Spanberger receives DHS plea to hold illegal immigrant repeat offender now charged in attempted rape
FIRST ON FOX: Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has been asked not to release yet another criminal illegal immigrant as northern Virginia, a major suburb of Washington, D.C., continues to be rocked by a migrant crime spree. Fox News Digital has learned that the Department of Homeland Security has asked Spanberger and “sanctuary politicians” in Arlington, Virginia, to honor a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer on a Guatemalan illegal immigrant charged with attempted rape. The illegal immigrant, Luzvin Orvando Garcia Moran, 28, faces charges of abduction of a person with intent to defile, sodomy by force or victim helplessness and assault in an alleged attempted rape, according to DHS. Local outlet ABC7 reported that Garcia Moran allegedly approached a woman waiting on a rideshare around 6 a.m. on Sunday and attempted to force himself on her. She attempted to escape multiple times but was grabbed, shoved against a wall and assaulted. The outlet reported that two good Samaritans intervened to stop the assault but that the assailant escaped. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASED UNDER BIDEN CHARGED WITH GROPING FEMALE STUDENTS AT VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL Garcia Moran was arrested in the assault and is being held without bond. Since Arlington has several sanctuary policies limiting local cooperation with ICE, DHS said the agency filed a detainer request with the Arlington County Jail to ensure that Garcia Moran is not released back into the community. DHS said Garcia Moran entered the U.S. illegally on an unknown date. Citing Arlington County Court records, the agency said he has “at least” 25 prior charges dating back to 2020, including nine counts of being intoxicated in public, assault and battery, disorderly conduct, attempting to disarm a law enforcement officer and several probation violations. SPANBERGER DODGES QUESTIONS ON WHETHER SHE WOULD REVERSE SANCTUARY POLICY AS DHS TURNS UP HEAT This comes as Spanberger is facing mounting pressure from ICE and local citizens to reverse her executive order limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities in the face of a slew of attacks and a sexual assault in nearby Fairfax County. Recent crimes by illegal aliens in Fairfax County include multiple murders by stabbing, a baby killing and a string of alleged gropings by an 18-year-old of minor girls at a high school. Illegal aliens have committed 75% of the murders in Fairfax County in 2026, according to DHS. Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis claimed it was “Virginia’s sanctuary policies [that] allowed this illegal alien to go on a crime spree.” “Despite prior arrests by law enforcement, this criminal was released from jail multiple times before he went on to commit this heinous rape,” Bis said. “We are calling on Arlington County sanctuary politicians and Governor Abigail Spanberger to commit to not releasing this criminal from jail back into our communities. ICE LODGES DETAINER FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANT CHARGED WITH STRANGLING WIFE AND DUMPING BODY NEAR OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY “How many more times must they release criminals into our neighborhoods to create more innocent victims?” Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office and Arlington County for comment.
ODNI sends criminal referrals to DOJ for ex-IG, whistleblower tied to Trump impeachment
EXCLUSIVE: The Office of the Director of National Intelligence sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department for the whistleblower whose complaint helped trigger President Donald Trump’s 2019 impeachment and for the former intelligence community inspector general who notified Congress of the allegations, Fox News Digital has learned. “I want to refer information that may constitute possible criminal activity in violation of federal criminal law committed by one or more former employees of the intelligence community,” ODNI’s general counsel wrote in the referral to the Justice Department. Fox News Digital on Wednesday reviewed the referrals ODNI sent to the Justice Department. “The possible criminal activity concerns the circumstances described in the following congressional briefings: Discussion with Intelligence Community Inspector General, House Permanent Select Comm. on Intel., 116th Cong. (2019); Briefing by the Intelligence Community Inspector General, House Permanent Select Comm. on Intel., 116th Cong. (2019),” it continued. GABBARD CLAIMS ‘COORDINATED EFFORT’ BY INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY TO ADVANCE NARRATIVE TO IMPEACH TRUMP The referrals come after DNI Tulsi Gabbard released documents earlier this week exposing what was described as a “coordinated effort” by elements within the intelligence community—including then-Inspector General Michael Atkinson, to “manufacture a conspiracy” that was used as the basis to impeach Trump in 2019. An intelligence official told Fox News Digital that the language in the referral is broad, but that it’s specifically directed at Atkinson and the whistleblower who reported concerns about President Trump’s July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. FLASHBACK: NUNES THREATENS TO REFER WATCHDOG’S HANDLING OF WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT TO DOJ ODNI directed Fox News Digital to a recent X post from Gabbard when asked for comment on the referrals. “Newly-declassified records expose how deep state actors within the Intelligence Community concocted a false narrative that Congress used to usurp the will of the American people and impeach duly-elected President @realDonaldTrump in 2019,” Gabbard posted to X on Monday. Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Justice on Wednesday afternoon regarding the referrals. The documents Gabbard released earlier this week include transcripts from Atkinson’s closed-door testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which were withheld from the House Judiciary Committee during the first impeachment trial. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark., led a vote to release the transcripts in March. ODNI said the documents confirmed that Atkinson “failed to conduct basic due diligence and willfully exceeded his statutory jurisdiction to mischaracterize the president’s phone call with Zelensky as an ‘urgent concern’ to Congress.” Atkinson, during his investigation, found that the whistleblower showed indications of “political bias” and was “in favor of a rival political candidate,” while still deeming the complaint a matter of “urgent concern.” Atkinson received a complaint in August 2019 from the whistleblower, who was raising concerns about Trump’s July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pressing him to launch investigations into the Biden family’s actions and business dealings in Ukraine. The president specifically suggested Zelensky look into Hunter Biden’s ventures with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings and former President Joe Biden’s successful effort to have former Ukrainian prosecutor General Viktor Shokin ousted. Hunter Biden was quietly under federal investigation, beginning in 2018, at the time of the call, a probe prompted by suspicious foreign transactions. Trump’s request was regarded by Democrats as a quid pro quo because millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Ukraine had been frozen. Democrats also said Trump was meddling in the 2020 presidential election by asking a foreign leader to look into a Democrat political opponent. Biden has acknowledged that when he was vice president, he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings and Hunter had a highly lucrative role on the board, receiving thousands of dollars per month. The then-vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired. “I said, ‘You’re not getting the billion.’ … I looked at them and said, ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’” Biden recalled telling then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Biden recollected the conversation during an event for the Council on Foreign Relations in 2018. FLASHBACK: HOUSE INTEL REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATING ICIG HANDLING OF WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT “Well, son of a b—-, he got fired,” Biden said during the event. “And they put in place someone who was solid at the time.” Biden allies maintain the then-vice president pushed for Shokin’s firing due to concerns the Ukrainian prosecutor went easy on corruption, and they say that his firing, at the time, was the policy position of the U.S. and international community. Meanwhile, House Republicans, back in 2019 and 2020, sought to refer Atkinson and the whistleblower to the DOJ for investigation. Republicans, at the time, complained that the whistleblower made contact with the staff of then-Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., in advance — though Schiff downplayed the nature of that contact. The White House, under Trump’s first term, released a declassified version of the whistleblower complaint, which revealed that the whistleblower’s concerns stemmed from the secondhand accounts of “more than half a dozen U.S. officials.” The declassified whistleblower complaint, though, stated: “I was not a direct witness to most of the events described. However, I found my colleagues’ accounts of these events to be credible, because, in almost all cases, multiple officials recounted fact patterns that were consistent with one another.” Trump was impeached in the House of Representatives in December 2019. He was acquitted by the Senate in February 2020. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the matter Wednesday.
Hunter Biden now living abroad as legal troubles mount, court filing reveals
Embattled former first son Hunter Biden has reportedly moved out of the United States amid mounting legal issues, just a year after his father left the presidential office in 2025. His attorney, Barry Coburn, disclosed Biden’s current living situation in an April 6 court filing tied to a civil lawsuit over unpaid legal fees. “Mr. Biden lives abroad,” the document stated. “He cannot pay his current lawyers.” It remains unclear where the first son of former President Joe Biden has relocated. However, the 56-year-old previously indicated late last year that he had been visiting Cape Town in South Africa, where his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, is originally from. PRESIDENT BIDEN PARDONS HIS SIBLINGS JUST MINUTES BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE “When all of the political and personal stuff came to an end in the last six months, I had always promised that we would spend some time over here,” Biden said during a November appearance on The Wide Awake Podcast, based in South Africa. “We’re trying to be between Cape Town and the States, go back and forth.” “I’ve fallen madly in love with Cape Town,” he added. “You guys do not know how good you have it here. It’s the most beautiful city in the world.” Most recently, Biden was photographed with his family — alongside his parents, Joe Biden and Jill Biden — in Santa Ynez, California, over Easter weekend, according to photos shared on Instagram last week by his sister, Ashley Biden. The court document disclosing Biden’s current living situation was submitted in a Washington, D.C., civil court by Winston & Strawn LLP, which previously represented him in a series of criminal cases that drew intense national scrutiny over the years, including a felony gun trial in Delaware and a tax crimes prosecution in California. According to the filings, the former first son has not paid a “substantial portion” of the fees owed to his legal team. He reportedly has limited financial resources and also cannot afford to hire specialized professionals to assist with the lawsuit, citing instances that Biden manually “hand-searched” his own emails to locate relevant documents rather than relying on outside resources. Biden also noted during his podcast appearance that he is facing “$17 million in debt … as it relates to my legal fees.” DAVID AXELROD QUESTIONS BIDEN’S MASCULINITY AFTER LAST-SECOND FAMILY PARDONS: ‘MAN UP’ In summer 2024, Biden was found guilty of multiple criminal offenses, including the illegal purchase of a firearm in 2018. Prosecutors proved he lied on a federal form by stating he was not using illegal drugs at a time when he was struggling with a crack cocaine addiction. He also pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges, including three felonies, in connection with a scheme to evade $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019. He was ultimately pardoned by his father on all federal charges in December 2024.
Trump administration’s Federal Reserve HQ probe escalates with unannounced site visit by prosecutors
Deputies from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (USADC) showed up earlier this week, unannounced, at the Federal Reserve’s construction site in Washington, D.C., which is part of an investigation tied to congressional testimony from Chairman Jerome Powell. After speaking with construction workers, two prosecutors from the USADC were reportedly turned away and told they could not be permitted access because they had not gotten preauthorized clearance, the Wall Street Journal first reported. They were then reportedly given the contact information of the appropriate Fed staff to reach out to. The visit underscores U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s view of the case the Trump administration launched in November against Powell. In January, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas amid an investigation into the Federal Reserve’s $2.5 billion headquarters renovation that began in November. The investigation centers on whether Powell lied to Congress about the renovation or failed to comply with the appropriate permitting rules. BOASBERG BLOCKS SUBPOENAS AGAINST FED CHAIR JEROME POWELL A Fed spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry and it declined to comment when contacted by the WSJ. “Any construction project that has cost overruns of almost 80% over the original construction budget deserves some serious review,” Pirro said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “And these people are in charge of monetary policy in the United States?” An outside attorney for the Federal Reserve, Robert Hur, reportedly objected to the visit in a letter to Pirro’s office. Hur, in his letter, pointed to U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s ruling last month that threw out the subpoenas in a 27-page ruling describing them as an effort to “harass and pressure Powell.” Boasberg is an appointee of former President Barack Obama. TRUMP’S PICK TO LEAD THE FEDERAL RESERVE MEETS GOP SENATOR HOLDING UP HIS CONFIRMATION Powell has been pressured by President Donald Trump to lower interest rates and to step down as chairman of the Federal Reserve. His term as chair ends in May, but the probe also threatens Trump’s pick to replace him, Kevin Warsh. Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has said he would withhold his vote to confirm Warsh if the Fed investigation is not dropped. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., head of the Senate Banking Committee, proposed that Pirro’s investigation would be completed in a few weeks during an interview with Fox News. However, when pressed on whether he knew for sure the investigation would end, Scott indicated he did not have any evidence of that. President Trump, meanwhile, thanked Pirro and others for having “courage” to persevere in the investigation. “We have a moron at the Fed. Who wouldn’t be lowering interest rates right now?” Trump said last month. “I want to thank Jeanine Pirro and Pam and her group for having the courage to bring this suit. And I believe that the contractor on that job is probably one of the richest men in the country right now. I believe that it’s not possible to spend that kind of money – $3 billion, $4 billion – nobody knows, nobody has any idea what it is. But it’s over $3 billion and it’s probably going to be over $4 billion by the time they finish and it may never get finished, unless I take it over. I’ll get it finished. But it can never be what it was.”
GOP holds with Trump on Iran war, but cracks emerge as deadline nears
Republicans aren’t ready to jump ship against President Donald Trump’s Iran war, as evidenced by another failed attempt to handcuff his war powers in the Middle East, but they also aren’t lining up to support a prolonged conflict. Senate Republicans blocked another war powers resolution from Senate Democrats for a fourth time on Tuesday as Operation Epic Fury entered its 46th day. It comes as a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. is nearing its end, and talks toward a broader peace agreement remain tenuous. Democrats initially started their war powers strategy to compel Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth to testify publicly on the administration’s rationale behind the conflict. They argued that Iran posed no imminent threat, making the war unconstitutional without congressional approval under the War Powers Resolution. ROGUE DEM BUCKS PARTY ON TRUMP WAR POWERS, CALLS IRAN ‘47-YEAR-OLD WAR CRIME’ Now, they’ve loaded up six new resolutions to continue that push. “We’re going to have a debate and a vote every week in the United States Senate until either this war comes to an end or our Republican colleagues decide to do their constitutional duty,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said. Most Republicans, for now, aren’t breaking with the president. But a 60-day deadline that will require either Congress to weigh in or Trump to cease hostilities is fast approaching, and it’s raising questions among some in the GOP. Under the War Powers Resolution, Trump has 60 days until Congress is required to weigh in and either authorize or disapprove of the war. If the latter, the administration has 30 days to draw down forces in Iran. SCHUMER BLASTS TRUMP’S IRAN WAR AS FAILURE, MOVES TO REIN IN HIS WAR POWERS AMID CEASEFIRE “The president needs to come to Congress in the absence of some imminent threat to the country or an attack on the country, to seek an authorization,” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said. “Otherwise, it’s illegal to make war as he’s doing.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who has bucked Trump before on Venezuela but toed the party line on Iran, is drafting an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) on the war in Iran, describing the effort in an interview with The New York Times as a way to put parameters around Operation Epic Fury. When asked by Fox News Digital if she was still working on the AUMF, she said, “Uh huh, I’m working on so much.” Whether Republicans will support the administration and authorize the war remains an open question. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has sided with Senate Democrats on each effort to handcuff Trump’s war powers, wouldn’t say how he’d vote on a potential AUMF. TOP GOP HAWK GRAHAM WARNS IRAN DEAL HAS ‘TROUBLING ASPECTS’ AS CEASEFIRE BEGINS “I’m not for the war in Iran, I think it’s a war of choice but not my choice,” he said. Others see an AUMF as a potentially useful tool, if successful, for Trump and his efforts in the Middle East. “I think maybe an AUMF could be an advantage for the president, to say, even Congress is here for the long time, removing the political calculation that maybe the president doesn’t have Congress’ support,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said. Still, the economic toll at the pump and on goods is making Republicans’ constituents feel the immediate pain of the conflict. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged the crunch that the war was having on the cost of fertilizer in his agriculture-heavy state, but he questioned the authority of the War Powers Resolution. “If you accept the war powers as being constitutional, it would be the threshold under which that law would apply,” Thune said. “But I think, you know, at least right now, the steps that have been taken so far I think have been very effective and successful. But we do, they need a plan out, how to wind this down, how to get an outcome.” Democrats still argue that the war was illegal to begin with and have no plans of letting up on their war powers push, even as the deadline nears. “If the president has a plan, he can come to Congress and ask for authorization, and we can have the debate we should have had beforehand,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said.
Leavitt puts Democrats on defense as ‘disgusting’ allegations against Swalwell mount
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed Democrats on Wednesday over mounting sexual assault allegations against former Rep. Eric Swalwell, questioning what they knew and why no one spoke out sooner. “I think the accusations and allegations against former Rep. Swalwell are despicable and disgusting,” said Leavitt. “It’s also quite plausible that there were many other Democrats in this town on Capitol Hill who knew about his, perhaps illegal behavior, certainly his disgusting and inappropriate behavior,” said Leavitt. Swalwell announced Monday that he would step down from the House after four women came forward accusing the longtime congressman of assault. The mounting allegations, which ultimately derailed his political future, followed his decision to exit California’s 2026 gubernatorial race just a day earlier. KASH PATEL TAUNTS SWALWELL WITH FBI SIT-DOWN AS RESIGNATION FALLOUT GROWS Leavitt urged journalists to press lawmakers on why no one spoke out sooner, specifically calling out Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. “Ask Democrats in power how they knew about such despicable behavior from one of their elected representatives for so long, but never said or did anything about it,” said Leavitt. Gallego on Monday accused his close congressional ally and longtime friend of living a double life. “I want to be clear: I had no knowledge of the allegations of assault, harassment, and predatory behavior against Eric Swalwell,” Gallego said in a statement following Swalwell dropping out of California’s 2026 gubernatorial race. 5TH ACCUSER COMES FORWARD AGAINST REP ERIC SWALWELL AHEAD OF EXPECTED RESIGNATION Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has also denied having any knowledge of Swalwell’s alleged behavior, saying “none whatsoever” in response to a reporter. Pelosi added Swalwell’s resignation announcement Monday was a “smart decision” and the “right thing to do” after a wave of allegations threatened to force his ouster. Fox News Digital reached out to Gallego’s office for comment. Fox News Digital’s Adam Pack contributed to this report.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal vows to win Champions League after Atletico defeat
Spain’s teenage star writes to fans the day after Barcelona’s Champions League exit to promise future glory. Published On 15 Apr 202615 Apr 2026 Lamine Yamal has renewed his promise to win the UEFA Champions League (UCL) with Barcelona. A day after the team’s elimination by Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals, the 18-year-old Yamal said on Wednesday that he will not give up and will fulfil his promise to capture the trophy with the Catalan club. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “We are Barca, and we will be back where we belong,” Yamal said on a post on Instagram. “My parents taught me that a man’s word always has to be fulfilled … we’ll bring it to Barcelona.” Barcelona defeated Atletico 2-1 on Tuesday, but it had lost the first leg 2-0 at home last week. The Catalan club was trying to return to the semifinals for the second season in a row. It won the last of its five Champions League trophies in 2015 with Lionel Messi at the top of his game. “We gave it our all but it wasn’t good enough,” Yamal posted. “This is just part of the road. To get to the top you have to climb, and we know it won’t be easy, nor will they make it easy for us. But giving up is not an option. “We have plenty of reasons to be excited, and we’re going after it with everything. Every mistake is a lesson, and don’t doubt that we will learn from each one of them.” Yamal, who scored one of Barcelona’s goals on Tuesday, had similar words after the team’s loss to Inter Milan in the 2025 semifinals, saying he “won’t stop” until he can “fulfil my promise” to win the Champions League with the club. Yamal early on Wednesday was still using on his Instagram profile the photo of LeBron James holding the NBA trophy in 2016 when the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors. Advertisement He had said before the game against Atletico that James was an inspiration for Barcelona’s comeback attempt. His team needed another goal on Tuesday to take the game to extra time. Barcelona’s forward Lamine Yamal reacts during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal defeat [Oscar Del Pozo/AFP] In La Liga, Barcelona have a nine-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid after 31 rounds, and its next match is against Celta Vigo next week. Barcelona loudly complained of the refereeing in both legs against Atletico, and forward Raphinha will likely face punishment after saying on Tuesday that his team was “robbed”. Barca President-elect Joan Laporta said Wednesday that the refereeing was “shameful” and “inadmissible” and said the club planned to present a formal complaint with UEFA. “The refereeing, both on the field and in the VAR booth, was a disgrace,” he told Spanish media. “What they did to us is intolerable. In the first leg, they didn’t award us a clear penalty and sent off one of our players for a yellow card offence. The refereeing decisions hurt us a lot.” Barcelona had already made a complaint to UEFA about a possible penalty in its favour in the first leg. It had Pau Cubarsí sent off in the first half of the opening game, and Eric García was shown a red card in the second half on Tuesday. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, meanwhile, said his youthful squad will learn from their latest setback. “We have a young team, and they will improve,” the German said after the game. “Every day we have to learn more, we have to be better and this is what we have to do.” Adblock test (Why?)
US sending 10,000 more troops to Middle East despite Iran ceasefire
The US is sending additional troops to the Middle East this month, according to The Washington Post. Published On 15 Apr 202615 Apr 2026 The United States is sending more than 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East before the end of April as Washington tries to increase pressure on Iran, US officials have told The Washington Post. The newspaper, quoting current and former US officials speaking on condition of anonymity, reported on Tuesday that the US was sending about 6,000 troops on board the USS George HW Bush carrier and the ships escorting it to the region. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Approximately 4,200 other troops from the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Corps task force, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are expected to arrive near the end of the month, the report said. It was previously announced that roughly 50,000 troops had been involved in operations in the war on Iran since its beginning on February 28. With the looming arrival of the USS George HW Bush, which is reportedly sailing around Africa, the number of carriers in the region will reach three. The USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald Ford are in the Middle East and participated in the fighting against Iran. The report, which Al Jazeera was unable to verify, comes as the US pressed ahead on Wednesday with a naval blockade it said had cut off maritime trade with Iran. Naval blockade US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media overnight that its previously announced blockade had been “fully implemented” and that American forces “have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea”. The picture based on maritime tracking data on Tuesday was less clear-cut, indicating that several ships sailing from Iranian ports had crossed the Strait of Hormuz despite the blockade. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump told The New York Post on Tuesday that a new round of talks with Iran could take place in Pakistan “over the next two days,” after a marathon first negotiating session ended without a breakthrough. Advertisement Last week, the US and Iran failed to reach a deal to end the war after high-stakes talks in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, but the two-week ceasefire declared a week ago held. The truce is set to expire on April 22. According to the officials speaking to The Washington Post, the deployment of new troops will enable the US administration to continue holding talks with Iran, while at the same time preparing for “the possibility of additional strikes or ground operations”. Adblock test (Why?)
Iran warns US naval blockade threatens ceasefire
Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities say a continued United States naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz could end the current pause in fighting as mediators try to secure a diplomatic solution. “If the aggressor and terrorist US seeks to continue its illegal action of imposing a naval blockade in the region and to create insecurity for Iran’s commercial vessels and oil tankers, this action by the US will constitute a prelude to a violation of the ceasefire,” said Major General Ali Abdollahi, the commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “The powerful armed forces of Iran will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the area of the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea,” Abdollahi, whose organisation has been running the war and influencing political decision-making, was quoted as saying by state media on Wednesday. The comments come after the US military said its naval blockade has “completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea” and will continue amid the two-week ceasefire declared a week ago. US President Donald Trump told Fox News that the war is “close to over” and hinted at a second round of face-to-face talks with Iran in Pakistan in the coming days, but US media have also reported that thousands more American soldiers have been sent to the Middle East on warships. Vice President JD Vance is expected to lead the US delegation if a second round of talks does materialise, but no date has been finalised. Advertisement Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, arrived in Iran on Wednesday as part of a Pakistani delegation after “numerous messages” were exchanged with the US through mediators since the Iranian delegation returned from Islamabad on Sunday. The goal of any potential future talks will be to “fully cease the war and realise the rights of Iran” in addition to lifting the sanctions imposed on the country, Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters. He also emphasised that Iran has not and will not seek a nuclear weapon but insists on its right to pursue nuclear energy for civilian purposes under United Nations safeguards. He said the level and type of enrichment can be negotiated. Baghaei also renewed Iran’s criticism of Rafael Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, for statements and reports about Iran’s nuclear programme that the country believes paved the way for Israel’s 12-day war in June and the current war that the US and Israel started on February 28. On Wednesday, Iran’s parliament speaker and former IRGC and police commander Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation at the weekend talks in Pakistan, held a rare phone call with United Arab Emirates Vice President Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. They discussed “regional developments and ways to de-escalate tensions in the region”, according to the UAE’s WAM news agency. The UAE and other Gulf Arab states came under heavy Iranian attack before the ceasefire with Iran saying it was targeting the US military presence in those countries. ‘Never give concessions’ Iranian authorities have maintained a defiant approach and have said their supporters, who have taken to the streets at night in a show of strength over the past six weeks, will not be happy if major concessions are given on uranium enrichment and the Strait of Hormuz. Messages from Iran’s hardline-controlled state television and many members of parliament have been adamantly against negotiations with Washington, pushing the narrative that they believe Iran has the upper hand after surviving 40 days of war with military superpowers. Speaking to supporters gathered on Tuesday night on the streets of Saveh, southwest of Tehran, parliament’s deputy speaker, Ali Nikzad, said Iran considers control over the Strait of Hormuz a sovereign and legal matter. “We will never give concessions to our enemy,” he said. Esmaeil Kowsari, a member of parliament’s national security commission and former senior IRGC commander, said it would be “impossible” for the government to accept “even one clause” of the 15 points delineated by the Trump administration to achieve peace. Advertisement “We will participate in negotiations to show to the world that they must enter the field and stop this instability. We know the Americans are not trustworthy and will not remain committed to agreements,” he told the state-run IRNA news agency. For his part, President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran will continue dialogue within the framework of international law and has blamed Washington for “excessive demands” that have derailed any agreement, including on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Mohammad Khatami, a former reformist president who has been sidelined for years, released a statement late on Tuesday to signal that the IRGC must now transform achievements in the field of battle to a “lasting peace” that would allow Iran to develop. “We have entered a new and more sensitive phase in which we must, free from overexcitement and extremism, consolidate our current military and political achievements; and, through a precise and realistic understanding of society and of the necessities of the post-war period and the new global economic and political developments, remove the shadow of threat, aggression, and war from Iran,” he wrote. More arrests, confiscations announced Iranian authorities have continued to announce the enforcement of death sentences as well as a large number of arrests and asset confiscations. The judiciary has said some of the executions were linked to nationwide protests in January, during which thousands of people were killed during an internet blackout. Others were tied to national security crimes and a host of other charges. Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025 and were on track to execute even more people this year during the war with the US and Israel, Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty said on Monday. That figure marks a 68 percent increase compared with the year before and
AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s strong reaction to ED raid at MP Ashok Kumar Mittal residence, LPU: ‘Modi Ji has begun preparations of Punjab elections’
Following an ED raid at residence and business entities of Aam Aadmi Party MP at Rajya Sabha Ashok Kumar Mittal, party convenor Arvind Kejriwal reacted strongly alleging Bharatiya Janata Party of kick-starting the “preparations for the Punjab elections.”