Author: Press Room

The short answer is “no.” Trump was confabulating when he said that he was already in negotiations with “important” Iranians. There is a back history to the US’ “negotiations narrative.” In earlier rounds of “negotiations” centred on the Ukraine conflict, Trump regularly would suggest that political negotiations with Russia were ongoing, when in practice, Witkoff and Kushner were simply engaging in a series of endless talks with the Europeans about establishing a ceasefire and the putative European-led “peacekeeping” role that the Europeans were demanding. In fact, these “peace plans” were never shared, or shown to Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov.…

How to Think About a Hormuz Navigation Toll The idea that the United States might accept an Iranian fee regime in the Strait of Hormuz has produced something close to panic in the usual quarters. The hysterics claim that acquiescing to a fee for passage through the strait would violate international law, make the U.S. complicit in piracy, and betray everything America has ever stood for. It’s the familiar tone of scolding and fear-mongering: once again, that reckless Trump is going to derail the world. Yet that’s a misreading of our history. America was not founded on the doctrine that…

President Donald Trump agreed Tuesday evening to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, suspending planned U.S. strikes after a last-minute diplomatic push produced a breakthrough centered on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The agreement — proposed by Pakistan and brokered through ongoing backchannel talks — hinges on Iran committing to the “complete, immediate, and safe opening” of the strategic waterway, with both sides pausing hostilities during a two-week window aimed at finalizing a broader deal. Trump, writing on Truth Social less than two hours before his 8 p.m. deadline, said he would halt the planned strikes following direct talks with Pakistani…

Kanye West’s permission to travel to the UK is no longer valid. The UK government blocked the rapper’s entry Tuesday following controversy over his planned headline set at this summer’s Wireless Festival in London. The BBC reports the Home Office told the outlet the rapper made an application to travel to the UK 24-hours before via an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). According to the report, the government’s decision to refuse permission was made on the grounds his presence “would not be conducive to the public good.” For almost half a decade, West has caused outrage for a string of antisemitic, racist and…

Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and former Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) pushed back on President Donald Trump, rejecting his statement that Iran’s “whole civilization will die tonight,” as at least 70 House Democrats called for impeachment or invocation of the 25th Amendment. ***UPDATE:*** The United States, Israel, and Iran have agreed to a two week ceasefire. Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday morning to warn that Iran’s “whole civilization will die tonight” unless “something revolutionarily wonderful” occurred after what he described as “Complete and Total Regime Change.” The post followed remarks Trump made Monday during the…

The budget shortfall reached €127 billion last year, the highest since 2022, according to official statistics Germany’s military spending shot up by over 23% to €39 billion ($45 billion) last year, pushing the budget deficit to the highest level in four years, the Federal Statistical Office has reported.Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Berlin began a military buildup, with defense expenditure projected to exceed €500 billion by 2029. The German government has stated it wants the country’s armed forces to be “war-ready” by then, citing a perceived Russian threat.Moscow has repeatedly dismissed as “nonsense” allegations that it…

The man accused of perpetrating the deadly shooting at Florida State University in April 2025 was in “constant contact” with ChatGPT while planning the attack, according to attorneys representing one victim’s family who plan to sue OpenAI. The New York Post reports that the attorneys for the family of Robert Morales, one of two people killed in the mass shooting at Florida State University (FSU), claim the alleged shooter used the AI chatbot ChatGPT to help plan the attack. The law firm Brooks, LeBoeuf, Foster, Gwartney and Hobbs announced plans to file a lawsuit against OpenAI seeking to hold them accountable…

President Trump used his Truth Social account to warn Iran that its “whole civilization will die tonight” unless “something revolutionarily wonderful” happens. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump warned. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?” “We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World,” the president added. “47 years of extortion, corruption,…

American multinational energy corporation Chevron is now importing an average of 250,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude oil per day into the United States, the BBC reported Tuesday. According to recent reports, Venezuela’s monthly crude oil exports have once again surpassed one million barrels per day. Andy Walz – president of downstream, midstream, and chemicals at Chevron – confirmed to the BBC that the company is importing the equivalent a quarter of a million barrels of Venezuelan oil per day. The BBC detailed that the crude oil tanker Minerva Gloria recently docked at a wharf in the Mississippi sound, carrying 400,000 barrels of crude…

The Islamic Republic of Iran has agreed to a two-week ceasefire and will grant access to the Strait of Hormuz. The brief statement from Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, credited the prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, and Field Marshal Asim Munir for helping with negotiations: On behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I express gratitude and appreciation for my dear brothers HE Prime Minister of Pakistan Sharif and HE Field Marshal Munir for their tireless efforts to end the war in the region. In response to the brotherly request of PM Sharif in his tweet,…