Negotiations

Trump Threatens Iran with “Total Destruction” if It Targets U.S. Forces in Hormuz Operation

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday issued a stark warning to Iran, vowing it would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if it attacks American vessels involved in the ongoing “Project Freedom” operation in the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump escalated his rhetoric as tensions deepen around the strategic ...

Hezbollah Signals Openness to Indirect Talks with Israel

In a notable shift in tone, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Naim Qassem signaled for the first time openness to indirect negotiations with Israel, framing diplomacy as a viable path—while firmly rejecting any form of direct talks. “We support diplomacy that stops the aggression and enforces agreements,” Qassem said in a statement on Monday, ...

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Warns U.S., Sets Deadline to Lift Naval Blockade

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence arm issued a series of new warnings on Sunday, saying Tehran has given Washington a deadline to lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports, as tensions escalate alongside fragile diplomatic efforts. The IRGC said on Sunday that Iran had granted the Pentagon a “final ...

Trump Says U.S. Not Likely to Accept New Iran Peace Proposal

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he would review a new Iranian peace proposal but cast doubt over its prospects as he left open the possibility of future attacks on Iran. Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, with one round of peace talks to end the more than two-month ...

Iran Offers New Proposal Amid Stalled U.S. Peace Talks

According to Iranian state media reporting on Friday, Iran delivered a new proposal for peace talks with the U.S. via mediator Pakistan, with negotiations between the two sides frozen despite a weeks-long ceasefire. The text of the proposal was handed to Islamabad on Thursday evening, the IRNA news agency reported. The war, launched by the ...

Trump Weighs Military Options on Iran as U.S. Drafts Strike Plans and Hormuz Strategy

Senior U.S. military commanders will brief President Donald Trump on Thursday on potential military action against Iran, including strike scenarios and options related to the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official told Reuters. The briefing, expected at the White House, will include Central Command chief Brad Cooper, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, ...

Lebanese President Aoun Accuses Hezbollah of National 'Betrayal'

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday accused Hezbollah of “betrayal” and openly challenged the group’s decision to take Lebanon to war, asking whether it had secured national consensus before doing so. “Did you have national consensus when you went to war?” Aoun questioned, in a direct message to Hezbollah, as ...

Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem Rejects Direct Talks, Vows to Maintain Armed Resistance

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Monday rejected direct negotiations with Israel, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to armed resistance, and sharply criticized the Lebanese government’s recent political course in a statement addressing the latest developments in the country. In a written statement, Qassem said Hezbollah ...

Beyond Mediation: How Washington Is Recasting Lebanon–Israel Negotiations

The U.S. is set to mediate a second round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials on Thursday as part of the first such series of direct negotiations between the two sides since 1993. These diplomatic engagements come nearly a year and a half after the previous Lebanon-Israel ceasefire framework. In November 2024 under the Biden ...

UN Maritime Agency Urges Help for Seafarers Stranded in Hormuz

The head of the UN maritime agency appealed on Tuesday for help for thousands of seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz as the Middle East war paralyzes the vital shipping route. Around 20,000 seafarers and 2,000 ships have been stranded in the waterway since U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 that triggered the war, according to the ...