https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:14:00 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's commissioner for sanctions policy, told RFE/RL in an interview that any relief for Moscow and Russian oil only serves to extend the war. https://www.rferl.org/a/waivers-russia-oil-us-sanctions-ukraine/33733519.html https://www.rferl.org/a/waivers-russia-oil-us-sanctions-ukraine/33733519.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:25:47 +0200 IranFeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Azeem Ibrahim, a longtime Middle East observer, tells RFE/RL that the Strait of Hormuz is increasingly becoming more than just a chokepoint for oil, describing it as a space where economic pressure, military risk, and geopolitical ambition converge. https://www.rferl.org/a/azeem-ibrahim-iran-conflict-will-be-decided-by-who-can-endure-the-most/33732700.html https://www.rferl.org/a/azeem-ibrahim-iran-conflict-will-be-decided-by-who-can-endure-the-most/33732700.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:27:36 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East RFE/RL spoke with Max Meizlish, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former official at the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, on the intersection of naval blockades and financial warfare as Washington halts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.rferl.org/a/33731428.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33731428.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:32:28 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Marathon talks aimed at halting the war in Iran ended without a breakthrough, as US Vice President JD Vance flew back to the United States amid major questions what comes next for the 43-day-old conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-vance-iran-peace-talks-pakistan/33730441.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-vance-iran-peace-talks-pakistan/33730441.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:14:54 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East WASHINGTON -- The United States has condemned Russia’s latest actions against independent media following reports of new detentions and a high-profile newsroom raid in Moscow. https://www.rferl.org/a/condemns-russia-journalists-raid-novaya-gazetta/33729884.html https://www.rferl.org/a/condemns-russia-journalists-raid-novaya-gazetta/33729884.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 05:35:21 +0200 NewsRussiaThe Rundown Stories US Vice President JD Vance has stepped into the most consequential diplomatic challenge of his tenure, heading to Islamabad to lead high-stakes negotiations with Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/vance-pakistan-islamabad-iran-war-negotiations/33729623.html https://www.rferl.org/a/vance-pakistan-islamabad-iran-war-negotiations/33729623.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:51:11 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East RFE/RL spoke with Allison Minor, director of the Atlantic Council’s Project for Middle East Integration, about the shaky US-Iran cease-fire and what could come next for the war and the region. https://www.rferl.org/a/allison-minor-cease-fire-iran-lebanon-hormuz/33728780.html https://www.rferl.org/a/allison-minor-cease-fire-iran-lebanon-hormuz/33728780.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:04:05 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Israeli and Lebanese representatives will meet in Washington next week, a State Department official said hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for talks with Lebanon. https://www.rferl.org/a/ceasefire-iran-war-pakistan-negotiations-trump-lebanon/33727932.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ceasefire-iran-war-pakistan-negotiations-trump-lebanon/33727932.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:09:49 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Veteran ambassador Joey Hood, a career diplomat who has served with a focus on the Middle East under multiple US administrations, says the US and Iran have each drawn stark lessons from the violent new chapter in decades of hostility. https://www.rferl.org/a/joey-hood-iran-war-lessons/33727903.html https://www.rferl.org/a/joey-hood-iran-war-lessons/33727903.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 20:44:05 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump says the United States has agreed to a two-week Pakistani-brokered cease-fire, pulling back from the brink to allow the two sides time to negotiate a peace deal. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-deadline-deal/33727017.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-deadline-deal/33727017.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:48:41 +0200 IranNews The West “must keep Ukraine as a priority” and increase pressure on Russia amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, which is drawing attention away from Europe’s deadliest conflict since 1945, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told RFE/RL. He also said the Iran war “is now also a NATO topic.” https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ukraine-russia-nato-tsahkna-security/33726914.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ukraine-russia-nato-tsahkna-security/33726914.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:57:24 +0200 IranFeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Former White House Iran adviser Nate Swanson warns that US threats of rapid strikes are largely psychological and unlikely to shift Tehran’s calculus, as tensions rise over the Strait of Hormuz and prospects for a near-term deal remain slim. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-deadline-trump-threats-nsc-swanson-analysis/33726573.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-deadline-trump-threats-nsc-swanson-analysis/33726573.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:02:49 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East US President Donald Trump renewed his threat to wipe out Iran's power plants and bridges if it doesn't reach an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, warning the country could be “taken out in one night.” https://www.rferl.org/a/33726140.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33726140.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:57:41 +0200 IranNews WASHINGTON -- A reported incident involving a US F-15 over Iran is drawing renewed scrutiny to the risks American aircraft face when operating in heavily defended airspace, underscoring a broader reality: Even one of the world’s most successful fighter jets is not immune in contested environments. https://www.rferl.org/a/f15-warplane-downed-iran-combat-crew/33724843.html https://www.rferl.org/a/f15-warplane-downed-iran-combat-crew/33724843.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 21:07:31 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Rescue teams continue to search early on April 4 for a US crew member missing after their fighter jet was brought down over Iran, one of two American forces planes reportedly knocked out of the sky in the region a day earlier. https://www.rferl.org/a/rescue-operation-us-jet-downed-iran/33724346.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rescue-operation-us-jet-downed-iran/33724346.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 01:02:08 +0200 IranNews The F-15E Strike Eagle, which US officials say was shot down over Iran on April 3, is one of the US military’s most advanced dual-role fighter aircraft, designed to carry out both air-to-air combat and deep strike missions against ground targets. https://www.rferl.org/a/f15-jet-fighter-strike-eagle-shot-down-iran/33724307.html https://www.rferl.org/a/f15-jet-fighter-strike-eagle-shot-down-iran/33724307.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 20:08:53 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories A US crew member has been rescued by American forces after a jet fighter was shot down over Iran, a US official told RFE/RL, and the search is ongoing for a second, in the first known loss of an American plane to hostile fire since the war began. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-fighter-jet-shot-down-iran/33724201.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-fighter-jet-shot-down-iran/33724201.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:06:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories The flow of volunteer humanitarian aid from the United States to Ukraine -- a critical lifeline for frontline communities -- is coming under mounting strain, as disruptions linked to the Iran conflict ripple through global shipping networks. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-conflict-disrupts-private-us-humanitarian-aid-ukraine/33724043.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-conflict-disrupts-private-us-humanitarian-aid-ukraine/33724043.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:30:02 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump on April 1 said the United States is close to “finishing the job” in Iran, while warning that US forces will continue to strike the country “extremely hard” for another “two to three weeks.” https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-war-address-ceasefire-hormuz/33722964.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-war-address-ceasefire-hormuz/33722964.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:22:29 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East The United States has removed sanctions on three Russian-flagged commercial vessels, sparking debate over whether the move signals a shift in US- Russia policy. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-sanctions-russia-vessels-treasury-policy-shift/33722318.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-sanctions-russia-vessels-treasury-policy-shift/33722318.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:59:33 +0200 NewsIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories