Michael Scollon is a senior correspondent in RFE/RL's Central Newsroom in Prague.
For decades, Afghans have sought refuge in neighboring countries to flee poverty, humanitarian crises, and war. Now they are increasingly being forced back to their home country as physical barriers are erected to keep them there.
Iran's involvement in the Syrian civil war has boosted Tehran's influence in Damascus and across the Middle East. But with success has come new complications that Tehran must enter into its calculations as it works to maintain its footprint in Syria.
There is little room for negotiation between the United States and Iran to settle their dangerous disputes in the Middle East. Analysts explain why Washington and Tehran are not about to sit down and work out their differences amid rising tensions.
As the U.S. mulls how to respond to a drone strike by an Iran-backed militia that killed U.S. troops in Jordan, Iran has said it does not want war but is ready for one if directly attacked.
The Taliban is known for a lot of things, but its affinity for Western -- and now communist -- hair fashion isn't one of them. In its latest rules, the hard-line Islamist group has warned barbers in Afghanistan not to provide haircuts that make their customers look like the "infidels."
Missiles are flying in Yemen, and so are the warnings of more to come between a U.S.-led coalition and the Iran-backed Huthi extremist group.
In missile strikes this week, Iran showed the lengths it will take to strike its enemies. But the attacks, which targeted extremists and an alleged spy base in neighboring states, do not mark a change in Tehran's tried and true strategy of letting proxies directly take on its biggest foe, Israel.
Despite Iran's backing for and weapon supplies to the Huthi rebel group in Yemen, analysts say the two maintain enough separation to prevent Tehran from being drawn into a wider Middle East conflict and for the Huthis to act with independence.
Iran keeps its struggling economy afloat with the help of a "dark fleet" that ferries illegal oil shipments to China. But the clandestine trade comes with huge risks, leaving Tehran vulnerable to wildly fluctuating oil prices, Chinese demand, and ongoing international sanctions.
As the Iranian authorities vow a harsh response in revenge for the deadliest attack in Iran since the Islamic Revolution, many Iranians are questioning whether Tehran's focus on policing hijab compliance and the military involvement abroad have left citizens exposed to dangers at home.
The West's engagement with the Taliban has seen a revival due to the urgent need to deliver humanitarian aid to crisis-stricken Afghanistan. But engagement does not mean recognition of a government steadfast in its refusal to reverse its policies on women and human rights.
Afghans are being forced to return to their home country in huge numbers at the onset of winter, testing the limits of humanitarian aid efforts that were already struggling to stave off starvation and homelessness.
Afghans who fled to Pakistan after the Taliban seized power in their home country more than two years ago and are on the path to immigration to the United States are facing arrest and deportation despite being flagged for protection.
An Iranian newspaper's publication of a classified document outlining the state's plans to deploy thousands of "volunteers" to enforce the country's hijab law has revealed a cover-up over responsibility for the intrusive squads of women harassing commuters.
As fighting in the Gaza Strip threatens to spill over into a broader regional conflict, Iran's plan to help its extremist allies acquire the ability to manufacture their own weapons and hone their battlefield capabilities is coming together.
Behrouz Chamanara, a professor at Kurdistan University in western Iran, was arrested, interrogated, and ultimately dismissed after the authorities suspected he and other professors were pushing students to participate in antiestablishment protests.
In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL's Radio Farda, prominent Iranian religious scholar Sedigheh Vasmaghi accused hard-liners in the Islamic republic of using violence against civilians to ensure all orders are followed "without question" and said those who oppose the government should not face bloodshed.
Russia and Iran say they're free to trade missile technology now that UN sanctions barring such cooperation have expired. But while some worry they could expand their trade into more advanced weaponry and know-how, experts suggest that not much will change from the current reality.
Over the course of four decades, Iran has perfected the use of proxies and alliances with militant groups and state actors to fight its battles abroad.
Iran has officially denied responsibility for the massive attack pulled off by Hamas against Israel. But Tehran still relishes in what it sees as a great victory showcasing its investments in Sunni and Shi'a proxies, the export of the Islamic Revolution, and the disruption of Arab-Israeli relations.
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