donald trump

Lebanon Ceasefire Opens a Diplomatic Window, Now Comes the Hard Part

When the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel met at the White House on April 23, it was the kind of image that would have seemed unthinkable just months earlier. Their joint appearance alongside President Donald Trump — to announce a three-week extension of the cessation of hostilities — was a shift from decades of indirect, back-channel ...

Iran Excavates Hidden Arsenal to Restore Strike Capacity: Report

Iran is using the ceasefire with the United States to recover buried weapons and rebuild its capacity to launch attacks, according to an NBC News report citing a U.S. official and two sources familiar with the matter. Sources say the Iranian regime has intensified efforts to excavate missiles and other munitions that were either hidden ...

CENTCOM Briefs Trump on Potential Large-Scale Strikes on Iran

The commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM) briefed President Donald Trump on potential large-scale strike options against Iran, including what was described as a possible “final blow,” according to a report by Fox News on Thursday. Admiral Brad Cooper presented the plans during a high-level meeting in the White House ...

Iran Activates Air Defenses as Trump Faces Congressional Deadline

Tehran's air defences were activated to counter small aircraft and drones late Thursday, as the White House signalled that it will not be reined in by a congressional deadline on the Iran war. The Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that air defence systems, heard in some parts of the Iranian capital, were activated "to counter small aircraft ...

U.S. Urges Meeting Between Lebanese President, Israeli PM

The U.S. embassy in Lebanon on Thursday urged a meeting between Lebanese and Israeli leaders as the health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country's south killed at least 15 people despite an ongoing ceasefire. Israeli and Lebanese representatives this month have met twice in Washington -- the first such meetings in decades -- after ...

U.S. Intercepts 42nd Vessel as Iran Port Blockade Disrupts Oil Flows

Late Wednesday, the U.S. military said it had intercepted another commercial vessel attempting to breach a blockade on Iranian ports, marking what officials described as a significant operational milestone. In a statement posted on X, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had successfully redirected the 42nd ship accused of ...

Trump Warns Iran Better 'Get Smart Soon' and Accept Nuclear Deal

President Donald Trump warned Tehran on Wednesday that it should "get smart soon" and capitulate to Washington's demands for tight controls on its nuclear programme, as a US naval blockade turned the screws on Iran's economy. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth was due to testify before Congress later in the day, but US press reports ...

U.S. Warns Banks Over Sanctions Risks Linked to Chinese 'Teapot' Refineries

The United States has issued a fresh warning to global financial institutions over the risks of engaging with independent Chinese oil refineries—known as “teapot” refineries—amid their continued role in processing Iranian crude. In an alert published Tuesday, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said these refineries, largely ...

Why Hezbollah and Israel May Be Betting Against the Lebanon Truce

The Lebanon–Israel truce, extended by three weeks last Thursday, is already being put to the test. Escalating military exchanges in southern Lebanon are exposing both its fragility and the complicated political realities surrounding it. Both Israel and Hezbollah appear to see a potential breakdown of the truce as an opportunity to reshuffle the ...

Iraqi President Nominates Ali al-Zaidi as PM-Designate

Iraq's newly elected president nominated businessman Ali al-Zaidi as the country's prime minister-designate on Monday, after he was endorsed by the country's main Shia alliance. "President Nizar Amede has tasked Ali al-Zaidi, the candidate of the largest parliamentary bloc, with forming the new government," the presidency ...