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 Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:32:34 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL In an interview with RFE/RL on April 17, Ryan Kirkley, CEO of blockchain payments company Global Settlement Network, explained the worldwide economic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, why markets are moving at varying paces, and why oil prices may already be turning. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-hormuz-oil-bitcoin-economy-markets/33734697.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-hormuz-oil-bitcoin-economy-markets/33734697.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:47:50 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories A little-known Islamist group has claimed a string of attacks on Jewish sites and Western financial institutions across Europe since early March. https://www.rferl.org/a/hayi-iran-attacks-europe-jewish-centers/33734573.html https://www.rferl.org/a/hayi-iran-attacks-europe-jewish-centers/33734573.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:07:16 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesEurope China is Iran’s most important ally, but it lacks the full diplomatic and economic leverage to force Tehran to make concessions, according to experts who spoke to RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-trump-xi-oil-middle-east-peace-cease-fire-talks/33734488.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-trump-xi-oil-middle-east-peace-cease-fire-talks/33734488.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:38:43 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesChina A senior Republican lawmaker has raised concerns over continued US-origin components appearing in Russian weapon systems amid Ukrainian reports that recent drone strikes show evidence of Western microelectronics manufactured as recently as 2025. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-lawmaker-wilson-flags-western-chips-russian-iranian-drones/33734451.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-lawmaker-wilson-flags-western-chips-russian-iranian-drones/33734451.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:58:52 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Russian influencer Victoria Bonya made a personal address to Russian President Vladimir Putin: In a country where political debate and criticism of the authorities is tightly controlled, she brought up problems people face in their everyday lives. Except the war in Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-influencers-make-up-ukraine-war/33733737.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-influencers-make-up-ukraine-war/33733737.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:09:01 +0200 FeaturesRussiaThe Rundown Stories Despite suffering significant losses, Iran believes it is winning the war against the United States and Israel. That view is shaping Tehran’s conduct in the conflict and its demands in peace talks. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-victory/33733726.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-victory/33733726.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:29:02 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Beijing-brokered meetings ease tensions on paper, but deep disputes over militancy and cross-border attacks threaten to derail the fragile progress. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-pakistan-afghanistan-border-war-diplomacy-urumqi-iran/33733560.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-pakistan-afghanistan-border-war-diplomacy-urumqi-iran/33733560.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:09:02 +0200 ChinaFeaturesAfghanistanIranPakistanThe Rundown Stories Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's commissioner for sanctions policy, told RFE/RL in an interview that any relief for Moscow and Russian oil only serves to extend the war. https://www.rferl.org/a/waivers-russia-oil-us-sanctions-ukraine/33733519.html https://www.rferl.org/a/waivers-russia-oil-us-sanctions-ukraine/33733519.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:25:47 +0200 IranFeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Beatings, torture, rape, not to mention corruption, are commonplace in the Russain armed forces. Artyom Bykov’s ordeal as a contact soldier with the 273rd Artillery Brigade provides a small window into a system of institutionalized violence. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-army-hazing-brutal-violence-deserter/33732979.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-army-hazing-brutal-violence-deserter/33732979.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:45:41 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Russia fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Kyiv, Dnipro, and other Ukrainian cities, killing at least 19 people across the country in one of the largest bombardments in months. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-attacks-drones-missiles-barrage/33733467.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-attacks-drones-missiles-barrage/33733467.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:25:20 +0200 NewsFeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Azeem Ibrahim, a longtime Middle East observer, tells RFE/RL that the Strait of Hormuz is increasingly becoming more than just a chokepoint for oil, describing it as a space where economic pressure, military risk, and geopolitical ambition converge. https://www.rferl.org/a/azeem-ibrahim-iran-conflict-will-be-decided-by-who-can-endure-the-most/33732700.html https://www.rferl.org/a/azeem-ibrahim-iran-conflict-will-be-decided-by-who-can-endure-the-most/33732700.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:27:36 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East In its war on Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry is on the offensive in the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. Internally, it’s plagued by corruption, political infighting, firings, and bitter rivalries with outside security agencies. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-defense-ministry-corruption-investigations-shoigu-putin/33732103.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-defense-ministry-corruption-investigations-shoigu-putin/33732103.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:19:35 +0200 RussiaFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Iran has made an end to Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah a key demand in any peace deal with the United States. Why is the Lebanese militant group so important to Tehran? https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hezbollah-strategy-cease-fire/33732041.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hezbollah-strategy-cease-fire/33732041.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:16:33 +0200 News AnalysisFeaturesIranThe Rundown Stories This week, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak drills down on one issue: What will happen with NATO after a few tough weeks https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-nato-future-rutte-trump-meeting-ukraine/33731398.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-nato-future-rutte-trump-meeting-ukraine/33731398.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:39:07 +0200 Wider EuropeFeaturesUkraineThe Rundown StoriesEurope As expected, the launching of US and Israeli air strikes on Iran -- and retaliatory strikes by Tehran on targets in the Mideast -- has hit the economies of the region. But the shockwaves are arguably being felt just as much in Central Asian nations who rely on goods flowing through Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-fallout-gulf-war-iran-us/33731180.html https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-fallout-gulf-war-iran-us/33731180.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 06:37:56 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories RFE/RL spoke with Max Meizlish, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former official at the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, on the intersection of naval blockades and financial warfare as Washington halts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.rferl.org/a/33731428.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33731428.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:32:28 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East A US blockade on ships entering Iranian ports and coastal areas has taken effect, following failed peace talks between the US and Iran. And it already poses a dilemma: risk attack from Iranian assets near the Strait of Hormuz or hold back and hope to catch vessels breaking out into the open seas. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-naval-blockade-iran/33731316.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-naval-blockade-iran/33731316.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:02:17 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories After nearly six weeks of war, air strikes on Iran have paused, but uncertainty remains. As they brace for what may come next, Tehran residents describe anxiety on the streets of the Iranian capital amid rising prices, job losses, and an ongoing Internet blackout. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ceasefire-after-war-residents-fear-future/33731253.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ceasefire-after-war-residents-fear-future/33731253.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:26:32 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Headline Mahmood Shah Habibi’s daughter hasn’t seen her father since she was 11 months old. That was in 2022, when the American was abducted in Kabul and detained by the Taliban’s intelligence agency, US officials say. “We have had no news of his fate for four years,” his mother told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-american-detained-family-search-taliban/33729615.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-american-detained-family-search-taliban/33729615.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:21:11 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Marathon talks aimed at halting the war in Iran ended without a breakthrough, as US Vice President JD Vance flew back to the United States amid major questions what comes next for the 43-day-old conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-vance-iran-peace-talks-pakistan/33730441.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-vance-iran-peace-talks-pakistan/33730441.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:14:54 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East