WASHINGTON — Iranian forces attacked three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, stoking an already tense standoff in the Persian Gulf as a U.S. naval blockade strains Tehran’s economy and pressures its divided leadership to return to peace talks. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it seized…
WASHINGTON — Upbeat claims from President Trump over an imminent peace deal to end the war with Iran were met with deep skepticism Friday across the Middle East, where Iranian and Israeli officials questioned the prospects for a lasting agreement that would satisfy all parties. The outlines of an agreement began to emerge that would provide Iran…
WASHINGTON — With a fragile ceasefire set to expire with Iran in a matter of days, President Trump is still deciding between diplomacy and a resumption of fighting that may ultimately hinge on his definition of victory. Negotiations have continued over the last week between the warring sides over a potential agreement that would end the conflict…
WASHINGTON — President Trump responded to the collapse of high-stakes negotiations with Iran by escalating the conflict on Sunday, ordering a full blockade of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a risky move that could drive global oil prices higher and provoke confrontation with a far more formidable adversary. No country relies more heavily on the…
WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance departed Friday for Islamabad, Pakistan, to open the first direct negotiations aimed at ending the war between the United States and Iran. Together with a delegation of deeply mistrusting negotiators from Tehran, Vance is tasked with striking a lasting peace between rival nations that have failed to keep promises made days…
WASHINGTON — A day after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, the tentative truce showed early signs of strain amid continuing attacks across the region and reports that Iran moved to restrict traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The developments tested President Trump’s ability to convert a fragile pause in fighting into a…
WASHINGTON — President Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die” on Tuesday night if Iran does not meet his deadline to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions as diplomatic talks to end the war remain underway. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump wrote Tuesday morning on Truth…
WASHINGTON — President Trump said Monday that the United States and Iran are at a “critical point” in negotiating a potential ceasefire agreement, but the chances of reaching a deal by a Trump-imposed deadline on Tuesday evening appeared uncertain. In a lengthy news briefing at the White House, the president echoed an expletive-laden Easter Sunday warning to…
WASHINGTON — An audacious operation Saturday night deep inside Iran rescued an American officer whose fighter jet had gone down behind enemy lines, a dramatic mission involving hundreds of U.S. soldiers that underscored the ongoing dangers of President Trump’s war. Early on Easter Sunday morning, the president celebrated the mission as one of the most daring of…
WASHINGTON — An American pilot flying over Iran was rescued Friday after his fighter jet was shot down by enemy fire, an attack that defied U.S. proclamations of total control over Iranian skies and prompted a hurried search and rescue operation for the pilot’s crew member. Word of the downed F-15E, a storied U.S. fighter jet rarely…