Iran

The latest round of high-stakes nuclear talks between Iran and the US have ended, with Tehran calling them difficult but with both sides agreeing to further negotiations.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed on X that the talks had concluded, saying they were “difficult but useful to better understand each other’s positions and to find reasonable & realistic ways to address the differences.”

President Donald Trump’s decision to oust his national security adviser, Michael Waltz, was the product of a slow accumulation of frustration with a former Green Beret officer who was seen as far more eager to use military force than his boss in the Oval Office.

Waltz’s fate was sealed by his inclusion of a journalist on a sensitive Signal group chat in March. But he had been clashing with other top officials since early in the administration, including over whether to pursue military action against Iran, senior officials and Trump advisers said Friday.

In contemporary Washington, leaks are political warfare by other means — and the body count has been rising at the Pentagon. Over the past week, the Defence Department has been racked by internal conflict. Three of defence chief Pete Hegseth’s top advisors were placed on leave and then fired, allegedly as part of a leak investigation. Then, Hegseth’s chief of staff — who allegedly ordered that investigation — was out the door, too.

Firebrand Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a surprising statement critical of President Donald Trump. 

The Georgia congresswoman is known for her loyal support of the two-time president and her devout defense of his MAGA policy platform. 

Displaying her faithfulness, Greene likened Trump to Jesus Christ during the president's high-profile legal battles last year.  

Video from Iranian state TV on Sunday showed Iran unveiling a new ballistic missile as tensions with the United States intensify over Tehran's nuclear program and regional military activities. The footage was aired during an interview with Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, who warned: "If war is initiated by the U.S. or Israel, Iran will strike their interests, bases and forces wherever they are and whenever necessary."

US President Donald Trump was angered by his recently ousted national security adviser Mike Waltz’s hawkish position on Iran and coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on military options to destroy Tehran’s nuclear program, contributing to his dismissal last week, according to a Saturday report.

Citing senior officials and Trump advisers, the Washington Post reported that Trump’s frustration with Waltz grew over time ahead of his firing.

For the first time in over a decade, the U.S. is conducting Iran negotiations with its Arab allies — not just around them.

This marks a strategic shift from the Obama-era nuclear deal, which was widely viewed in the region as a fait accompli delivered from Washington and met with deep skepticism in Arab capitals.

A massive explosion and fire rocked a port Saturday in southern Iran, injuring at least 516 people, state television reported.

The blast happened at the Shahid Rajaei port just outside of Bandar Abbas, a major facility for container shipments for the Islamic Republic that handles some 80 million tons (72.5 million metric tons) of goods a year.

Social media videos showed black billowing smoke after the blast. Others showed glass blown out of buildings kilometers (miles) away from the epicenter of the explosion.

The U.S. and Iran concluded on Saturday the third round of nuclear talks and agreed to meet again on May 3, said Omani foreign minister Badr Al-Busaidi, who is mediating between the parties.

Why it matters: The talks in Muscat on Saturday were the first time the parties dived into the technical details of a possible nuclear deal, especially the limitations the U.S. wants to impose on Iran's nuclear program and the sanctions Iran wants the U.S. to lift.

Over 30 years ago, in the northern Iranian city of Rasht, Seyed Hossein Ziabari decided to launch a magazine. Called Hatef, the Arabic and Persian for “Voice”, it was a journal of culture and society, focused especially on the endangered Gilaki language spoken in this rainy, lush valley by the Caspian. Hatef grew swiftly into a serious operation, with a large newsroom of young journalists, all squeezed into the basement of a low-rise apartment. Ziabari also had an editor-in-chief, Nasrin Pourhamrang, a calligrapher-turned-writer. Conveniently, she was also his wife.