Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

It has been over two months since one of the world’s key oil chokepoints was shut down, forcing a global readjustment. Gulf states are racing to reroute oil and gas; Saudi Arabia’s East–West pipeline is carrying record volumes; South Korea and Brazil are redirecting shipments via the Red Sea; and Oman is emerging as a key logistical workaround. @KianSharifi

Iranian fuel is smuggled through the nearly a dozen crossings along the porous 900-kilometer-long border with Pakistan. @DaudKhattak1 rferl.org/a/iran-pakista…

Nina Litvinova, a prominent Russian human rights activist and dissident whose suicide was reported recently by Russian media, left a note blaming President Vladimir Putin for her death, according to her cousin. rferl.org/a/nina-litvino…

Iranian Foreign Minister Says US Seeking Continued Talks Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on May 15 said Tehran had received messages from the United States indicating that the Trump administration is seeking continued talks aimed at ending the Middle East war. The US has not confirmed Araqchi's claim. 🔴 Follow live: rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-…

A senior US State Department official warned that Russia is likely to reposition forces toward NATO’s eastern flank once the war in Ukraine ends, raising concerns that the Baltic states could face intensified military and hybrid pressure from Moscow in the years ahead. rferl.org/a/russia-nato-…

As Russia launches waves of drone attacks, one of Ukraine's best defenses is an inexpensive, domestically produced weapon: the Sting interceptor drone. These 3D-printed quadcopters are designed to take out Shahed drones and cost less than one-tenth as much as their targets.

The United States has announced an additional $1.8 billion in humanitarian assistance for UN-led relief operations worldwide, including continued support for Ukraine. rferl.org/a/us-un-aid-gl…

Russian forces blasted Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in one of the largest two-day air assaults since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, with at least 24 people killed, including three children, in the capital, authorities said early on May 15. rferl.org/a/ukraine-kyiv…

US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping wrapped up the final day of their Beijing summit with the war in Iran increasingly taking center stage over the trade disputes and technology tensions. rferl.org/a/trump-xi-sum…

Some Iranians in exile who are advocating a return of the monarchy in Tehran have been displaying symbols associated with the notorious secret police, SAVAK, used by the former shah to repress political opponents before the Islamic Revolution in 1979. That imagery has sparked outrage among fellow exiles and is complicating the position of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah, who hopes to return to power if the current theocratic rule in Iran should crumble. By @RadioFarda_

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on May 14 that the Strait of Hormuz is open to all commercial vessels as long as they "cooperate" with Iran's naval forces. Tehran took control of the key waterway shortly after the beginning of the joint US-Israeli military effort against Iran in February, effectively closing it by threatening and attacking civilian ships. Live updates: rferl.org/a/33640284.html

Iran has executed at least 29 prisoners since the start of the war, including two on the same day on May 13, including a cybersecurity specialist hanged on espionage charges and a protester convicted of killing a security officer. By @RadioFarda_ rferl.org/a/iran-executi…

🧵4/4 Still, differences have emerged that pit figures like Pezeshkian and Araqchi who are pushing for diplomacy against generals who oppose making concessions to the United States in negotiations to end the war.

🧵3/4 Masud Pezeshkian: The Powerless President He and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi are the only members of the reformist and moderate political camps to play a visible role in the new power structure. Like Pezeshkian, Araqchi does not have decision-making power but follows orders from above.

Power has become increasingly decentralized in Iran following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the selection of his son as the new supreme leader. So, who holds power in the Islamic republic now? rferl.org/a/iran-irgc-kh…

Iran is using forced confessions and wartime courts to eliminate perceived security threats, rights groups say. rferl.org/a/iran-executi…

Russia launched 56 missiles and 675 drones at Ukraine overnight Ukraine’s Air Force said on May 14. Officials reported several people killed and dozens injured after one of the strikes caused an apartment building to collapse.

After months of political drift, support for Ukraine appears to be regaining momentum in Washington, with lawmakers, administration officials, and Ukrainian diplomats pushing forward on multiple fronts. rferl.org/a/us-military-…

US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping concluded more than two hours of high-stakes talks in Beijing on May 14, with both sides projecting optimism about stabilizing relations even as sharp disagreements over Taiwan, trade, and the war in Iran loomed over the summit. rferl.org/a/trump-xi-sum…

Rubio: It's In China's Interest To Pressure Iran To Open Strait Of Hormuz US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it is in China's interest to pressure the Iranian government to open the Strait of Hormuz. Follow live: rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-…