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 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 21:31:01 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL The West “must keep Ukraine as a priority” and increase pressure on Russia amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, which is drawing attention away from Europe’s deadliest conflict since 1945, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told RFE/RL. He also said the Iran war “is now also a NATO topic.” https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ukraine-russia-nato-tsahkna-security/33726914.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ukraine-russia-nato-tsahkna-security/33726914.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:57:24 +0200 IranFeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Former White House Iran adviser Nate Swanson warns that US threats of rapid strikes are largely psychological and unlikely to shift Tehran’s calculus, as tensions rise over the Strait of Hormuz and prospects for a near-term deal remain slim. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-deadline-trump-threats-nsc-swanson-analysis/33726573.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-deadline-trump-threats-nsc-swanson-analysis/33726573.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:02:49 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East US President Donald Trump renewed his threat to wipe out Iran's power plants and bridges if it doesn't reach an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, warning the country could be “taken out in one night.” https://www.rferl.org/a/33726140.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33726140.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:57:41 +0200 IranNews WASHINGTON -- A reported incident involving a US F-15 over Iran is drawing renewed scrutiny to the risks American aircraft face when operating in heavily defended airspace, underscoring a broader reality: Even one of the world’s most successful fighter jets is not immune in contested environments. https://www.rferl.org/a/f15-warplane-downed-iran-combat-crew/33724843.html https://www.rferl.org/a/f15-warplane-downed-iran-combat-crew/33724843.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 21:07:31 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Rescue teams continue to search early on April 4 for a US crew member missing after their fighter jet was brought down over Iran, one of two American forces planes reportedly knocked out of the sky in the region a day earlier. https://www.rferl.org/a/rescue-operation-us-jet-downed-iran/33724346.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rescue-operation-us-jet-downed-iran/33724346.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 01:02:08 +0200 IranNews The F-15E Strike Eagle, which US officials say was shot down over Iran on April 3, is one of the US military’s most advanced dual-role fighter aircraft, designed to carry out both air-to-air combat and deep strike missions against ground targets. https://www.rferl.org/a/f15-jet-fighter-strike-eagle-shot-down-iran/33724307.html https://www.rferl.org/a/f15-jet-fighter-strike-eagle-shot-down-iran/33724307.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 20:08:53 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories A US crew member has been rescued by American forces after a jet fighter was shot down over Iran, a US official told RFE/RL, and the search is ongoing for a second, in the first known loss of an American plane to hostile fire since the war began. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-fighter-jet-shot-down-iran/33724201.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-fighter-jet-shot-down-iran/33724201.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:06:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories The flow of volunteer humanitarian aid from the United States to Ukraine -- a critical lifeline for frontline communities -- is coming under mounting strain, as disruptions linked to the Iran conflict ripple through global shipping networks. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-conflict-disrupts-private-us-humanitarian-aid-ukraine/33724043.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-conflict-disrupts-private-us-humanitarian-aid-ukraine/33724043.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:30:02 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump on April 1 said the United States is close to “finishing the job” in Iran, while warning that US forces will continue to strike the country “extremely hard” for another “two to three weeks.” https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-war-address-ceasefire-hormuz/33722964.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-war-address-ceasefire-hormuz/33722964.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:22:29 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East The United States has removed sanctions on three Russian-flagged commercial vessels, sparking debate over whether the move signals a shift in US- Russia policy. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-sanctions-russia-vessels-treasury-policy-shift/33722318.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-sanctions-russia-vessels-treasury-policy-shift/33722318.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:59:33 +0200 NewsIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Iran is using tactical delay as a strategy in talks to end US and Israeli strikes that have decimated Tehran's military capabilities amid a continued buildup of US forces in the Middle East, retired US Army General Joseph L. Votel told RFE/RL in an interview on March 30. https://www.rferl.org/a/33721515.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33721515.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:04:25 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of lying when he suggested this week that the United States was conditioning security guarantees for Kyiv with the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbas. https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-zelenskyy-lie-donbas-war-russia-ukraine/33718272.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-zelenskyy-lie-donbas-war-russia-ukraine/33718272.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 21:07:12 +0100 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The United States expects to wrap up its military operation in Iran within "weeks, not months" and believes it is possible to achieve its goals without ground troops, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on March 27. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-israel-war-strait-of-hormuz-middle-east/33718093.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-israel-war-strait-of-hormuz-middle-east/33718093.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:47:18 +0100 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Foreign ministers from the G7 are discussing a major effort to repair damage to the protective shelter at Ukraine’s Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, with costs estimated at around $575 million, a sign that Kyiv remains at the center of high-level talks despite competing global crises. https://www.rferl.org/a/g7-chernobyl-dome-repair-france-ukraine/33717924.html https://www.rferl.org/a/g7-chernobyl-dome-repair-france-ukraine/33717924.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:32:35 +0100 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades Ukraine US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in France early on March 27, joining G7 foreign ministers and allied representatives who have already gathered for the second day of a high-stakes meeting overshadowed by tensions over Iran, Ukraine, and global security. https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-france-g7-iran-ukraine-hormuz-allies-eu/33717686.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-france-g7-iran-ukraine-hormuz-allies-eu/33717686.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 02:35:17 +0100 IranNewsUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East US lawmakers from both parties sharply condemned Russia’s mass abduction of Ukrainian children during a congressional hearing on March 25, presenting a united front in support of accountability for what witnesses described as one of the gravest ongoing crimes of the war. https://www.rferl.org/a/washington-response-russia-ukrainian-children-abductions/33717197.html https://www.rferl.org/a/washington-response-russia-ukrainian-children-abductions/33717197.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:03:08 +0100 FeaturesRussiaUkraineThe Rundown Stories RFE/RL spoke with Landon Derentz, former White House energy director during the first Trump administration and now vice president for energy and infrastructure at the Atlantic Council, about how global energy markets are interpreting the war with Iran -- and what may come next. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-trump-derentz-oil-markets/33717091.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-trump-derentz-oil-markets/33717091.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:27:32 +0100 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East A new report by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab alleges that Russian state-linked energy giants Gazprom and Rosneft were directly involved in the transfer and political indoctrination of thousands of Ukrainian children, https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-energy-giants-role-deportation-indoctrination-ukrainian-children/33716342.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-energy-giants-role-deportation-indoctrination-ukrainian-children/33716342.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:35:22 +0100 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As Iranian drone and missile attacks test American defenses in the Middle East, a visiting Ukrainian delegation says the United States is now facing a battlefield reality Kyiv has been adapting to since the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ukraine-us-drones/33716140.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ukraine-us-drones/33716140.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:03:31 +0100 FeaturesIranUkraineThe Rundown Stories US lawmakers are raising concerns after the Trump administration took additional steps to allow more Russian oil shipments to reach global markets despite existing sanctions. https://www.rferl.org/a/backlash-grows-trump-expands-russian-sanctions-relief/33714299.html https://www.rferl.org/a/backlash-grows-trump-expands-russian-sanctions-relief/33714299.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:19:46 +0100 NewsIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East