https://www.rferl.org/z/23311 The main stories of the day from the RFE/RL Central Newsroom. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/23311 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Wed, 03 Jun 2026 02:30:45 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL As Washington and Tehran edge toward a preliminary peace deal, renewed fighting in Lebanon has cast uncertainty over the diplomatic track. https://www.rferl.org/a/former-senior-trump-nsc-official-says-diplomacy-alive-as-us-iran-battle-for-leverage/33770891.html https://www.rferl.org/a/former-senior-trump-nsc-official-says-diplomacy-alive-as-us-iran-battle-for-leverage/33770891.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:41:12 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East In this week's Wider Europe newsletter, Rikard Jozwiak drills down on two issues: Why the EU isn’t naming a Russia envoy and the upcoming EU-Moldova summit. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-russia-envoy-gerhard-schroeder-putin/33770809.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-russia-envoy-gerhard-schroeder-putin/33770809.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:59:12 +0200 Wider EuropeMoldovaUkraineThe Rundown Stories At least 13 people were killed and scores hurt throughout Ukraine following a massive missile and drone barrage on the country in the early hours of June 2. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-invasion-photos-fatalities-invasion/33770764.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-invasion-photos-fatalities-invasion/33770764.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:59:11 +0200 Russia Invades UkraineNewsUkrainePhoto GalleriesPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories 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. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 06:10:59 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says any temporary peace agreement between the United States and Iran must be followed by deeper talks about Tehran’s nuclear stockpiles, missiles and other critical issues. https://www.rferl.org/a/kallas-iran-eu-nuclear-us-war-peace/33770107.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kallas-iran-eu-nuclear-us-war-peace/33770107.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:31:22 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Tina Fordham, founder of Fordham Global Foresight and a geopolitical strategist, speaks in an RFE/RL interview about the state of Iran negotiations, the market's assessment of the talks, and the broader geopolitical consequences of the standoff. https://www.rferl.org/a/fordham-iran-negotiations-trump-hormuz-nuclear/33769578.html https://www.rferl.org/a/fordham-iran-negotiations-trump-hormuz-nuclear/33769578.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:20:11 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories The United States and Iran exchanged fire for a third time early on June 1 amid ongoing attempts to secure an agreement to end the war and reach a lasting peace deal. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-exchange-fire-peace-deal/33770033.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-exchange-fire-peace-deal/33770033.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:49:15 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories A woman from Guinea who was deported from Belarus without her infant daughter has finally been reunited with the child after more than a year apart. Rights groups say the separation ended only after pressure from the UN, UNICEF, and Guinean diplomats. https://www.rferl.org/a/deported-from-belarus-a-mother-finally-reunites-with-daughter-left-behind/33769400.html https://www.rferl.org/a/deported-from-belarus-a-mother-finally-reunites-with-daughter-left-behind/33769400.html Sun, 31 May 2026 15:19:25 +0200 BelarusVideo ArchiveThe Rundown Stories A major fire broke out at the Saratov oil refinery after a Ukrainian drone strike on May 31, according to Ukrainian military officials. The refinery is located about 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border and is operated by Rosneft. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drones-strike-oil-refinery-deep-inside-russia/33769483.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drones-strike-oil-refinery-deep-inside-russia/33769483.html Sun, 31 May 2026 14:12:08 +0200 Russia Invades UkraineRussiaUkraineVideo ArchiveThe Rundown Stories Ukrainian drones have targeted a Russian oil refinery hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border, the latest in a series of deep-strike campaigns aimed at disrupting Russia’s oil industry. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drones-strike-saratov-refinery-deep-inside-russia/33769434.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drones-strike-saratov-refinery-deep-inside-russia/33769434.html Sun, 31 May 2026 12:40:05 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Some 300 Ukrainian drone operators recently took a break from combat to compete in an event called Wild Drones. The competition in the Lviv region gives them a chance to earn bragging rights and give feedback to defense firms behind technology that is being used in the long-running war with Russia. https://www.rferl.org/a/from-battlefield-to-racecourse-ukraine-s-drone-pilots-compete-far-from-the-front-lines/33768356.html https://www.rferl.org/a/from-battlefield-to-racecourse-ukraine-s-drone-pilots-compete-far-from-the-front-lines/33768356.html Sun, 31 May 2026 11:12:51 +0200 VideosUkraineVideo ArchiveThe Rundown Stories A donation of 16 Gripen C/D fighter jets from Sweden to Ukraine has the potential to significantly impact the ground war with Russia, depending on what weapons will be provided with the jets, experts say. https://www.rferl.org/a/gripen-fighters-ukraine-war-impact-russia-aviation/33768477.html https://www.rferl.org/a/gripen-fighters-ukraine-war-impact-russia-aviation/33768477.html Sat, 30 May 2026 16:27:17 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories An overloaded truck carrying Afghan families returning from Pakistan crashed in eastern Afghanistan on May 30, killing at least 22 people and injuring 36 others, local officials said. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-returnees-killed-in-afghanistan-truck-crash/33769031.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-returnees-killed-in-afghanistan-truck-crash/33769031.html Sat, 30 May 2026 15:15:05 +0200 NewsAfghanistanThe Rundown Stories Leaked documents examined by Schemes link a debunked report that claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bought a $3.2 million apartment in Dubai for his mother to a Kremlin-backed disinformation outfit hit with sanctions by the US, the EU, and the UK. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-fake-news-zelenskyy-claim-dubai-kremlin/33768433.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-fake-news-zelenskyy-claim-dubai-kremlin/33768433.html Sat, 30 May 2026 10:55:48 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineSchemes: Investigating UkraineThe Rundown Stories Threat of legal action by Georgia's ruling party against a researcher who documented Iranian influence in the country is the latest sign of how far Tbilisi has drifted from its once-close ties with Washington. https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-iran-relations-washington-sanctions-hudson/33768300.html https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-iran-relations-washington-sanctions-hudson/33768300.html Sat, 30 May 2026 10:26:19 +0200 News AnalysisGeorgiaIranThe Rundown Stories To understand where Iran negotiations stand and whether diplomacy can still prevent escalation, RFE/RL spoke with Ethan A. Goldrich, a veteran US diplomat who served under multiple administrations, most recently as deputy assistant secretary of state overseeing Near Eastern affairs from 2021-24. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-ceasefire-framework-goldrich-nuclear-hormuz/33768612.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-ceasefire-framework-goldrich-nuclear-hormuz/33768612.html Fri, 29 May 2026 22:44:41 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan have issued an ultimatum to Armenia, threatening to suspend its membership in the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) amid tensions over Armenia’s push to join the European Union. https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-faces-eaeu-suspension-over-eu-push/33768498.html https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-faces-eaeu-suspension-over-eu-push/33768498.html Fri, 29 May 2026 18:16:19 +0200 News AnalysisArmeniaKazakhstanRussiaThe Rundown Stories When US President Donald Trump unexpectedly called on a number of Muslim-majority states to join the Abraham Accords in a social media post suggesting the move could pave the way for a broader peace arrangement with Iran, many responded with uneasy silence. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-abraham-accords-trump-saudi-pakistan/33768416.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-abraham-accords-trump-saudi-pakistan/33768416.html Fri, 29 May 2026 16:41:31 +0200 News AnalysisFeaturesIranThe Rundown Stories On the second anniversary of his imprisonment, Farid Mehralizada reflects on life behind bars, the humanity of the prison economy, and the AI photo of him with the daughter he has barely seen. https://www.rferl.org/a/imprisoned-journalist-farid-mehralizada-shares-reflections-from-azerbaijani-prison-on-second-anniversary-of-detention/33768284.html https://www.rferl.org/a/imprisoned-journalist-farid-mehralizada-shares-reflections-from-azerbaijani-prison-on-second-anniversary-of-detention/33768284.html Fri, 29 May 2026 12:31:59 +0200 AzerbaijanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories After Ukraine’s tourism industry was decimated by the Russian invasion, tour operators in Ukraine are catering towards travellers who want to see the impacts of the war firsthand. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-dark-tourism-russia-invasion/33767624.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-dark-tourism-russia-invasion/33767624.html Fri, 29 May 2026 10:22:25 +0200 UkraineFeaturesPhoto GalleriesPicksRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories