Trump says Israel and Lebanon agree on ceasefire, optimism grows on ending Iran war

April 16, 2026 10:19 PM

Trump says Israel and Lebanon agree on ceasefire, optimism grows on ending Iran war

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Lebanon and Israel had agreed on a 10-day ceasefire, as optimism grew that the Iran war may be nearing an end. Trump said in a social media post that the ceasefire would start at 5 p.m. EST (2100 GMT), aiming to halt a conflict between Israel and the Iran-aligned Lebanese group Hezbollah that was reignited by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. He said he had held "excellent conversations" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and...

US says it has returned to Venezuela all $500 million of initial oil sale

February 4, 2026 9:27 AM

US says it has returned to Venezuela all $500 million of initial oil sale

The United States has now returned to the Venezuelan government all $500 million from the initial sale of oil that was part of a deal reached between Caracas and Washington last month, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. The last $200 million from the sale has been sent to Venezuela, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The deal came about after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured in a U.S. military operation on January 3. "Venezuela has officially received all $500...