https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:10:04 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrapped up a three-day swing through the Persian Gulf on June 25 with messages aimed at reassuring Washington's allies in the region, reaffirming an intention to pursue diplomacy with Iran, and insisting on freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-tour-iran-hormuz-us-allies/33788814.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-tour-iran-hormuz-us-allies/33788814.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:05:23 +0200 NewsIranThe Rundown Stories - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that a new round of US-Iran technical negotiations will resume in Switzerland at the end of June, as he wrapped the second day of a high-stakes Persian Gulf tour aimed at calming regional concerns over Washington’s tentative accord with Tehran. https://www.rferl.org/a/ubio-gulf-allies-iran-talks-switzerland/33788076.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ubio-gulf-allies-iran-talks-switzerland/33788076.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 22:14:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories At the start of a Gulf tour, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to assure regional allies that a framework cease-fire agreement with Iran will take their security concerns into account. https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-tour-iran-ceasefire/33787271.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-tour-iran-ceasefire/33787271.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 20:11:31 +0200 Iran US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain this week on his first official visit to the Gulf since the outbreak of the Iran war and just days after Washington and Tehran signed a framework agreement aimed at bring peace to the region. https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-us-iran-framework-hormuz/33786331.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-gulf-us-iran-framework-hormuz/33786331.html Mon, 22 Jun 2026 17:02:04 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Senior US officials have disclosed details of the framework deal with Iran that is set to be officially signed during a ceremony in Switzerland on June 19. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-memorandum-of-understanding-details-us-officials-nuclear-hormuz-sanctions/33783235.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-memorandum-of-understanding-details-us-officials-nuclear-hormuz-sanctions/33783235.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 21:15:58 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Headline In an interview with RFE/RL in Washington on June 16, Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, warned that the West risks “giving away” Georgia to Moscow’s interests through inattention, even as Tbilisi becomes increasingly central to the wider strategic balance across the Caucasus. https://www.rferl.org/a/with-georgia-sliding-toward-russia-former-president-appeals-for-renewed-us-attention/33782876.html https://www.rferl.org/a/with-georgia-sliding-toward-russia-former-president-appeals-for-renewed-us-attention/33782876.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:00:05 +0200 GeorgiaFeaturesRussiaThe Rundown Stories RFE/RL spoke with Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, a former US diplomat and current distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council focusing on Middle East security and strategy, to unpack the framework deal between Iran and the US, what remains unsettled, and what the world should watch for next. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-deal-framework-agreement-memorandum-of-understanding/33782127.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-deal-framework-agreement-memorandum-of-understanding/33782127.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:00:56 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories The United States and Iran have electronically signed a framework deal to end the three-month-long war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, senior US administration officials said on June 15. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-peace-agreement-pakistan-israel-lebanon/33780270.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran-peace-agreement-pakistan-israel-lebanon/33780270.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 01:40:12 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East WASHINGTON -- US President Trump heads into next week’s Group of Seven summit in France with a packed agenda covering trade, artificial intelligence, and Ukraine -- and the shadow of the conflict with Iran hanging over all of it. https://www.rferl.org/a/33779774.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33779774.html Sat, 13 Jun 2026 18:33:05 +0200 FeaturesIranUkraineThe Rundown Stories After more than three months of conflict that has shaken the Middle East, disrupted energy markets, and heightened concerns about regional stability, the United States and Iran appear to be moving closer to a possible peace agreement. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-trump-ceasefire-pakistan-mediation/33779591.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-trump-ceasefire-pakistan-mediation/33779591.html Sat, 13 Jun 2026 02:31:06 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories A senior US administration official has said the United States and Iran were “very close” to sealing a deal that would reopen a critical shipping route and dismantle Tehran’s nuclear enrichment infrastructure. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-trump-iran-deal-israel/33779306.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-trump-iran-deal-israel/33779306.html Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:45:57 +0200 IranNews Matt Reisener, senior national-security adviser at the Center for Maritime Strategy, talks to RFE/RL about why diplomacy and military pressure are likely to continue, what Iran and the United States each believes it has to gain from talks, and why any agreement may actually hinge on Israel. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-israel-us-maritime-security-reisener/33778403.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-israel-us-maritime-security-reisener/33778403.html Fri, 12 Jun 2026 09:50:35 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Russia, China, and Iran are increasingly creating a strategic alliance of convenience that US policymakers must confront as it seeks to disrupt global order, according to a group of US experts and former officials. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russia-china-iran-cooperation-challenges/33777782.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russia-china-iran-cooperation-challenges/33777782.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 23:28:24 +0200 IranNewsNews Analysis The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation aimed at preventing American and allied technology from ending up in Iranian-made drones used in conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-house-bill-western-technology-iranian-drones/33777736.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-house-bill-western-technology-iranian-drones/33777736.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:36:31 +0200 IranNewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The US House of Representatives has passed legislation requiring the administration to produce a detailed assessment of Russian and Chinese intelligence activities in Georgia https://www.rferl.org/a/us-house-passes-georgia-bill-targeting-russian-chinese-influence-amid-deepening-rift-with-tbilisi/33776729.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-house-passes-georgia-bill-targeting-russian-chinese-influence-amid-deepening-rift-with-tbilisi/33776729.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:25:16 +0200 GeorgiaNewsRussiaThe Rundown HeadlineChina The Gulf conflict has underscored the growing importance of mass-produced, low-cost weapons systems, particularly drones and munitions, and exposed the limitations of relying on expensive defensive technologies to counter them, according an executive at the defense tech firm Mach Industries. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-defense-manufacturing-diller-drone-warfare/33776633.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-defense-manufacturing-diller-drone-warfare/33776633.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 10:49:44 +0200 IranNewsFeatures The United States has reaffirmed its support for Armenia's sovereignty and democratic institutions amid growing concerns over what Western officials describe as an intensifying Russian campaign to weaken Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian ahead of the country's upcoming elections. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-support-armenia-election-rubio-trump-pashinian-russia/33773349.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-support-armenia-election-rubio-trump-pashinian-russia/33773349.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:14:03 +0200 ArmeniaFeaturesRussiaThe Rundown Stories RFE/RL spoke with Lisa Gable, a former US ambassador who served during the George W. Bush administration and is now the chairwoman of World In 2050, about the prospects for diplomacy with Iran, the challenges of verification, and the broader geopolitical stakes of the current conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-negotiations-promises-ambassador-lisa-gable/33773278.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-negotiations-promises-ambassador-lisa-gable/33773278.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:47:38 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East WASHINGTON -- In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation and a rebuke to the administration's approach toward Ukraine, the US House of Representatives approved a sweeping Ukraine aid and Russia sanctions package, with 18 Republicans joining Democrats to pass the legislation. https://www.rferl.org/a/house-vote-ukraine-support-russia-sanctions-trump/33773123.html https://www.rferl.org/a/house-vote-ukraine-support-russia-sanctions-trump/33773123.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:49:11 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories RFE/RL spoke with Jake Sotiriadis, an adviser to the US State Department, about whether these developments could signal the beginning of a diplomatic off-ramp between Washington and Tehran or merely a pause in a confrontation that still carries a significant risk of escalation. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-congress-war-sotiriadis/33772490.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-congress-war-sotiriadis/33772490.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:02:43 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East