https://www.rferl.org/z/23310 The main story of the day from RFE/RL Central Newsroom. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/23310 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:13:12 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL US President Donald Trump repeated his threat to strike Iranian infrastructure hard on if Tehran it does not open the Strait of Hormuz, using explosive language hours after announcing that US forces rescued the second crew member of a downed F-15 fighter jet in a high-risk mission. https://www.rferl.org/a/crew-member-f15-rescued-/33725134.html https://www.rferl.org/a/crew-member-f15-rescued-/33725134.html Sun, 05 Apr 2026 06:18:10 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Headline Days after the film ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ Won an Oscar for best documentary, a Russian court banned it, and prosecutors labeled its director a “foreign agent.” What does he think about it? “You couldn’t dream up a better advertising campaign." https://www.rferl.org/a/pavel-talankin-mr-nobody-film-putin-interview/33723253.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pavel-talankin-mr-nobody-film-putin-interview/33723253.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 11:32:21 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline In a non-descript warehouse on the perimeters of a Munich-area airport, a joint venture is marrying Ukrainian expertise with German capital, building drones for Ukraine’s military – and eventually global markets. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-germany-drone-production/33723276.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-germany-drone-production/33723276.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:56:53 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline As Russia faces a manpower shortage in 2026, reports surface of intoxicated men increasingly being tricked into signing military contracts at local enlistment offices. https://www.rferl.org/a/drunk-sign-here-russia-recruits-intoxicated-men-as-military-manpower-crisis-peaks/33722376.html https://www.rferl.org/a/drunk-sign-here-russia-recruits-intoxicated-men-as-military-manpower-crisis-peaks/33722376.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:20:18 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline 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 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 President Donald Trump has renewed his warning to Tehran to reach a deal to end the war soon and also to open the Strait of Hormuz or he will order air strikes with the aim of "completely obliterating" Iran's oil export hub of Kharg Island, oil wells, and power plants. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-warning-iran-deal-energy-attacks/33719920.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-warning-iran-deal-energy-attacks/33719920.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:11:22 +0200 IranNewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline 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 and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will now meet in Beijing in mid-May for a rescheduled summit. Dennis Wilder, a former China adviser to former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, explains how the war in Iran is affecting ties between Beijing and Washington. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-war-trump-xi-summit-venezuela-cuba-dennis-wilder/33717993.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-war-trump-xi-summit-venezuela-cuba-dennis-wilder/33717993.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:16:28 +0100 ChinaFeaturesIranThe Rundown HeadlineThe Rundown Stories 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 Iran appears to have dismissed a 15-point US plan to end the war that has spilled across the Gulf and roiled global energy markets. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-competing-peace-plans/33716391.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-competing-peace-plans/33716391.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 18:13:22 +0100 FeaturesIranThe Rundown Headline Pakistan has offered to host talks aimed at bringing the Iran conflict to an end, highlighting the country's strengthened ties in both the Middle East and with Washington. https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-iran-diplomacy-us-israel-conflict/33714484.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-iran-diplomacy-us-israel-conflict/33714484.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:20:06 +0100 FeaturesIranPakistanThe Rundown Headline US President Donald Trump said he sees a "very serious chance" of making a deal with Tehran after he revealed the two sides had talks over the weekend that led him to delay any strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure for five days. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-us-halt-strikes-iran-energy-talks-tehran/33713467.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-us-halt-strikes-iran-energy-talks-tehran/33713467.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:29:52 +0100 NewsIranThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Iran fired two ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia -- 4,000 km away -- days after Ali Khamenei's death, blowing past the range cap he personally imposed for years. The constraint is gone, and Europe is now within reach of a country that can also shut down the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-missile-range-diego-garcia-implications/33712287.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-missile-range-diego-garcia-implications/33712287.html Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:58:56 +0100 News AnalysisFeaturesIranThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle EastEurope The US-Israeli war with Iran has dragged in neighboring Iraq, where pro-Iranian militias have launched almost daily attacks on US targets in the country, triggering retaliatory American strikes. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-iraq-islamic-resistance-pmf-militias/33710902.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-iraq-islamic-resistance-pmf-militias/33710902.html Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:36:17 +0100 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Headline Israel's strike on South Pars, the world's largest gas field, has hit Iran where it hurts most -- the infrastructure keeping its military and 90 million people supplied with power and heat. The fallout could outlast the conflict itself. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-south-pars-gas-israel-attack/33710653.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-south-pars-gas-israel-attack/33710653.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:05:07 +0100 News AnalysisFeaturesIranThe Rundown Headline Iran threatened attacks on Persian Gulf energy facilities after its South Pars gas field was hit on March 18 -- the first strike on its energy infrastructure since the US and Israel launched air strikes in late February. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-bushehr-israel-russia-attacks/33709666.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-bushehr-israel-russia-attacks/33709666.html Wed, 18 Mar 2026 11:49:19 +0100 IranNewsRussiaThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Iran’s national security chief Ali Larijani, one of Iran’s key leaders, has been killed in an air strike in the capital, Tehran, on March 17. https://www.rferl.org/a/ali-larijani-killed-israeli-strike-iran-security/33708966.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ali-larijani-killed-israeli-strike-iran-security/33708966.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 22:11:27 +0100 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineNews Analysis US President Donald Trump questioned whether Iran's new supreme leader is alive and pressed Washington's call for help securing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has effectively shut down with attacks on vessels and threats of more. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-hormuz-coalition-escort-trump-iraq-araqchi/33707271.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-hormuz-coalition-escort-trump-iraq-araqchi/33707271.html Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:35:48 +0100 IranNewsThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East US President Donald Trump said that although much of Iran's strategic Kharg Island was destroyed in a US air strike, he may order further attacks as the US-Israeli war with Iran entered its third week amid fresh violence across the Middle East. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israel-strike-kharg-island-oil-terminal/33707212.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israel-strike-kharg-island-oil-terminal/33707212.html Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:05:37 +0100 IranNewsThe Rundown Headline