Donald Trump

Kushner, Witkoff to head to Islamabad for direct talks following initial Iranian refusal

Notably, US President Donald Trump is sending special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, Pakistan, to participate in talks with Araghchi, two US officials told CNN. 

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi speaks at a weekly news conference in Tehran, Iran, on March 16, 2026.
Drone view of oil tanker HELGA berthed at one of Iraq's southern offshore oil terminals near Basra as it prepares to load crude oil, becoming the second vessel to arrive since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, April 24, 2026

Iran continuing to lay mines in Strait of Hormuz, US official says

Israeli soldiers seen inside southern Lebanon, as it seen from the Israeli side of the border, on April 23, 2026.

IDF orders evacuation of village in southern Lebanon after Trump announces extension of ceasefire

US Senators Bernie Sanders (R) and Ed Markey (D-MA) walk on Capitol Hill in Washington ahead of a vote regarding the Iran war, last month.

Israel must stop pretending bond with US is 'unbreakable' before it's too late - opinion


United States Treasury Department imposes fresh sanctions against suppliers of weapons to Iran

The move comes as a two-week ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump is due to end in the coming days.

A general view of the Treasury Building on day two of a partial government shutdown in Washington, DC, US, February 1, 2026.

A 'Trumpian' vassal: Has Israel maintained autonomy, or become the 51st US state? - opinion

Has Israel maintained its autonomy, or has it become America's 51st state?

An IDF soldier holds a combined Israeli-American Flag

Israel will face resistance if troops stay in Lebanon, Lebanese Parliament Speaker says

"It [Israel] will smell the scent of resistance every day," said Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Lebanon's most senior Shi'ite statesman and a Hezbollah ally.

Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri heads a parliamentary session at the headquarters in Beirut on March 9, 2026.

'Do them no harm!' Trump calls for Iran to stop execution of women as start to negotiations

"I would greatly appreciate the release of these women," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "I am sure that they will respect the fact that you did so. Please do them no harm!"

US President Donald Trump gestures during a roundtable focused on tax cuts in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, April 16, 2026.

Trump says he does not want to extend ceasefire with Iran, will get 'great deal'

Trump told CNBC that he believes the US is “going to end up with a great deal” with Iran to end the weeks-long war, saying "they have no choice."

US President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on April 18, 2026.

Iraq political factions fail to agree on prime minister as US pressure mounts

It has been five months since Iraq had an election in November, 2025. However, the parties can’t agree on a prime minister.

 A protester holds a portrait of former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki during a protest against US President Donald Trump near the US embassy in Baghdad, on Jan. 29, 2026.

US in talks with DP world on Gaza logistics under Trump’s Board of Peace plan - Financial Times

Rehabilitation of Gaza, where two years of Israeli bombardment have destroyed four-fifths of buildings, has been projected by global institutions to cost around $70 billion.

Palestinians make their way in a devasted neighborhood, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in Gaza City, October 24, 2024.

US Labor secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigns amid misconduct probe

The Labor Department’s inspector general is nearing the end of a months-long investigation into a whistleblower’s allegations of professional misconduct by Chavez-DeRemer.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer speaks with fellow cabinet members before an event for MLS champion Inter Miami CF at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 5, 2026.

Vance to travel to Islamabad, Iranian delegation gets reported approval from supreme leader - Axios

According to a source with knowledge, cited by Axios, the Iranian negotiating team hesitated under pressure from the IRGC to take a stronger line and refuse talks without an end to the US blockade.

US Vice President JD Vance waves as he boards Air Force Two, after peace talks with Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, April 12, 2026.

Iran will not negotiate under threat, bend to force, top officials say

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf claimed that US President Trump had violated the ceasefire between the two countries by "imposing a siege."

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf meets with Pakistan army chief Asim Munir, in Tehran, Iran, April 16, 2026.