All posts tagged: Diplomacy

Macron and Starmer Welcome Hormuz Reopening and Push for Permanent Navigation Security

Macron and Starmer Welcome Hormuz Reopening and Push for Permanent Navigation Security

Published by Sam Flores

PARIS (AP) — The leaders of France and the U.K. on Friday welcomed the announcement by Iran and the U.S. that the Strait of Hormuz is open, but said freedom of navigation must be permanently restored to the key oil route choked by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they would keep planning an international mission to restore maritime security, which Starmer said will be deployed “as soon as conditions allow.” They said military planners will meet in London next week. Speaking after a gathering of some 50 countries, Macron said “we all demand the full, immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties.” Starmer said the announcement by Iran and the U.S. that the waterway is open must become “both lasting and a workable proposal.” The Paris meeting is part of attempts by sidelined nations to ease the impact of a conflict they didn’t start and haven’t joined, but that has sent the global economy reeling. Petroleum prices soared after the war …

Starmer dismisses top official Robbins as Mandelson vetting crisis deepens – POLITICO

Starmer dismisses top official Robbins as Mandelson vetting crisis deepens – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“All we want is the truth,” MP Rachael Maskell told POLITICO. “Now a different account of Mr. Mandelson’s security clearance has been brought to light we need accountability as to why we were provided a different version of events.” A highly loyal MP, granted anonymity to discuss internal party matters, said Thursday night: “This is bad, very, very bad. There are so many factors, I don’t know if it will be the end, but it definitely could be.” Robbins’ rocky path The departure of Robbins is the latest twist in a Whitehall career that has seen the senior official — once marked out as a future head of the country’s civil service — take repeated political flak. Robbins served as chief Brexit negotiator during the doomed premiership of Theresa May. As talks with Brussels appeared to be steering the U.K. into a compromise deal, he found himself pilloried as they bogeyman of hardline Tory MPs and newspapers, earning the moniker “the PM’s Rasputin” in one Times article.   When May was finally ousted in 2019, to be replaced by …

No date set for US-Iran talks, as Pakistan pushes to keep diplomacy alive | US-Israel war on Iran News

No date set for US-Iran talks, as Pakistan pushes to keep diplomacy alive | US-Israel war on Iran News

Published by Sam Flores

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday confirmed that the United States and Iran were in discussions – through Islamabad – to hold a second meeting between their negotiators to end their now nearly seven-week war, with a fragile ceasefire announced on April 8 days away from expiring. But it added that no date had been set for that next round of negotiations, even as Islamabad stepped up a parallel diplomatic push to keep the process alive. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “Who will come, how big the delegation will be, who will stay, and who will go is for the parties to decide,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad, referring to what upcoming talks might look like. “As a mediator, it’s important for us to keep the talks confidential. We had the details and information of the talks entrusted to us by the negotiating parties.”  Speaking of the first round of talks on April 12 in Islamabad, which concluded without a deal, Andrabi said: “There was neither a …

Diplomacy Efforts to End the Wars in the Middle East Intensify

Diplomacy Efforts to End the Wars in the Middle East Intensify

Published by Sam Flores

new video loaded: Diplomacy Efforts to End the Wars in the Middle East Intensify transcript Back transcript Diplomacy Efforts to End the Wars in the Middle East Intensify A flurry of diplomatic efforts was underway to halt the fighting in the Middle East. The D.P.M. [deputy prime minister] has also reiterated that Pakistan has been, and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagement and dialogue between the two countries in the days to come. A flurry of diplomatic efforts was underway to halt the fighting in the Middle East. By Axel Boada April 16, 2026 Source link

Britain won’t support Trump’s Iran blockade, says Starmer – POLITICO

Britain won’t support Trump’s Iran blockade, says Starmer – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Starmer added on X: “This week the UK and France will co-host a summit to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard shipping when the conflict ends.” Trump announced on his Truth Social platform Sunday that the U.S. would be “blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the strait of Hormuz” shipping route in the Middle East. It follows the failure of the first round of peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over the weekend. Starmer declined, when asked, to blame the U.S. for rising costs, instead accusing Iran of breaking international law by restricting vessels through the Persian Gulf. Increased costs to U.K. consumers are “largely because of Iran’s actions in closing or partially-closing the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. Clea Caulcutt contributed reporting. Source link

“Diplomacy is not an event, it’s a process, it takes time.” | US-Israel war on Iran

“Diplomacy is not an event, it’s a process, it takes time.” | US-Israel war on Iran

Published by Sam Flores

Toggle Play “We should recognise that diplomacy is not an event, it’s a process, it takes time.” NewsFeed Former Pakistani diplomat to the US Maleeha Lodhi says expectations from the Islamabad talks between the US and Iran should be realistic, stressing that “we should recognise that diplomacy is not an event, it’s a process, it takes time.” Published On 11 Apr 202611 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Source link

Pakistan hosts U.S.-Iran peace talks after weeks of frantic diplomacy : NPR

Pakistan hosts U.S.-Iran peace talks after weeks of frantic diplomacy : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

A police officer walks past a billboard regarding the United States and Iran negotiations, outside a media facilitation center in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, April 11, 2026. Anjum Naveed/AP hide caption toggle caption Anjum Naveed/AP ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, is set to host peace talks today with negotiators from Iran and the US, including Vice President J.D. Vance. It’s the culmination of weeks of frantic diplomacy by Pakistan’s leaders, who pitched the city as the venue for talks even before they took the lead as a key mediator that both the U.S. and Iran credited for helping broker a two-week ceasefire. The meeting has put Pakistan at the center of the biggest story in the world, spotlighting its normally sleepy capital that has been preparing for days for high-profile delegations to arrive. Ahead of the talks, many in Islamabad were still trying to get their heads around the fact that their country’s diplomatic efforts actually worked. “I’m a bit surprised,” says 19-year-old Khizra Zaheer, standing in a parking lot of a shopping area near the …

Iran says it ‘would be dumb’ for US to let Netanyahu kill diplomacy | US-Israel war on Iran News

Iran says it ‘would be dumb’ for US to let Netanyahu kill diplomacy | US-Israel war on Iran News

Published by Sam Flores

In an implicit response to JD Vance, Iran’s Abbas Araghchi warns of the repercussions of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that it would be “dumb” for the United States to allow Israel to jeopardise the regional ceasefire by continuing its intense attacks on Lebanon, which have killed hundreds of people since the truce came into effect. On Thursday, Araghchi noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial will resume on Sunday. He suggested that the Israeli leader has an ulterior motive for continuing the fighting. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “A region-wide ceasefire, incl in Lebanon, would hasten his jailing,” Araghchi wrote on social media. He then added a message for the US, which has denied that Lebanon was included in the original ceasefire. “If the US wishes to crater its economy by letting Netanyahu kill diplomacy, that would ultimately be its choice. We think that would be dumb but are prepared for it,” Araghchi wrote. His comment mirrors language used by US Vice President …

Europe fears getting stuck with the bill after Trump’s Iran deal – POLITICO

Europe fears getting stuck with the bill after Trump’s Iran deal – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Added to the fact that Europe’s energy bills will likely remain elevated for weeks or even months if the ceasefire holds, and the trend becomes clear: Europe is having to pay ever more just to remain part of a transatlantic alliance that has become highly unpredictable. “It’s a pattern,” said Nacho Sánchez Amor, a Spanish socialist lawmaker who sits on the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. “In Gaza, we will pay for reconstruction. In Ukraine, we’re paying for the war — basically alone at this point. Now we might have to pay to clear the Strait of Hormuz.” He added: “NATO is meant to be based on reciprocal loyalty. But this is not how it’s working.” The next big challenge In the hours after Trump announced his ceasefire deal on Tuesday evening Washington time, climbing down from threats of total annihilation against Iran, EU leaders cheered a win for diplomacy. The 11th hour deal delivered “much-needed” de-escalation, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on social media. But even as they exhaled, leaders were …