir Putin has used Russia’s Victory Day parade to show off its weapons, accentuate his dominance, and deliver narratives on World War II and the present. This year is different, with Russia's struggles in Ukraine in focus amid signs his authority at home is "in decline." https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-parade-decline-weapons-ratings-slump/33752032.html https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-parade-decline-weapons-ratings-slump/33752032.html Thu, 07 May 2026 18:08:50 +0200 News AnalysisFeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline The United States sees energy security in the Western Balkans as a national security priority and is stepping up efforts to help the region reduce its dependence on Russian supplies, Joshua Volz, a special envoy for energy integration at the U.S. Department of Energy, told RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-envoy-balkan-energy-security-national-security-priority/33751868.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-envoy-balkan-energy-security-national-security-priority/33751868.html Thu, 07 May 2026 13:15:50 +0200 FeaturesBosnia-HerzegovinaMontenegroSerbiaKosovoNorth MacedoniaThe Rundown Stories Oil production cuts, plumes of smoke, altered plans for President Vladimir Putin: Ukraine’s strikes on oil facilities, military installations, and air defense systems are taking a toll on Moscow’s capacity to fight its war against Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-deep-strikes-oil/33751182.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-deep-strikes-oil/33751182.html Thu, 07 May 2026 10:42:28 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories In an interview with RFE/RL, Barry Pavel, a former senior director for defense policy and strategy at the National Security Council, who served as a special assistant to the president under George W. Bush, unpacks the strategic meaning behind recent developments in the US war with Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/pavel-interview-security-iran-ceasefire-war/33751442.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pavel-interview-security-iran-ceasefire-war/33751442.html Thu, 07 May 2026 09:53:39 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories In response to the US naval blockade on Iran’s ports and vessels, Tehran is using alternative routes to transit goods, including through Pakistan, Turkey, and the Caspian Sea. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-pakistan-turkey-russia-caspian-china/33751260.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-pakistan-turkey-russia-caspian-china/33751260.html Wed, 06 May 2026 16:46:21 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesNews Analysis The absence of Mount Ararat from Armenia's new biometric passports is the latest effort from Yerevan to decouple Armenians from the iconic Turkish landmark that has long been used by Armenia as a national symbol. https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-passport-mount-ararat-conflict/33751105.html https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-passport-mount-ararat-conflict/33751105.html Wed, 06 May 2026 14:48:11 +0200 FeaturesArmeniaAzerbaijanThe Rundown Stories For retired four-star general Philip Breedlove, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the Iran crisis is exposing a West that is “more divided than its adversaries.” https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-iran-hormuz-crisis-article-4-breedlove-interview/33750664.html https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-iran-hormuz-crisis-article-4-breedlove-interview/33750664.html Wed, 06 May 2026 09:59:40 +0200 IranFeaturesRussia With tensions high in the Strait of Hormuz, retired US Navy Vice Admiral Robert Murrett spoke to RFE/RL about the challenges, concerns, and potential solutions. The US military posture “is important in creating leverage for a diplomatic solution that would allow free and open navigation,” he said. https://www.rferl.org/a/hormuz-shipping-warfare-us-iran-murrett/33750305.html https://www.rferl.org/a/hormuz-shipping-warfare-us-iran-murrett/33750305.html Tue, 05 May 2026 13:19:05 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak drills down on two issues: Montenegro edging closer to the European Union; and more sanctions on Russians for the deportation of Ukrainian children. https://www.rferl.org/a/montenegro-eu-accession-progress-russia-sanctions-ukrainian-childreeurope-/33750255.html https://www.rferl.org/a/montenegro-eu-accession-progress-russia-sanctions-ukrainian-childreeurope-/33750255.html Tue, 05 May 2026 12:08:02 +0200 Wider EuropeFeaturesRussiaUkraineMontenegroThe Rundown Stories As the Iran war strains ties between Washington and its European allies, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Rome and the Vatican in a trip analysts say is as much about damage control as diplomacy. https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-rome-vatican-visit-iran-war-us-europe-tensions/33749711.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-rome-vatican-visit-iran-war-us-europe-tensions/33749711.html Mon, 04 May 2026 19:20:11 +0200 FeaturesIranThe Rundown Stories