#us-iran-relations

#us-iran-relations

Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey have taken the lead in efforts to broker a peace deal between the United States and Iran, serving as intermediaries in talks between Trump administration envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Turkey is attempting to build a unified front in negotiations to counterbalance Israeli influence, working with European, Gulf, and other regional actors to help end the conflict.

The backchannel talks between Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, were not a secret in the sense that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry had tweeted that conversations were under way on Sunday.

After Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal in July 1956, a joint British-French armada of six aircraft carriers destroyed Egypt's air force, while Israeli troops smashed Egyptian tanks in the sands of the Sinai Peninsula. Within less than a week of war, Nasser had lost his strategic forces and Egypt seemed helpless before the overwhelming might of that massive imperial juggernaut.

The other piece of this that I found really disturbing in the messaging around the war recently is some of the language in the description of their opponent. Sort of the way they seem to create this image of the Iranians and all of their sort of proxies or allies, the sort of imagery that they conjure up. And I think that it takes a certain amount of arrogance and I'm also going to say it, a bit of racism, to constantly talk about people like they are savages.

Evidence is building that the strike may be the result of US forces relying on outdated intelligence, according to two US officials familiar with the matter, though they cautioned that the assessment remains preliminary. The officials, who spoke to RFE/RL on March 11 on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said they could not confirm or deny reports -- which have appeared in The New York Times and Reuters, among other media outlets -- on the faulty intelligence, but they added that early findings point in a similar direction.

We also spoke about the current situation in Iran, and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.

I'm hearing they want to talk badly. It's possible. Depends on what terms, possible, only possible. You know, we sort of don't have to speak anymore, you know, if you really think about it, but it's possible.

Rigid in his anti-western views, Mojtaba Khamenei is not the candidate Donald Trump would have wanted. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said on Tuesday that Iran was run by religious fanatic lunatics and Khamenei's appointment is hardly likely to dispel that opinion.

For more than 40 years, the relationship between the United States and Iran has been defined by hostility, sanctions, proxy wars and the ever-present fear of nuclear escalation. But it was not always that way. In fact, America once backed the Shah of Iran, helped develop the country's nuclear programme under its Atoms for Peace initiative and counted Tehran as one of its key Middle Eastern allies.

My goal is to actually be of service, not just to hold onto a position. The youngest woman ever elected to a state legislature, Gabbard chose to forgo reelection to the Hawaii House of Representatives so she could participate in a deployment to Iraq as a member of the Hawaii National Guard at age 23, demonstrating her commitment to principle over political advancement.

In 1953 Iran's elected prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, nationalizes the country's oil sector. That move prompts Great Britain to appeal to the U.S. for help, and what results is a CIA-led campaign to topple Mosaddegh's government. The coup allows Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah (or king) of Iran, to consolidate power around himself.

Andreas Krieg of King's College London explains the objectives behind Israel's and the US' plans to strike Iran and why he sees fundamental flaws in their approaches.

Donald Trump has renewed his threats against Iran, suggesting that Tehran has about 10 days to reach a deal with Washington or face further military strikes. Speaking at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington, DC, on Thursday, the United States president reiterated his argument that the joint Israeli-US strikes against Iran in June of last year paved the way to the ceasefire in Gaza.

The Justice Department released more than 3 million files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, exposing a sprawling web of powerful figures who vied for his counsel. The DOJ's internal notes revealed the extent of allegations made against Epstein and others who have not faced criminal charges for sex trafficking. NPR has reviewed the documents. Here are four takeaways from the latest release of the Epstein files.