President Trump has called off a planned U.S. diplomatic mission to Pakistan, ordering envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner not to travel there for talks aimed at breaking a stalemate in negotiations with Iran. Trump declared the U.S. holds the stronger hand, saying "we have all the cards" in the standoff. The cancelled trip was intended to restart diplomacy after negotiations over Iran's nuclear and military posture stalled. Pakistan had been positioned as a neutral venue to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran. By pulling his own envoys before the talks began, Trump signals he is comfortable letting the pressure on Iran build rather than making concessions to get talks moving. It puts the onus on Iran to offer more before the U.S. returns to the table. Watch for whether Iran responds with any fresh diplomatic outreach or escalatory moves, and whether Pakistan attempts to keep the channel open independently. The decision also adds uncertainty to global oil markets, which are sensitive to any shift in U.S.-Iran tensions.
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
