The United States

July 9, 2026 9:21 AM

US military carries out fresh strikes on Iran, prompting Iran attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain

The U.S. military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war. The latest round of attacks, which the U.S. said was carried out in response to Tuesday's assault on three cargo ships transiting the strait, came hours after President Donald Trump said he believed an interim ceasefire with Iran to be "over." "U.S. Central Command forces ...

May 21, 2026 9:25 AM

US charges Raúl Castro with murder as Trump escalates pressure on Cuba

The United States announced murder charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro on Wednesday, a major escalation in Washington's pressure campaign against the island's communist government. The indictment marks a new low in relations between the longtime Cold War rivalsand comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is pushingfor regime change in Cuba, where Castro's communists have been in charge since his late brother Fidel Castro led a revolution in 1959. The charges against Castro and five...

May 8, 2026 11:28 AM

Trump says ceasefire still holds after fighting between the US and Iran flares

U.S. and Iranian forces clashed in the Gulf, and the UAE came under renewed attack, endangering a month-old ceasefire and shaking hopes for a diplomatic solution to the crisis. The flare-up in fighting came as Washington awaited a response from Tehran to its proposal to end the conflict, which began with joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes across Iran on February 28. President Donald Trump said on Thursday three U.S. Navy destroyers were attacked as they moved through the strait, a conduit for aroun...

May 7, 2026 11:34 AM

Trump signs new counterterrorism strategy that focuses on hemispheric threats

President Donald Trump has signed a new national counterterrorism strategy that focuses in part on the "neutralization" of hemispheric threats and incapacitating cartel operations, top White House adviser Sebastian Gorka said on Wednesday. Gorka, the White House counterterrorism director, told reporters Trump signed the document on Tuesday "driven by the principle that America is our homeland and must be protected." The United States has destroyed dozens of boats as part of what Washington has...

April 29, 2026 10:06 AM

US wants curbs on China as a condition for paying UN dues, report says

The United States has set specific conditions for the release of billions of dollars it owes to the United Nations, such as more cost-cutting and moves to counter China's influence at the world body, a development news agency reported on Tuesday. The United States circulated two diplomatic notes calling for nine "quick-hit" reforms in order to release more funds, independent agency Devex, which covers global development, said in the report. It said these included: - Overhauling the U.N. pensi...

April 22, 2026 6:32 PM

US halts Iraq dollar cash shipment after militia strikes, sources say

The United States has halted a shipment of about $500 million in cash bound for Iraq and suspended parts of its security cooperation with Baghdad, in a move aimed at pressuring the Iraqi government over the actions of Iran-backed militias, Iraqi sources told Reuters. The measures were taken as the fallout from the Iran war increasingly pulls Iraq into the conflict, with Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq launching repeated drone and rocket attacks on U.S. facilities and neighbouring states in su...

February 26, 2026 11:01 PM

US and Iran could reach deal if nuclear and non-nuclear issues are separated, says Iranian official

The United States and Iran could reach a framework for a deal if Washington separates "nuclear and non-nuclear issues", a senior Iranian official said, adding that remaining gaps need to be narrowed during a third round of talks in Geneva. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a three-hour session of indirect talks mediated by Oman on Thursday morning and adjourned for a break before heading back to resume the negotiations later in the day. ...

February 26, 2026 4:02 PM

US seeks deal to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear arsenal

The United States hopes talks with Iran in Geneva will produce an agreement to prevent Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons, and President Donald Trump has amassed forces in the Middle East to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic to reach a deal. WHAT IS AT STAKE? Iran has over decades developed an advanced and large-scale uranium enrichment programme. While enriched uranium can be used as fuel in power plants at various purity levels, at high levels it can be used to make nuclear weapons. U...

February 12, 2026 6:44 PM

India urges medtech startups to go global as trade pacts open access to 70% of world GDP

India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday urged medical technology startups to expand beyond the domestic market and tap India’s free trade agreements that now provide access to nearly 70% of global GDP, most of it at zero duty for Indian products. Speaking at the Pfizer INDovation Startup Showcase in New Delhi, Goyal said nine free trade agreements signed over the past three years cover 38 countries, including major developed and emerging markets, creating unpreceden...

February 6, 2026 9:38 AM

US and Iran set for high-stakes nuclear talks in Oman

The United States and Iran have confirmed that they will hold direct nuclear negotiations in Oman’s capital, Muscat, on Friday in a significant diplomatic engagement against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions. The talks are scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. local time and follow days of uncertainty over the venue, format and agenda of the discussions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the meeting on social media, thanking Omani authorities for facilitating the talks. ...