https://www.rferl.org/z/23337 RFE/RL's latest news, features, commentary, and multimedia content on Lebanon, Israel, Hezbollah, Syria, and Iraq. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/23337 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:16:15 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL RFE/RL spoke with former US Central Command (CENTCOM) communications director, retired US Army Colonel Joe Buccino, on April 27 to discuss the escalating situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the strategic "staring contest" between Washington and Tehran that is now defining the region. https://www.rferl.org/a/centcom-buccino-iran-us-strategic-staring-contest-hormuz/33744184.html https://www.rferl.org/a/centcom-buccino-iran-us-strategic-staring-contest-hormuz/33744184.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:45:45 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East The United States will send a delegation to Pakistan this weekend for a new round of talks with Iranian officials, the White House said, as Washington tests whether a fragile cease-fire can translate into diplomatic progress. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-talks-diplomacy--blockade-nuclear/33741895.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-talks-diplomacy--blockade-nuclear/33741895.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 23:21:06 +0200 NewsIranThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East While officials in Tehran have long emphasized self-reliance, experts say battlefield evidence points to a far more interconnected war effort, reflecting deepening partnerships that have helped Iran replenish its military, improve targeting, and blunt Western operations during the conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-russia-china-war-cooperation-support/33741900.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-russia-china-war-cooperation-support/33741900.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 21:52:17 +0200 IranFeaturesRussiaThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle EastChina President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia for security talks, marking his second visit to the region since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, now under cease-fire, as Russia continued to pound Ukraine with deadly strikes. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-saudi-arabia-iran-drone-attacks-odesa/33741811.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-saudi-arabia-iran-drone-attacks-odesa/33741811.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:45:08 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Hundreds of Afghan refugees remain in limbo at the As-Sayliyah camp in Qatar awaiting information about the countries they may be transferred to after a US State Department deadline to move them passed last month. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-refugees-qatar-relocation-deadline-passes/33737179.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-refugees-qatar-relocation-deadline-passes/33737179.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:34:13 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East With a cease-fire in the US-Israeli war on Iran due to expire on April 22, US actions at sea are drawing renewed attention to a central issue: How deeply Iran’s military establishment is embedded in the country’s economy. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-irgc-ships-economy-entreched-shadow/33736577.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-irgc-ships-economy-entreched-shadow/33736577.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:01:14 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East The prospects for a new round of face-to-face peace talks between the United States and Iran remained unclear amid confusion over the US negotiators' plans and uncertainty over whether Tehran would agree to take part. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-cargo-ship-seized-pakistan-ceasefire-negotiations/33735754.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-cargo-ship-seized-pakistan-ceasefire-negotiations/33735754.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:01:14 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East 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 Despite suffering significant losses, Iran believes it is winning the war against the United States and Israel. That view is shaping Tehran’s conduct in the conflict and its demands in peace talks. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-victory/33733726.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-victory/33733726.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:29:02 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East 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 Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's commissioner for sanctions policy, told RFE/RL in an interview that any relief for Moscow and Russian oil only serves to extend the war. https://www.rferl.org/a/waivers-russia-oil-us-sanctions-ukraine/33733519.html https://www.rferl.org/a/waivers-russia-oil-us-sanctions-ukraine/33733519.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:25:47 +0200 IranFeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East 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 Azeem Ibrahim, a longtime Middle East observer, tells RFE/RL that the Strait of Hormuz is increasingly becoming more than just a chokepoint for oil, describing it as a space where economic pressure, military risk, and geopolitical ambition converge. https://www.rferl.org/a/azeem-ibrahim-iran-conflict-will-be-decided-by-who-can-endure-the-most/33732700.html https://www.rferl.org/a/azeem-ibrahim-iran-conflict-will-be-decided-by-who-can-endure-the-most/33732700.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:27:36 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East 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 RFE/RL spoke with Max Meizlish, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former official at the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, on the intersection of naval blockades and financial warfare as Washington halts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.rferl.org/a/33731428.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33731428.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:32:28 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Marathon talks aimed at halting the war in Iran ended without a breakthrough, as US Vice President JD Vance flew back to the United States amid major questions what comes next for the 43-day-old conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-vance-iran-peace-talks-pakistan/33730441.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-vance-iran-peace-talks-pakistan/33730441.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:14:54 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Images from the sixth week of the US-Israeli war with Iran and the beginning of a fragile temporary cease-fire. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israel-photos-photos/33729218.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israel-photos-photos/33729218.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 10:07:28 +0200 IranPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East US Vice President JD Vance has stepped into the most consequential diplomatic challenge of his tenure, heading to Islamabad to lead high-stakes negotiations with Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/vance-pakistan-islamabad-iran-war-negotiations/33729623.html https://www.rferl.org/a/vance-pakistan-islamabad-iran-war-negotiations/33729623.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:51:11 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East The temporary truce between the United States and Iran wobbled less than a day after being agreed as Israel launched massive attacks on Iranian proxies in Lebanon, while Tehran launched strikes at oil centers in several Persian Gulf countries after claiming its energy facilities were targeted. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-ceasefire-holding-strait-hormuz-shipping/33727626.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-ceasefire-holding-strait-hormuz-shipping/33727626.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:41:39 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East