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 Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:31:46 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL 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 Sat, 18 Jul 2026 05:30:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories US strikes on Iran widened early on July 18 from the Strait of Hormuz hotspot to multiple sites throughout central and southern Iran, including through the use of fighter jets, while Iran continued to pound US Gulf allies, as a fragile cease-fire further tattered. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-attacks-hormuz-infrastructure-centcom-jets/33806044.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-attacks-hormuz-infrastructure-centcom-jets/33806044.html Sat, 18 Jul 2026 01:07:48 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories With the US and Iran launching fresh strikes in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz is back under the spotlight. Naval strategist Joshua Tallis says restoring commercial confidence -- not military force alone -- will determine when shipping returns to normal. https://www.rferl.org/a/hormuz-strait-confidence-naval-tallis-us-iran/33805855.html https://www.rferl.org/a/hormuz-strait-confidence-naval-tallis-us-iran/33805855.html Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:28:06 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown Stories As US forces targeted military sites and infrastructure, primarily in southern Iran, for the sixth night on July 16-17, Tehran responded by announcing it was launching strikes on five Persian Gulf states, including attacks on US military forces in Syria and Bahrain. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-drone-strikes-hormuz-strait-kuwait-bahrain-qatar-jordan-syria-israel-military/33805789.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-drone-strikes-hormuz-strait-kuwait-bahrain-qatar-jordan-syria-israel-military/33805789.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 15:05:57 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideosThe Rundown Stories Tens of thousands of Iranians have flocked to sign an online petition with a rare but pointed message to the country's hard-liners: Go fight the war against the United States yourselves. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-anti-war-message-hardliners-rare-petition/33805712.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-anti-war-message-hardliners-rare-petition/33805712.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 13:29:54 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories US forces stepped up attacks on Iranian sites, reportedly striking key bridges and an airport, prompting retaliatory action by Tehran, even while the White House said talks between the warring sides were still under way and that diplomacy was still a viable option. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-washington-tehran-hormuz-trump-centcom/33805272.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-washington-tehran-hormuz-trump-centcom/33805272.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:24 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories As tensions between the US and Iran intensifies, with renewed military strikes and growing arguments around the Strait of Hormuz, global attention has focused on regional security, commercial shipping, and the risk of wider escalation. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-conflict-elizabeth-trudeau-interview/33804935.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-conflict-elizabeth-trudeau-interview/33804935.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:38:54 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories What do we know about one of the most fortified sites in Iran, which the US president has threatened to attack? https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-nuclear-site-uranium/33805041.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-nuclear-site-uranium/33805041.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:26:11 +0200 VideosIranThe Rundown Stories Iran has executed some 40 political prisoners since mass protests rocked the country in January. Twelve more may be about to join them, and they were all put on death row by one man: Mohammad Reza Tavakoli, honored by the judiciary as an “exemplary judge.” https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-judge-mohammad-reza-tavakoli-death-sentences/33804350.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-judge-mohammad-reza-tavakoli-death-sentences/33804350.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:21:13 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories A new round of US strikes across Iran hit dozens of military targets in areas near the Strait of Hormuz, including missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb island, according to western military officials. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-us-strike-drone-greater-tunb-jordan-kuwait-blockade-ceasefire/33804342.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-us-strike-drone-greater-tunb-jordan-kuwait-blockade-ceasefire/33804342.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:27:36 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideosThe Rundown Stories Despite renewed US strikes on Iran and attacks around the Gulf, veteran Middle East scholar Francis Gregory Gause argues that diplomacy is still alive, and that both Washington and Tehran are once again maneuvering to strengthen their positions before an eventual return to negotiations. https://www.rferl.org/a/middle-east-expert-francis-gregory-gause-iran-mou-iran/33804176.html https://www.rferl.org/a/middle-east-expert-francis-gregory-gause-iran-mou-iran/33804176.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:34:16 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories 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 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 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 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 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 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