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 Sun, 02 Aug 2026 04:46:55 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL The United Arab Emirates is trying to keep channels open with Tehran while strengthening its military ties with Washington and Israel, a delicate balancing act shaped by security concerns and deep economic links with Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-uae-war-usa-israel-sheikh-mohamed-bin-zayed-al-nahyan/33819782.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-uae-war-usa-israel-sheikh-mohamed-bin-zayed-al-nahyan/33819782.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 22:01:28 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East A renewed exchange of military strikes and threats between the US and Iran has raised fresh fears of a wider Middle East war. But Jacob Stoil, research professor of Middle East security studies at the US Army War College, argues the more important story may be what has not happened. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-stoil-army-war-college-interview/33819707.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-stoil-army-war-college-interview/33819707.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 10:25:00 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East As the conflict in the Persian Gulf 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 Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0200 IranNewsHuman RightsThe Rundown Stories Former Trump White House official Allison Minor says Iran's latest attacks exposed the limits of the traditional US security guarantee in the Gulf. She argues Washington should shift toward a regional security model built on shared capabilities, integration, and stronger partnerships. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-gulf-security-us-role-allison-minor-interview/33818576.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-gulf-security-us-role-allison-minor-interview/33818576.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 20:08:49 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East A day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Senate, lawmakers overwhelmingly advanced legislation to tighten sanctions on Russia and extend key Iran sanctions for another five years. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senate-advances-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-bipartisan-support/33818432.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senate-advances-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-bipartisan-support/33818432.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:00:39 +0200 News AnalysisIranUkraineThe Rundown Stories The US military said it launched dozens of strikes against targets linked to Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in response to Iranian attacks on American troops in Jordan after President Donald Trump had vowed to retaliate and "hit them very hard." https://www.rferl.org/a/us-strikes-target-iran-revolutionary-guards-corps/33818316.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-strikes-target-iran-revolutionary-guards-corps/33818316.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:59:30 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces carried out a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iranian targets in what it described as a response to Tehran's attempted missile attacks on US forces in the Gulf. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-strike-heavy-gulf-jordan-egypt-centcom-drone-missile-qeshm/33818282.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-strike-heavy-gulf-jordan-egypt-centcom-drone-missile-qeshm/33818282.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:43:00 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideos The emerging partnerships between Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries are also reshaping the region's security dynamics, which analysts believe may add new strains to relations among states. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-security-dynamics-middle-east-pakistan/33816861.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-security-dynamics-middle-east-pakistan/33816861.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:22:51 +0200 News AnalysisIranPakistanThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East In what appeared to be the first time Tehran initiated an attack against US targets since the war in the Persian Gulf began in late February, Iran fired ballistic missiles at American bases in Jordan late on July 28. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-jordan-jordan-trump-war/33817712.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-jordan-jordan-trump-war/33817712.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:14:48 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Headline As the US Senate prepared to vote on a sweeping bipartisan sanctions package targeting Russia and Iran, Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a co-sponsor of the legislation, said the measure reflects renewed bipartisan resolve to squeeze the Kremlin war machine and reinforce support for Ukraine.  https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senate-whitehouse-sanctions-russia-iran/33816935.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senate-whitehouse-sanctions-russia-iran/33816935.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 21:22:21 +0200 FeaturesIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Russia and Iran's expanding partnership in drones, intelligence, sanctions evasion and internal security is increasingly linking the conflicts in Ukraine and the Persian Gulf, says Nicole Grajewski, an expert on Russian-Iranian relations. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-iran-partnership-ukraine-persian-gulf-nicole-grajewski/33816737.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-iran-partnership-ukraine-persian-gulf-nicole-grajewski/33816737.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:36:50 +0200 FeaturesIranRussiaThe Rundown Stories Russia’s Iranian-designed drones have ravaged Ukrainian forces in Moscow’s all-out war. As far as Ukraine is concerned, that means cargo ships plying the Caspian Sea with Iranian military goods are fair game. Including this past weekend. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-iran-caspian-strikes-ships/33816728.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-iran-caspian-strikes-ships/33816728.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:31:36 +0200 FeaturesIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Videos posted on social media appeared to show crowds of protesters gathering in the Iranian city of Isfahan on July 28 to demonstrate as state executions of two men took place. With more executions feared, the videos show groups of people chanting "Without honor!" amid a heavy security presence. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-isfahan-protests-demonstration-execution-prison-human-rights/33816596.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-isfahan-protests-demonstration-execution-prison-human-rights/33816596.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:41:05 +0200 Human RightsIranVideo ArchiveVideos In an interview with RFE/RL, Ken Moriyasu, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said the countries of Central Asia appear to be giving up on Iran as a gateway to global trade, a situation which is driving new approaches to cooperation with China and Pakistan. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-central-asia-china-pakistan-trade/33816146.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-central-asia-china-pakistan-trade/33816146.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 22:26:32 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideos Has the Iran conflict permanently reshaped Central Asia's strategic map? Hudson Institute senior fellow Ken Moriyasu explains why governments across the region are increasingly looking beyond Iran toward Pakistan, Afghanistan and China for trade, connectivity, and access to global markets. https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-looking-beyond-iran-ken-moryasu/33816153.html https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-looking-beyond-iran-ken-moryasu/33816153.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:59:35 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Sixteen people are facing charges connected to protests in the Iranian city of Isfahan in January, during which a colonel in Iran's Revolutionary Guard was killed. Sources in Iran told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that authorities used torture to extract confessions from the defendants. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-executions-irgc-protests/33815971.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-executions-irgc-protests/33815971.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 17:39:53 +0200 IranFeaturesHuman RightsThe Rundown Headline The US State Department criticized the execution of prisoners in Iran and called for the release of political prisoners as Tehran has ramped up its use of the death penalty in recent months. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-executions-protesters-trump-human-rights/33813872.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-executions-protesters-trump-human-rights/33813872.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:21:18 +0200 IranNewsHuman RightsThe Rundown Stories The Pentagon has revised down its official casualty figures from the war with Iran, updating the number of US military personnel killed and wounded during the five-month-old conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/pentagon-casualty-figures-transparency-debate-us-iran/33813903.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pentagon-casualty-figures-transparency-debate-us-iran/33813903.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:04:01 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Tehran said it had halted retaliatory attacks against US allies in the Middle East as Washington refrained from attacking Iran for the second night in a row. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-halts-retaliatory-attacks-us-allies-middle-east/33813331.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-halts-retaliatory-attacks-us-allies-middle-east/33813331.html Sun, 26 Jul 2026 14:29:33 +0200 NewsIranThe Rundown Headline US President Donald ⁠Trump ⁠said Washington and Tehran were still conducting negotiations to end their conflict -- even as attacks intensified throughout the region, further threatening to widen the conflict into a full-blown Middle East war. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-talks-houthi-yemen-gulf-trump/33812472.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-talks-houthi-yemen-gulf-trump/33812472.html Sat, 25 Jul 2026 01:02:42 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories