All posts tagged: U.S.Iran

anti-weaponization fund; primaries; U.S.-Iran peace : NPR

anti-weaponization fund; primaries; U.S.-Iran peace : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories The Justice Department says it will abide by a federal court order that puts funds for the Trump administration’s nearly $1.8 billion anti-weaponization program on hold. The administration says the fund would compensate people who allege they were targeted by the federal government. The fund has faced bipartisan backlash and concerns that it would be used to pay people convicted for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies during a Senate appropriations hearing on May 19, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Win McNamee/Getty Images 🎧 NPR’s Elena Moore tells Up First that the issue has elicited rare Republican pushback. Even after the DOJ stated it would abide by the court order, some Senate Republicans continued to push for the White House to end the fund. Moore says it has …

U.S.-Iran; anti-weaponization fund; Graham Platner : NPR

U.S.-Iran; anti-weaponization fund; Graham Platner : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories American aircraft fired on a number of Iranian sites over the weekend, according to the U.S. military, including on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said this morning that it has responded by firing on a U.S. military base. Despite these volatile conditions, President Trump said on Truth Social this morning that “Iran really wants to make a deal,” and told Americans to “just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end.” A plume of smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Tyre, southern Lebanon, on June 1. Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images 🎧 The war in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the militant group Hezbollah, could undermine efforts to end the war in Iran, NPR’s Greg Myre tells Up First. Israeli forces …

The terrifying day the U.S.-Iran war reached a sleepy Sri Lankan town : NPR

The terrifying day the U.S.-Iran war reached a sleepy Sri Lankan town : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

A deadly strike during the first days of the Iran war hit far away in the Indian Ocean, jolting a quiet seaside town and showing how far the conflict’s reach extends. ADRIAN FLORIDO, HOST: Much of the latest war in the Middle East has happened in the Middle East, as you would expect. But one of the war’s deadliest attacks took place thousands of miles away in the Indian Ocean, shaking a sleepy seaside town. And a warning – this piece contains descriptions of the retrieval of victims after a military strike. NPR’s Diaa Hadid has the story. DIAA HADID, BYLINE: Fisherman Anil Kumara unloads his catch at the fishing harbor in Galle in Southern Sri Lanka. Dogs bark at crows snatching sardines in silvery flashes. (SOUNDBITE OF DOGS BARKING) HADID: Kumara says it was a day like this when the war came to these shores. (SOUNDBITE OF BOAT ENGINE RUNNING) ANIL KUMARA: (Speaking Sinhala). HADID: He saw men unload bodies from a Sri Lankan navy vessel. Their pier is just a few dozen feet …

Still no deal to end U.S.-Iran war; Trump says he’s not in a ‘hurry’

Still no deal to end U.S.-Iran war; Trump says he’s not in a ‘hurry’

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 27, 2026. Evan Vucci | Reuters The U.S. and Iran have yet to ink an agreement to end the war that has dragged on into its fourth month, with President Donald Trump saying Saturday that he is in “no hurry” to make a deal. Trump, in an interview with his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, on Fox News, said that he is pressing for a deal that would ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. And while he said he would prefer that the pact is reached quickly, he is not rushing the process. The president also threatened further military action if negotiations break down. “I’d like to say I’m in a hurry because gasoline prices are going to come tumbling down, but if you’re going to be in a hurry, you’re not going to make a good deal,” Trump said. “And slowly but surely we’re getting, I …

U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Is Still a ‘Work in Progress,’ Rubio Says

U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Is Still a ‘Work in Progress,’ Rubio Says

Published by Sam Flores

new video loaded: U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Is Still a ‘Work in Progress,’ Rubio Says transcript Back transcript U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Is Still a ‘Work in Progress,’ Rubio Says Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that peace talks between the United States and Iran were still ongoing after the Trump administration signaled earlier that an agreement could be imminent. We’re still a work in progress. As I said, you know, we thought we might have some news last night. Maybe today. I wouldn’t read too much into it. It takes a little while to hear back. So we have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the straits, get the straits open, enter into a very real, significant time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matters. As the president said, he’s not in a hurry. He’s not going to make a bad deal. I mean, the president is not going to make a bad agreement. So, let’s see what happens. We’re going to give diplomacy every …

Markets on edge as fresh U.S.-Iran attacks dent optimism over a peace deal

Markets on edge as fresh U.S.-Iran attacks dent optimism over a peace deal

Published by Sam Flores

Veiled pro-government supporters stand in a line under a banner depicting portraits of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as they wait to receive donated meals during a state-run religious rally in downtown Tehran, Iran, on April 29, 2026. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Up until the weekend, global markets had been betting on a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran turning into a longer-term peace deal. But escalatory rhetoric, action over the Strait of Hormuz, and fresh Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates over the past 48 hours, have led experts to warn war could be back. Market analysts said the latest developments could mark an inflection point in the war and a critical moment for financial markets and global energy supplies, which are dwindling as the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed. “It’s an incredibly delicate moment,” Ben Powell, chief investment strategist for APAC at BlackRock, told CNBC Tuesday. “It’s very unsettling to have our first missile warnings here in Abu Dhabi for several weeks. …

Islamabad park near U.S.-Iran peace talks venue : NPR

Islamabad park near U.S.-Iran peace talks venue : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR’s international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world. I took this photo at sunset in my favorite park in Pakistan’s capital city earlier this month. I went there to touch grass, literally, after days of covering inconclusive U.S.-Iran peace talks. This place is called Haunted Hill Park, colloquially at least, though I’ve never heard a definitive explanation for why. I like it because it’s usually not too crowded and has good grass for laying down a picnic blanket. On this particular evening, a duo volleyed a badminton shuttlecock back and forth, and women took photos in front of colorful flowerbeds. The park sits alongside a winding, tree-lined avenue, and if you turn right out of the park and drive until the road ends, you’re within walking distance of the Serena Hotel, where the peace talks were held.  Some might say this bureaucratic hub is boring. I thought that too when I first moved to Pakistan. Then I spent a few years living …

U.S.-Iran ceasefire; VA redistricting; ACA : NPR

U.S.-Iran ceasefire; VA redistricting; ACA : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories Two ships came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday morning, hours after President Trump announced that he is extending the ceasefire with Iran. The attacks put the possibility of peace talks in jeopardy. Trump extended the ceasefire just hours before it was due to expire, but did not say how much longer it would continue. Instead of flying to Islamabad yesterday as planned, Vice President Vance, who leads the U.S. delegation, stayed in Washington. Security personnel stand guard at a security checkpost along a road temporarily closed near the Serena Hotel at the Red Zone area in Islamabad on April 20 ahead of anticipated U.S.-Iran peace talks. Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images 🎧 The extension of the ceasefire is not surprising because, despite his significant threats, Trump’s actions have made it …

More U.S.-Iran peace deal talks are in discussion, White House says

More U.S.-Iran peace deal talks are in discussion, White House says

Published by Sam Flores

A second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran is currently under discussion, though nothing has been officially scheduled yet, a White House official told CNBC on Tuesday morning. President Donald Trump later told the New York Post that the next U.S.-Iran talks “could be happening over next two days” in Islamabad. He had initially told the outlet in a phone interview that additional negotiations could be “a little bit slow” and would likely happen in Europe, but called back about 30 minutes later with updated information, according to the Post. The confirmation that the Trump administration is mulling further talks with Tehran followed prior reporting that the stalled peace negotiations could restart before a fragile two-week ceasefire is set to expire. Officials from both countries could return to Pakistan to resume those talks, Reuters reported earlier Tuesday morning, citing Pakistani and Iranian officials. “The coming rounds ​of talks can come sometime later this week or earlier next week. But nothing is finalised as of now,” an official at the Iranian Embassy in Islamabad …