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 Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:11:45 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL 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 Ukrainian farmers, already struggling after nearly five years of all-out war, say a massively upscaled Russian campaign to pound his country’s vital agricultural sector is threatening this year's harvest. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-targets-ukrainian-harvest-crops-wheat-war/33800899.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-targets-ukrainian-harvest-crops-wheat-war/33800899.html Sat, 11 Jul 2026 13:45:24 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories With bridges cut and a drone blitz on shipping, Russian-occupied Crimea is reeling from a relentless Ukrainian campaign of targeted drone strikes. Vladimir Putin has said the peninsula he seized in 2014 has a “sacred meaning” – but life there is becoming increasingly intolerable. https://www.rferl.org/a/no-gas-no-lights-no-comms-no-tourists-ukraine-s-crimea-blockade-starts-to-bite/33801579.html https://www.rferl.org/a/no-gas-no-lights-no-comms-no-tourists-ukraine-s-crimea-blockade-starts-to-bite/33801579.html Sat, 11 Jul 2026 13:11:11 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, has identified a Russian prison doctor accused of subjecting Ukrainian inmates to physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-prison-sexual-abuse-ukraine-torture/33801065.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-prison-sexual-abuse-ukraine-torture/33801065.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 18:42:56 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline 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 For more than four years, the inhabitants of Omsk, a Siberian city more than 2,250 kilometers east of Moscow, have watched the war against Ukraine from afar. This week they got a close-up view that has left many in shock. https://www.rferl.org/a/omsk-residents-describe-huge-shock-surprise-ukrainian-attack/33800151.html https://www.rferl.org/a/omsk-residents-describe-huge-shock-surprise-ukrainian-attack/33800151.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:22:11 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Poland, steeped in bad memories of the 1939 Nazi-Soviet invasion and decades of dominance from Moscow after World War II, is a firm backer of Ukraine’s defense against Russia. But a flare-up over their own bloody history is threatening ties at a crucial time -- and could have wide repercussions. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poland-bloody-history-volyn-volhynia/33800112.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poland-bloody-history-volyn-volhynia/33800112.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:04:55 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesEurope 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 If Trump follows through on his pledge to give Ukraine a license to manufacture the Patriot interceptor missiles, it will be a major boost for Zelensky and Ukraine’s air defense systems. Experts are skeptical. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-patriot-missile-defenses-zelenskyy-trump/33799530.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-patriot-missile-defenses-zelenskyy-trump/33799530.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:43:46 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe 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 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 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 In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak drills down on one issue: NATO’s big summit in Ankara. https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-nato-summit-ankara-jey-issues-jozwiak/33798558.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-nato-summit-ankara-jey-issues-jozwiak/33798558.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:23:58 +0200 Wider EuropeFeaturesUkraineThe Rundown Stories WASHINGTON – As NATO leaders prepare for a pivotal July 7-8 summit in Ankara amid Russia's war against Ukraine and renewed tensions in the Middle East, former US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) James Gilmore says the alliance is undergoing a difficult but ultimately strengthening transformation rather than entering a period of decline. In an interview with RFE/RL, Gilmore, who served during President Donald Trump's first administration, argues... https://www.rferl.org/a/33797187.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33797187.html Sun, 05 Jul 2026 17:19:04 +0200 FeaturesNewsIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The first day of the multiday funeral for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei passed without any sighting of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded him. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-khamenei-funeral-mojtaba-absence/33796666.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-khamenei-funeral-mojtaba-absence/33796666.html Sat, 04 Jul 2026 13:45:19 +0200 News AnalysisFeaturesIranThe Rundown Headline Ukraine’s drone campaign on Russian gasoline refineries is wreaking havoc, leading to nationwide shortages, fraying tempers, and mounting headaches for the Kremlin. On the battlefield, however, Ukraine’s troops face a grim fight. Look at what’s happening in Kostyantynivka. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-donbas-war-kostyantynivka-/33795647.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-donbas-war-kostyantynivka-/33795647.html Sat, 04 Jul 2026 10:02:02 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Shipments of bananas to St. Petersburg sometimes conceal a contraband cargo: cocaine. A Systema investigation finds that two companies with roles in the delivery and further distribution of the fruit are controlled by Russians with ties to longtime associates of President Vladimir Putin. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-cocaine-bananas-smuggling/33794959.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-cocaine-bananas-smuggling/33794959.html Fri, 03 Jul 2026 13:57:25 +0200 RussiaFeaturesThe Rundown Stories As Washington debates whether the recent cease-fire with Iran reflects strategic restraint or strategic drift, retired US Colonel David Des Roches says the broader trajectory of the conflict tells a different story. https://www.rferl.org/a/david-des-roches-iran-us-war-hormuz/33795511.html https://www.rferl.org/a/david-des-roches-iran-us-war-hormuz/33795511.html Fri, 03 Jul 2026 13:13:55 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East