https://www.rferl.org/z/23311 The main stories of the day from the RFE/RL Central Newsroom. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/23311 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:22:21 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL More than three months into Iran's conflict with the United States and Israel, Iranians say they are desperate about meeting basic needs. Some are down to one meal a day, meat is rare, and household appliances are sold off to pay bills. Some Iranians sent messages to RFE/RL's Radio Farda. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-economy-crisis-inflation-us-israel-war-unemployment-internet-irgc/33772766.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-economy-crisis-inflation-us-israel-war-unemployment-internet-irgc/33772766.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:06:01 +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-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories The Israeli military said its forces targeted Iranian regime sites early on June 8 in retaliation for Tehran's latest attacks on Israel and shortly after US President Donald Trump said he would tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to conduct such strikes. https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-attack-trump-netanyahu-ceasefire-retaliation/33775004.html https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-attack-trump-netanyahu-ceasefire-retaliation/33775004.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 03:52:50 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian early on June 8 declared victory for his Civil Contract party over several pro-Russia groupings, with his party hovering around 50 percent as votes are counted, higher than pre-vote surveys suggested. https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-pashinian--parliament-assembly-election/33774709.html https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-pashinian--parliament-assembly-election/33774709.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 01:28:39 +0200 NewsArmeniaAzerbaijanRussiaThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump said a deal with Tehran to turn a cease-fire into a peace settlement is still "very close," even after Iran launched its first wave of air strikes against Israel since the fragile April truce took effect. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-trump-ceasefire-irgc-attack/33774693.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-trump-ceasefire-irgc-attack/33774693.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 23:35:45 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories When Kazakhstan launched Central Asia’s first large-scale cloud-seeding program on May 17, it called it a high-tech response to drought, water scarcity, and accelerating desertification. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-cloud-seeding-central-asia-weather/33772843.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-cloud-seeding-central-asia-weather/33772843.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 10:24:36 +0200 FeaturesAfghanistanIranKazakhstanKyrgyzstanUzbekistanThe Rundown Stories Crimea, the Ukrainian Black Sea region occupied by Russia, is heavily dependent on Russian visitors for its economy. This summer, it faces major gasoline shortages, as Ukraine’s military drone campaign squeezes transport routes, making life even more difficult for vacationers. https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-ukraine-drones-gasoline-crisis-summer/33773507.html https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-ukraine-drones-gasoline-crisis-summer/33773507.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 11:43:08 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Ukraine launched hundreds of drones at targets across Russia, including scores over the St. Petersburg region, on the final day of Russia’s most important investment forum. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drones-investment-forum-attacks-petersburg/33773988.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drones-investment-forum-attacks-petersburg/33773988.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 09:56:20 +0200 NewsRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a proposal by his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to meet for talks to end the war as senseless, calling for the country's military to "do the job." https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-zelenskyy-ukraine-russia-war/33773619.html https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-zelenskyy-ukraine-russia-war/33773619.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 20:07:55 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The United States has reaffirmed its support for Armenia's sovereignty and democratic institutions amid growing concerns over what Western officials describe as an intensifying Russian campaign to weaken Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian ahead of the country's upcoming elections. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-support-armenia-election-rubio-trump-pashinian-russia/33773349.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-support-armenia-election-rubio-trump-pashinian-russia/33773349.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:14:03 +0200 ArmeniaFeaturesRussiaThe Rundown Stories Armenians go to the polls on June 7 in parliamentary elections in which the country’s basic foreign policy orientation is at stake. While Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has pulled the country towards the West, Russia has responded with multiple moves aimed at halting the shift. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-economy-armenia-westward-tilt-elections/33773229.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-economy-armenia-westward-tilt-elections/33773229.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:49:41 +0200 FeaturesArmeniaRussiaThe Rundown Stories RFE/RL spoke with Lisa Gable, a former US ambassador who served during the George W. Bush administration and is now the chairwoman of World In 2050, about the prospects for diplomacy with Iran, the challenges of verification, and the broader geopolitical stakes of the current conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-negotiations-promises-ambassador-lisa-gable/33773278.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-negotiations-promises-ambassador-lisa-gable/33773278.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:47:38 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Riding into Russia on a motorcycle to see his ailing father, Mikhail Loshchinin was detained at the border, tortured, and tried on a treason charge over a $245 transfer to a Ukrainian ex-girlfriend, he and relatives and supporters say. This week, he was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-prison-belgian-sentenced-treason-claim/33772656.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-prison-belgian-sentenced-treason-claim/33772656.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:07 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories WASHINGTON -- In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation and a rebuke to the administration's approach toward Ukraine, the US House of Representatives approved a sweeping Ukraine aid and Russia sanctions package, with 18 Republicans joining Democrats to pass the legislation. https://www.rferl.org/a/house-vote-ukraine-support-russia-sanctions-trump/33773123.html https://www.rferl.org/a/house-vote-ukraine-support-russia-sanctions-trump/33773123.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:49:11 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump said the United States will win the conflict with Iran either “militarily or on paper,” referring to the fitful negotiations with Tehran, and he suggested he could meet with Iran’s reclusive supreme leader “if it was to make a deal.” https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-peace-negotiations-supreme-leader/33772840.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-peace-negotiations-supreme-leader/33772840.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:42 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written an open letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, urging him to attend a meeting between the two leaders at a neutral location to agree an end to the war. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-open-letter-putin-peace/33772829.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-open-letter-putin-peace/33772829.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:54:45 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories A fuel supply crisis in Crimea is worsening as Ukraine's "middle strike" drone campaign targets fuel tankers and storage facilities. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-crimea-war-fuel-shortage-invasion-drones/33772606.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-crimea-war-fuel-shortage-invasion-drones/33772606.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:32:02 +0200 Russia Invades UkraineNewsUkrainePhoto GalleriesPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories Hungarian and Ukrainian diplomats reached a deal on Hungarian minority rights late on June 3, allowing Ukraine and Moldova to finally start de facto accession talks with the European Union later this month, after two years of Budapest vetoing this step under its previous government. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-moldova-to-start-eu-accession-talks-after-breakthrough--minority-rights/33772673.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-moldova-to-start-eu-accession-talks-after-breakthrough--minority-rights/33772673.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:09:53 +0200 NewsMoldovaUkraineThe Rundown Stories The United States has sanctioned Iran’s largest cryptocurrency platform, in a move that could hurt ordinary Iranians and businesses, experts say. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nobitex-us--sanctions-crypto-exchange-irgc/33772560.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nobitex-us--sanctions-crypto-exchange-irgc/33772560.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:47:03 +0200 FeaturesIranThe Rundown Stories A number of European Union member states are pushing the European Commission to put forward legislation that makes it easier to deny tourist visas to Russian citizens over Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-tougher-rules-russians-tourist-visas/33772574.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-tougher-rules-russians-tourist-visas/33772574.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:22:48 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesEurope