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• The Trump administration announced plans to withdraw approximately 5,000 US troops from Germany over the next 6-12 months. • The troop withdrawal fulfills an earlier Trump threat and reflects tensions over Germany's stance on the Iran conflict. • The move signals a broader shift in US military posture in Europe and could weaken NATO presence in a key strategic location.

• President Trump notified Congress that hostilities with Iran have been terminated, marking a significant shift in the ongoing conflict. • The administration stated it is "not satisfied" with Iran's initial proposal to end the war, but negotiations appear to be continuing through diplomatic channels. • Trump considers continued criticism of the US war effort as "treasonous," signaling a hardline stance on national security messaging.

• The United States naval operations in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz have caused Iran nearly $4.8 billion in lost oil revenue, according to Pentagon estimates reported by Axios. • Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, citing Press Secretary Joel Valdez, states the blockade enforces sanctions and curbs Iran's maritime oil trade to weaken funding for militant activities. • The Strait of Hormuz remains central to tensions as a vital global oil chokepoint, risking escalation in energy markets and regional stability.

• Pakistan has received an amended peace proposal from Iran as it serves as a crucial backchannel mediator in ongoing US-Iran negotiations, reflecting diplomatic efforts to resolve escalating tensions. • The development indicates continued high-level diplomatic engagement despite stalled formal negotiations and previous ceasefire attempts, with Pakistan playing a strategic intermediary role in the Middle East crisis. • Successful mediation efforts could have significant implications for global markets, crude oil prices, and regional stability, directly affecting India's energy security and economic growth prospects.

At a rally in Florida, the US president tells a cheering crowd ‘we took over the ship’Middle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has said the US navy acted “like pirates” as he described an operation seizing a ship amid the tit-for-tat American blockade of Iranian ports.“We … land on top of it and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” said Trump at a rally in Florida on Friday. Continue reading...

German defence minister responds to US president’s announcement that 5,000 US troops will leave bases in GermanyHello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.The German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said that it was “foreseeable” that the US would withdraw troops from Europe, after the Pentagon announced it would pull thousands of American soldiers from Germany.Trump said he is “not satisfied” with a new proposal from Iran on ending the war, as peace talks remain stalled despite a weeks-long ceasefire. Iran delivered the proposal text to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening, Iranian state news agency Irna reported, without detailing its contents.The US state department said it was approving military sales totalling more than $8.6bn to Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. It came as Washington warned European allies including the UK, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia to expect long delivery delays for US weapons as it scrambles to replenish stockpiles depleted by the Iran war, according to a report in the Fianancial Times citing multiple sources.In Lebanon, 12 people were killed in Israeli strikes in the south, Lebanon’s health ministry said, including in the town of Habboush, where the Israeli army had issued an evacuation order despite the continuing ceasefire. Israeli warplanes “launched a series of heavy strikes … less than an hour after” the warning, the state-run National News Agency said.The US Treasury Office warned that any shipping companies that paid tolls to Iran for passage through the strait of Hormuz, including charitable donations to organisations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, would risk punitive sanctions. Tehran has proposed charging fees on vessels passing through the strait, as part of a deal to end the war.Trump wrote to US lawmakers on Friday declaring hostilities with Iran “terminated”, despite no change in the US military posture, as he faces continuing pressure at home to seek congressional authorisation for the war.The state department’s announcement on Friday included approving military sales to Qatar of Patriot air and missile defence replenishment services costing $4.01bn and of advanced precision kill weapon systems (APKWS) costing $992.4m. They also included approval of the sale to Kuwait of an integrated battle command system costing $2.5bn and to Israel of APKWS costing $992.4m.Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei urged his people to wage economic battle and “disappoint” its enemies, as the war and years of sanctions take a toll. In a written statement he also said “the owners of damaged businesses should avoid, as much as possible, layoffs and separation of their workforce”. Continue reading...

President seemed to suggest that legislative deadline to approve war no longer applies as Democrats push backUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailDonald Trump said in a letter sent to congressional leaders on Friday that hostilities with Iran have “terminated”, suggesting that the 60-day deadline to seek approval from the legislative branch no longer applied.Friday marks 60 days since the US president notified members of Congress that the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February. Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the president can deploy troops to respond to an “imminent threat” but must receive congressional approval within 60 days to continue military operations. Continue reading...

Scott Jennings was questioned by Adam Mockler about political concessions gained by the US in its war on IranScott Jennings, CNN’s most prominent pro-Trump commentator, was triggered into swearing at a fellow panelist on live television on Thursday night after being repeatedly pressed to name a single political concession the US had extracted from its war with Iran – and failing to answer.The outburst came during NewsNight With Abby Phillip, where Jennings clashed with Adam Mockler, a 23-year-old commentator with the progressive MeidasTouch. When Mockler asked him to name a concrete gain from the conflict, Jennings responded with the party-line response that the conflict had a singular, clear purpose – preventing a theocratic regime from acquiring nuclear weapons – but Mockler shot back that the non-answer was itself an answer. Continue reading...

The US president has criticised Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and raised the prospect of pulling US troops from Italy and Spain. Plus, 10 big lessons on ending the fossil fuel eraGood morning.Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain a day after he saying was looking at curtailing the number deployed in Germany.What has Congress been saying about the war? A senior Democrat in the Senate grilled the US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, on Thursday, accusing him of failing to give Trump an accurate picture of the war on Iran while resorting to “dangerously exaggerated” statements to create an inaccurate picture of a US military triumph.What’s the latest on the suspect? The man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump agreed on Thursday to remain in custody while his federal criminal case moves forward. Continue reading...

Pete Hegseth argued that a ceasefire agreement with Iran more than three weeks ago ‘means the 60 day clock pauses, or stops’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxHello and welcome to our live coverage of the day.Today marks 60 days since the Trump administration notified Congress that it was carrying out strikes on Iran – meaning that under the War Powers Act of 1973, today is the deadline for Donald Trump to either end the Iran war or seek congressional authorization to extend it.Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington DC, released edited security-camera video of the incident at the White House correspondents’ dinner amid questions about whether or not the suspected gunman, Cole Allen, fired his weapon before being subdued. While the video shows four muzzles flashes from the agent’s gun as he fired at Allen, it was not immediately clear that it does show Allen discharging his weapon after he pointed it at the agent.Sean Curran, the director of the US Secret Service, told Fox News that Allen was stopped not by secret service gunfire, but by a box used to transport a metal detector, which he tripped over.Congress has passed a 45-day extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a law that grants US intelligence agencies warrantless spying powers.Trump has threatened to withdraw troops from Spain and Italy, two countries that countries have been vocally critical of his war in the Middle East. This comes after Trump suggested reviewing US military presence in Germany after the country’s chancellor said America was being “humiliated” by Iran. Continue reading...

Islamabad has reportedly switched to lower-profile role but believes peace can make progress without face-to-face meetingsPakistan is passing proposals between Iran and the US to keep talks alive behind the scenes and inch towards a peace agreement, officials and experts say.Pakistani officials say that they are conscious of the fact that at stake is not only regional peace, but the health of the global economy and the livelihoods of millions of the poorest people in the world – including in Pakistan, whose monthly energy import bill has almost tripled as a result of the war. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration has announced 'Operation Economic Fury,' implementing a comprehensive blockade against Iran as part of an expanded sanctions campaign. • The initiative represents a significant escalation in economic pressure against Iran, marking a shift in US foreign policy toward more aggressive measures. • This action comes amid broader geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and follows months of diplomatic tension between the US and Iran.

Profits ahead of expectations but almost half of £283m impairment charge follows forecast reassessmentBusiness live – latest updatesNatWest said the economic fallout from the conflict in the Middle East could cost it £140m amid slowing growth and rising inflation even as it reported profits ahead of expectations.Overall, the FTSE 100 lender booked a £283m impairment charge and said that almost half of that was because of a reassessment of its economic forecast to “reflect increased geopolitical risk and weaker equity markets”. Continue reading...

Yara CEO warns of global auction that would leave poorest countries scrambling for supplies they can ill affordThe Iran war could have “dramatic consequences”, causing food shortages and price rises in some of Africa’s poorest and most vulnerable communities, the head of the world’s largest fertiliser company has said.Svein Tore Holsether, the chief executive of Yara International, said world leaders needed to guard against soaring prices and shortages of fertiliser causing a de facto global auction that would leave the poorest countries, particularly in Africa, scrambling for supplies they could ill afford. Continue reading...

Vote comes as 60-day deadline looms, with two GOP backing limits and dispute over whether ceasefire pauses clockUS politics live – latest updatesThe Republican-led Senate on Thursday again blocked a Democratic attempt to stop Donald Trump’s war in Iran, rejecting a war powers resolution that would have limited the conflict until Congress authorizes further military action.The vote was 47-50, with two Republicans – Susan Collins, a senator of Maine, and Rand Paul, of Kentucky – voting in favor and one Democrat – John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania – opposing it. Continue reading...

Senator Jack Reed says at hearing that defense secretary failed to give Trump accurate picture of war in IranUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailPete Hegseth has failed to give Donald Trump an accurate picture of the war on Iran while resorting to “dangerously exaggerated” statements to create an inaccurate picture of a US military triumph, a senior Democrat told a Capitol Hill hearing on Thursday.Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate armed services committee, told Hegseth, the defense secretary, that far from victory, US citizens were having to bear the cost of a war they did not support in the form of increased fuel prices. Continue reading...

Mojtaba Khamenei says Tehran will eliminate ‘enemy’s abuses of the waterway’ and guard its nuclear and missile programmesUS politics live – latest updatesIran’s supreme leader has broken his recent silence with a defiant statement hailing Iran’s control over shipping in the strait of Hormuz and vowing to guard the country’s nuclear and missile programmes.“Today, two months after the largest military deployment and aggression by the world’s bullies in the region, and the United States’ disgraceful defeat in its plans, a new chapter is unfolding for the Persian Gulf and the strait of Hormuz,” Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement read by a state television anchor. Continue reading...

First quarter output, driven by AI investment and government spending, rose as oil shock fuels inflation fearsUS gross domestic product (GDP) accelerated 2% in the first three months of 2026, though consumer spending is slowing as the war with Iran continues to impact energy prices.The last GDP reading for the fourth quarter of 2025 showed that US economic growth slowed to a 0.5% pace, largely due to a contraction in government spending after massive layoffs of federal workers last year. The federal government is down 355,000 workers, or 11.8% of the workforce, since October 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Continue reading...

• House Democrats skeptically questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for the first time since the Iran war began, pressing on strategy and costs during an April 29 hearing. • One Democrat accused Hegseth of partisanship, quoting his prior statements back at him in a heated exchange. • The confrontation highlights partisan divides over the war's economic toll and Trump's foreign policy amid plunging approval ratings.

ECB interest rate decision looms as growth across bloc stumbles and price rises gather pace, up from 2.6% in March and 1.9% in FebruaryBusiness live – latest updatesAir France-KLM cuts forecasts amid $2.4bn fuel bill riseInflation across the eurozone has soared to 3% this month as the Iran war drove up energy prices, and growth stumbles.Consumer prices rose by 3% a year across the single currency bloc in April, new data from statistics body eurostat showed on Thursday morning, up from 2.6% in the year to March, and 1.9% in February. Continue reading...

Defense secretary to be quizzed by lawmakers on Senate armed services committee after bad-tempered session in House yesterdaySign up for the Breaking News US email Hello and welcome to our US politics coverage as Pete Hegseth faces a second day of grilling from Democrats on Capitol Hill, with senators getting their first opportunity to confront or praise the Pentagon chief over his handling of the Iran war.The defense secretary battled with Democrats - and some Republicans - yesterday during a nearly six-hour House armed services committee hearing, where he faced questioning over the war’s costs in dollars, lives and the diminishing stockpiles of critical weapons.US economic growth likely accelerated in the first quarter on a rebound in government spending after a crippling government shutdown. The anticipated increase in gross domestic product last quarter also would reflect robust growth in business investment in equipment, fueled by an artificial intelligence spending boom and the building of data centers underpinning the technology. Figures will be out at 8.30am ETKing Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to make stops in Virginia before wrapping up their US visit back at the White House on Thursday with a formal farewell from Trump. Charles will then travel solo to Bermuda on his first visit as king to a British overseas territory.Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said that Democrats will once again force a vote on a war powers resolution on Iran, the sixth time in recent weeks. “This week, Democrats will force a vote on our war powers resolution for the sixth time. We’ll continue to force votes every week as this war rages on,” Schumer said from the Senate floor.The House approved a three-year reauthorization of a divisive US surveillance program ahead of its expiration on Friday, adding new oversight measures but stopping short of the warrant requirement that critics have demanded. A large group of Democrats joined most Republicans in passing the bill by a 235-191 vote.Trump once again reinforced his feelings towards James Comey in a social media post. Commenting on the accusation that the former FBI director called for him to be killed after posting a picture of some seashells in a pattern showing 86 47, Trump wrote: ““86” is a mob term for “kill him.” They say 86 him! 86 47 means “kill President Trump.”James Comey, who is a Dirty Cop, one of the worst, knows this full well! EIGHT MILES OUT, SIX FEET DOWN! Didn’t he also lie to the FBI about this??? I think so!”. Trump is the 47th president of the US.The US supreme court’s conservative majority struck down a major element of the Voting Rights Act which protects against racial discrimination in redistricting, in a ruling that paves the way for aggressive gerrymandering in states across the nation that could affect elections for years to come.The Florida Legislature approved a new congressional map intended to maximize Republicans’ advantage in the state as part of the national redistricting battle that Republicans launched ahead of this year’s midterms.Outgoing Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said he will stay on as a central bank governor when his leadership term ends in just over two weeks.The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that three anti-ICE protesters have been charged with allegedly assaulting Savannah Hernandez, a rightwing video journalist who was shoved to the ground during a skirmish with three members of a family outside an immigration detention facility in St Paul Minnesota this month. Continue reading...

US president’s statement follows comments by German chancellor that the US was being ‘humiliated’ in conflictUS president Donald Trump threatened to reduce the number of troops deployed in Germany last night, after chancellor Friedrich Merz said this week that the US was being “humilitated” by Iran.Trump said the US was “studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time.”“The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about! If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage. I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise! President DONALD J. TRUMP” Continue reading...

• The United Arab Emirates withdrew from OPEC yesterday, marking a historic split from Saudi Arabia during the escalating regional crisis. • This decision coincides with the Strait of Hormuz being almost entirely shut down due to a US naval blockade aimed at halting Iranian oil exports. • The US is threatening to cut off major Chinese banks from its financial system to prevent processing of Iranian oil, intensifying global energy tensions.

Oil markets spooked as Donald Trump appears willing to maintain the US Navy blockade and Iran keeps strait of Hormuz all but shutThe price of Brent oil soared above $126 a barrel on Wednesday, its highest level since 2022, after Donald Trump warned the US blockade of Iranian ports could last months and peace talks remained stalled.Surging more than 13% in 24 hours, Brent crude hit a record price since the war began on 28 February. Not since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has Brent topped $120, with the price then peaking at $139. Continue reading...