Iranian Foreign Minister sets conditions for negotiations
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, says he is willing to negotiate an end to the Iran war, provided the US meets conditions. His country is ready to continue the diplomatic process if “the exaggerated demands, threatening rhetoric and provocative actions of the American side” change, the pro-government Iranian television station Press TV quoted the foreign minister as saying.
On Friday it became known that Iran had handed over a new proposal to mediators in Pakistan, according to the state news agency Irna. However, US President Donald Trump was dissatisfied with it. Initially, nothing was officially known about the contents of the new initiative.
Trump also declared the hostilities in Iran to be over in a letter to the US Congress on Friday. A ceasefire, which Trump extended unilaterally and without a time limit, still applies.
Insider: High kerosene prices are bringing airlines to their knees
According to insiders, the US low-cost airline Spirit Airlines is on the verge of collapse after a massive increase in jet fuel prices as a result of the Iran war destroyed its restructuring plans. Read more about this here.
USA approves billions in arms exports to the Middle East
The US State Department says it has approved arms sales worth more than $8.6 billion to allies in the Middle East. To the recipients
include Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The announcement comes nine weeks after the US and Israel began their war against Iran and more than three weeks after a fragile ceasefire took effect.
Trump declares US military operations against Iran “over”
On the day of a deadline in the US Congress for the Iran War, US President Donald Trump declared to leading parliamentarians that the hostilities against the Islamic Republic were “over”. “The hostilities that began on February 28th have ended,” Trump said in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and acting Senate President Chuck Grassley on Friday.
A key deadline for the Iran War expired in the US on Friday, requiring the US President to seek approval from Congress to extend the conflict beyond 60 days. Without authorization, the US government is obliged by law to end the operation. However, the US government did not consider approval necessary: a high-ranking government official told the AFP news agency on Thursday evening that in accordance with the law the fighting was considered to have ended. There have been no exchanges of fire since a ceasefire that began at the beginning of April.
Trump also referred to this in his letter: He ordered a two-week ceasefire on April 7th, which has “since been extended.” “There has been no exchange of fire between United States forces and Iran since April 7, 2026,” he said.
