The stop-start fighting between the United States and Iran appears to have entered a new phase as Saudi Arabia has publicly joined military escalations against Tehran-backed proxies. At the same time, an already untenable diplomatic effort to end the war has faltered once again as mistrust deepens between the longtime adversaries. Despite several days of relative calm, both sides carried out military strikes in the last 24 hours that once again risk a return to all-out war — and further expansion in the region. Late Wednesday, the U.S. military said it had launched a “a powerful response" against Iran. Little is clear about what strategy, if any, American or Iranian officials have for a path forward.
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Ukraine says its forces have hit two of Russia’s major oil refineries in their latest long-range strikes. Officials say the attacks are part of Kyiv's ongoing pressure on Moscow. The strikes have targeted Russian oil facilities for months, causing a fuel crisis that embarrasses the Kremlin. Fires broke out at a Lukoil refinery in Russia’s Perm region and another in Ryazan. The refineries are crucial for Russia's military and government revenue. The attacks came after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Washington for talks with President Donald Trump, seeking more U.S. support for Ukraine.
AP Wire
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have met to discuss Ukraine producing its own weapons amid its ongoing war with Russia. Zelenskyy called it a “good meeting.” Tuesday's White House sit-down followed a NATO summit in Turkey, where Trump announced the U.S. will allow Ukraine to make Patriot defense systems. Zelenskyy thanked Trump for the support and emphasized the importance of diplomacy. Trump later said the meeting went “very well!” The meeting coincided with Zelenskyy's visit to Washington for Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's funeral. Zelenskyy met with senators after Graham’s funeral.
AP Wire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he had an “excellent” meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. It was their first sit-down since launching a joint war against Iran and it offered Netanyahu a chance to smooth out strains in their relationship. The closed-door meeting Tuesday lasted nearly an hour and a half. Trump called it a “very good meeting” where “many important subjects were discussed” but offered no further details. Both leaders face growing pressures at home. Netanyahu is up for reelection and is embattled in part because of his deteriorating relationship with the president. Trump is under pressure to end an unpopular war that has wreaked economic havoc ahead of U.S. elections in November.
The U.S. military says Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles at American forces in the Middle East on Tuesday. The attack ends a brief pause in fighting as mediators tried to get both sides back to negotiations and toward a ceasefire. U.S. Central Command said all Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was their first meeting since the two leaders launched a joint war against Iran and a chance for Netanyahu to smooth out strains in their relationship. Trump also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday ahead of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral, which was their second sit-down this month.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Nicosia's swanky nightclubs, bohemian cafes and crowded bars sit just steps away from guard posts, barbed wire and sand…
AP Wire
The United States has not attacked Iran for a second day, and Tehran says it has also halted attacks. This pause comes amid efforts to resume negotiations on an interim ceasefire deal. The U.S. previously targeted Iranian coastal areas after Iran fired at ships in the vital Strait of Hormuz. The Pentagon has not commented on the pause. Mediation efforts by countries like Pakistan and Qatar remain unclear. Concerns about shipping in the region persist, especially with threats from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Talks with Oman about safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz are ongoing, with some progress reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to Washington and meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday,
Laura Loomer, President Donald Trump's ally with a reputation for incendiary social media comments, has sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a dramatic about-face regarding the war. Loomer had spent years minimizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and amplifying Russian propaganda to her nearly 2 million followers. But during a visit to the country this week, she said she had been wrong. Loomer said she interviewed Zelenskyy on Thursday for her Rumble show. Zelenskyy's office confirmed the meeting.
The U.S. military has announced it conducted a 13th night of strikes against Iran as clashes escalate over shipping routes. U.S. Central Command once again said Thursday the strikes were designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters” as the U.S. pushes to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping. Earlier Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, potentially widening the Iran war as international oil topped $100 a barrel.
President Donald Trump appeared to add a condition to the newly signed agreement with Saudi Arabia for a civilian nuclear program, saying the deal would require the kingdom to normalize its relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords. Trump made the comments Thursday in a social media post. When the deal was announced Wednesday, neither the U.S. Energy Department nor the Saudi government made any mention of it being contingent on the kingdom’s relations with Israel. Trump's assertion is almost certain to make finalizing the deal complicated. The accords expanded the number of Arab and Muslim-majority nations with diplomatic ties with Israel.