Melania Trump made a surprise appearance at the White House on Thursday to announce that she ânever had a relationshipâ with the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.Her address has seemingly put Epstein back on the political agenda when focus had been firmly on the US and Israelâs war in Iran.The intervention came at a difficult time for her husband, Donald Trump, as the fragile ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran seemed to be at risk of falling apart, and as US lawmakers are raising the alarm over the presidentâs mental stability.Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian US editor, Betsy Reed â watch on YouTube Continue reading...
Democratic representative Yassamin Ansari says the war has only more deeply entrenched the Iranian regimeSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDonald Trump is an âevil human beingâ who âwants to be an emperorâ and should be removed from office over the war in Iran, Yassamin Ansari, an Iranian American member of the US Congress, has told the Guardian.Ansari, the daughter of Iranian immigrants who decades ago fled the regime, spoke out after the president threatened to wipe out Iranâs civilisation before backing down and announcing an uncertain two-week ceasefire. Continue reading...
Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade strikes as Trump tells US media he has asked Netanyahu to be more âlow-keyâ in Lebanon. Follow live newsNetanyahu says there is no ceasefire in Lebanon as Israel launches fresh strikesJapan plans to release 20 daysâ worth of oil reserves from May, prime minister Sanae Takaichi told a cabinet meeting on Friday, to ensure stable domestic supply as conflict in the region continues disrupts global supply.Japan is dependent on the Middle East for around 95% of its oil. It began releasing reserves on March 16 unilaterally and in coordination with other nations under a plan to make available enough oil to last 50 days. The new release of 20 days worth is additional. Continue reading...
⢠President Trump is reexamining the United States' relationship with NATO, as his irritation with American allies who refused to join the war against Iran reaches a climax.
⢠Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on March 31 that 'after this conflict has concluded, we should reevaluate' America's role in the alliance, while NATO Ambassador Matt Whitaker said on April 1 that 'everything's on the table.'
⢠The reconsideration reflects Trump's frustration with NATO members' reluctance to support U.S. military operations in Iran, signaling potential fundamental shifts in transatlantic security arrangements.
Republicans will almost certainly block Democratsâ efforts to pass legislation amid âfragileâ two-week US-Iran ceasefireHouse Democrats will attempt Thursday to pass a resolution curtailing Donald Trumpâs war powers over Iran â a move Republicans will almost certainly block, but one that signals unease on Capitol Hill about a Middle Eastern conflict on pause with no clear endgame.The vote, scheduled for Thursday morning, will use a procedure called unanimous consent, which is a shortcut that allows legislation to pass the chamber instantly, without debate or a formal tally, so long as not a single member objects. Any one lawmaker can kill the resolution by simply objecting, and Republicans are expected to do exactly that. Continue reading...
White House says only person committing war crimes is actor âfor his awful movies and terrible acting abilityâThe long-running war of words between the George Clooney and the White House has ignited again after the Oscar-winning actor criticised Donald Trumpâs threat to Iran that âa whole civilization will die tonightâ.On Wednesday, in a speech to 3,000 high school students in Cuneo, Italy, Clooney said the US president had committed a war crime with his threat. Continue reading...
Mark Rutte praises âvery frankâ talks but declines to say if president discussed potential withdrawal from allianceMark Rutte, the secretary general of Nato, has said Donald Trump was âclearly disappointedâ that the USâs allies had refused to join its war against Iran, following a closed-door meeting in Washington on Wednesday.Speaking to CNN after his private meeting with the US president, Rutte declined to say directly whether Trump raised his threat to withdraw from the military alliance over the Iran war, but described the exchange as a âvery frank, very openâ discussion between âtwo good friendsâ. Continue reading...
Over 70 Democratic lawmakers are calling for amendment to be invoked to remove Trump from office amid warDemocratic party leaders have vowed to renew the effort to curb Donald Trumpâs war in Iran next week after several days of escalating tactics that culminated in a temporary ceasefire on Tuesday evening.In recent months, several war powers resolutions have failed in Congress after a handful of Democrats continued to vote alongside Republicans. But Trumpâs aggressive overtures this week â including a Truth Social post that said âa whole civilizationâ could be wiped out if Iran didnât agree to demands, have pushed some to act. Continue reading...
Pakistanâs PM had said the ceasefire would cover Lebanon; Iran says passage through the strait of Hormuz will be allowed for the next 2 weeks. Follow the latest newsUS and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire with Tehran saying it will reopen strait of HormuzIran war ceasefire announcement â what we know so farIsrael supports Donald Trumpâs decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but said the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahuâs office said on Wednesday.The office said Israel backed the US move, provided Tehran immediately opens the strait of Hormuz and stops attacks against the United States, Israel and countries in the region.Iranâs Supreme National Security Council said it had conditionally accepted a two-week ceasefire if attacks agains Iran are halted.Iranâs foreign minister said passage through the strait of Hormuz will be allowed for the next 2 weeks under Iranian military management.Iranian state media said negotiations with the US would be held in Islamabad to finalise details of an agreement, with the aim of âconfirming Iranâs battlefield achievementsâ. Talks will begin on Friday 10 April and may be extended, state media reported. State media also reported that talks with the US do not amount to the end of the war.Pakistani prime minister Shebaz Sharif announced that Iran, the US and their allies agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon. Sharif has been a key figure in attempting to reach a diplomatic solution between the two warring parties. In his statement, Sharif invited delegations to Islamabad on âFriday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputesâ.Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli welcomed the ceasefire but said fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon was not part of it.Trump said Iran had proposed a âworkableâ 10-point peace plan. According to Iranian state media, the ten-point proposal includes a number of conditions that the US has in the past rejected. Among them are controlled transit through strait of Hormuz coordinated with Iranian armed forces and withdrawal of all US forces from regional bases. The plan would also require the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions, payment of full compensation to Iran and release of all frozen Iranian assets.Iranian state media also said the 10-point plan for securing an end to the war would require Washington to accept its uranium enrichment program, a previous red line for the Trump administration.Even as the ceasefire was proposed, missile alerts continued in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Israel. Continue reading...
Alarm among military observers after president says âwhole civilization will die tonightâ if Iran ignores demandsUS politics live â latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailDonald Trumpâs Tuesday morning comments threatening that âa whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back againâ in Iran have raised alarms among military observers and retired officers, who called them âlikely war crimesâ.âI have to hope that this is bluster, and a negotiating tactic on his part,â said retired admiral Michael Smith, who commanded a carrier strike group in the US navy. âHe must understand that those types of threats themselves are likely war crimes.â Continue reading...