USA

Iran Says Exchanges with U.S. Via Pakistan Continue After Failed Talks

Iran said Wednesday that exchanges with the United States via Pakistan had continued following failed negotiations over the weekend. "Since Sunday, when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran, several messages have been exchanged through Pakistan," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing. "Today, we are very ...

Iraq Says Has 'Understandings' to Bypass Hormuz Blockade

Baghdad's oil ministry said Tuesday it has "understandings" with the United States and Iran to reduce the impact of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Iraqi oil exports. The ministry did not elaborate or say when these reported understandings were reached. But Iran announced earlier this month before the fragile ceasefire was reached last ...

U.S. Says Ball in Iran's Court as Push Grows to End War

The United States said "the ball is in the Iranian court" on ending the Mideast war, as diplomats accelerated efforts on Tuesday towards a new round of peace talks after weekend negotiations failed to produce a deal. US Vice President JD Vance had left talks hosted by Pakistan on Sunday, saying he had handed Tehran the "final and best offer".Iran ...

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 ...