https://www.rferl.org/z/645 The latest news from RFE/RL's broadcast region. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/645 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:34:21 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Iran's powerful parliament speaker said there was "progress" in talks with Washington but that "fundamental" differences remain, while US President Donald Trump rejected what he called "blackmail" by Tehran after it again closed the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-qalibaf-negotiations-trump-blackmail-hormuz/33735255.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-qalibaf-negotiations-trump-blackmail-hormuz/33735255.html Sun, 19 Apr 2026 02:39:50 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories A shooter killed six people in Kyiv before being eliminated by Ukraine's special forces in a daylight incident on April 18, according to local officials. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-shooting-incident-kyiv/33735226.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-shooting-incident-kyiv/33735226.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:14:04 +0200 UkraineNewsThe Rundown Stories The brother of jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi has told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that her life is "in serious danger" following a heart attack she suffered in prison last month. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nobel-peace-prize-jailed-narges-mohammadi/33735225.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nobel-peace-prize-jailed-narges-mohammadi/33735225.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:13:23 +0200 NewsIranThe Rundown Stories As the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL deliver ongoing updates and analysis. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-protests-live-blog-trump-khamenei/33640284.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-protests-live-blog-trump-khamenei/33640284.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:05:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories The United States has again temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil, issuing a new waiver that allows certain shipments already at sea to be delivered and sold, even as Washington publicly insists it is maintaining pressure on the Kremlin. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-oil-sanctions-waiver-treasury-iran/33735009.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-oil-sanctions-waiver-treasury-iran/33735009.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 05:12:42 +0200 RussiaNewsIranThe Rundown Stories Hopes that shipping would resume through the Strait of Hormuz proved short-lived on April 18, as Iranian forces attacked at least three civilian ships after Tehran announced it was reversing its decision to reopen the vital waterway. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-ceasefire-negotiations-iran-hormuz-pakistan/33734753.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-ceasefire-negotiations-iran-hormuz-pakistan/33734753.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:38:13 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Headline Ilya Remeslo, a longtime pro-Kremlin blogger who was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after abruptly directing strongly worded criticism at Russian President Vladimir Putin, says he has been released after a month in the facility in St. Petersburg. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-criticism-remeslo-released-psychiatric/33734732.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-criticism-remeslo-released-psychiatric/33734732.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:52:30 +0200 NewsRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Iran said it has opened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping traffic for the reamiiner of a 10-day cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon, and US President Donald Trump again suggested that Washington and Tehran could reach a deal to end the US-Israeli war with Iran in the near future. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israel-lebanon-hormuz/33734636.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israel-lebanon-hormuz/33734636.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:33:06 +0200 NewsIranMiddle East A senior Republican lawmaker has raised concerns over continued US-origin components appearing in Russian weapon systems amid Ukrainian reports that recent drone strikes show evidence of Western microelectronics manufactured as recently as 2025. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-lawmaker-wilson-flags-western-chips-russian-iranian-drones/33734451.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-lawmaker-wilson-flags-western-chips-russian-iranian-drones/33734451.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:58:52 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East The Czech Republic demanded an explanation after Russia’s Defense Ministry published a list of companies it claimed are helping produce attack drones for Ukraine and bellicose former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called it “a list of potential targets” for the Russian military. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-drones-europe-czech-threat-medvedev/33733898.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-drones-europe-czech-threat-medvedev/33733898.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:46:22 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Easter celebrations in the western Turkmen city of Balkanabat were overshadowed by a coordinated security operation near the only Christian church, with dozens of local Turkmen converts detained during Catholic and Orthodox services. https://www.rferl.org/a/33733767.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33733767.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:13:17 +0200 NewsTurkmenistan The Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran are "very close" to a deal to end the war and that US and Iranian negotiators could meet for a second round of talks this coming weekend. https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-lebanon-leadership-talks-peace/33733502.html https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-lebanon-leadership-talks-peace/33733502.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:28:37 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Russia fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Kyiv, Dnipro, and other Ukrainian cities, killing at least 19 people across the country in one of the largest bombardments in months. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-attacks-drones-missiles-barrage/33733467.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-attacks-drones-missiles-barrage/33733467.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:25:20 +0200 NewsFeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Iranian officials are set on April 16 to meet with Pakistani mediators to discuss new US proposals and decide on a possible second round of talks a day after US President Donald Trump asserted that the end of the war could come “very soon.” https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-negotiations-pakistan-trump-ceasefire/33733113.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-negotiations-pakistan-trump-ceasefire/33733113.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:16:41 +0200 IranNewsPakistanThe Rundown Stories Iran has sentenced four more protesters, including a woman, to death over mass demonstrations in January, according to two human rights groups. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-protests-january-executions/33732949.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-protests-january-executions/33732949.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:22:57 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Russian shelling destroyed children's sports facility and an administrative building in the center of Slovyansk in the Donetsk region, as Moscow launched hundred of drones on Ukrainian regions. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-strikes-deadly-attack/33732737.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-strikes-deadly-attack/33732737.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:44:53 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran could be over "very soon," and Pakistan's powerful army chief visited Tehran in a bid to bridge the gap between the United States and Iran and pave the way for a new round of talks. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-peace-talks-iran-blockade-china-russia/33732708.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-peace-talks-iran-blockade-china-russia/33732708.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:48:04 +0200 IranNewsRussiaThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle EastChina Russian attacks killed five people in the frequently targeted city of Dnipro and a child in Cherkasy on April 14, Ukrainian authorities said, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received promises of further support from Germany and Norway. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-attacks-germany-norway-weapons/33732227.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-attacks-germany-norway-weapons/33732227.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 20:46:04 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump suggested that talks with Iran could resume in a day or two, while the US military said that no ships slipped through a naval blockade targeting vessels headed to or from Iranian ports in the first 24 hours of the restrictive measure. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-blockade-iran-ships-transit-hormuz/33731994.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-blockade-iran-ships-transit-hormuz/33731994.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:32:22 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East The Russian foreign minister’s trip comes amid a US blockade and Beijing’s push to seize diplomatic openings from the war in Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-russia-iran-xi-trump-blockade-war-energy-middle-east/33731921.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-russia-iran-xi-trump-blockade-war-energy-middle-east/33731921.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:06:49 +0200 NewsIranRussiaThe Rundown StoriesChina