Page 24 - Donald Trump

US Navy Secretary John Phelan exits abruptly in latest Pentagon shake-up

Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving his job, the Pentagon abruptly announced Wednesday, the first head of a military service to depart during President Donald Trump's second term but just the latest top defense leader to step down or be ousted. No reason was given for the unexpected departure of the Navy's top civilian official, coming as the sea service has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and is targeting ships linked to Tehran around the world during a tenuous ceasefire in the war. Another Trump loyalist is taking over as acting head of the Navy: Undersecretary Hung Cao, a 25-year Navy combat veteran who ran unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate and House in Virginia. Phelan's departure is the latest in a series of shakeups of top leadership at the Pentagon, coming just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army's top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George. Hegseth also has fired several other top generals, admirals and defense leaders since taking office ..

Hormuz tensions rise as IRGC seizes two vessels amid stalled talks

Pakistan still trying to bring both sides together for negotiations

Iran fires on 3 ships, seizes two in Hormuz, escalating crisis further

Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them on Wednesday, intensifying its assault on shipping in the key waterway a day after US President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports. Iranian media said the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was bringing the two ships to Iran after seizing them in the strait, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil passes in peacetime. The standoff over Iran's closure of the strait and the US blockade raised doubts about when or if talks would resume to end the crisis. The conflict has already sent gas prices skyrocketing far beyond the region and raised the cost of food and a wide array of other products. The longer the strait remains closed, the more severe and widespread the effects will be - and the longer it will take the economy to bounce back. The European Union energy commissioner, Dan Jrgensen, warned of lasting impact for consumers and business, likening the ...

Iran 'collapsing financially', losing $500 mn daily amid blockade: Trump

Trump claimed that Tehran is 'starving for cash' and is 'losing 500 million dollars a day'

Trump extends Iran ceasefire, but maintains blockade as talks falter

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan's request while awaiting a "unified proposal" from Tehran, even as the US military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports. The move comes as the White House put on hold Vice President JD Vance's planned trip to Pakistan for a second round of truce talks with Iran, which has balked at further discussions. But Trump warned that the US military will continue its blockade of Iranian ports. Trump made the announcement as ceasefire talks looked increasingly uncertain with a two-week truce set to expire on Wednesday. Both countries had said they were prepared to resume fighting if no deal is reached. Trump said he would "extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other." Iran has yet to decide whether to join the negotiations in Pakistan, a foreign ministry spokesman said earlier Tuesday, and will only take part if Tehran believ

Vance's Islamabad trip on hold as Iran stays silent on US' proposal: Report

Iran is yet to take a final call on joining the proposed talks in Pakistan, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday

US Fed nominee Warsh says he'll 'absolutely not' be Trump's stock puppet

Warsh was responding to a question from Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana about whether he would be a "sock puppet" for the president. "Absolutely not," Warsh responded

Crisis response: Things could get tough if the conflict continues

Fragile West Asia ceasefire and oil risks test India's economy, as the RBI balances rupee stability, inflation control, and growth amid rising global uncertainty

West Asia crisis: Trump says he does not want to extend ceasefire with Iran

With uncertainty still surrounding the possibility of last-minute diplomatic efforts, Trump indicated that military action could resume if an agreement is not reached soon

Trump signals no truce extension with Iran on eve of scheduled peace talks

Trump said in an interview on Monday that the ceasefire expires on Wednesday evening in Washington and he is 'not going to be rushed into making a bad deal'

'Immediate Results' vs 'The Long Game': US, Iran clash in high-stakes talks

As the United States and Iran make a second attempt at a deal, their negotiating styles are on a collision course

'Lots of bombs' to fall on Iran if no deal: Trump warns ahead of deadline

Trump warns of escalation ahead of April 22 deadline even as US plans fresh talks in Islamabad amid blockade continuing in the Strait of Hormuz

US Labour Secy exits Trump's Cabinet after allegations of power abuse

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump's Cabinet, the White House said Monday, after multiple allegations of abusing her position's power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job. Chavez-DeRemer is the third Trump Cabinet member to leave her post after Trump fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month. Unlike other recent Cabinet departures, Chavez-DeRemer's exit was announced by a White House aide, not by the president on his social media account. "Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector," White House communications director Steven Cheung said on the social media site X. "She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives." He said Keith ...

New US-Iran deal 'far better' than 2015 deal: Trump slams Obama, Biden

Donald Trump vows 'better' Iran deal than Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as US team heads to Islamabad for talks

Pakistan prepares for peace talks despite US seizure of Iranian cargo ship

President Donald Trump is defending his Iran war strategy, attacking critics and skeptics on Monday as "TRAITORS, ALL" after a second round of talks with Iran were thrown into doubt by the US Navy's seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz. It was the first such interception since the US blockade of Iranian ports began last week, and Iran's military vowed to respond. Trump said Vice President JD Vance, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff would be going in Islamabad on Monday, where Pakistani officials were preparing the venue, but Iranians made no commitment to a Round Two of talks with the US, and Vance's motorcade was later spotted at the White House. Trump appeared to throw cold water on hopes for an agreement, telling Bloomberg News Monday that he's "highly unlikely" to renew the ceasefire before it expires Wednesday. The escalating standoff threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy after nearly two months of ...

Trump says Israel did not push US into Iran war, cites nuclear threat

Trump said Israel did not influence his decision to go to war with Iran, attributing the move instead to his long-held stance against Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons

Trump says team led by Vance heading to Pakistan for talks with Iran

Trump said the team would include Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner

West Asia war: Trump to send team to Pak; Iran rejects talks citing breach

Trump says US officials will visit Pakistan for Iran talks as ceasefire nears end; Iran denies agreeing to talks, accusing the US of violating the truce and raising tensions further

Best of BS Opinion: Govt must build consensus for Constitutional amendments

From the setback to the women's quota Bill and rising fertiliser subsidies to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, here is a curated selection of Business Standard's top Opinion pieces today

US Navy seizes Iranian-flagged ship near Hormuz, Tehran vows swift response

The United States attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, and Iran's joint military command vowed to respond, throwing a fragile ceasefire into question days before it expires. It was the first interception since the US blockade of Iranian ports began last week. Iran's joint military command called the armed boarding an act of piracy and a ceasefire violation, the state broadcaster said. With the US-Iran standoff over the strait sharpening and the ceasefire expiring by Wednesday, it was not clear where President Donald Trump's earlier announcement that US negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday for new talks with Iran now stood. The uncertainty sent oil prices rising again. One of the worst global energy crises in decades threatened to deepen. Trump on social media said a US Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman warned the Iranian-flagged ship, the Touska, to stop and then ..