Islamabad, Apr 20 (AP) President Donald Trump is defending his Iran war strategy, attacking critics and skeptics on Monday as “TRAITORS, ALL” after a second round of talks with Iran were thrown into doubt by the US Navy's seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz. It was the first such interception since the US blockade of Iranian ports began last week, and Iran's military vowed to respond.
Trump said Vice President JD Vance, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff would be going in Islamabad on Monday, where Pakistani officials were preparing the venue, but Iranians made no commitment to a Round Two of talks with the US, and Vance's motorcade was later spotted at the White House. Trump appeared to throw cold water on hopes for an agreement, telling Bloomberg News Monday that he's “highly unlikely” to renew the ceasefire before it expires Wednesday.
The escalating standoff threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy after nearly two months of fighting that Iran's forensic chief has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran.
Israel and Lebanon meanwhile said they would join another round of talks in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, continuing their first direct diplomatic talks in decades.
Here is the latest:
Trump gets defensive on Iran strategy
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In a pair of social-media posts, the US president lashed out at Democrats — calling them “TRAITORS, ALL” — and the media for their criticism and skepticism about his handling of the war in Iran.
Trump accused Democrats of doing “everything possible” to hurt the administration on Iran and he stressed that he wouldn't be rushed into a deal “that is not as good as it could have been.”
“This is being perfectly executed, on the scale of Venezuela, just a bigger, more complex operation. The result will be the same,” Trump wrote, insisting that “time is not my adversary.”
He also rebutted notions that a deal he's negotiating with Iran is similar to what former President Barack Obama reached in 2015, ranting about a Washington Post column on the topic.
Lebanese official confirms next meeting with Israel set for Thursday
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A Lebanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, confirmed Monday that the next second scheduled session for direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials will take place in Washington Thursday.
The ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel to the US met last week, the first such direct, face-to-face talks to take place in decades. The Lebanese official said the second session will focus on solidifying the 10-day truce currently in place between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and on the logistics and timing of wider negotiations that will take place at a later date over the two countries' relations.
The two countries have had a rocky and often hostile relationship since Israel's inception in 1948. Like the majority of Arab countries, Lebanon has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
Israeli airstrike wounds six people in southern Lebanon
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The Lebanese Health Ministry said Monday's strike hit the southern village of Qaaqaait al-Jisr.
Since a 10-day ceasefire went into effect at midnight Thursday, there have been several Israeli strikes. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it detonated explosives Sunday in an Israeli convoy inside Lebanon.
The US State Department said Thursday that according to the ceasefire agreement, Israel reserves the right to defend itself “at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”
Despite ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon kill several people the army says were militants
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The Israeli military said the two separate strikes in southern Lebanon on Monday killed an unspecified number of people who the army said had approached its soldiers in a threatening manner.
There was no immediate comment from Lebanese authorities or from the Hezbollah militant group.
Israel has launched multiple airstrikes since a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon took effect Friday. Israel says the people it targeted were violating the truce by operating in what it calls a “Forward Defense Area” in territory that Israeli forces still occupy. The ceasefire text published by the U.S. State Department does not mention such an area.
The military said Monday's strikes took place in Bint Jbeil, a village that saw fierce fighting before the ceasefire, and in the Litani area.
Israel gives its highest honour to Argentine President Javier Milei
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The South American leader, one of Israel's biggest boosters on the international stage, received the country's Presidential Medal of Honour at a ceremony in Jerusalem.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog's office said the award was in recognition for Milei's support of Israel, his solidarity with families of hostages who were held by Hamas in Gaza and his connection to the Jewish people.
“The state of Israel is not alone,” Herzog said. “We have allies, and we have great friends,” he said, adding that Milei had demonstrated his friendship with his visits. He has made two previous trips to Israel since taking office in late 2023.
Milei and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also signed the “Isaac Accords,” an initiative launched by the Argentine president to expand cooperation between Israel and Latin American countries.
Additionally, Milei received an honorary doctorate from Israel's Bar Ilan University. Among those in attendance at the university were former Israeli hostages of Argentine ancestry.
EU hosts Palestinian peace conference as it seeks greater sway in the Middle East
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Europe turned its attention to the Palestinians on Monday as the election defeat of Israel ally Victor Orban in Hungary gives new momentum to efforts addressing Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
More than 60 nations sent representatives to Brussels for talks with Palestinian representatives on stability, security and long-term peace.
The European Union has largely been on the sidelines in the Middle East despite being the biggest provider of aid to the Palestinians and backing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The 27-nation bloc is also Israel's top trading partner and a major buyer of Israeli weapons.
In the West Bank, Palestinians say Israel has used the cover of the Iran war to tighten its grip over the territory, as settler attacks surge and the military imposes additional wartime restrictions on movement, citing security.
Vance is at the White House, not Pakistan
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Reports based on Trump saying to The New York Post that Vice President JD Vance was en route to Pakistan were off by several thousand miles.
The vice president's motorcade pulled up to the White House at roughly 11 am EST on Monday, meaning that he has not left for Islamabad for talks regarding the Iran war. (AP)
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