https://www.rferl.org/z/23311 The main stories of the day from the RFE/RL Central Newsroom. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/23311 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:13:12 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Serbian military and police officers have found a cache of highly powerful explosives not far from a pipeline that carries Russian natural gas from Turkey to Hungary, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on April 5. https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-explosives-gas-pipeline-hungary-balkan-stream/33725278.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-explosives-gas-pipeline-hungary-balkan-stream/33725278.html Sun, 05 Apr 2026 16:12:37 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineSerbiaHungaryThe Rundown Stories Ukraine has kept up its attacks on Russian oil export and production infrastructure, hitting facilities in two regions, while widespread Russian drone attacks on Ukraine killed at least one civilian overnight and fighting persisted at the front, officials said. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-oil-drone-strikes-donbas/33725223.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-oil-drone-strikes-donbas/33725223.html Sun, 05 Apr 2026 12:27:30 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL deliver ongoing updates and analysis. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-protests-live-blog-trump-khamenei/33640284.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-protests-live-blog-trump-khamenei/33640284.html Sun, 05 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories 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 US President Donald Trump on April 4 told the Iranian regime that “time is running out” and that it must make a peace deal or open the crucial Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face “hell,” renewing an earlier threat in which he vowed to send Iran “back to the stone ages.” https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-deadline-iran-bushehr-hormuz/33724801.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-deadline-iran-bushehr-hormuz/33724801.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:01:32 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Marking the 1,500th day of the full-scale invasion, Russia launched a massive wave of air strikes across Ukraine during the night of April 3–4. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-russia-easter-escalation/33724676.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-russia-easter-escalation/33724676.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:37:21 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineThe Rundown Stories 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 Shuttered factories in India and a key US military aircraft destroyed in Saudi Arabia feature in RFE/RL's roundup of photos of the fifth week of the US-Israeli war with Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-us-war-photos-week-five/33723176.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-us-war-photos-week-five/33723176.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:27:55 +0200 Photo GalleriesNewsIranThe Rundown Stories Belarus has cancelled the passport of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski and other recently deported political prisoners, in what rights groups say is a new form of pressure on exiled dissidents. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-nobel-byalyatski-bialiatski-human-rights-exile-lukashenko/33724092.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-nobel-byalyatski-bialiatski-human-rights-exile-lukashenko/33724092.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:51:51 +0200 BelarusNewsRussiaThe 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 President Donald Trump said the US military "hasn't even started" to destroy what is left of Iran after a month of devastating attacks and he threatened to strike electrical power plants and more bridges in his latest warning to the regime in Tehran. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-war-trump-ceasefire-deal-missile/33723819.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-war-trump-ceasefire-deal-missile/33723819.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 03:19:23 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Smoke was seen around the airport in the Iranian city of Mashhad as US-Israeli strikes continued. Iran pledged new attacks on Israel, releasing footage they said showed rocket launches against Haifa. The latest exchange of strikes followed US President Donald Trump's TV address to the nation. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-us-strike-missile-isfahan-centcom-mashhad-airport-trump-rocket/33723365.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-us-strike-missile-isfahan-centcom-mashhad-airport-trump-rocket/33723365.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:40:29 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideosThe Rundown Stories 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 made his first major address to the nation since the start of the US-Israeli war in Iran, saying the US had "decimated" the Tehran regime. Trump did not give a timeline for ending the war, but said US forces will keep up an intense assault for the next two to three weeks. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-speech-iran-war/33722984.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-speech-iran-war/33722984.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 06:50:33 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideosThe 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 Images chart the transformation of a desolate coral island in the Persian Gulf into Tehran’s primary oil export hub. Kharg Island has become a key target in the US-Israeli war with Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/kharg-island-iran-us-israel-war-history/33722515.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kharg-island-iran-us-israel-war-history/33722515.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:35:33 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen said they launched a missile attack on Israel on April 1, simultaneously with Iran. Meanwhile, US-Israeli strikes on Iran continued as the conflict entered its fifth week. Iran also targeted neighboring Kuwait and Iraq with drones. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-us-houthi-drone-strike-kuwait-kurd-iraq/33722530.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-us-houthi-drone-strike-kuwait-kurd-iraq/33722530.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:16:19 +0200 IranIraqVideo ArchiveVideosThe Rundown Stories 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 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