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, 18 Jun 2026 01:03:07 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL 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 Iran Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone hit a bus carrying a Belarusian children's football team in Russia's Bryansk region, a claim Kyiv said was "false." https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-ukraine-russia-drone-strike-bus-children/33783067.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-ukraine-russia-drone-strike-bus-children/33783067.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:38:55 +0200 News On June 17, Uzbekistan will become the first ever Central Asian nation to compete in the FIFA World Cup after multiple previous attempts to reach the coveted football contest. https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-football-world-cup-first-history/33783063.html https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-football-world-cup-first-history/33783063.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:08:08 +0200 Photo Galleries The first shipments of Iranian crude oil in two months have departed the Strait of Hormuz, according to ship-monitoring firm TankerTrackers.com. This comes just days before senior Iranian and US officials are expected to sign a preliminary agreement in Switzerland aimed at ending the war. Using satellite imagery and shipping data, TankerTrackers said it had verified Iran's first crude oil exports since a US naval blockade was imposed two months ago. https://www.rferl.org/a/first-iranian-crude-exports-in-two-months-leave-hormuz/33783096.html https://www.rferl.org/a/first-iranian-crude-exports-in-two-months-leave-hormuz/33783096.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:50:33 +0200 Iran US President Donald Trump said the United States could resume military action against Iran if he is dissatisfied with the implementation of the memorandum of understanding reached between Washington and Tehran. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-us-iran-deal-talks/33783001.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-us-iran-deal-talks/33783001.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:41:02 +0200 Iran The question now confronting negotiators is what should happen to that stockpile as part of a broader agreement between Tehran and Washington. In recent weeks, Kazakhstan has been mentioned as a possible third-party custodian. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-uranium-stockpile-kazakhstan-united-states-iaea/33782975.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-uranium-stockpile-kazakhstan-united-states-iaea/33782975.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:45:32 +0200 Iran Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations have pledged their "unwavering support" for Ukraine and agreed to increase pressure on Russia through sanctions and weapons supplies to Kyiv amid signs Washington is turning its focus back toward ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. https://www.rferl.org/a/g7-support-ukraine-us-pressure-kremlin-russia-trump-putin/33782886.html https://www.rferl.org/a/g7-support-ukraine-us-pressure-kremlin-russia-trump-putin/33782886.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:18:47 +0200 News 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 Georgia As the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL's Central Newsroom and Iranian service, Radio Farda, deliver ongoing updates and analysis. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:15:00 +0200 Iran Verified videos posted online captured a coordinated drone attack on sites in Moscow and the surrounding region early on June 16. Among the targets was the Kapotnya oil refinery, which was seen in flames. Kyiv has intensified its attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure as it attempts to disrupt the flow of funds driving Russia's war effort. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drones-strike-moscow-refinery/33782393.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drones-strike-moscow-refinery/33782393.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 18:37:07 +0200 Russia Dozens of soccer fans displayed Iran’s pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag during the country’s World Cup opener against New Zealand in defiance of FIFA, which won a court hearing allowing it to prohibit the symbol inside venues. The Lion and Sun flag, flown over Iran before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, has become a symbol of resistance to decades of repressive theocratic rule in the country. It is also widely displayed by Iranian monarchist exiles. https://www.rferl.org/a/pre-revolutionary-flags-fly-at-iran-s-world-cup-opener-defying-fifa-ban/33782275.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pre-revolutionary-flags-fly-at-iran-s-world-cup-opener-defying-fifa-ban/33782275.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 15:11:28 +0200 Videos Despite Russian drone and missile attacks from the Black Sea, real estate agents say Odesa’s property market is surging past prewar levels. Luxury seaside homes and new apartments are selling fast, driven by locals, Kyiv buyers, and displaced Ukrainians. For many in the city, life by the sea continues -- guarded by air defenses. https://www.rferl.org/a/odesa-s-property-boom-defies-war-as-buyers-return-to-black-sea/33782169.html https://www.rferl.org/a/odesa-s-property-boom-defies-war-as-buyers-return-to-black-sea/33782169.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:56:14 +0200 Videos US President Donald Trump held a “very good meeting” with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G7 summit in France, adding that “Russia should make a deal” while hinting that Europe’s largest conflict since World War II might be moving up his priority list. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-ukraine-focus-iran-russia/33782190.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-ukraine-focus-iran-russia/33782190.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:57:38 +0200 News US President Donald Trump said a framework agreement to be signed with Iran this week makes it "loud and clear" that Tehran will not develop or acquire nuclear weapons as the two sides try to move toward ending their war. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-deal-iran-nuclear-weapons/33782189.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-deal-iran-nuclear-weapons/33782189.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:38:48 +0200 News Ukraine opens EU accession talks -- now comes the hard part. https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-jozwiak-ukraine-eu-russia-sanctions/33781601.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-jozwiak-ukraine-eu-russia-sanctions/33781601.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:43:27 +0200 Wider Europe 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 Iran Locals evacuated paintings and other artworks from the Kharkiv Art Museum after it was struck by a Russian drone on June 14. The attack started a fire in the building, which houses thousands of works by prominent Ukrainian artists. https://www.rferl.org/a/kharkiv-art-museum-struck-by-russia/33781501.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kharkiv-art-museum-struck-by-russia/33781501.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:31:35 +0200 Videos Iranians say they have been warned by security officials not to speak to US-funded Persian-language media, such as RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, amid a crackdown in which the Iranian authorities say they have charged increasing numbers with espionage for “cooperation with the enemy.” https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-fear-crackdown-protests-dissent-media/33781430.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-fear-crackdown-protests-dissent-media/33781430.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:32:46 +0200 Iran The detention of a Tajik activist in Germany and the threat of his expulsion have sent shockwaves through opposition circles in exile, reviving fears of the dangers that await activists forced to return home. https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-immigration-deportation-tajikistan-asadullo-boboev/33781392.html https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-immigration-deportation-tajikistan-asadullo-boboev/33781392.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:59:45 +0200 Tajikistan A blaze on June 15 amid Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine is the latest war wound inflicted on Kyiv's centuries-old Pechersk Lavra, the most iconic religious landmark in the Ukrainian capital. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-invasion-lavra-monastery-caves-pechersk-history/33781318.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-invasion-lavra-monastery-caves-pechersk-history/33781318.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:39:33 +0200 Ukraine