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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump appears to be charting a course out of an unpopular war with Iran after approving a peace framework that could ease the global energy crisis — but experts warn the agreement comes with significant risks and leaves several of his original war goals unfulfilled.

More than three months after the United States launched military strikes against the Islamic Republic, Trump on Sunday endorsed a “memorandum of understanding” that represents the biggest step forward in peace negotiations to date. A central element of the deal is Iran’s commitment to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global shipping lane whose closure has sent energy prices soaring and contributed to higher gasoline costs for American consumers.

However, the Pakistani-brokered agreement — whose full text has not yet been made public — reportedly requires major concessions from the United States, most notably the postponement of any talks aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, which Trump had identified as a primary reason for going to war.

Trump announced the deal in a social media post on his 80th birthday, writing: “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!” Iran subsequently confirmed the agreement, which is scheduled to be formally signed on Friday, though many critical details remain unresolved.

The two countries have offered differing interpretations of the framework, which is designed to extend the existing ceasefire for 60 days while negotiators work toward a permanent end to a conflict that has sent shockwaves through global energy markets. The war has killed thousands of people, drained U.S. military resources, and weighed on Trump’s approval ratings ahead of November’s midterm elections, in which his Republican Party is fighting to hold onto control of Congress.

Trump, who ran for a second term on pledges to steer clear of foreign wars and prioritize the American economy, has portrayed the outcome as a decisive U.S. win — even as Iranian officials have made similar boasts of their own.

Yet most analysts say Trump — who at one point called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” — has been unable to achieve many of the objectives he set for the conflict. Iran’s religious government, which Trump encouraged Iranians to topple at the start of the war, remains largely in place. Leaders who stepped in after top officials were killed in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes are reportedly even more hardline than their predecessors.

Earlier demands that Iran shut down its ballistic missile program and cut ties with regional proxy forces also went unmet. Still, a U.S. official told reporters that the preliminary agreement achieves Trump’s core objectives.

The fate of Iran’s stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium also remains uncertain. Trump posted on Saturday that the U.S. would retrieve the material and “downblend and destroy it,” but offered no timeline. An Iranian official said only that Iran had agreed to “dilute” the stockpile itself, with no mechanism yet in place.

Victoria Taylor, a former deputy assistant secretary of state now with the Atlantic Council think tank, offered a measured assessment of the outcome: “This deal is likely the best possible outcome to avert further conflict, but it is no better than what could have been achieved had the United States pursued diplomacy rather than war in the first place.”

Questions also remain about whether the final agreement will represent an improvement over the 2015 nuclear deal that former President Barack Obama negotiated with Iran — and which Trump walked away from in 2018 during his first term in office.

U.S. officials have said any release of frozen Iranian funds or loosening of sanctions will be done gradually and only if Tehran meets specific requirements. Iran, however, has signaled it expects some financial relief upfront — a dynamic that could expose Trump to the same criticism he directed at Obama for allegedly giving Iran economic breathing room.

Trump and his team have highlighted Iran’s stated commitment to never develop a nuclear weapon as a key achievement. But Iran had long maintained such a position, citing a religious decree issued by former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — who was killed in an airstrike at the war’s outset — that prohibited building a bomb.

While the agreement calls for Iran to lift restrictions on Strait of Hormuz shipping and for the U.S. to end its naval blockade of Iranian ports, Tehran has insisted it must retain a role in managing the waterway — a role it did not hold before the war began. Reopening the strait would essentially restore conditions to what they were before the conflict started.

Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington cautioned against viewing the strait’s reopening as a lasting solution: “Iran has demonstrated that even in a starkly weakened state, it can shut the Strait of Hormuz at will. That’s not going away.”

The war has claimed thousands of lives, primarily in Iran and Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and Iran-aligned Hezbollah militants was reignited. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed. The financial cost to the U.S. military has reached tens of billions of dollars, and weapons stockpiles have been significantly depleted. The conflict has also strained relations with European allies, who were not consulted before Trump launched the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who built a close partnership with Trump during the conflict, has said Israel will not be party to the memorandum of understanding. The two leaders clashed on Sunday over Israel’s ongoing military operations in Lebanon. Meanwhile, U.S. Gulf allies — who were themselves targeted by Iranian missile and drone attacks — have pushed for a peaceful resolution but now face the reality of a weakened Iran that still retains enough military capability to pose a threat.

A Norwegian court is set to deliver its verdict Monday in the high-profile criminal trial of Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. Hoiby faces charges of rape, domestic violence, assault, and drug possession, among other offenses — a case that has riveted the Scandinavian nation.

Hoiby became part of the Norwegian royal family when his mother, Mette-Marit, wed Crown Prince Haakon in 2001. While he has denied the most serious allegations against him, including the rape charges, he has acknowledged guilt on some of the lesser counts.

Should the Oslo district court find him guilty on every charge, prosecutors have asked that he receive a sentence of seven years and seven months behind bars. However, the court has the authority to impose a longer or shorter term than what prosecutors requested.

The trial, which stretched across seven weeks, captivated the country with revelations about Hoiby’s drug dependency, self-recorded videos of sexual encounters, and more than 800 electronic messages submitted as evidence. Testimony in court also revealed that one of the alleged rapes occurred in the basement of the crown prince’s family residence.

Ketil Raknes, an associate professor in political communication at the Kristiania University of Applied Sciences, noted that public fascination with the case stemmed in part from the sharp contrast between the seemingly flawless image of the royal family and the troubling behavior alleged in court.

The scandal has been one of several factors dragging down the monarchy’s approval ratings. It overlapped with Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s public apology for what she called “poor judgment” in maintaining ties with the late American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein following his 2008 conviction.

A Norstat poll released on February 21, while the trial was still underway, found that support for keeping the monarchy had dropped to a record low of 60%, down from 70% in January. Meanwhile, the share of Norwegians favoring a different form of government climbed from 19% to 27%. By May, however, the royal family had partially recovered in public opinion, with 64% backing the monarchy and 23% preferring a different system, according to another Norstat survey.

Raknes described the situation as a compounded crisis. “It was … a perfect crisis for the royal family because they had two crises at the same time. And they had a lot of (criticism) for the way they handled the Epstein files,” he said.

The verdict arrives at a deeply painful time for Hoiby’s mother. This month, Mette-Marit was added to the national lung transplant list after her health took a severe turn for the worse. She has been living with pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive lung disease that makes breathing increasingly difficult. Her physicians have indicated that without a successful transplant, she may have roughly one year to live.

Raknes said that news of her condition appears to be softening the tone of public commentary ahead of the verdict. “The coverage is much more sober,” he said. “People are seeing: ‘OK, this is a family who’s really struggling and this is not the time for … playing … the moral card as high as we maybe have done earlier in this case.’”

Three people lost their lives and three others were wounded — among them a one-year-old child — after a drone strike hit the Russian city of Tula, situated south of Moscow, according to regional governor Dmitry Milyayev, who shared the news on Telegram.

The Tula region has been a repeated target of Ukrainian drone attacks. The area is home to several major industrial facilities and has seen ongoing strikes since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

NEW YORK (AP) — Sunday’s announcement of a deal to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is welcome news, but energy experts are cautioning that relief from high oil and gasoline prices won’t come quickly.

According to energy analysts, it could be many months before energy companies are able to ramp operations back up to a level that meets global demand. They point to the slow nature of oil shipping and refining, as well as lingering concerns about the safety of traveling through the strait, as reasons why the impact won’t be felt right away.

For over three months, tankers loaded with crude oil have been stuck in the Persian Gulf, unable to safely pass through the waterway. Before the war began, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gasoline supply moved through that route.

Daniel Evans, global head of fuels and refining research at S&P Global Energy, said the recovery process requires patience. “It’s going to take time for people to feel comfortable and for insurance to be in place … particularly to get people on the ground to restart some of these assets,” he said.

Evans explained that stranded vessels must first clear the strait before new tankers can enter to take on cargo. “To bring a ship in, you need to be confident that you’ve got a big enough window of safety to bring it in, load it and move it out,” he added.

He also noted that oil tankers travel slowly, and the journey from the strait to distant destinations — including stops at refineries for processing — can span several months.

Another complicating factor is that some Middle Eastern producers halted oil extraction, a process called a shut-in, after running out of places to store the oil. Getting those operations going again is not a fast process.

Alan Gelder, senior vice president of refining, chemicals and oil markets at Wood Mackenzie, an analytics firm, said nations like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates may bounce back more quickly because they have alternate pipelines or routes that don’t rely solely on the Strait of Hormuz. However, he noted that other countries face steeper challenges. “But places like Iraq could be much more challenged because they’ve had a much bigger shut-in, their fields are more difficult … it may well take about a year before they get back,” he said.

Gelder also pointed out that investment in energy infrastructure — which can take years to show results — came to a standstill after the strait closed, meaning that restarting that financial commitment will also take time.

Daniel Sternoff, senior fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, said oil-producing nations that shut down operations won’t be eager to restart until they are confident the strait will remain stable and that any ceasefire will hold well beyond 30 to 60 days. “We don’t know what open means or what the speed of evacuation of trapped material is going to be,” he said.

U.S. and Iranian officials announced Sunday that the two nations have struck a deal to bring their war to an end. The agreement also includes lifting the American blockade of Iran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz — a move that could drive down energy costs once oil begins flowing again through the strategically vital passage.

World leaders wasted no time responding to the announcement. Britain, France, Germany, and Italy issued a joint statement as E4 nations, declaring: “Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. We stand ready to work with the U.S., Iran and the IAEA to this end.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also weighed in, saying: “We are clear that toll-free freedom of navigation must now be restored in the Strait of Hormuz … Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.”

Four major European nations say they are prepared to remove sanctions against Iran following a recently reached agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at ending their conflict.

The United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy — collectively referred to as the E4 nations — released a joint statement on Sunday indicating their readiness to ease those economic penalties in exchange for concrete steps by Iran regarding its nuclear program.

“Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. We stand ready to work with the US, Iran and the IAEA to this end,” the four nations’ leaders said in the statement.

The announcement signals a significant shift in international diplomacy surrounding Iran’s nuclear ambitions, with Western allies aligning their response to the broader US-Iran agreement.

One person was hurt during a Russian aerial assault on Kyiv early Monday morning, according to local Ukrainian officials who urged city residents to take cover immediately.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram that drone debris ignited fires at several homes and vehicles across the city. He also noted that the attacks knocked out electricity in certain areas of the capital.

Tymur Tkachenko, who heads the capital’s military administration, posted separately on Telegram confirming that a high-rise apartment building had caught fire. He stated that one person sustained injuries but did not provide additional details about the victim’s condition.

Ukraine’s Air Force warned via Telegram that drones were continuing to approach Kyiv from multiple directions, and that there was also a threat of missile strikes. A Reuters reporter on the ground confirmed that explosions could be heard throughout the city.

Oil prices took a significant hit on Monday following an announcement that U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran’s deputy foreign minister have agreed to a deal that would end the fighting and restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures dropped $3.51, or 4.02%, settling at $83.82 per barrel as of 2203 GMT. Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell to $80.95 a barrel, a decline of $3.93, or 4.63%.

The agreement between Washington and Tehran signals a potential easing of tensions that had kept global energy markets on edge, with the reopening of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz expected to allow oil shipments to flow more freely through the region.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — More than three months after fighting broke out, the United States and Iran have struck an agreement to bring the conflict to a close and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a development that could provide significant relief to the world economy.

Specifics of the agreement were not immediately disclosed. Pakistan, which played a key role as a mediator, announced that the formal signing ceremony will take place Friday in Switzerland. Unresolved matters such as Iran’s nuclear program are expected to be taken up at a later stage.

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the deal had been reached, announcing he had authorized an end to the American naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz — a blockade that had been put in place in response to Iran’s control over the critical shipping lane.

“Congratulations to all!” Trump posted on social media. “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade.”

Prior to the announcement, the U.S. had indicated it would ease the blockade on Iranian ports as the strait reopened, and would also agree to loosen sanctions so Iran could increase oil exports and help rebuild its struggling economy.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed the agreement in an appearance on state television, though he stressed that Iran would not begin carrying out its terms until the official signing on Friday. He noted the deal came after more than 14 hours of negotiations in Tehran involving a representative from Qatar, which also served as a mediator.

Iranian state television displayed a banner reading: “US was forced to sign an agreement to end the war.”

Pakistan was the first to publicly announce the deal, doing so on a day when Israel — which had been kept out of the negotiations — carried out strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut while targeting Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Those attacks had threatened to derail the talks.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that “both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” and said mediators would facilitate meetings this week to “lay the foundation for the technical talks.”

DUBAI/WASHINGTON — The United States and Iran have struck a deal to bring their war to an end, with a formal signing ceremony set for Friday in Switzerland, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced early Monday on social media.

Shortly after Sharif made his announcement, President Trump confirmed the news on his Truth Social platform. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” Trump wrote.

The agreement comes despite an Israeli military strike on Lebanon on Sunday that drew condemnation from both Iran and Trump himself.

The full terms of the deal had not been publicly released, but Sharif said the agreement calls for “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”

Multiple sources had previously told Reuters that the draft agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, lift the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, and extend a ceasefire — while setting aside Iran’s nuclear program for a separate round of talks over a 60-day window.

Trump confirmed those key elements in his social media post, saying the strait would be open “toll free” and that the U.S. naval blockade would also come to an end. “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” Trump wrote.

The road to the agreement was bumpy on Sunday. Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf reacted sharply to Israel’s strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut — which Israel said targeted Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants — posting on X that the attack showed the United States lacks “the will and ability to fulfill your commitments.”

Iran’s foreign ministry held the United States responsible for the Israeli strike and warned of a “strong response.” The country’s top joint military command stated that the “finger (is) on the trigger” and was ready to fire at the “enemy’s heart.”

Trump also weighed in on the Beirut attack Sunday, writing on Truth Social: “This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”

Israel has stated it is not a party to the planned U.S.-Iran agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has clashed with Trump over American demands that Israel scale back its military operations in Lebanon as a condition for reaching the deal with Iran.

The fighting between Israel and Iran-aligned Hezbollah in Lebanon was reignited when the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began in February.

A senior Iranian official had earlier told Reuters that under the draft deal’s terms, the United States would release $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, while Iran would agree not to develop or acquire nuclear weapons. The official said Iran also agreed to preserve the existing nuclear status quo — meaning no uranium enrichment or expansion of nuclear facilities — until a final agreement is reached.

LONDON — The United Kingdom is preparing to announce major new restrictions on social media use for children under the age of 16, a move that could result in banning popular platforms and features considered too addictive for young users’ wellbeing.

Over recent years, Britain has steadily increased pressure on technology companies, pushing them to implement age verification systems, modify their recommendation algorithms, and — most recently — stop children from sharing nude images captured on mobile devices.

Now, amid rising concern about the mental health effects of excessive screen time on young people, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has decided to take things a step further. His decision came after conversations with parents and a review of evidence from Australia, which became the first nation to ban social media for under-16s last year.

Starmer, who is widely expected to face a leadership challenge in the weeks ahead, said the public rightfully demands action on this issue.

“That’s why we will call time on a system that’s failing our kids and take bold action to give every child the best possible start in life,” he said ahead of the Monday morning announcement.

According to The Guardian newspaper, Starmer is set to announce a full ban on all major social media platforms for anyone under 16. Digital products not covered by the ban — such as gaming apps — would face their own set of restrictions, including prohibitions on children communicating with strangers.

Australia led the way on this issue, becoming the first country in the world to block children under 16 from social media platforms. Starting in December, Australian users under that age were cut off from services including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube, and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.

In the wake of Australia’s action, a number of other countries have signaled their own intentions to regulate children’s access to social media, driven by growing alarm over the effects on young people’s health and safety.

Britain’s government conducted a broad public consultation on potential new rules, gathering input from teachers, parents, and young people themselves. Options considered included an outright ban for under-16s, as well as curfews, limits on app usage time, and restrictions on what officials have called addictive design features built into these platforms.

The consultation attracted more than 116,000 responses. Among parents who participated, over 83% said they believed the dangers of social media outweighed the advantages, and 90% expressed support for setting the minimum age for social media access at 16.

Lisa Nandy, the minister for culture and media, pointed to Australia’s experience as evidence that even an imperfect ban can shift the broader culture around children’s online habits.

“It changes the presumption, so that at the age of eight, nine, 10, 11, children aren’t presuming that they’re going to be in these spaces because all of their friends are, and that quite significantly changes the culture,” she said in an interview with BBC television.

While many parents and elected officials support a ban, some psychologists and researchers have cautioned that there is no solid evidence proving such a measure would be effective. Meanwhile, a group of school-aged children in London told reporters they had a complicated and conflicted relationship with social media technology.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced in the early hours of Monday that the United States and Iran have come to a peace agreement following talks.

Sharif shared the news on social media platform X, stating: “Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”

The Prime Minister also noted that a formal signing ceremony is planned for June 19 in Switzerland.

Iran has turned down a proposal it says came from President Donald Trump — one intended to prevent Tehran from retaliating against Israel following a strike on Hezbollah positions in Beirut’s Dahieh district. According to a report from N12, Iran warned that its response against Israel could arrive “before dawn.”

The rejection came even as President Trump publicly voiced criticism of Israel’s military operation in the Lebanese capital, while at the same time expressing hope that a memorandum of understanding to end the conflict could still be reached on Sunday.

Citing Iranian statements, N12 reported that Tehran brushed aside the proposal and made clear it plans to act. “Trump offered us money in exchange for overlooking the attack. We rejected it — we will respond very soon. We will not betray our allies,” Iran said, in a reference to Hezbollah.

Additional warnings followed from Iranian officials. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council stated, “The response is near,” while a separate statement declared: “Our finger is on the trigger, ready to fire at the heart of the enemy.” Officials also claimed that Iran’s military strength had grown under the leadership of Mojtaba Khamenei.

As the situation intensified, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that all air traffic in western Iran had been halted until further notice.

Inside Israel, the Home Front Command moved to restrict public gatherings to no more than 5,000 people.

Fighting continued along the Lebanese front as well. The Israel Defense Forces reported that one soldier suffered moderate injuries and a second was lightly wounded after rockets were launched at Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon. The military also noted impacts both inside Israel and in areas where soldiers are stationed in southern Lebanon, along with reports of additional suspicious aerial objects near the Lebanese border.

President Trump was sharply critical of the strike on Dahieh, which took place while diplomatic efforts were still underway. According to Axios, Trump said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “no —-ing judgment.”

In an interview with Fox News, Trump stated: “A deal will be signed within two or three hours. I told Netanyahu — what the hell are you doing?”

On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that the attack “should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.” He also called on “all sides” to “stand down … Let’s not blow it!”

A tragic case of mistaken identity in Pakistan has left a 9-year-old Australian girl dead and two of her family members fighting for their lives after police officers allegedly opened fire on their rental vehicle.

Hania Ahmed, a Pakistani-Australian child from Perth, was riding in a car with her father and younger brother in Chakwal, a city in Punjab province roughly 62 miles southwest of Islamabad, when Crime Control Department officers allegedly confused their vehicle with one being used by robbery suspects and began shooting.

According to information gathered by The Media Line, the family had returned to Pakistan just days earlier after completing the Hajj pilgrimage. Hania’s father, Adeel Ahmed, 39, originally hails from Dhudial, a town within Chakwal district. He relocated to Australia approximately two decades ago, earned a civil engineering degree, and built a life there with his wife, Dr. Sidra Khan, and their two children, Affan Ahmed and Hania Ahmed.

At the time of the shooting, Hania, her father, and her brother were on their way to visit her maternal grandfather, who is reportedly a retired colonel in the Pakistan Army. Her mother was not in the vehicle and was unharmed.

Early accounts of the incident indicate that just before the shooting, the family had been robbed at gunpoint by two armed men who stole jewelry from them. As the family attempted to drive away in their rented car, officers allegedly mistook them for the fleeing robbers and opened fire.

Hania died from her injuries. Her father and younger brother were both seriously hurt and required surgery. Police later reported that the two men suspected in the robbery were killed in a separate encounter.

Authorities have arrested the officer accused of firing on the family’s vehicle and have filed a murder charge against him. A Joint Investigation Team has also been assembled to look into the full circumstances surrounding the deadly shooting. Senior Pakistani police officials have characterized the event as a tragic case of mistaken identity and pledged a transparent investigation to deliver justice to the family.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage in both Pakistan and Australia. It has also reignited debate over policing practices in Pakistan, including the use of deadly force during criminal pursuits and the systems in place to hold officers accountable when civilians are killed. Human rights organizations in Pakistan have long voiced concerns about police shootings, mistreatment in custody, and extrajudicial killings, while officials have acknowledged that reforms are necessary to rebuild public confidence.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is providing support to the affected family. A spokesperson for the department expressed sympathy, stating, “We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time.” The department added that it is offering consular assistance to the family of the Australian national who was killed, as well as to the two Australians who were injured in the attack.

RIO DE JANEIRO — A deadly midair collision between two helicopters over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning left all six people aboard dead, according to firefighters at the scene.

Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department reported that one of the aircraft came down on top of a car dealership, where a number of electric vehicles were parked. The impact triggered a fire that crews were eventually able to put out.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine what led to the collision, though no cause has been identified yet.

Police confirmed that American singer and comedian Oliver Tree appeared on the passenger manifest that had been submitted to aviation authorities. However, officials said they have not yet been able to identify the bodies of those who died in the crash.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reached out to U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday with birthday congratulations, praising him as an exceptional leader and expressing optimism about the future of relations between their two countries.

“Dear Mr. President, dear Donald, I wholeheartedly congratulate you, such a bright, remarkable person and politician, on your 80th birthday!” Putin wrote in a message posted to the Kremlin’s official website, which was also cited by Russian news outlets.

The two heads of state spoke over the phone for 55 minutes, according to Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, who described Putin’s congratulations during the call as delivered in an “informal” way.

In his written message, Putin said he “valued the mutual understanding between us, which allows us to discuss … even the most complex issues on the bilateral and international agenda openly and frankly.”

Putin went on to express confidence in what the two leaders could accomplish together, writing: “I am certain that together we could truly give Russian-American relations a new quality, and also do much to ensure security and stability on the world stage.”

The last time the two presidents met face-to-face was in Alaska in August 2025, as part of efforts to work toward a resolution to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

WESTPORT, Ireland — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is warning that the United States’ decision to restrict access to Anthropic’s newest artificial intelligence models is a wake-up call about the risks of depending too heavily on a small number of American technology providers.

AI company Anthropic announced Friday that it has taken its two latest AI models — known as Fable 5 and Mythos 5 — offline in response to a directive from the Trump administration barring their use by foreign nationals.

The move represents the most sweeping step the U.S. government has taken to date to limit foreign access to cutting-edge AI technology. Anthropic released Fable broadly this week. That model is a scaled-down version of the more powerful Mythos, which the company had already been restricting due to serious cybersecurity concerns.

“The situation we’re in collectively right now with Mythos and Fable is something that can happen with overreliance on certain models,” Carney said. “Nobody has done anything wrong in the situation. But we will have done something wrong if we just accept this, don’t take the lesson, don’t build out and diversify.”

Carney delivered those remarks while in Ireland ahead of the upcoming G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, where he said artificial intelligence is expected to be a major topic of discussion on Monday night.

Anthropic, headquartered in San Francisco, California, announced the Mythos model on April 7, describing it as so “strikingly capable” that the company has limited access to select customers only. The company cited the model’s ability to outperform human cybersecurity experts at identifying and exploiting computer vulnerabilities.

“You’ll hear me say this over and over again. It is never a good idea to have one option,” Carney said.

Carney also revealed he spent 45 minutes discussing artificial intelligence with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday evening. He cautioned that there “will not be a mission accomplished banner” coming out of the summit, given the complexity of the issues involved.

The Canadian prime minister drew a direct connection between the U.S. AI restrictions and Canada’s ongoing effort to broaden its trade relationships. More than 70% of Canada’s exports currently go to the United States, and Carney has set a goal to double Canada’s non-U.S. exports over the next decade. He noted that Trump’s trade war has already been dampening investment.

Carney does not have a one-on-one meeting scheduled with Trump at the G7, even as the free trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico is up for renewal. He said trade discussions under the USMCA framework will instead take place between Canada’s minister responsible for U.S. trade Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s chief negotiator Janice Charette, U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

“The right way to do it at this stage, will be between the principal negotiators, which is going to happen in Evian,” he said.

Earlier Sunday, Carney visited the Irish village of Aghagower, where his family has ancestral roots. His grandfather, Robert Carney, and grandmother, Nora Moran, both hailed from the County Mayo town and emigrated to Canada in the 1920s.

Local resident Owen Morgan, who was there with his 17-month-old son Malachy — dressed in a Montreal Canadiens jersey — said the community is proud of the Canadian leader. “People are very impressed,” Morgan said. “He’s very much standing up for Canadians and I think that’s very much admired.”

Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission has officially confirmed that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party came out on top in the country’s recent general election — a vote seen as a defining moment for the nation’s future alignment between Russia and the West.

Final results released by the commission for the June 7 election showed Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party capturing 49.7% of the vote, giving it enough support to form a government. The outcome reflects the Pashinyan administration’s push to deepen ties with the European Union and the United States, even as critics argue the country should maintain its longstanding relationship with Russia.

The pro-Russian opposition group Strong Armenia had urged the commission to throw out the results, claiming there were “widespread violations” during the voting process. Supporters of Strong Armenia and other opposition parties gathered outside the commission’s offices while officials worked to finalize the tallies.

The window between the June 8 preliminary results and the final certification gave political parties time to file formal complaints about any perceived problems with the election.

International election monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said Armenian voters were given a “genuine choice” but noted the election took place amid “highly confrontational…divisive rhetoric” and “uneven campaign opportunities.” Armenian investigators had issued six arrest warrants against Strong Armenia members the day before the election, alleging they had been paying voters for their support.

Samvel Karapetyan, the billionaire leader of Strong Armenia — who built his wealth in Russia — is currently under house arrest. Authorities accuse him of calling for the overthrow of the government, a charge he has denied, calling it politically motivated.

Under Armenian law, the National Assembly must have at least 101 members, each serving five-year terms. Individual parties need at least 4% of the vote to gain entry, while coalitions of three or more parties must reach 8%. Civil Contract’s vote share translates to 64 seats in the assembly. Strong Armenia earned 29 seats, and the Armenia Alliance — led by former President Robert Kocharyan — received 12 seats.

Geopolitical questions dominated the campaign. As he cast his ballot on June 7, Pashinyan declared, “The European Union is our main partner in democratic reform implementation, and we will continue that path.” Armenia formally announced its ambition to join the EU last year.

Most opposition parties, Strong Armenia among them, ran on platforms favoring closer ties with Russia.

Russia, which maintains a military base inside Armenia, has cautioned that the country’s pivot toward the West could bring serious political and economic consequences. President Vladimir Putin has drawn comparisons between Armenia’s trajectory and Ukraine’s, making thinly veiled threats and suggesting Russia’s conflict with Ukraine began with Ukraine’s efforts to align with the EU.

In the weeks leading up to the vote, Moscow rolled out a series of trade restrictions targeting Armenian goods — including flowers, certain cognacs and wines, eggplant, potatoes, dried fruits, and fish. OSCE election monitors described these measures as “direct pressure” on Armenia’s election. Russia maintained the bans were tied to violations of agricultural import regulations.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of “weaponizing” economic relations and called the import bans “nothing short of economic coercion.” She announced that the EU would provide 50 million euros — roughly $58 million — in support of Armenia.

The relationship between Moscow and Yerevan deteriorated significantly after Azerbaijan reclaimed control of the Karabakh region, a mountainous area that had been held for decades by ethnic Armenian forces with backing from Armenia, stemming from a prolonged conflict between the two neighboring nations. Armenia blamed Russian peacekeepers stationed in the region for failing to prevent Azerbaijan’s military operation. Moscow, occupied with its war in Ukraine, rejected those accusations.

Pashinyan has taken gradual steps to distance Armenia from Russia, including joining the International Criminal Court in 2023 and suspending Armenia’s participation in the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2024. Armenia also hosted the European Political Community summit and its first-ever summit with the EU in Yerevan in early May.

In August 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump brought Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev together to sign an agreement aimed at ending their decades-long conflict, which included provisions for a new transit corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan.

Qatari mediators flew to Tehran on Sunday as part of an urgent diplomatic mission coordinated with the United States, aimed at keeping a proposed peace agreement from collapsing, according to CNN.

The negotiators departed from Doha in an effort to close the remaining gaps between Washington and Tehran after a breakdown in the ceasefire raised fears that talks aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz could fall apart.

A source with knowledge of the talks told CNN that plans for an in-person signing ceremony between both sides were scrapped due to logistical hurdles and concerns that any delays could threaten the already fragile ceasefire. The two sides shifted instead to the idea of an electronic signing process.

Several major issues remain unresolved, including the size of Iran’s uranium enrichment stockpile and Tehran’s reported push to charge ships a fee for passing through the Strait of Hormuz — a proposal the United States has rejected.

The mediation push comes as Iranian officials and media organizations publicly disputed claims that a memorandum of understanding would be signed Sunday.

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday that a deal was “scheduled to get signed” the following day. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed that optimism, writing on X: “We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalisation likely expected in the next 24 hours.”

But a media outlet connected to the Revolutionary Guards flatly rejected that timeline, saying senior Iranian negotiators had made clear the agreement “has not yet been finalized and will certainly not be done on Sunday.”

That same outlet took aim at what it described as President Trump’s “unusual insistence” on a Sunday signing, suggesting the push was tied to the president’s 80th birthday.

President Trump had previously indicated that Vice President JD Vance would attend a signing ceremony in Europe. The president is set to travel to France for the G7 summit.

According to CNN, Qatar’s active role in the mediation reflects the stakes Doha has in reaching an agreement, after Iranian missile strikes hit critical Qatari energy infrastructure during the conflict. The report noted that Qatar has pursued diplomatic channels with Tehran in hopes of preventing further damage to its energy facilities and helping bring the regional blockade to an end.

Colonel Netanel Lasri, known to colleagues as Nati, has died at the age of 40 following a three-year struggle with cancer. At the time of his passing, he was serving as head of the Planning Department within the Israel Defense Forces Ground Forces Command and had previously led the Golan and Hermon Brigade. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Throughout his military career, Lasri was considered one of the most talented and well-respected officers within the IDF’s Armored Corps and combat divisions.

Lasri was born in Lod and participated in the city’s Scouts movement before enlisting in the IDF in 2004, joining the 401st Armored Brigade. Over the course of more than two decades of service, he took part in numerous significant Israeli military operations.

During the Second Lebanon War, he served as a tank crewman. He went on to fill several command roles within the Gaza Division, including serving as a battalion operations officer during Operation Cast Lead and as a deputy company commander during Operation Hot Winter.

While leading an operational company in the 52nd Battalion, Lasri directed forces in halting a complex terrorist attack near the area where the borders of Israel, Egypt, and Gaza converge. That mission earned him a formal commendation from the Gaza Division commander.

His leadership during Operation Pillar of Defense as a company commander was recognized with a certificate of excellence presented by the IDF chief of staff.

Lasri also took part in Operation Protective Edge, this time commanding the Tank Commanders Course training company. He later served as deputy commander of the 52nd Battalion and as an aide to the head of the Operations Directorate.

From 2019 through 2021, he commanded the 9th Battalion, and afterward served as operations officer of the 162nd Division.

In August 2023, Lasri was appointed to lead the Golan and Hermon Brigade, a post he held through April 2024. Despite his ongoing illness, he took on his final assignment in May 2025, heading the Planning Department within the Ground Forces Command.

Over the course of his service, Lasri received the IDF chief of staff’s citation along with several other military honors and commendations.

WASHINGTON — An oil tanker disabled by the U.S. military while attempting to break through America’s blockade of Iran had brushed off nearly 60 verbal warnings and multiple demonstrations of military force before U.S. forces ultimately opened fire, a U.S. official has revealed to The Associated Press.

According to the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the sensitive matter and requested anonymity, the ship’s crew also disregarded eight shows of force from military aircraft — including flares and flyovers — along with two final warnings before shots were fired on Wednesday.

Earlier in the week, the U.S. military disclosed that an American aircraft fired what it called “precision munitions” into the engine room of the Palau-flagged vessel M/T Settebello. Indian officials confirmed that three Indian sailors lost their lives in the strike, which took place in the Gulf of Oman.

The U.S. official characterized the vessel as part of a so-called shadow fleet used to illegally move Iranian oil and sidestep international sanctions. The official also noted the ship had been observed attempting to breach the blockade on multiple occasions, and that U.S. forces had communicated with the vessel dozens of times over a two-week period leading up to the day it was disabled.

In an official statement, U.S. Central Command said American forces gave the ship’s crew a 15-minute window to evacuate the engine room before firing the shots that put the vessel out of commission.

“After being in place for more than 60 days, it should be clear by now that U.S. forces will strictly enforce the blockade,” the statement read.

India’s foreign ministry announced that New Delhi had filed a “strong protest” with the United States over the deaths of its citizens.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with his Indian counterpart on Friday, conveying “that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from U.S. forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the Strait,” according to a summary of the conversation released by the State Department on Saturday.

U.S. President Donald Trump reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Sunday, expressing that bringing the war in Ukraine to a close is critically important and that he stands ready to play a role in making that happen, according to Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, as reported by Russian news agencies.

Ushakov further revealed that during the call, Trump informed Putin that a deal to end the conflict with Iran was close to being finalized. The Russian leader reportedly expressed relief that the fighting would be coming to an end.

In addition to the weighty diplomatic discussions, Ushakov noted that Putin took a moment to wish Trump a happy 80th birthday in what was described as an “informal” manner.

Swiss authorities deployed tear gas Saturday against protesters who descended on United Nations buildings in Geneva, according to a Reuters witness on the scene.

The demonstrators, who were rallying in opposition to a G7 summit being held across the border in France, directed their anger at UN facilities in the Swiss city. Some in the crowd hurled stones at a UN telecommunications building, while others threw flares as police worked to push them away from the site.

Authorities in Yemen are reporting the death of a well-known daredevil adventurer who went by the nickname “The Spider-Man of Yemen,” after he plunged into a volcanic crater while scaling its walls without any safety gear.

Al-Qaqa Ibn Antar, 30 years old, was attempting to climb the sheer rock faces of the Hardah Dam volcanic crater in Yemen’s southern Dhale province on Friday when he lost his grip and fell 120 meters — roughly 393 feet — into the crater below, according to the Civil Defense Authority. The agency also released a brief video capturing the terrifying moment.

The 10-second clip shows Antar making his way up a rocky cliff face with no protective equipment. Names written in Arabic appear in white lettering on the rock wall he is scaling. The footage then shows him clinging to the cliff with his right hand while his left arm reaches out into the air — before his right-hand grip gives way and he falls.

Search and rescue teams, including divers and water specialists, were deployed to recover Antar’s body. Divers eventually found him at a depth of 30 meters — about 100 feet — beneath the water’s surface. The Civil Defense Authority described the four-hour recovery effort as “complex,” citing the steep, rocky terrain that made reaching the site extremely difficult.

The Hardah Dam — also referred to as the Haradhat Damt — is a distinctive volcanic crater situated near the city of Damt in Yemen’s southern Dahle province. The landmark features sharply rising rock walls surrounding a hot, sulfurous lake at its bottom.

Antar had developed a significant following on social media by posting footage of himself taking on high-risk climbs across some of Yemen’s most challenging terrain. His videos frequently went viral. In one widely-shared clip, he was seen gripping the edge of a rocky cliff with only his bare hands while his legs dangled over a steep drop below — all without any safety equipment.

In the wake of the tragedy, the Civil Defense Authority called on climbers and adventure sports enthusiasts to follow proper safety protocols. The agency issued a formal warning urging people to use “appropriate protective gear to avert similar incidents.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spent part of his Sunday in Aughagower, a village in western Ireland, where he connected with distant relatives and paid tribute to his family’s roots before heading to the G7 summit in France.

Carney’s grandparents, Robert Carney and Nora Moran, were both born in that village before emigrating to Canada in 1925. The couple married in Vancouver, where Robert took a position with the Canadian Pacific Railway Police and later joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Carney’s father was born in 1933 and eventually became a professor at the University of Alberta.

After attending Sunday Mass at the local Catholic church in Aughagower — the same church his grandparents would have known — Carney also visited the family grave and planted a tree in their honor. Speaking with reporters afterward, he joked about the unexpected size of his extended family: “I have a lot more cousins than I realised.”

The personal visit followed a more formal appearance on Saturday, when Carney addressed students at Trinity College Dublin. There, he called on nations like Canada and Ireland to build a “dense web of connections … ad hoc coalitions” as the global order established after the Cold War continues to unravel.

“Ireland and Canada are navigating a global rupture, not a quiet transition,” he told the students. He added, “I suggest that amidst this change, amidst this disruption, Canada, Ireland, and Europe can be pivotal, powerful, and purposeful, a force for good.”

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, whose country is set to assume the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1, echoed the sentiment. He told reporters that his government would work to “put flesh on the bone of an enhanced European Union-Canadian relationship.”

GENEVA — A demonstration in Geneva, Switzerland turned partially violent Sunday when protesters set a Tesla on fire and smashed the windows of a bank, expressing outrage ahead of an upcoming Group of Seven summit scheduled just over the border in France.

Despite those incidents, police described the overall march as largely peaceful. Authorities estimated attendance at up to 7,000 people and said they confiscated a number of knives and pyrotechnic devices from those in the crowd.

Demonstrators said their target was the G7 as a symbol of concentrated wealth and political power. The protest came shortly after Tesla owner Elon Musk, who has served as an advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, became the world’s first trillionaire — a milestone that many say has intensified public concern over growing inequality.

Protester Pippa Saugy explained her motivation for attending: “To me, it’s a meeting of the rich that shows once again how the rich can become even richer while the poor are left behind.”

The G7 summit is scheduled for June 15 through 17 in Evian-les-Bains, a town situated along the shore of Lake Geneva. It will bring together the leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States, as well as the European Union.

The agenda is expected to be dominated by the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. World leaders will also be navigating their relationship with President Trump as he works toward finalizing a framework peace agreement with Iran.

Back in Geneva, storefronts were boarded up and hundreds of riot officers were positioned throughout the city in anticipation of potential unrest. Protests at G7 summits are nothing new — demonstrators have long used these gatherings as a platform to speak out against capitalism, globalization, climate change, and economic inequality.

One demonstrator, Mattia Piccard, expressed frustration at the heavy law enforcement presence on the streets. “This is an attempt to frighten demonstrators, to frighten people and discourage them from coming out to protest,” Piccard said.

Another participant, Clélia Colin, said she was there to draw attention to gender inequality. “The values represented by the G7 are completely misogynistic, and they contribute to inequality because there is absolutely no equality,” Colin said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy got on the phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday for a conversation that touched on the war in Ukraine, diplomatic efforts, and the ongoing push for peace negotiations, according to a Ukrainian presidential adviser.

The two leaders spoke for roughly 30 to 35 minutes, presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn confirmed. Along with the serious matters of war and diplomacy, Zelenskiy also extended birthday wishes to Trump, who celebrated his 80th birthday on Sunday.

CAIRO — At least six Palestinians were killed Sunday in Israeli airstrikes and gunfire across the Gaza Strip, according to health officials, even as international mediators intensified their push to keep a U.S.-brokered ceasefire alive.

Medical workers reported that an Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of at least four people near Al-Yeman Al-Saeed Hospital in the Jabalia refugee camp, located in the northern part of the enclave. Two additional deaths were recorded in separate shooting incidents — one in Khan Younis in the south and another in Gaza City. The Israeli military offered no immediate response to requests for comment on the incidents.

The bloodshed unfolded as mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey concluded a week of negotiations with Hamas and other Palestinian factions. Those talks centered on moving forward with the second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, which calls for Hamas to lay down its weapons and for Israel to pull its forces out of the territory.

A truce brokered by Trump in October 2025 has so far failed to put a full stop to Israeli military operations in Gaza or to achieve the disarmament of Hamas fighters. Health officials say Israeli strikes have killed more than 950 people since the truce took effect, while Israel reports that four of its soldiers have been killed by militants during the same period.

Hamas places the blame for the ongoing conflict on what it describes as Israel’s failure to meet obligations agreed upon in October — a deal that paused major combat operations but did not bring Israeli attacks to a complete halt. Israel, for its part, maintains that its strikes are carried out to prevent imminent attacks by Hamas and other militant groups.

On Sunday, Hamas and allied factions announced they had submitted a written response to a 15-point framework put forward by the mediators and Trump’s Board of Peace, though they did not disclose the specifics of their answer. Sources familiar with the negotiations indicated the factions agreed to 14 of the 15 points, with the remaining sticking point being the question of Hamas disarmament. Hamas has said it will only consider full disarmament if a political process toward establishing a Palestinian state is set in motion.

Israel has maintained a firm stance that Hamas must disarm completely, relinquish control of Gaza, and have no part in shaping the territory’s future.

ROME — A retired Italian general formally unveiled his new far-right political party on Sunday, directly challenging Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s hold on power as he pushes for a more extreme nationalist agenda ahead of next year’s elections.

General Roberto Vannacci, a 57-year-old former paratrooper, was introduced to the crowd as a modern-day Julius Caesar when he stepped onto the stage at the founding congress of Futuro Nazionale. Supporters greeted him with repeated chants of “Generale, Generale, Generale.”

“We represent the rejects and the dregs, and are proud of it,” Vannacci declared. He left Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini’s League party four months ago and is now positioning himself to the right of Meloni’s conservative coalition.

Futuro Nazionale is already drawing about 5% in polls, putting it in striking distance of the League and potentially threatening Meloni’s chances of returning to power unless she negotiates some kind of electoral deal with Vannacci.

However, any such alliance could backfire for Meloni. Vannacci’s anti-EU, pro-Russia stance and his close connections to far-right European parties — including Germany’s AfD — could drive away moderate voters who currently support her.

Taking the most aggressive anti-immigration position in Italian politics, Vannacci said Sunday that he would reduce the number of foreign nationals living in Italy from roughly 12% of the population down to about 4%.

“We don’t have a programme for immigration, we have a programme for re-migration,” he told the cheering crowd.

The new party’s platform borrows heavily from positions Meloni herself championed while in opposition — before she took the reins of Italy’s massive national debt in 2022 and had to reassure financial markets.

Vannacci said he wants to open a debate on whether Italy should remain part of the euro currency zone. He also called for scrapping the EU’s Green Deal aimed at cutting carbon emissions, and lifting Italy’s existing ban on nuclear energy. The platform additionally includes family-friendly tax incentives, such as reductions for households with children.

Despite Italy having one of the lowest rates of murder and violent crime in the world, Vannacci declared security and defense his top priority, promising a zero-tolerance approach to crime and pledging to expand prison capacity.

While Vannacci has criticized Meloni for walking back on her own campaign promises, he did acknowledge that his own plans are subject to change.

“No plan survives the first shot in battle … it has to be adapted to reality,” he said.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The total number of Palestinians killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war has climbed past 73,000, Gaza’s Health Ministry announced Sunday, even as a fragile ceasefire agreement remains in place but largely deadlocked.

Israel has not halted military strikes within the territory despite the deal that was reached in October, stating that its operations target Hamas fighters and other armed groups that pose a threat, as well as responding to what it describes as ceasefire violations. Five Israeli soldiers have died since the truce went into effect.

The updated death toll was confirmed by two Health Ministry officials: Zaher al-Waheidi, who heads the ministry’s records department, and Hamza Salem from the ministry’s public relations office.

The total death count since the war began now stands at 73,001. On Sunday alone, five deaths were recorded — two in the southern city of Khan Younis, one in central Gaza, and two individuals who succumbed to wounds sustained in earlier incidents.

More than 173,200 people have been injured since the conflict began. The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in 251 others being taken hostage.

Gaza’s Health Ministry operates under the Hamas-led government but is staffed by medical professionals who maintain detailed casualty records. United Nations agencies and independent experts generally regard the ministry’s data as credible. The ministry does not separate civilian deaths from militant deaths in its figures, though it notes that women and children account for roughly half of all fatalities.

Israel maintains that it works to minimize civilian casualties and attributes civilian deaths to Hamas, arguing that the militant group conducts operations in heavily populated residential areas.

The ceasefire agreement, brokered by the United States and reached in October, brought an end to full-scale military operations and facilitated the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza.

However, other key components of the deal have stalled. Hamas has refused to disarm, and Israeli forces have moved further into Gaza rather than pulling back. Both parties accuse each other of breaching the agreement while maintaining that it remains technically in force.

Nickolay Mladenov, the top U.S.-appointed diplomat overseeing the ceasefire, has stated that progress on all remaining issues — including reconstruction efforts, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and the formation of a new Palestinian governing authority — is being blocked by the impasse over Hamas disarmament.

The war has displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s more than 2 million residents, reduced large sections of the territory to rubble, and caused severe shortages of food, medicine, and essential supplies. Nearly all border crossings into Gaza, most of which are under Israeli control, have been closed throughout the conflict.

ROME — In a standing-room-only auditorium near the Vatican, Roberto Vannacci — a former Italian army general whose supporters call him “Il Generale” — rallied followers of his new political movement this weekend, positioning himself as an outsider while simultaneously shaking up Italy’s right wing and mounting a challenge to Premier Giorgia Meloni.

Vannacci’s rapidly growing party, Futuro Nazionale, is introducing fresh uncertainty into the conservative bloc that has been the foundation of Meloni’s government, with tensions mounting as the country looks toward the 2027 general election.

Political observers say the question is no longer whether Vannacci will have an impact on the vote — it’s whether Meloni can contain, absorb, or outmaneuver a rival who is carving out political territory to her right.

The arrival of a competitor on that flank could also test the durability of Meloni’s government and put pressure on the more moderate, pro-European stance she has taken since coming to power.

Vannacci’s ascent is unfolding against a broader backdrop in which far-right and nationalist movements are gaining momentum across Europe, reshaping political landscapes by focusing on divisive issues like immigration and public safety.

“With us, Italy will once again be the home of Italians,” Vannacci declared at his party’s founding assembly in Rome. “Everyone must feel safe in their own home.”

He referred to his core group of lawmakers with pride as the “dirty dozen,” leaning into his image as a political outsider.

Vannacci, 57, first stepped into the public spotlight with a self-published 2023 book titled “Il mondo al contrario” — or “The World Upside Down” — which sparked widespread controversy for its harsh rhetoric targeting LGBTQ+ people, migrants, and minority groups.

He made his formal entry into politics the following year, joining Matteo Salvini’s anti-immigration League party and earning more than 530,000 preference votes in European Parliament elections. He parted ways with the League in February to launch Futuro Nazionale — a split that Salvini labeled a “betrayal.”

Since breaking away, Vannacci has steadily built his base. The party claims it has surpassed 100,000 members and now counts eight deputies in its ranks, including defectors from both the League and the centrist Forza Italia — a sign of growing discontent within Meloni’s coalition.

Vannacci rejects the “far-right” label, preferring to call his movement the “real right.” He has accused Meloni of failing to translate shared political priorities into actual policy and is currently ruling out any alliance with her camp.

His platform takes hard-line stances on security and immigration — including calls for the “remigration” of foreigners he views as not integrated into Italian society — along with opposition to European Union policies such as the Green Deal and criticism of Western sanctions on Russia.

Analysts say Vannacci’s rise signals a deeper political and cultural shift within Italy.

“He is commanding a sort of political raid for hard-right votes within the main parties of the coalition,” said Massimiliano Panarari, a politics professor at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. “Meloni’s strategy was to have no one to her right. Now she does.”

Panarari described Vannacci as “an entrepreneur of fear,” arguing that his rhetoric pushes themes Meloni can no longer openly champion in office — such as openly anti-gay and anti-feminist positions.

Lorenzo Pregliasco, a political analyst and polling expert at YouTrend, said the development brings “something new — an opposition from the right to the current government.”

“Now there is a force outside the majority that challenges it on popular issues like migration, security and culture wars,” he said.

That shift carries real electoral weight. Polls place Futuro Nazionale at roughly 4% to nearly 5% — a potentially decisive slice of the vote in a contest where Italy’s main center-right and center-left blocs are closely matched.

“They could be the difference between finishing ahead or behind,” Pregliasco said, calling Vannacci a potential “wild card.”

For Meloni, the challenge is fundamentally strategic. “In terms of political debate, he introduces instability on the right,” Pregliasco said. “She and her allies must decide whether to absorb him into the coalition — but that would create problems.”

Speaking before parliament earlier this week, Meloni accused lawmakers aligned with Vannacci of undermining her government and benefiting the political left. Her Brothers of Italy party and centrist coalition partners have ruled out any electoral agreements with his movement.

For now, Meloni has steered clear of a direct confrontation — a calculated approach that some see as a wager that Vannacci’s momentum will eventually run out of steam.

“The issue is what to do with this loose cannon of Vannacci, which could drag the right back toward the far right,” Panarari said. “I’m not sure it would benefit Meloni to shift further right before general elections. Her approach will likely be marked by ambiguity and ambivalence, as long as possible.”