Alex Raufoglu is RFE/RL's senior correspondent in Washington, D.C.
As US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded his first Southeast Asia trip as America’s top diplomat, he sought to reassure regional partners that the war in Iran and Russia's invasion of Ukraine would not weaken Washington's commitment to the region.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that the United States remains prepared to help broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine but that fresh proposals would be needed after previous peace ideas failed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dodged RFE/RL's senior correspondent Alex Raufoglu's questions on ending the war in Ukraine amid a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers' meetings in Manila on July 23.
The US and Ukraine have signed a statement of intent creating the first formal framework for cooperation on military drones, paving the way for Ukrainian combat drones to be exported to the US for testing and potentially future joint production.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that Iran's challenge to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz threatened not only global trade but also risked setting a dangerous precedent for Asia's contested maritime routes.
Marco Rubio arrives at ASEAN talks dominated by China tensions and the Iran war, as Southeast Asian governments increasingly weigh strategic partnerships against concerns over energy costs, shipping disruptions, inflation, and economic stability.
For years, policymakers in Washington have viewed Asia primarily through the lens of Taiwan, the South China Sea and China's military rise. Russia's invasion of Ukraine only reinforced that perspective, cementing Europe and East Asia as the principal arenas of geopolitical competition.
As Russia's war against Ukraine reshapes Europe's security landscape, Estonia is closely watching the Kremlin's next moves. In an interview with RFE/RL, Estonia's Undersecretary for Internal Security Joosep Kaasik discusses why Tallinn believes prevention is Europe's best defense.
With the US and Iran launching fresh strikes in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz is back under the spotlight. Naval strategist Joshua Tallis says restoring commercial confidence -- not military force alone -- will determine when shipping returns to normal.
Senate Republican leadership has thrown its weight behind a renewed bipartisan push to impose sweeping new sanctions on Russia that supporters say marks the strongest congressional effort yet to increase economic pressure on Moscow over its war against Ukraine.
As tensions between the US and Iran intensifies, with renewed military strikes and growing arguments around the Strait of Hormuz, global attention has focused on regional security, commercial shipping, and the risk of wider escalation.
Despite renewed US strikes on Iran and attacks around the Gulf, veteran Middle East scholar Francis Gregory Gause argues that diplomacy is still alive, and that both Washington and Tehran are once again maneuvering to strengthen their positions before an eventual return to negotiations.
A bipartisan group of US senators on July 14 introduced the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, unveiling a revised package of sanctions and tariffs aimed at squeezing Moscow's war finances while seeking to overcome concerns that had stalled earlier versions of the legislation.
As the US and Iran exchange new strikes, military analyst Jonathan Schroden explains why wars often become more violent before peace, how the Strait of Hormuz has become the conflict's strategic centre, and why drones are reshaping naval warfare.
The passing of US Senator Lindsey Graham has meant the loss of one of Ukraine's strongest advocates in the circle of people who get facetime with US President Donald Trump -- but also given an impetus to a sweeping bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that Graham had championed.
Former US Ambassador to Qatar Timmy Davis tells RFE/RL in an interview that, despite the military confrontation, negotiations remain the only viable way out of the crisis between the US and Iran.
US President Donald Trump said the United States intends to blockade Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and collect fees from other countries' shipping traffic as reimbursement. The statement came after a new wave of US and Iranian air strikes in the region on July 12 and 13.
Senior US officials have said that Iran has privately acknowledged it made a mistake by attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz
A bipartisan group of US senators said they had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to advance long-delayed legislation aimed at imposing tougher economic penalties on Russia and countries that continue to support Moscow’s war economy.
The United States imposed sweeping new sanctions targeting an Iranian businessman accused of managing a global financial network for Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and several exchange houses that Washington says have helped Tehran evade sanctions and maintain access to foreign currency.
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