Spotlight
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Middle East
Rubio rejects Iran tolls on Hormuz as deal strains multiply
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington would not accept Iranian tolls or fees on the Strait of Hormuz, as disputes over the...
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World
Trump orders probe because gas prices not falling enough
Donald Trump said he ordered an investigation into major oil companies over high gasoline prices as the U.S. leader faces criticism o...
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the United States could impose tolls on the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway if negotiators are unable to complete a deal to end the war in Iran.
There will be no tolls "unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed, for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs," Trump posted on Truth Social.
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance expressed hopes on Sunday of turning a "new leaf" during talks with Iran in Switzerland, even as the threat of renewed fighting in Lebanon and lack of consensus on key issues rendered prospects for a permanent deal elusive.
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Pakistan said technical talks to implement the U.S.-Iran deal to end the Middle East war would be held in Switzerland on Sunday.
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Iran said it was once again closing the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane on Saturday over Israel's attacks in Lebanon, calling them a violation of its deal with the United States to end the Middle East war.
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Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is currently visiting Iran, will convey messages to Tehran regarding the nuclear negotiations, specifically relating to the thorny issue of Lebanon, sources told Al-Arabiya television.
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Pakistan's interior minister arrived in Iran on Saturday after planned talks between Iran and the United States in Switzerland were postponed, Iranian media reported.
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The American push to quickly begin high-stakes talks with Iran hit a snag Friday, just days after the signing of an agreement that opens a two-month window for negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program and returning oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to prewar levels.
Iranian officials did not travel as planned to Switzerland, insisting that Israel strikes on Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants Lebanon must stop before the talks can take place, according to three regional officials and a person familiar with the matter. They were not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing mediation to try to get the talks rescheduled and spoke on condition of anonymity.
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European Union leaders have been unable to agree on setting up a back-channel with Moscow to ensure that the bloc's interests are protected should progress be made in negotiations to end Russia's war on Ukraine, some of them said on Friday.
European Council President António Costa, who chaired their two-day summit, had directed his office to reach out to the Kremlin and proposed a senior official to make contact. Costa said his aim was not to mediate or set up a parallel negotiating track to the one led by the United States, which is making little progress.
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Italy's foreign minister on Friday said he was cancelling a visit to the United States over reported comments by U.S. President Donald Trump that appeared to mock Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
"The grave and offensive words of President Trump... offend the whole of Italy," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who had been due to visit the U.S. on June 21 and 22, said on X.
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday issued an extraordinary rebuke to Israeli critics of the Iran deal, warning them not to alienate their "only powerful ally" left in the world.
Vance told members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet to "wake up and smell the reality," amid growing tensions between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump.
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