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 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:41:57 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL US President Donald Trump said air strikes on Iran will continue until he says "it's enough," as Tehran and Washington stepped up attacks in a battle to control the Strait of Hormuz, in what the United Nations called a "huge setback" for civilians in the region. https://www.rferl.org/a/trumps-strikes-iran-battle-strait-of-hormuz-escalates/33803719.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trumps-strikes-iran-battle-strait-of-hormuz-escalates/33803719.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 01:11:10 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Headline New satellite images appear to show that several strategically important sites in Russia's far north have had air defense batteries removed as the Kremlin struggles to counter Ukrainian drone attacks elsewhere in the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-air-defense-removal-arctic-satellite-photos-ukraine-war/33803628.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-air-defense-removal-arctic-satellite-photos-ukraine-war/33803628.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:54:05 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As the US and Iran exchange new strikes, military analyst Jonathan Schroden explains why wars often become more violent before peace, how the Strait of Hormuz has become the conflict's strategic centre, and why drones are reshaping naval warfare. https://www.rferl.org/a/jonathan-schroden-us-iran-conflict-hormuz-blockade/33803676.html https://www.rferl.org/a/jonathan-schroden-us-iran-conflict-hormuz-blockade/33803676.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:04:13 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories France will allow Ukraine to produce French-made ​cruise missiles, precision guided bombs and air defense interceptor ‌missiles on top of orders for the next-generation Franco-Italian air defense system SAMP/T and 16 Rafale fighter jets. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-france-defense-systems-patriot/33803618.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-france-defense-systems-patriot/33803618.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:04:01 +0200 NewsUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories In addition to a night of renewed US strikes on Iran, the US Central Command reports that its forces targeted a submarine and ship maintenance facility in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas using sea drones, which marks a first in American combat weapons technology. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-strait-us-strike-bandar-abbas-submarine-sea-drone-trump/33803486.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-strait-us-strike-bandar-abbas-submarine-sea-drone-trump/33803486.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:13:47 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideosThe Rundown Stories 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-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 13:00:30 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories In this week's briefing, Rikard Jozwiak focuses on the EU enlargement “Super Tuesday” and Ukrainian civil detainees held by Russia. https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-the-eu-s-super-tuesday/33803341.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-the-eu-s-super-tuesday/33803341.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:53:46 +0200 Wider EuropeFeaturesMoldovaRussiaUkraineMontenegroThe Rundown Stories As residents of the city of Druzhkivka come under increasing air strikes and drone attacks, rescuers are scrambling to get them to safety. Reports indicate the front line is advancing toward the city, located near Kramatorsk. Several thousand people still live in Druzhkivka. https://www.rferl.org/a/mass-evacuations-from-ukraine-druzhkivka-under-russian-airstrikes/33803288.html https://www.rferl.org/a/mass-evacuations-from-ukraine-druzhkivka-under-russian-airstrikes/33803288.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:13:56 +0200 UkraineRussia Invades Ukraine Former US Ambassador to Qatar Timmy Davis tells RFE/RL in an interview that, despite the military confrontation, negotiations remain the only viable way out of the crisis between the US and Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/33802919.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33802919.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 01:43:48 +0200 IranNews US President Donald Trump has walked back his plan to charge a 20 percent fee on cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, replacing it with proposed trade and investment agreements with Persian Gulf states while maintaining a blockade on Iranian shipping. https://www.rferl.org/a/33802915.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33802915.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 01:00:10 +0200 NewsIranThe Rundown Headline US President Donald Trump said the United States intends to blockade Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and collect fees from other countries' shipping traffic as reimbursement. The statement came after a new wave of US and Iranian air strikes in the region on July 12 and 13. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-strait-hormuz-navy/33802912.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-strait-hormuz-navy/33802912.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:38:47 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideos Following US military strikes on Iran over the weekend, which came after Iran targeted shipping in the Hormuz Strait, reports of damage are coming in as Iran threatens to target Gulf states. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-israel-gulf-states-ceasefire-strikes-bahrain-kuwait-oman-jordan-rocket/33802697.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-israel-gulf-states-ceasefire-strikes-bahrain-kuwait-oman-jordan-rocket/33802697.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 18:12:04 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideos Zelenskyy gave no explanation for the unexpected shuffle of his Cabinet. But the popularity of Ukraine’s one-and-only wartime president is slipping, as war-weary voters tire of political scandals, as well as the unrelenting Russian invasion. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zelenskyy-politics-government-cabinet-shuffle-svyrydenko/33802810.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zelenskyy-politics-government-cabinet-shuffle-svyrydenko/33802810.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 17:42:51 +0200 FeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Thousands of Afghan families, fearing an uncertain future, have begun pouring into Afghanistan amid a fresh push from Pakistan against what officials describe a “crackdown" on undocumented aliens. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghans-under-pressure-again-in-new-pakistani-deportation-drive/33802798.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghans-under-pressure-again-in-new-pakistani-deportation-drive/33802798.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:57:09 +0200 NewsAfghanistanPakistanThe Rundown Stories President Donald Trump said he is reinstating a blockade of the straight of Hormuz after the United States and Iran traded 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 The European Union will not impose sanctions on the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and the chief of Russia’s largest private oil company, after Bulgaria vetoed the proposal. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-russia-sanctions-patriach-kirill-lukoil/33802579.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-russia-sanctions-patriach-kirill-lukoil/33802579.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:00:36 +0200 NewsRussiaWider Europe Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on July 12 that he intends to replace Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko as part of a broader government reshuffle https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-yulia-svyrydenko-reshuffle/33802078.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-yulia-svyrydenko-reshuffle/33802078.html Sun, 12 Jul 2026 15:41:59 +0200 NewsUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories US Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the Republican Party's most influential voices on foreign policy and among Ukraine's strongest supporters in Washington, died on July 11 after what his office described as a "brief and sudden illness." He was 71. https://www.rferl.org/a/lindsey-graham-us-senator-and-prominent-ukraine-advocate-dies-at-71/33802035.html https://www.rferl.org/a/lindsey-graham-us-senator-and-prominent-ukraine-advocate-dies-at-71/33802035.html Sun, 12 Jul 2026 13:03:54 +0200 VideosVideo Archive Colorized images made by NASA satellites capable of capturing the light of human activity by night show swathes of Ukrainian territory in the country's east have fallen dark amid depopulation and wartime power outages. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia-invasion-night-satellite-images-depopulation-donbas/33801975.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia-invasion-night-satellite-images-depopulation-donbas/33801975.html Sun, 12 Jul 2026 12:52:02 +0200 UkrainePhoto GalleriesThe 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