Iran rejected nuclear talks it described as happening under conditions of siege, and the US cancelled a planned diplomatic trip after President Trump said Tehran had not made a satisfactory offer. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed Pakistan following the breakdown, signalling a sharp cooling in back-channel diplomacy between the two sides. The exchange follows weeks of cautious signals from both Washington and Tehran about reviving some form of negotiated agreement on Iran's nuclear programme. Trump's public declaration that the Iranian offer was inadequate raises the bar for what Washington will accept before returning to the table. Iran's framing of talks as happening "under siege" likely refers to ongoing US sanctions and military pressure in the region, conditions Tehran says make genuine negotiation impossible. The cancellation of the envoys' trip removes the next near-term opportunity for direct or indirect contact. Watch for whether either side signals a revised offer or further escalation in rhetoric. Any shift in sanctions posture or regional military positioning would be the clearest indicator of where this standoff heads next.
Iranian armed forces attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, briefly halting traffic through the waterway. The strike threatens a fragile US-Iran arrangement and could push shipping insurance costs and oil prices higher.
The US has struck Iran, with President Trump citing an Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz as justification. The action raises immediate risks for global oil flows through one of the world's most critical shipping chokepoints.
The US struck ten Iranian targets on the second consecutive day of military action, putting a fragile ceasefire under serious pressure. The escalation raises immediate risks for Gulf shipping, global oil supply, and regional stability.
Venezuela's twin earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have killed at least 164 people and injured 971, interim president Delcy Rodriguez confirmed Thursday. The quakes are the country's strongest since 1900, collapsing buildings across Caracas and prompting a state of emergency, with the death toll expected to rise as
