United News of Bangladesh

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear to be taking different approaches to President Donald Trump's national security agenda as both emerge as possible contenders for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. Although the White House and State Department have dismissed any suggestion of a rift, the two senior officials have taken different positions, particularly on Iran and the broader Middle East. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a longtime former senator with a strong focus on Latin America, has generally maintained a pro-Israel stance. Vance, a former Marine and Ohio senator who built his political profile by opposing foreign wars, has at times criticized Israel's military actions in Lebanon, arguing they complicated US efforts to negotiate with Iran. Vance has taken the lead on US negotiations with Iran, while Rubio has focused more on Lebanon. Last week, Rubio played a leading role in reaching a preliminary framework agreement related to Lebanon. Dan Fried, a former assistant secretary of state and ambassador to Poland who is now with the Atlantic Council, said there appears to be a genuine difference between the two officials. "The talk about differences is not idle speculation," Fried said. "There is definitely something to it." The White House rejected any suggestion of internal divisions. "Why is the legacy media obsessed with driving a wedge between Vice President Vance and Secretary Rubio that does not exist?" White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. "There is one camp — President Trump's camp — and the entire administration is fully behind the president's efforts to ensure Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon." State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott also dismissed reports of any disagreement, saying Rubio and the rest of the administration are fully aligned with Trump's policies. According to Trump administration officials familiar with the matter, Rubio was skeptical that negotiations with Iran would produce an acceptable agreement and declined to lead the US delegation at the first ceasefire talks held in April in Islamabad, Pakistan. Vance, seeing an opportunity to strengthen his foreign policy credentials, twice asked Trump to let him lead the negotiations before the president agreed, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations. Vance led the US delegation in Pakistan and later represented Washington again during talks in Switzerland after the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding. However, the ceasefire outlined in that agreement has remained fragile, with repeated exchanges of fire in recent days. Ian Kelly, a retired US diplomat and former ambassador during Trump's first administration, said it is unusual for a vice president to lead such negotiations. "It's rather unusual for the VP to be given the lead role in a negotiation, but it's quite possible that Rubio is happy to let him," Kelly said. "It's a pig in a poke. It's a loser job." He added that both Vance and Rubio appear to have ambitions of succeeding Trump, noting that Trump's recent comments suggesting he would blame Vance if the Iran talks fail could put the vice president under additional pressure. Both Vance and Rubio have rejected suggestions of any disagreement. "We're all focused on the jobs in front of us," Vance said. "I think the president loves to stir the pot a little bit and loves the entertainment of it." He also praised Rubio, calling him "a great secretary of state" and "a very, very dear friend," while saying both are focused on serving the American people. Rubio echoed that message during a visit to Bahrain last week. "When it comes to foreign policy and national security, we have no drama. We have no games," Rubio told reporters. He said members of the administration work closely together to carry out Trump's directives and have achieved positive results through collaboration. Even so, Trump has continued to fuel speculation by asking supporters at campaign-style events whom they would prefer to succeed him and at one point suggested that Vance and Rubio could form an unbeatable future ticket. Despite their public unity, analysts say the two men have different foreign policy outlooks. Fried said Rubio largely follows the traditional Republican foreign policy approach associated with former President Ronald Reagan, while Vance has been more skeptical of military involvement overseas. "Rubio speaks within the rubric of the Ronald Reagan construct of the free world and its importance," Fried said. "Vance is not interested in the free-world construct. He speaks in the language of not wanting to fight what he believes are abstractions." Fried warned that current US policy could ultimately leave Iran in a stronger strategic position despite its recent setbacks. Meanwhile, Rubio's aides note that he has repeatedly said he would support Vance if the vice president decides to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. At the same time, Rubio has strengthened his influence within the administration by reshaping the National Security Council. Several close allies have recently been appointed to key White House positions, including former State Department counselor Mike Needham as deputy national security adviser and Jeremy Lewin, who previously oversaw the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development, as a deputy for the Western Hemisphere. Dylan Johnson also continues to serve in dual roles as head of National Security Council communications and assistant secretary of state for public affairs.

The United States and Iran have separately announced plans to send delegations to Qatar this week, although the two sides remain divided over whether direct negotiations are set to take place following days of military escalation in the Persian Gulf. US President Donald Trump said Iran had requested a meeting with American officials and that talks were expected to be held in Doha on Tuesday. However, Iranian officials rejected that claim. Senior negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi said no talks with the United States had been confirmed, while Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran's delegation would travel to Qatar to discuss the terms of an interim agreement with Qatari mediators, not US representatives. "There are no negotiation meetings with the US side at any level scheduled in the coming days," Baghaei said. Despite the conflicting statements, recent exchanges of military strikes appeared to subside on Monday after several days of heightened tensions. Earlier this month, Washington and Tehran reached an interim agreement under which Iran would dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium, while the United States agreed to ease oil-related sanctions. The deal also called for the free movement of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and gave both sides 60 days to negotiate a broader agreement. The strategic waterway, through which around one-fifth of the world's oil shipments passed before the conflict, has been at the centre of the recent confrontation. Iran's attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and retaliatory US airstrikes had raised fears of wider regional instability and disruptions to global energy supplies. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington believes both countries are stepping back from further military action and expects commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to resume without interference. The official also said Qatar is expected to release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets under the interim agreement. The funds would be used to purchase food and other humanitarian supplies for the Iranian people. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also referred to the anticipated release of the assets in remarks carried by state media. Meanwhile, Oman said it is discussing with Iran the possibility of introducing service-related charges for commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, although Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi stressed that transit fees themselves would violate international rules and are not supported by Muscat. Separately, tensions emerged between Iran and France after French President Emmanuel Macron said France and its partners were coordinating efforts to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded that, under the interim agreement, only Iran has the authority to conduct demining operations in the strategic waterway. In a separate regional development, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon is committed to deploying its army along the country's southern border under a recently signed framework agreement with Israel. The deal has been rejected by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which warned that efforts to implement it could trigger civil conflict.

An Israeli drone strike hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza on Monday, killing at least three people, including an eight-year-old boy and his grandfather, according to local health officials. The strike targeted a neighbourhood in Deir al-Balah, one of the least damaged towns in central Gaza. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital identified the victims as Hassan al-Hanagra, his eight-year-old grandson Malik Abu Shawish, and another man. Hospital officials said Malik, whose parents are divorced, had been visiting his mother's tent when the strike occurred. His mother was among seven people injured. The Israeli military said the strike targeted a militant but did not immediately identify the person or confirm whether the intended target was killed. On Sunday, another Israeli strike in southern Gaza killed Zaher Abu Salem, whom the Israeli military described as an Islamic Jihad member involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Four people, including 13-year-old Eileen al-Farra, were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza that day. Although a ceasefire has been in place since October, Israeli forces have continued near-daily strikes. Gaza health officials say 1,045 Palestinians, including more than 360 women and children, have been killed since the truce began. Israel says it is targeting militants planning attacks on troops controlling more than 60 percent of Gaza. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed in militant attacks during the ceasefire. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 73,058 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, while the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry said a 15-year-old boy from Jerusalem was shot dead during an Israeli raid near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Amir Jaber suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head despite resuscitation efforts. Two others were injured by Israeli fire during a separate raid near Hebron. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. The Ramallah operation was among at least six raids across the occupied West Bank reported by the Palestinian news agency WAFA on Monday.

US President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran had requested a meeting with American officials, but Iranian authorities denied that any talks had been scheduled. In a post on social media, Trump said the meeting would take place on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar. The US president is trying to keep an increasingly fragile interim agreement alive as tensions continue to rise in the Strait of Hormuz. The recent hostilities have raised fears of higher global oil prices, potentially weakening Trump's claims that inflation in the United States is easing. Earlier on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Qatar would release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets, even as negotiations with Washington faced fresh challenges following attacks in the Persian Gulf over the weekend. His remarks appeared aimed at reassuring the Iranian public about the interim agreement, particularly as Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz has come under pressure amid efforts to expand shipping routes through Oman's territorial waters. Iran's attacks and threats disrupted the movement of cargo ships and oil tankers through the strategic waterway, which normally handles about one-fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas. The disruption has fueled concerns about a global energy crisis. Although the strait lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, it has long been regarded as an international shipping route. In recent days, Iran attacked vessels travelling near Omani waters twice, prompting retaliatory US airstrikes and raising concerns that efforts to secure a formal end to the conflict could be derailed. Iran also launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday. Pezeshkian, meanwhile, described the interim agreement as "a great victory for the Iranian people" in remarks carried by the state-run IRNA news agency. "Based on the plans made, $6 billion out of the total $12 billion of Iranian resources in Qatar will be be released and returned to the country, and necessary follow-ups are being carried out," he said, without providing further details. The reformist president is the highest-ranking Iranian official to publicly mention the planned release of the funds held in Qatar, which has been acting as a key mediator alongside Pakistan in the negotiations. However, US officials maintain that none of Iran's frozen assets have been released. Qatar has also not confirmed any transfer, while Iran attacked a tanker carrying Qatari crude oil during the recent exchange of hostilities in the Persian Gulf. Confusion also persisted over the next round of Iran-US negotiations. Pakistan, which has been mediating between the two sides, said talks would resume on Tuesday. The Trump administration said on Sunday that discussions had not been canceled and that technical-level talks remained on schedule. But senior Iranian negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi rejected reports that any talks had been arranged. "Although consultations with Qatar, including on following up on the implementation of the other side's commitments, are continuing as usual, reports by some media about technical talks by the working groups being held in Doha are not confirmed," he said, according to IRNA. Technical talks involve lower-level officials working out the details of a possible agreement before senior leaders from Iran and the United States return to formal negotiations.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz remains under Tehran's full control for the next 30 days, warning that continued US military action would further aggravate the already fragile security situation in the region. His remarks came as the United States reportedly carried out a second day of airstrikes on Iranian targets, hitting Qeshm Island and the southern cities of Sirik and Bandar-e Lengeh following a drone attack on a commercial vessel near the strategic waterway. Iran said it had launched retaliatory strikes against US forces stationed in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to the attacks and warned of a "crushing response" if further military action is taken against the country. The latest escalation has raised fears of a broader regional conflict, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes through which a significant share of global energy supplies passes. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump accused Iran of violating the memorandum of understanding reached between Washington and Tehran and threatened to "militarily complete the job" if Tehran continued its actions. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the reported strikes or casualties, and both sides appeared to be hardening their positions amid growing international concern over the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the Gulf region. Source: Al Jazeera

The United States carried out strikes on 10 Iranian military targets on Saturday after accusing Tehran of violating a fragile ceasefire by attacking an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes targeted surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone and missile storage facilities, coastal radar installations and minelayer capabilities at multiple locations near the strategic waterway. President Donald Trump said the attacks were launched after Iran breached the ceasefire agreement, warning Washington could take further military action if Tehran continued its attacks. CENTCOM said Iranian forces used a one-way drone to strike the oil tanker Kiku, carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel had departed a Qatari oil field and was bound for the United Arab Emirates. Iranian media reported explosions near the strait following the US strikes. Earlier, Bahrain accused Iran of launching several drones toward the kingdom, though no damage was reported. The latest escalation comes as Washington and Tehran continue negotiations under a 60-day interim agreement covering maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme. Maritime authorities also warned that threats to commercial shipping remain high despite expanded alternative shipping routes near Oman.

Iran launched a drone attack targeting Bahrain on Saturday while a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz also came under attack, in what appeared to be Tehran's response to overnight U.S. airstrikes on Iranian targets. The latest incidents have heightened fears of a renewed escalation in the Gulf despite an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the conflict and paving the way for a final accord. The U.S. strikes came after an Iranian drone attack on a vessel attempting to leave the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, extending a series of confrontations that have undermined the fragile ceasefire. Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet and one of Iran's strongest regional critics, condemned the drone attack. In a statement, Bahrain's Foreign Ministry said a number of Iranian drones targeted the kingdom, describing the attack as "a flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents." Earlier on Saturday, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted several locations linked to the "U.S. terrorist army in the region," but did not specify the sites. Separately, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. The crew was reported safe and no environmental damage was recorded. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though suspicion quickly fell on Iran. Following the incident, the U.S. Navy-supervised Joint Maritime Information Center announced an expansion of a maritime route near Oman's coast to facilitate both inbound and outbound shipping traffic. Iran has insisted that vessels transiting the strait comply with its directives and has warned that it could begin charging transit fees in the strategic waterway, through which around one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supplies traditionally pass. The United States and Gulf Arab states have rejected Tehran's demands, maintaining that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway despite lying within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. The Joint Maritime Information Center warned that the threat to commercial shipping in the region remains "substantial" and advised mariners to exercise caution due to the presence of mines and ongoing naval clearance operations.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sought to reassure Gulf Arab allies that Washington remains committed to their security, despite concerns among regional partners about being sidelined in negotiations aimed at ending the conflict with Iran. Speaking in Bahrain on Thursday at the end of a three-day tour of the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, Rubio said the United States wants Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members to be fully informed and involved as negotiations with Iran progress. Rubio said Gulf leaders had shared "concrete concerns and ideas," adding that their main demand is to remain informed at every stage of both technical and political negotiations. "We want them to be involved and we want the views of all these countries to be reflected," he said, stressing that Washington would not make decisions that undermine the security or stability of its Gulf partners. The trip comes amid regional unease following the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, a conflict that disrupted oil exports and exposed several Gulf states to Iranian missile and drone attacks. Following the meeting, the United States and the six-member GCC—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—issued a joint statement reaffirming their shared objective of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and maintaining unity as negotiations move toward a permanent end to hostilities. The statement also rejected any Iranian attempt to impose fees or assert control over the Strait of Hormuz, while welcoming Oman's initiative to establish a safe maritime corridor for stranded sailors. It noted that any economic benefits for Iran would depend on its compliance with both the temporary agreement and a future final deal. Despite the optimistic tone of the joint statement, comments from GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi suggested that concerns persist within the bloc. He stressed that any future arrangements involving Iran must address the security interests of Gulf states and adhere to principles of sovereignty, good neighbourliness and non-interference. Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani also welcomed recent diplomatic progress but said many questions remained unresolved. He underscored the need for Iran to fully meet its obligations, including preventing nuclear proliferation, ensuring freedom of navigation, ending missile and drone attacks, halting support for proxy groups and refraining from interference in neighbouring countries. The remarks highlight continuing Gulf concerns over the direction of US-Iran diplomacy and the long-term security implications for the region.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has accused NATO of being complicit in what it described as an “unlawful war of aggression” after the alliance’s chief said European allies had assisted the United States and Israel during strikes on Iran. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said comments by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte amounted to “a clear and damning admission of NATO’s active complicity” in the conflict. Baghaei said NATO and the member states involved “must be held accountable for all the consequences” of their actions. He also named Italy and Romania among the countries that, he said, should explain “why they chose to collude”. Earlier, speaking to Fox News, Rutte said Italy had allowed about 500 US aircraft to take off from American bases on its territory in support of President Donald Trump’s military operation against Iran, known as “Operation Epic Fury”. Rutte also said authorities in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, had reduced commercial flights because airports were being used to support tanker aircraft involved in the operation.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran had assured Washington that it was not seeking tolls, insurance fees or any other charges from vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, warning that negotiations between the two countries would end immediately if that information proved untrue. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Iran had informed the United States that, despite what he described as misleading reports by the “Fake News” media, it was not pursuing or collecting any fees from ships passing through the strategically important waterway. Hormuz Strait reopening eases shipping crisis, but 1,200 cargo vessels remain stranded According to Trump, Iran conveyed that there were “no tolls, no insurance costs and no other charges of any kind” being sought or received from vessels travelling through the Strait of Hormuz. “If this is false information, negotiations would end, immediately!” Trump wrote.