New York Times: The United States has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war in the Middle East, according to two officials briefed on the diplomacy, reflecting the Trump administration’s eagerness to find an offramp from the conflict as it grapples with its economic fallout.
It was unclear how widely the plan, delivered by way of Pakistan, had been shared among Iranian officials and whether Iran was likely to accept it as a basis for negotiations. Nor was it clear whether Israel, which has been bombing Iran together with the United States, was on board with the proposal…
Trump says Vance and Rubio are participating in talks with Iran to end war
US President Donald Trump said that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are leading negotiations with Iran, expressing optimism that a deal is in sight. An Iranian source told CNN that Tehran is willing to listen to “sustainable” proposals to end the war…
US Sees Possibility of Diplomacy With Iran as War Costs Rise
Iran and Israel showed no signs of letup in the conflict. Iran maintained its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, while Israel kept up strikes on the Islamic Republic, with its Defense Minister Israel Katz saying the campaign would continue “at full intensity.” Kuwaiti authorities said on Wednesday they were dealing with a fire after drones targeted a fuel tank at the airport…
Trump’s Armageddon-Taco shuffle
What remains to be seen is how Trump will find a way out of this morass. He wanted to bring down Iran’s regime. Now he is lifting sanctions on Iran so that it can sell more oil. Amid the torrent of feints, hype, invention and bluster, Trump’s goal is now to set the clock back. With planning like this, who needs chaos?…
US to deploy more troops even as Donald Trump praises Iran peace talks
The Pentagon is set to deploy elements of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, according to two people familiar with the matter. About 3,000 soldiers from the elite paratrooper division will be deployed, one of the people said. They will join the thousands of marines who are aboard warships en route to the region…
Trump’s Threat to Iran Crosses a Line, Rights Experts Say
President Trump’s threat to “obliterate” power stations in Iran if its leaders failed to open the Strait of Hormuz suggests that the United States is willing to violate international humanitarian law as part of its military campaign, according to current and former human rights officials…
Iran Says ‘Non-Hostile’ Ships Can Sail Through the Strait of Hormuz
In a letter circulated to members of the International Maritime Organization on Tuesday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs defined nonhostile vessels as those which “neither participate in nor support acts of aggression against Iran” or belong to the United States or Israel…
The Oil Supply Crunch Is Spreading From the Gulf to the Rest of the World
Benchmark oil prices sank after President Trump postponed strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure and said the U.S. had held “productive” talks with Tehran, raising the prospect he might be searching for a way to end the war.
But traders warn that the talk might be another false start toward peace. They also worry that Iran must agree to an end of hostilities before oil tankers can sail freely through the strait. Unless peace talks pan out fast, record high prices for specific grades of Middle Eastern crude cargoes will soon cascade to the U.S. and elsewhere…
Iran’s Missile Shots at Diego Garcia
That Iran is trying to strike the British-American strategic outpost in the Indian Ocean is a testament to the threat. For all the derision about “a war of choice,” Mr. Trump was correct to act before Iranian missiles grow in number, range and accuracy.
The reach also underscores that the missile program isn’t merely Israel’s problem. The Iranians clearly aspire to put European cities in play, and eventually the U.S. homeland too. This should alert America’s allies that their interest is in helping the United States—no matter how tired the Europeans are of President Trump’s consistent inconsistency…
VW in talks with Israel’s Iron Dome maker to shift from cars to missile defence
The two companies plan to convert the embattled Osnabrück plant to make components for the Israeli state-owned group’s Iron Dome air defence system, according to people familiar with the plan.
The tie-up would be the highest-profile example yet of the German car industry, where profits have plunged amid rising Chinese competition and a stuttering transition to electric vehicles, seeking partnerships with the booming defence sector…
ADB launches emergency support for countries hit by Iran war fallout
The Asian Development Bank has launched an emergency funding package for countries hard hit by the fallout from the war in the Middle East, and will reverse its curbs on financing of corporate oil purchases.
ADB president Masato Kanda told the FT that Asian and Pacific countries would be the worst affected by volatility in global oil and gas markets since many were net energy importers and the region was also deeply embedded in global trade…
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