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 Thu, 09 Jul 2026 19:49:23 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL The unraveling of the 60-day memorandum of understanding (MoU) was always likely to expose unresolved disputes over who controls one of the world's most strategic waterways, Noam Raydan, the William Sudhaus Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, tells RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-strait-hormuz-raydan-shipping/33799680.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-strait-hormuz-raydan-shipping/33799680.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:31:39 +0200 IranFeatures RFE/RL spoke with Zineb Riboua, a research fellow with the Hudson Institute, about Iran's post-Khamenei power structure, the expanding influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Core (IRGC), and why she believes growing repression reflects weakness rather than confidence. https://www.rferl.org/a/zineb-riboua-iran-irgc-weak/33799380.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zineb-riboua-iran-irgc-weak/33799380.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:04:22 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories As NATO leaders gather in Ankara for a summit expected to shape the alliance's future direction, European capitals are looking to what many see as the meeting's defining challenge: whether the alliance can demonstrate political unity at a moment of profound geopolitical change. https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-transatlantic-order-cecire-trump-europe/33799298.html https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-transatlantic-order-cecire-trump-europe/33799298.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:09:10 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesEurope The United States launched a new round of military strikes against Iran and revoked a key sanctions waiver covering Iranian oil sales after accusing Tehran of attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, putting a fragile cease-fire into peril. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-renews-strikes-on-iran-vessels-hit-hormuz-strait/33798855.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-renews-strikes-on-iran-vessels-hit-hormuz-strait/33798855.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:17:44 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump has departed for Ankara, where NATO leaders are gathering for what could become one of the alliance's most consequential summits in years. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-nato-ankara-russia-ukraine-iran-europe/33798072.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-nato-ankara-russia-ukraine-iran-europe/33798072.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 03:01:04 +0200 NewsIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump will meet Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of this week's NATO summit in Ankara. Washington seeks to revive stalled diplomacy over Russia's war while pressing European allies to take greater responsibility for the continent's defense. https://www.rferl.org/a/33797244.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33797244.html Sun, 05 Jul 2026 21:19:27 +0200 UkraineNewsRussiaRussia Invades UkraineWider EuropeThe Rundown Stories WASHINGTON – As NATO leaders prepare for a pivotal July 7-8 summit in Ankara amid Russia's war against Ukraine and renewed tensions in the Middle East, former US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) James Gilmore says the alliance is undergoing a difficult but ultimately strengthening transformation rather than entering a period of decline. In an interview with RFE/RL, Gilmore, who served during President Donald Trump's first administration, argues... https://www.rferl.org/a/33797187.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33797187.html Sun, 05 Jul 2026 17:19:04 +0200 FeaturesNewsIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As NATO leaders prepare to gather for next week's summit, a group of senior European conservative lawmakers visited Washington with a message they hope will resonate inside the Trump administration: Support for Ukraine and concern over Iran are not mutually exclusive. https://www.rferl.org/a/europe-conservatives-ukraine-iran-trump-nato/33796570.html https://www.rferl.org/a/europe-conservatives-ukraine-iran-trump-nato/33796570.html Sat, 04 Jul 2026 02:59:36 +0200 NewsIranUkraineThe Rundown Stories As Washington debates whether the recent cease-fire with Iran reflects strategic restraint or strategic drift, retired US Colonel David Des Roches says the broader trajectory of the conflict tells a different story. https://www.rferl.org/a/david-des-roches-iran-us-war-hormuz/33795511.html https://www.rferl.org/a/david-des-roches-iran-us-war-hormuz/33795511.html Fri, 03 Jul 2026 13:13:55 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Russia carried out one of its largest attacks on Ukraine’s capital this year, reigniting demands in Washington and Europe for tougher military and economic measures against Moscow. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kyiv-russia-washington-europe-nato/33795007.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kyiv-russia-washington-europe-nato/33795007.html Thu, 02 Jul 2026 22:48:15 +0200 NewsUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As Washington and Tehran test the limits of a fragile interim understanding, the diplomacy around Iran has become increasingly complex. To unpack the latest developments, RFE/RL spoke with Marc J. Sievers, a former US diplomat based in Abu Dhabi who has served across the Middle East. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-marc-j-sievers-gulf/33794603.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-marc-j-sievers-gulf/33794603.html Thu, 02 Jul 2026 10:45:51 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Washington expects its alliance allies to demonstrate stronger alignment on defense spending, Ukraine support, and broader security challenges at next week’s summit in Ankara. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-envoy-whitaker-says-nato-has-moved-past-iran-operation-tensions/33794073.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-envoy-whitaker-says-nato-has-moved-past-iran-operation-tensions/33794073.html Wed, 01 Jul 2026 17:59:14 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories US Vice President JD Vance has again signaled that the White House is prepared to use force against Iran if diplomacy fails, raising the stakes around a 60-day memorandum of understanding (MOU) that has halted open hostilities but left the core disputes unresolved. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-military-option-talks-cfr-vance/33793182.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-military-option-talks-cfr-vance/33793182.html Wed, 01 Jul 2026 09:26:49 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Despite a US-Iran memorandum that opened a 60-day diplomatic window, missile exchanges and maritime threats suggest the negotiations are faltering under growing military pressure. RFE/RL spoke with Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Mary Kissel about whether diplomacy can deliver lasting security. https://www.rferl.org/a/mary-kissel-iran-nuclear-program-must-remain-the-focus/33792136.html https://www.rferl.org/a/mary-kissel-iran-nuclear-program-must-remain-the-focus/33792136.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 17:22:14 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories As Moscow increasingly invokes the “spirit of Anchorage” to claim a framework for ending the war in Ukraine already exists, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has flatly pushed back, opening a fierce diplomatic battle over what actually occurred during last year’s high-stakes summit. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-putin-rubio-lavrov-alaska-russia-ukraine/33789730.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-putin-rubio-lavrov-alaska-russia-ukraine/33789730.html Sat, 27 Jun 2026 01:03:19 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrapped up a three-day swing through the Persian Gulf on June 25 with messages aimed at reassuring Washington's allies in the region, reaffirming an intention to pursue diplomacy with Iran, and insisting on freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-tour-iran-hormuz-us-allies/33788814.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-tour-iran-hormuz-us-allies/33788814.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:05:23 +0200 NewsIranThe Rundown Stories - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that a new round of US-Iran technical negotiations will resume in Switzerland at the end of June, as he wrapped the second day of a high-stakes Persian Gulf tour aimed at calming regional concerns over Washington’s tentative accord with Tehran. https://www.rferl.org/a/ubio-gulf-allies-iran-talks-switzerland/33788076.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ubio-gulf-allies-iran-talks-switzerland/33788076.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 22:14:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories At the start of a Gulf tour, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to assure regional allies that a framework cease-fire agreement with Iran will take their security concerns into account. https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-tour-iran-ceasefire/33787271.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-tour-iran-ceasefire/33787271.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 20:11:31 +0200 Iran US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain this week on his first official visit to the Gulf since the outbreak of the Iran war and just days after Washington and Tehran signed a framework agreement aimed at bring peace to the region. https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-us-iran-framework-hormuz/33786331.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-us-iran-framework-hormuz/33786331.html Mon, 22 Jun 2026 17:02:04 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Senior US officials have disclosed details of the framework deal with Iran that is set to be officially signed during a ceremony in Switzerland on June 19. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-memorandum-of-understanding-details-us-officials-nuclear-hormuz-sanctions/33783235.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-memorandum-of-understanding-details-us-officials-nuclear-hormuz-sanctions/33783235.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 21:15:58 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Headline