News

• July 18, 2026

  New US Attacks On Roads, Bridges Reported As Iran Hits Back At Gulf States

  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.

• July 18, 2026

  Reopening Hormuz Strait Easier Than Restoring Confidence, Naval Analyst Tallis Says

  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.

• July 17, 2026

  Hormuz Shipping Comes To Near Halt Amid Latest Flareup Of Violence

  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.

• July 17, 2026

  US Senate Leadership Throws Weight Behind Renewed Russia Sanctions Push

  Senate Republican leadership has thrown its weight behind a renewed bipartisan push to impose sweeping new sanctions on Russia that supporters say marks the strongest congressional effort yet to increase economic pressure on Moscow over its war against Ukraine.

• July 17, 2026

  US Attacks, Iran Retaliates -- But White House Insists Diplomacy Still Possible

  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.

• July 16, 2026

  Protests Erupt Throughout Ukraine After Shock Dismissal Of Defense Minister

  Crowds gathered in Ukraine's major cities on July 16 after news broke that Mykhaylo Fedorov, the country's widely respected defense minister, had been dismissed.

• July 16, 2026

  'What A Nightmare': Zelenskyy's Dismissal Of Defense Minister Sparks Fury In Ukraine

  Ukrainians reacted with fury to the abrupt ouster of Mykhaylo Fedorov, the tech-minded defense minister whose embrace of drone warfare innovation for many signaled a break from old-school military thinking and shady business interests.

• July 16, 2026

  Zelenskyy's Dismissal Of Defense Minister Fedorov Sparks Protests

  President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sacked Mykhaylo Fedorov as defense minister, a dramatic shakeup of his Cabinet that sent shockwaves through Ukrainian political and military circles and stoked new questions about oversight of Ukraine's stubborn defense against Russia's all-out invasion.

• July 15, 2026

  US Senate Unveils Revised Russia Sanctions Bill As Lawmakers Push To Cement Graham's Legacy

  A bipartisan group of US senators on July 14 introduced the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, unveiling a revised package of sanctions and tariffs aimed at squeezing Moscow's war finances while seeking to overcome concerns that had stalled earlier versions of the legislation.

• July 15, 2026

  Trump Says Strikes On Iran To Continue As Battle Over Strait Of Hormuz Escalates

  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.

• July 14, 2026

  Ukraine Gets Nod From France To Produce French Defense Systems

  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.

• July 14, 2026

  ‘Watch The Dialogue, Not The Bombing’ In Iran, Former US Envoy Says

  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.

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