Alex Raufoglu is RFE/RL's senior correspondent in Washington, D.C.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
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.
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.
After briefly appearing to falter, US-Iran implementation talks are back on track, with senior American and Iranian delegations converging on Switzerland for what could prove a decisive phase in turning a fragile wartime memorandum into a broader political settlement.
What was supposed to be the first face-to-face technical engagement between the US and Iran after their surprise memorandum of understanding (MOU) has instead become an early test of whether the fragile diplomatic opening can survive the pressures of a wider regional war.
When he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many warned Vladimir Putin that the offensive he claimed was meant to bolster Russia’s security would instead put it in jeopardy. Now, in a country steeped in war, analysts say peace could pose major risks – not least for Putin himself.
The Iran framework agreement gave an immediate boost to markets, with shares rising and oil prices dipping. But whether this translates into durable economic gains will largely depend on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
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.
In an interview with RFE/RL in Washington on June 16, Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, warned that the West risks “giving away” Georgia to Moscow’s interests through inattention, even as Tbilisi becomes increasingly central to the wider strategic balance across the Caucasus.
RFE/RL spoke with Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, a former US diplomat and current distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council focusing on Middle East security and strategy, to unpack the framework deal between Iran and the US, what remains unsettled, and what the world should watch for next.
The United States and Iran have electronically signed a framework deal to end the three-month-long war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, senior US administration officials said on June 15.
WASHINGTON -- US President Trump heads into next week’s Group of Seven summit in France with a packed agenda covering trade, artificial intelligence, and Ukraine -- and the shadow of the conflict with Iran hanging over all of it.
After more than three months of conflict that has shaken the Middle East, disrupted energy markets, and heightened concerns about regional stability, the United States and Iran appear to be moving closer to a possible peace agreement.
A senior US administration official has said the United States and Iran were “very close” to sealing a deal that would reopen a critical shipping route and dismantle Tehran’s nuclear enrichment infrastructure.
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