All posts tagged: sides

Iran’s Top Diplomat Briefly Returns to Pakistan but Trump Says the Sides Can Talk by Phone

Iran’s Top Diplomat Briefly Returns to Pakistan but Trump Says the Sides Can Talk by Phone

Published by Sam Flores

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iran ‘s foreign minister briefly visited Islamabad again on Sunday as Pakistan’s political and military leadership scrambled to reignite ceasefire negotiations between Tehran and Washington, but U.S. President Donald Trump said they could talk by phone instead. Abbas Araghchi had left Pakistan’s capital late the previous day, creating confusion around an expected second round of talks there, but he returned before continuing on to Moscow on Sunday, Iranian state media said. He had been in Oman, which previously mediated talks and is on the other side of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The White House last week said it would dispatch envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad to follow up on historic face-to-face talks earlier this month. But shortly after Araghchi’s departure Saturday, Trump said he had called off the mission because of a lack of progress with Iran. “If they want, we can talk but we’re not sending people,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday. He said earlier on social media: “All they have to do is call!!!” Indirect …

Middle East war live: Macron blames ‘mistakes on both sides’ for Strait of Hormuz blockade

Middle East war live: Macron blames ‘mistakes on both sides’ for Strait of Hormuz blockade

Published by Sam Flores

20/04/2026 – 21:45 US low-cost airlines seek temporary tax relief to address soaring fuel costs The CEOs ​of major low-cost airlines ​are set to meet Tuesday with US Transportation Secretary Sean ​Duffy ‌as they ⁠urge Congress to provide temporary ‌tax relief to partially offset ⁠the soaring cost of jet fuel sparked by ​the war with ‌Iran. A group representing Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Allegiant ‌Air, Sun Country and ​Avelo last week wrote leaders in Congress asking lawmakers to ​pass legislation to suspend the ​7.5 percent federal ​excise tax on airline tickets and $5.30 ​per segment tax. Waiving the fees would offset about one-third of the incremental ⁠cost of higher jet fuel, ⁠said the ​Association of Value Airlines. 20/04/2026 – 21:42 Israel confirms its soldier destroyed Jesus statue in Lebanon The Israeli military confirmed a viral photo of one of its soldiers smashing a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon is authentic and said it has launched an investigation into the incident. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “stunned and saddened” …

Steve Bannon sides with Anthropic in fight with Pentagon: ‘It’s almost too dangerous’

Steve Bannon sides with Anthropic in fight with Pentagon: ‘It’s almost too dangerous’

Published by Sam Flores

Former White House strategist Steve Bannon said he believes artificial intelligence company Anthropic “had it right” in demanding its technology not be used in fully autonomous lethal weapons, setting off a fight with the Pentagon.  The Pentagon has insisted it be allowed to use Anthropic’s Claude for “all lawful uses” and last month labeled the… Source link

U.S. team heads to Iran peace talks with a gulf separating the two sides

U.S. team heads to Iran peace talks with a gulf separating the two sides

Published by Sam Flores

As the United States and Iran prepare for ceasefire talks Saturday, the two countries appear to have common ground on only one thing — their need to find an exit ramp from the war. President Donald Trump is paying a growing political and economic price at home, with falling approval ratings and climbing gas prices undercutting his bluster and boasts about U.S. military might having already achieved a total victory over Tehran. Source link

Both sides claim victory after US, Iran agree to 11th-hour truce

Both sides claim victory after US, Iran agree to 11th-hour truce

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON: The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire barely an hour before President Donald Trump’s Wednesday (Apr 8) deadline to obliterate the country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz. Both sides claimed to have won the more than month-long conflict that has roiled global financial markets and sent oil prices skyrocketing, with Trump telling AFP the deal was a “total and complete victory” for the US. Iran too cast the ceasefire as a win and said it had agreed to talks with Washington to begin on Friday in Pakistan on a path to end the conflict. “The enemy has suffered an undeniable, historic and crushing defeat in its cowardly, illegal and criminal war against the Iranian nation,” said a statement from the Iranian Supreme National Security Council. “Iran achieved a great victory.” The White House said Israel had also agreed to the ceasefire, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it does not include Lebanon, where Israeli assaults in response to rocket fire by Iranian-backed …

‘We have been profoundly let down’: Voters in one of Labour’s safest seats consider switching sides

‘We have been profoundly let down’: Voters in one of Labour’s safest seats consider switching sides

Published by Sam Flores

Until recently, lunchtime on a Thursday would have been a manic period for Steven Lightbrown, with a queue out of the door for fish and chips, pies and fritters. But since the closure of the steelworks in Port Talbot in September 2024, the takeaway business that his father established 40 years ago in the industrial community of Taibach has taken a “massive hit”, losing almost half of its trade. Locals remain loyal customers, but the drop in trade has forced Mr Lightbrown to reduce his hours at Steve’s Fish Bar to four days a week. “Businesses have been heavily affected with the lack of people coming,” he tells The Independent. “It’s affected morale, steelworkers were my main trade. A lot of workers have now left the area, some have gone up to Hinkley Point, others have gone up to Trostre Steelworks.” Steve Lightbrown’s fish shop has lost 40 per cent of its trade (Supplied) It has been 20 months since Tata Steel turned off the blast furnaces in the south Wales industrial town, with 2,000 …

ASEAN countries won’t take sides in US-China rivalry, want region kept open and inclusive: PM Wong

ASEAN countries won’t take sides in US-China rivalry, want region kept open and inclusive: PM Wong

Published by Sam Flores

FRIENDS WITH ALL Touching on Japan-China ties and the back-to-back timing of his visits to Tokyo last week and Hainan and Hong Kong this week, Mr Wong acknowledged that the two countries “are going through a difficult phase in their relations”. “But from Singapore’s point of view, we are friends with both China and Japan. For that matter, with America and other major partners,” he said. While major powers may have difficulties in their relations with one another, Singapore’s goal is to remain friends with all of them – and Mr Wong said he believes that this is possible. “That is our approach, has always been our approach consistently, and we will continue to find ways to engage all these major powers, deepen our cooperation further and look for win-win outcomes,” he said. On the timing of his China visit, Mr Wong said it was not pre-planned. His Japan trip had originally been set for last year but was delayed due to scheduling difficulties. Once dates were eventually agreed upon – after Japan’s elections earlier …

Iraq caught between US and Iran, facing attacks from both warring sides & Iran-aligned actors within

Iraq caught between US and Iran, facing attacks from both warring sides & Iran-aligned actors within

Published by Sam Flores

Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Hayder Al-Shakeri, Research Fellow with the MENA programme at Chatham House. Al-Shakeri describes Iraq as a state navigating a precarious balance between two powerful allies whose conflict is increasingly unfolding on its own territory. This position is not merely diplomatic but deeply structural, rooted in economic dependence, security arrangements, and geographic realities that bind Iraq simultaneously to both Washington and Tehran. The lack of strong institutions, and a fully-functioning central government, constrains the state’s ability to respond. Keywords for this article Source link

US-Iran mediation: What are each side’s demands – and is a deal possible? | Energy News

US-Iran mediation: What are each side’s demands – and is a deal possible? | Energy News

Published by Sam Flores

United States President Donald Trump has issued a 15-point plan containing US-Israeli demands and offers for ending the ongoing war on Iran, Al Jazeera has confirmed. The plan has been delivered to Iran through Pakistan, which stated this week that it is ready to host peace talks. Trump has said that Washington and Tehran have had “very good and productive conversations” aimed at ending the war this week. However, Iran has consistently denied that it is holding talks with the US. In response to Trump’s claim, Iranian leaders said the US is “negotiating with itself“. The war, which the US and Israel launched on February 28 as negotiations with Iran were ongoing, has had a high cost, roiling energy and stock markets worldwide, disrupting shipping and resulting in casualties across the Middle East. As of Tuesday, 1,500 people have been killed in Iran alone and 18,551 have been injured, according to official figures from the Iranian health ministry. Days after the US and Israel began strikes on Iran, the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) …