EUs Kallas Urges US To Pressure Russia Not To Help Iran

RFE
26 Mar 2026, 12:35 GMT+10

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22:15

US Says Uncrewed Speedboats Used In War With Iran

The Pentagon has for the first time acknowledged deploying uncrewed drone speedboats for patrols as part of its campaign against Iran, Reuters reported on March 26.

The use of the vessels -- which are suitable for surveillance or kamikaze strikes -- has not been previously reported.

Uncrewed, explosive-laden speedboats were used by Ukraine to inflict significant damage on Russias Black Sea Fleet.

The US military has acknowledged using uncrewed vessels during the war with Iran similar to the SeaBaby used by Ukraine against Russian ships.

Tim Hawkins, a Pentagon spokesman for the US Central Command, told Reuters that unmanned vessels built by Maryland-based BlackSea, known as the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft, or GARC, had been used for patrols as part of the US campaign against Iran that began on February 28.

US forces continue to employ unmanned systems in the Middle East region, including surface drone assets like the GARC. This platform, in particular, has successfully logged over 450 underway hours and more than 2,200 nautical miles during maritime patrols in support of Operation Epic Fury, Hawkins said, referring to the US name for the air campaign against Iran.

Reuters reported that the United States has for years struggled to build a fleet of uncrewed surface and underwater vessels as an alternative to more expensive and slower manned ships and submarines.

The project has faced technical problems, cost concerns, and a series of testing setbacks, the report said.

The GARC is an angular speedboat about 5 meters long.

The GARC is an emerging capability and part of a fleet of surface drones operated by US 5th Fleet to enhance awareness of whats happening in regional waters, Hawkins said.

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21:48

Trump Again Postpones Threatened Attacks On Iranian Power Plants

US President Donald Trump has postponed threatened attacks on Iranian power plants for a second time, citing what he said was a request from Tehran.

"As per Iranian Government requestI am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time," Trump wrote in a social media post on March 26.

On March 21, Trump said the United States would "obliterate" Iran's power plants if Tehran did not open the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil and gas transport channel that Iran has effectively blocked to most traffic amid the war with the United States and Israel, within 48 hours. He later extended the deadline until March 27.

"Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well," Trump said in the post on his platform Truth Social.

Senior Iranian officials have denied Tehran is in negotiations with Washington, but Iran said on March 25 that it was reviewing a 15-point US proposal and put forward what it said were five conditions that needed to be met in order for the conflict to end.

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21:46

Zelenskyy Makes Surprise Visit To Saudi Arabia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia on March 26 as the conflict in the Middle East was about to enter its second month.

"Important meetings are scheduled. We appreciate the support and support those who are ready to work with us to ensure security," Zelenskyywrote on X.

No details of Zelenskyy's visit were disclosed by the evening of March 26.

Since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28, Kyiv has been offering its air-defense expertise and drone-interception technologies to the Gulf countries targeted by Iran, one of Russia's biggest allies, which supplied it with military equipment and technology, fueling Moscow's war effort against Ukraine.

In his comments last week, Zelenskyy said over 200 Ukrainian specialists were already working on the ground in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia to help them repel Iran's relentless drone attacks.

Referring to Ukraine's experience of being targeted by more than 57,000 Iranian-made drones over the last four years, Zelenskyy previously suggested that modern air defense is not complete without a combination of different technologies and not just expensive anti-missile systems alone.

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20:17

EUs Kallas Urges US To Pressure Russia Not To Help Iran

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called on the United States to "put pressure on Russia" to refrain from helping Iran wage war and launch attacks against Americans.

"We see that Russia is helping Iran by providing information to target Americans, to kill Americans, and also now supporting Iran with drones so that it can attack neighboring countries and also American military bases," Kallas told reporters on March 26 on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers meeting in France.

Several Western media outlets have reported that Russia has provided Iran with intelligence tohelp it target US military assetsin the Middle East since the war began with US-Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28. US officials confirmed this to RFE/RL following the initial report in the Washington Post.

On March 25, the Financial Times (FT) reported that Russia has been shipping drones to Iran, as well as medicine and food. The FT cited what it said were Western intelligence reports.

Russia's war against Ukraine and the war US-Israeli war with Iran "are closely linked," Kallas said.

If America wants the war in the Middle East to stop and Iran to stop attacking them, it should also put pressure on Russia so that it cannot help Iran in this regard, she said.

Kallas emphasized that the priority should be finding a way out of the conflict rather than escalating tensions in the Middle East.

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18:49

US Envoy Witkoff Confirms 15-Point 'Action List' Given To Iran

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on March 26 that the United States has presented Iran with a "15-point action list" as a basis for negotiations to end the current conflict, adding that there are signs that Tehran is interested in reaching an agreement.

This is the first time the Trump administration has officially confirmed the presentation of such a plan to Iran. There have been previous reports that Pakistan had presented it to Iranian officials.

"We will see where things lead, and if we can convince Iran that this is the inflection point with no good alternatives for them other than more death and destruction," Witkoff told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House.

"We have strong signs that this is a possibility," he added.

Witkoff also said that Pakistan acted as a mediator, confirming statements of Pakistani officials.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on March 26.

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16:54

Interactive Map: United States, Iran Exchanging Fire

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RFE/RL Graphics

The United States and Israel have exchanged thousands of air and missile strikes with Iran, which has hit targets in Israel and its neighbors across the Gulf, including US bases and oil and gas facilities.

In this interactive map, click the flags below to show where Iran has been hit by US-Israeli strikes since February 28 and which countries Tehran has targeted in the region in retaliation.

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14:26

Pentagon Considers Next Steps On Iran, Axios Reports

The Pentagon is reportedly preparing a range of military options for a potential "final blow" against Iran, according to Axios, which cited two US officials and two additional sources familiar with the discussions.

In interviews, the sources outlined four major scenarios that US President Donald Trump could consider. These options include:

invading or blockading Kharg Island, Iran's primary oil export hub
invading Larak Island, which plays a key role in Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz
taking control of Abu Musa and two nearby smaller islands, currently held by Iran but also claimed by the United Arab Emirates
Blocking or seizing vessels transporting Iranian oil on the eastern side of the Strait of Hormuz

Axios also reportsthat US military planners have developed potential ground operations targeting Iran's interior, aimed at securing highly enriched uranium stored within nuclear facilities.

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13:55

Israel Says It Killed IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri

Alireza Tangsiri

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz says an Israeli air strike killed Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy.

"Last night, in a precise and lethal operation, the IDF eliminated the commander of the Revolutionary Guards' navy, Tangsiri, along with senior officers of the naval command," Katz said in a video statement on March 26.

He described Tangsiri as the man "who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to shipping."

Iran has not commented and the claim has not been picked up by mainstream Iranian media.

Some Israeli outlets say Tangsiri was killed in a strike on Bandar Abbas, a port city in the southern Hormozgan Province on the shores of the Persian Gulf.

Since the start of the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, Israel killed several top Iranian officials. Those have included Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and security chief Ali Larijani.

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12:33

Trump Warns Tehran To 'Get Serious Soon' On Talks, Blasts NATO Over Iran

US President Donald Trump says Iranian negotiators should "get serious soon" on talks to end US-Israeli air strikes "before it is too late."

"They are 'begging' us to make a deal, which they should be doing since they have been militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback, and yet they publicly state that they are only looking at our proposal, Trump said in a social media post on March 27.

"They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it wont be pretty!" he added.

A day earlier, Iran said it was reviewing a 15-point US peace plan and put forward what it said were five conditions that needed to be met in order for the conflict to end.

Human Rights Watch Warns That Dangerous Rhetoric Risks Enabling War Crimes

The geographic spread, speed of escalation, and open disregard for international norms by all parties one month into the Middle East conflict are a critical stress test for the international legal order created to protect civilians during armed conflict,Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a March 26 news release.

The New York-based human rights group warned that rhetoric and actions by leaders in the United States, Israel, and Iran show disregard for humanitarian law and risk enabling war crimes.

According to HRW, serious violations of the laws of war during the first month of conflict include a strike on a school in Minab, Israel's use of white phosphorus in Lebanon, and Iranian attacks on civilian sites and ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

A US investigation into the strike in Minab, a city in southern Iran, is ongoing, although preliminary assessments indicated that US forces were likely responsible.

HRW also warned that attacks -- as well as the threat of attacks -- on commercial ships in the crucial Strait of Hormuz and on oil and natural-gas facilities in Iran and the Gulf states have driven up global energy prices and could raise costs for food, transport, and agriculture worldwide.