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Pompeo casts doubt on renewed US-Iran talks: ‘I’m not optimistic’

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that he is “not optimistic” about U.S. and Iranian officials reaching an agreement to end hostilities when they meet for another round of indirect peace talks in Islamabad on Saturday. “Look, I don’t fault them [U.S. officials] for trying to go engage in diplomacy, get an outcome,...

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US envoys head to Pakistan as Iran throws cold water on direct talks

U.S. and Iranian officials are expected in Islamabad on Saturday for another round of Pakistani-brokered talks to end the nearly two-month conflict, but Tehran has ruled out a face-to-face meeting. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the lead Iranian negotiator, arrived in the Pakistani capital on Friday, according to the nation's Foreign Ministry. Araghchi said in...

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Former NATO commander: Halting mine-laying vessels 'key to unlocking' Strait of Hormuz

Retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis, the former NATO allied supreme commander, suggested on Thursday that reopening the Strait of Hormuz largely hinges on the U.S. military’s ability to stop Iranian mines from being laid in the waterway. “Strategically, what we ought to be doing is going after these small boats before they get underway. And...

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77 percent blame Trump for gas prices: Survey

A majority of Americans believe President Trump is to blame for a surge in gas prices, as the conflict with Iran continues to strain the global economy, according to a new survey. The Reuters/Ipsos poll, released Friday, found that roughly 77 percent of registered U.S. voters said Trump bears at least some responsibility for the...

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O'Reilly: Trump needs Iran win to become a 'victor'

Conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly said Wednesday that President Trump "needs to win" the U.S. conflict with Iran, when asked about the war's negative impact on Trump's approval ratings. “See, if he wins in Iran, the equation changes because he becomes the victor, and to the victor go the spoils, as the cliche goes,” O’Reilly said...

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Trump economic approval drops to 30 percent in new polling

President Trump’s fiscal policies are becoming increasingly unpopular amid economic strains resulting from the Iran war, according to new polling. The Associated Press-NORC Research Center survey, released Wednesday, showed the president’s economic approval rating slumped down to 30 percent this month. This is an 8-point decrease from March and 9-point fall from February.  The April...

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Xi says for first time Strait of Hormuz should be reopened

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz should be maintained, his first comments on the key waterway a month into its closure by Iran following the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran. Xi made the comments in a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, according to China’s...

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Iranian president says 'mistrust' of US government remains ahead of peace talks

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday said his country’s “mistrust” for the U.S. government remains as the second round of peace talks will soon kick off in Islamabad, Pakistan. “Honoring commitments is the basis of meaningful dialogue,” Pezeshkian wrote in a post on the social platform X. “Deep historical mistrust in Iran toward U.S. gov...

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