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 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:11:34 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL The US-Israeli war with Iran has continued following US President Donald Trump’s TV address to the nation, with a series of reported air strikes, defiant messaging from Tehran, and a US warning in Iraq of an imminent attack in Baghdad by Iranian proxy forces. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-speech-war-threats-iran-strikes/33723158.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-speech-war-threats-iran-strikes/33723158.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:37:13 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East 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 It's not just oil and gas. Iran’s shipping blockade is also holding up supplies of other key commodities and causing price spikes on global markets that will affect everyone. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-blockade-chokes-global-trade-oil-gas-trump/33722449.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-blockade-chokes-global-trade-oil-gas-trump/33722449.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:18:02 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East China and Pakistan launched a joint push for a ceasefire in Iran, aiming to secure the vital Strait of Hormuz and stabilize global energy flows as the conflict disrupts markets and shipping. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-pakistan-joint-peace-plan-iran-war-usa-israel-hormuz/33722217.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-pakistan-joint-peace-plan-iran-war-usa-israel-hormuz/33722217.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:46:12 +0200 ChinaIranPakistanThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East US President Donald Trump has said the United States could end its war with Iran soon while reserving the option for limited future strikes. https://www.rferl.org/a/marco-rubio-united-states-nato-iran/33722108.html https://www.rferl.org/a/marco-rubio-united-states-nato-iran/33722108.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:10:39 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Israeli strikes on Bandar Anzali shattered the illusion of the Caspian Sea as a "closed" route. By hitting this northern hub, Israel punctured the most secure military link between Tehran and Moscow, proving the Russia-Iran drone route is no longer beyond the reach of Western-aligned power. https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-hits-the-caspian-sea-port/33718210.html https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-hits-the-caspian-sea-port/33718210.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:20:46 +0200 IranRussiaThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Retired general and strategist Mick Ryan explains the military lessons that Beijing is taking from the war in Iran and what it means for US-China competition and Chinese designs on Taiwan. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-taiwan-trump-xi-military-invasion-mick-ryan/33721581.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-taiwan-trump-xi-military-invasion-mick-ryan/33721581.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:29:00 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle EastChina Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian says his country has the "necessary will" to end the war with the United States and Israel depending on conditions, a possible sign the countries may be moving toward settling the conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/pezeshkian-iran-peace-us-war-talks/33721776.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pezeshkian-iran-peace-us-war-talks/33721776.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 23:33:35 +0200 IranNewsMiddle East 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 Iran announced the execution of two political prisoners on March 31, a day after the death penalty was also carried out on two others, in a sign that the clerical authorities are stepping up a crackdown on internal opposition in the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-executions-repression/33721498.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-executions-repression/33721498.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:03:42 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Beijing and Islamabad back de-escalation efforts as war-driven shipping delays in the Strait of Hormuz strain energy flows and global trade. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-pakistan-trump-peace-hormuz-iran-talks-war-oil/33721530.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-pakistan-trump-peace-hormuz-iran-talks-war-oil/33721530.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:23:33 +0200 IranNewsPakistanThe Rundown StoriesMiddle EastChina Iran and Israel continued to trade attacks that left a petrochemical plant in the Iranian city of Tabriz in flames, according to Iran's state media on March 30. It was followed by a strike on an Israeli refinery in Haifa. An Iraqi Air Force transport plane was also targeted by Iran-backed militias. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-us-oil-refinery-tabriz-haifa-tehran-baghdad-iraq-air-force/33719996.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-us-oil-refinery-tabriz-haifa-tehran-baghdad-iraq-air-force/33719996.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:08:21 +0200 IranIraqVideo ArchiveVideosThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East US President Donald Trump said he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and perhaps seize Kharg Island, while at the same time insisting that Washington is doing “extremely well” in negotiations with Iran and that he is "pretty sure" a peace deal will be reached. https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-iran-war-israel-marines-qalibaf/33719293.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-iran-war-israel-marines-qalibaf/33719293.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:11:04 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Yemen's Houthis have entered the Iran war, raising fears of a twin chokepoint crisis. But analysts say the missile attack may have been less a shot at Israel than a warning to Gulf Arab states, especially the Saudis, not to deepen their involvement in the conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/houthis-attack-israel-iran-war-energy-crisis/33718713.html https://www.rferl.org/a/houthis-attack-israel-iran-war-energy-crisis/33718713.html Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:53:03 +0100 IranThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle EastNews Analysis US President Donald Trump has warned of possible further action against Kharg Island, a key oil terminal of Iran and a major cog in the country's economic machine. But three other Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf could be just as strategic in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-persian-gulf-islands-us-seizure/33718108.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-persian-gulf-islands-us-seizure/33718108.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 16:15:12 +0100 News AnalysisIranThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East 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 Images from the fourth week of the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran as results of the conflict ripple out from the region. https://www.rferl.org/a/in-photos-week-four-of-the-iran-war/33717183.html https://www.rferl.org/a/in-photos-week-four-of-the-iran-war/33717183.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:13:30 +0100 Photo GalleriesIranThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East 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 As the war approaches its one-month mark, ordinary Iranians describe sleepless nights, constant fear, and a country being destroyed. Some want it to end. Others are holding out for victory. Nearly all are exhausted. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-toll-war-israel-us--testimonies/33717086.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-toll-war-israel-us--testimonies/33717086.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:48:08 +0100 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East US President Donald Trump postponed threatened attacks on Iranian power plants for a second time, apparently giving Tehran 10 more days to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, and said talks on ending the war were going "very well." https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-talks-strait-of-hormuz-nato-trump/33717230.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-talks-strait-of-hormuz-nato-trump/33717230.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:07:29 +0100 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East