Alex Raufoglu is RFE/RL's senior correspondent in Washington, D.C.
The Caspian Sea is emerging as a potentially important logistics corridor in the expanding Russia-Iran partnership, marking a possible change in the military relationship between Moscow and Tehran as they look to move goods beyond the reach of Western naval power.
Ukraine has shattered assumptions about Russian military might, exposing severe weaknesses and forcing Moscow to adapt. After more than four years of full-scale war, can a battered but still dangerous Russia claim superpower status?
The US is threatening to hit Iran with what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called “measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country." What could those measures be – and will they work?
As Washington once again wrestles with the question of how far the United States should go in supporting Ukraine, a resolution from one of the country's most geographically distant states -- Hawaii -- has added a new voice to the debate.
The world's leading autocracies -- China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea -- are increasingly drawing on one another's resources to withstand Western pressure. For Washington, the strategic dilemma is the extent to which their alignment alters the balance of power across multiple theaters.
A former US Marine who has been held in a Russian prison since 2022 and had been reported to be in serious medical condition in recent weeks has been freed and is being flown back to the United States.
The US House of Representatives moved to advance a sweeping Russia and Iran sanctions package on August 10, just days after the Senate approved it by an overwhelming 86-11 vote,
The US Senate on August 7 overwhelmingly approved legislation aimed at tightening economic pressure on Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
For much of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian officials arrived in Washington seeking weapons, ammunition, and financial support. Last week, however, the message was markedly different as Kyiv looked to be more a partner than a beggar.
Ukraine's failure to intercept a single Russian missile during a large-scale overnight attack this week has raised fresh concerns over Kyiv's dwindling supply of air-defense interceptors as Moscow escalates its ballistic missile strikes on the nearly defenseless capital and other regions.
A bipartisan coalition in the US Senate is working to keep momentum behind a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia and Iran, with lawmakers from both parties arguing that the legislation would send a broader message about American resolve against authoritarian powers.
Influential Republican Senator Rick Scott talks to RFE/RL about why he believes sanctions against Russia should be passed immediately, why Ukraine's military innovations matter for the United States, and why defeating Russia is central to deterring an increasingly coordinated authoritarian bloc.
The growing strategic partnership between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea is a defining security challenge facing the US and its allies. Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery speaks to RFE/RL about says the West continues to underestimate both the scale of this alignment and the risks it poses.
Retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, a former deputy commander of US Central Command, tells RFE/RL that Iran is playing for time as it draws out talks to end the war with the United States.
A renewed exchange of military strikes and threats between the US and Iran has raised fresh fears of a wider Middle East war. But Jacob Stoil, research professor of Middle East security studies at the US Army War College, argues the more important story may be what has not happened.
US President Donald Trump's decision to step back from his earlier pledge to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors has prompted renewed debate in Washington over the future direction of US military support for Kyiv.
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will send his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Kyiv in the coming weeks. RFE/RL spoke with Kurt Volker about the significance of their visit.
Former Trump White House official Allison Minor says Iran's latest attacks exposed the limits of the traditional US security guarantee in the Gulf. She argues Washington should shift toward a regional security model built on shared capabilities, integration, and stronger partnerships.
A day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Senate, lawmakers overwhelmingly advanced legislation to tighten sanctions on Russia and extend key Iran sanctions for another five years.
Ahead of the US Senate's vote on legislation aimed at tightening economic pressure on Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke alongside senators and said the bill carries significance far beyond its direct economic impact.
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