USA

Qassem Urges Lebanese Government to Cancel Negotiations with Israel

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered a televised address tonight, his sixth since the militant group initiated this round of fighting on March 2. He spoke one day before Lebanese and Israeli envoys are set to begin negotiations at the U.S. State Department on April 14, a watershed moment in the history of ties between the two ...

U.S. Oil Benchmark Jumps 8%, Surpasses $100 After Failed U.S.-Iran Talks

The US oil benchmark rebounded above $100 a barrel on Monday after peace talks between the United States and Iran failed to make a breakthrough, and with US President Donald Trump ordering a blockade of Iranian ports. Shortly after trading began, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for May delivery rose around eight percent to $104.50, ...

Iran Executes Over 1,639 People in 2025: Report

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest number since 1989, two NGOs said Monday, warning it risked using capital punishment even more extensively after protests in January and the war against Israel and the US. The number of executions represented an increase of 68 percent on the 975 people Iran put to death in ...

Mideast Prepares for More Fighting as Talks Fail

A sense of dread spread across the Middle East after talks between the US and Iran collapsed, as fears of renewed fighting rattled an already tense region with Donald Trump ordering a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Following more than 20 hours of talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, US Vice President JD Vance admitted the yawning ...

Israel Prepares for Rapid Return to War with Iran as Talks Collapse

The Israeli military has moved to an unprecedented level of combat readiness amid growing expectations that the war with Iran could resume within days, following the collapse of U.S.-Iran negotiations in Pakistan. According to Israeli media reports citing military sources, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has ordered a sweeping escalation in operational ...

Trump Announces U.S. Naval Blockade on Hormuz Strait, Says Iran 'Unyielding' on Nuclear Ambitions

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the imposition of a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, saying that in 20 hours of direct negotiations yesterday, Iran proved it was “UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!” His lengthy post on Truth Social comes on the heels of the first direct U.S.-Iran negotiations since the war ...

Iran's Ex-FM Zarif Blames Talks Failure on U.S. Push to 'Dictate' Terms

Iran's former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who led his country's delegation at 2015 nuclear talks, on Sunday blamed the failure of negotiations to end the Middle East war on U.S. attempts to "dictate" its terms. "No negotiations, at least with Iran, will succeed based on 'our/your terms,'" said Zarif, one of the architects of the ...

Vance Arrives in Pakistan for Iran Talks

US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad on Saturday for talks with Iran that the Pakistani premier hosting the warring sides called a "make or break" effort to permanently halt weeks of fighting in the Middle East. An Iranian delegation led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is also in the city, having arrived ...

World Bank Calls for Stronger Economies as US-Iran Ceasefire Fragile, Oil Rises

The World Bank on Thursday called on countries in the Middle East and North Africa to strengthen economic resilience and governance in the wake of ongoing regional crises. “The current crisis is a stark reminder of the work ahead for the region: not only to weather shocks but also to rebuild more resilient economies with stronger macroeconomic ...

Iran's Envoy Deletes Post on Delegation Arrival in Islamabad for U.S. Talks

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan deleted a social media post saying an Iranian delegation would arrive in Islamabad on Thursday night, a move an embassy official later told AFP had been sent prematurely. Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam said in a post on X on Thursday morning that an Iranian delegation would arrive "tonight in Islamabad for serious ...

Israel Maintains Strikes on Lebanon Despite U.S.-Iran Ceasefire

Israel continued airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, even as it confirmed a halt to military operations against Iran under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The move comes amid reports that Hezbollah has suspended its attacks for now, creating an asymmetrical reality on the Lebanese front where Israeli operations persist. Despite this ...