ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan moved ahead Monday with preparations for a new round of talks between the United States and Iran two days before a tenuous ceasefire is set to expire, even as renewed conflict around the Strait of Hormuz raised questions about whether the meeting would take place.
The prospect of a second round of talks was uncertain Tuesday after Iran’s chief negotiator said Iran would not negotiate in the face of threats while U.S. President Donald Trump offered mixed messages about the path ahead for the U.S. war against Iran, declaring that he was in no rush to end the conflict.
The U.S. attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade its naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. It was the first interception since the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports began last week. Iran’s military has vowed to respond, throwing the fragile ceasefire into question days before it expires Wednesday.
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:
LONDON (AP) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged Monday that he made the wrong judgment when he picked Jeffrey Epstein 's friend Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington, batting away a barrage of calls to resign over a scandal that has left his leadership teetering.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) – The United States and the Philippines kicked off one of their largest combat exercises Monday in an annual display of allied military might aimed at deterring aggression in Asia, despite Washington’s preoccupation with the war in the Middle East.
LUANDA, Angola (AP) – Pope Leo XIV heads Tuesday to Equatorial Guinea for the final leg of his four-nation African journey, arriving in a country that presents perhaps the most diplomatically delicate challenge of this trip and his young papacy.
FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic magazine for $250 million on Monday, claiming an article that talked about his alleged excessive drinking was false and a “malicious hit piece.” The Atlantic, in response, said it stood by its reporting and would vigorously defend against the “meritless lawsuit.”
NEW DELHI (AP) – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday, with both leaders pledging to nearly double bilateral trade to deepen economic and strategic ties. Modi said India and South Korea aim to increase trade between their countries from about $27 billion to $50 billion by 2030.