After months of on-and-off talks, Iran and the United States are set to end their war and sign an interim peace agreement on Friday June 19 in Switzerland. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led most of the negotiations, but no Iranian politician has benefited more from the talks than Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of … Read more
In a flurry of diplomatic activity over the last days, Iran and the U.S. appear at last to have reached an initial agreement to wind down hostilities and open the Strait of Hormuz to seaborne traffic. The agreement is due to be signed in a formal ceremony Friday in Switzerland, but the immediate impact of … Read more
President Donald Trump is so confident in his supposed ceasefire deal with Iran that he’s — once again — threatening to bomb them to smithereens if they “don’t behave” or try to make any further changes to the agreement. Trump and his administration have been exceedingly cagey about the contents of the agreement, which was … Read more
After a series of false starts, the United States and Iran announced on Sunday that they had reached a memorandum of understanding that will reportedly extend the current ceasefire for another 60 days and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. As the Trump administration claims victory for the diplomatic deal, Democrats in Congress are scrambling for … Read more
There’s a lot of America happening this weekend. For good or ill. Sunday June 14 is Flag Day, commemorating the adoption of the Stars and Stripes 249 years ago. It is also the birthday of the current president of the United States who was born 80 years ago. Both will culminate in the UFC Freedom … Read more
As signals mounted early Thursday that President Trump planned to escalate with Iran, two congressional Republicans urged him to abandon what they said are fruitless negotiations with the Islamic Republic. While saying they wanted to see the war with Iran end, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) told the audience at the … Read more
President Donald Trump threatened to invade Iran’s Kharg Island in order to seize Iranian oil infrastructure there. “At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets,” Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday morning. The … Read more
Good news, everyone. Donald Trump says the Iran war will be over by the end of the week. “Two or three days,” he told reporters Monday night, adding that there are no “sticking points,” and that “we’re very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal.” The United States and Iran may indeed … Read more
It remains unclear whether Iran’s effort to establish a new equation in the region has truly succeeded — an equation in which, for the first time, Iran would directly strike Israel if Israel attacks Lebanon. What is clear is that recent events suggest the strategic landscape may be shifting. Israel chose to defy President Trump … Read more
Amid a rapid escalation between Israel and Iran, Yemen’s Houthis have rejoined the Iran war, launching a volley of missiles at Israel and pledging to implement a “complete and total ban” of Israeli shipping in the Red Sea. It’s safe to say that the tenuous ceasefire in the Middle East is now unraveling. President Donald … Read more