US President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday with an extraordinary display of political machismo on Sunday, staging a cage fight on the White House lawn hours after announcing a memorandum of understanding with Iran.

In unprecedented scenes, Trump walked out of the Oval Office alongside Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) boss Dana White and headed towards the giant arena dubbed “The Claw”.

On the way, the reality TV star-turned-president mounted the historic Truman Balcony and saluted while the national anthem played and 12 US military jets staged a noisy flyover of the White House.

Trump then took his place on the South Lawn, beside the mesh-fenced cage called the Octagon, where 14 fighters beat each other bloody in the first professional sporting event ever held at the White House, in an event dubbed “UFC Freedom 250”.

Source: France 24

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian Army have announced a series of coordinated retaliatory military operations targeting US military installations across the region, including assets in Bahrain.

The statements, issued in early Thursday, described the operations as a response to American aggression targeting various regions in southern Iran.

Two-wave operation targets 18 US military assets

The IRGC said its Aerospace Force and Navy conducted a retaliatory operation in two separate waves in reprisal for attacks on the Corps’ coastal outposts and service units, law enforcement posts, and the Bandar Abbas airport area.

“Eighteen key targets belonging to the criminal US military” were struck and destroyed at the Ali al-Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber airbases in Kuwait, as well as the Sheikh Isa airbase in Bahrain.

Drone strikes against US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain

Separately, the Army’s Public Relations Office reported a drone operation targeting the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

“In response to a ceasefire violation and attacks on parts of southern Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army used various explosive-laden drones to strike the US Fifth Fleet,” the office noted.

It added that communication antennas and radar systems associated with the fleet’s Patriot air defense system were targeted in the counterstrikes.

The Army said its forces remained fully prepared for further confrontation and would continue operations until the “punishment of the aggressor” was completed.

Meanwhile, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s highest operational command unit, also issued a statement, attributing the halt brought about to the latest round of the aggression to “powerful and decisive response” by the armed forces.

Also on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said US bombing in Iran would stop shortly, claiming that senior Iranian officials had called to ask him to halt the latest attack.

The IRGC, however, categorically rejected the claim, calling it “a cover to escape war.”

Source: Presstv

US mediation efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war are currently on hold, although American negotiators continue to maintain contacts with both Moscow and Kiev, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“The mediation process on Ukraine is currently on hold. That said, US negotiators are maintaining contacts,” Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

According to the Kremlin spokesman, discussions between Russia and the United States remain ongoing through existing communication channels, alongside contacts involving the Ukrainian side.

Peskov also said there are currently no plans for a phone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Commenting on a potential visit to Moscow by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Peskov said no date has yet been set.

His remarks came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described a conversation with Witkoff and Kushner as “positive,” praising what he called their willingness to work toward a settlement of the conflict in the coming weeks.

Peskov added that the Kremlin had not been informed of any contacts between the American representatives and the Ukrainian side.

Addressing the possibility of European involvement in mediation efforts, the Kremlin spokesman said Russia currently considers such a role “unacceptable.”

“First of all, starting mediation efforts by putting forward certain conditions to Russia is likely illogical and wrong,” Peskov said.

“But the main thing is that, as far as we can see, the Europeans are far more inclined to focus on continuing the war rather than on peace negotiations.”

Source: Presstv

Chinese President Xi Jinping has visited North Korea amid growing global tensions to reinforce ties between the two neighboring countries.

China’s president arrived in Pyongyang, the capital, on Monday and met with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un. Portraits of Xi and flags of both nations are lined along the streets across Pyongyang.

Xi’s two-day state visit to Pyongyang is his first trip to the North Korean capital in nearly seven years, as Beijing looks to reinforce the ties between the traditional allies.

It comes in the back of him hosting separate summits with the leaders of Russia and the United States.

Talks between Xi and Kim are expected to cover economic ties and international issues, as well as ways to coordinate among Pyongyang, Beijing, and Moscow.

China’s foreign ministry said the summit will see an exchange of views between the two leaders on bilateral and common issues.

This may include rising tensions in West Asia due to the recent US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran and its allies.

Source: Presstv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has published an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging a face-to-face meeting and a full ceasefire to finally end the war.

The proposal, released Thursday by the Ukrainian presidential office, comes as Russian forces continue advances and Moscow reiterates its long-standing readiness for serious negotiations.

Zelensky wrote, “Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us – and you. I am proposing a meeting.”

He added that Ukraine is prepared for a complete ceasefire during negotiations and suggested a bilateral summit in a neutral country, along with full prisoner exchanges and broader security arrangements involving Europe and the United States.

The letter arrives amid Ukrainian long-range drone attempts near St. Petersburg, where Russia was hosting a major international economic forum.

Yet President Putin responded measuredly earlier in the day, confirming that Russia’s air defense systems “must be strengthened” while emphasizing battlefield progress.

“We are advancing along the entire line of contact,” Putin told journalists, underscoring Russia’s consistent military achievements even as it keeps the door open to diplomacy.

Russia has never closed the path to peace. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Zelensky “can come at any time to Moscow,” a straightforward invitation that highlights Moscow’s pragmatic approach.

President Putin has made clear he would meet to finalize an already-reached agreement, rejecting staged talks but affirmed repeatedly: “We are absolutely ready and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine through peaceful means.”

Putin’s stance aligns with Russia’s core demands since the 2022 special military operation began, protecting the people of Donbas and ensuring Ukraine’s neutrality and demilitarization.

Zelensky’s letter acknowledges the heavy costs of prolonged fighting, citing Russian casualties and domestic pressures, yet it also reflects growing recognition in Kiev that time is not on Ukraine’s side.

Russian forces maintain the initiative, and Moscow’s economy has proven resilient despite external pressures.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who has consistently called for a quick end to the war, welcomed the overture.

“I think it would be great if they met. They should – get it done,” Trump told reporters. He noted that both sides will need to make compromises and credited US diplomacy for helping bring the parties closer.

Battlefield realities favor resolution

Recent weeks have seen Ukrainian strikes on Russian targets, which Kiev describes as retaliation. Russia, however, continues to push forward methodically.

Russian forces have sustained momentum overall since late 2025, with Russian industry and public resolve intact.

Zelensky’s direct appeal, rare from the Ukrainian leader, frames the conflict as needing personal leadership to resolve.

Putin, with more than a quarter-century of experience guiding Russia through challenges, has questioned the legal status of Ukraine’s leadership after 2024, a point grounded in Ukraine’s own martial law rules. Still, Russia has expressed openness to a referendum on any final deal once a ceasefire holds.

The world has grown weary of endless conflict. Zelensky’s proposal for a neutral-hosted summit, prisoner swaps, and security guarantees offers a practical route forward.

Russia has always sought a just and lasting peace that addresses the root causes, NATO’s eastward push, the rights of Russian-speaking populations in eastern Ukraine, and reliable security guarantees.

As Putin put it, Russia stands ready for peaceful agreement. Zelensky’s letter may mark the beginning of the serious talks both nations have long needed.

With Russia’s strength evident and its peace overtures consistent, a meeting could finally turn the page toward stability, reconstruction, and a safer future for all.

Source: Press TV

The Iranian Navy announces targeting the “command-and-control center” behind recent US violations, saying the facility was located aboard an American destroyer operating in the Sea of Oman.

The development was announced in a statement released by the Army’s Public Relations Office on Wednesday.

The strike came in response to aggressive US measures against Iranian commercial shipping and violations related to the Strait of Hormuz, the statement read.

According to the statement, the operation was carried out after Iranian forces detected and identified the source of the atrocities.

“A few hours ago, following aggressive actions, violations of the regulations governing the Strait of Hormuz, and hostile acts against Iranian commercial vessels in the Sea of Oman by the terrorist and aggressive US military, the Navy, immediately upon detecting and identifying the source of those actions, targeted the command-and-control center responsible for them,” it added.

According to the statement, the command-and-control center was located aboard a US destroyer “that was attempting to approach the waters of the Islamic Republic.”

Iran confronted the latest bout of unprovoked aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime, which began on February 28, with at least 100 waves of decisive and successful retaliatory strikes. The reprisal hit sensitive and strategic American and Israeli targets throughout the region. The Islamic Republic also shut down the Strait of Hormuz to enemies and their allies.

Faced with the response, US President Donald Trump announced a unilateral ceasefire on April 7.

The Islamic Republic began applying far stricter controls over the strait after Trump announced continuation of an illegal naval blockade of Iranian vessels and ports on April 13 in violation of the terms of the ceasefire.

Amid the developments, Iran introduced the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a new institutional mechanism to regulate and oversee vessel traffic through the chokepoint.

Source: Presstv

A senior Iranian Army commander strongly warns the Islamic Republic’s adversaries against attempting fresh aggression against the country, asserting that such miscalculation will receive a response more forceful than previous retaliation.

Deputy Army Commander for Coordination, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari made the remarks on Saturday.

“The enemy should know that any aggression against the country’s territory will be met with a response even more forceful than before,” he stated.

“Today, the Army of the Islamic Republic stands firmly and resolutely against any hostile move by the enemy,” the commander added.

Sayyari underlined that the country’s military forces, including all the branches of the Army, were equipped with the most advanced defense systems and equipment outfitted with modern technologies.

The comments echoed verification by American officials, themselves, that Iran retains significant firepower, despite the latest bout of unprovoked aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime that targeted the country between February 28 and April 7.

Source: Presstv

Former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatou Bensouda says she was subjected to a nearly decade-long intimidation campaign by Israel’s Mossad aimed at forcing her to abandon an investigation into Israeli war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Bensouda revealed in a speech in The Hague that she faced sustained coercion and intimidation, including threats, surveillance, and pressure targeting her family. Mossad sought to obstruct the ICC’s Palestine investigation through these measures.

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen personally led parts of the operation, acting as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “unofficial messenger” in an effort to pressure the former prosecutor to drop the case.

Despite the pressure campaign, the ICC formally authorized a criminal investigation into the occupied Palestinian territories in 2021.

The reported intimidation effort began in 2015, after Bensouda opened a preliminary examination into violence in Palestine.

In one incident, unidentified individuals delivered an envelope containing $500 to her home, which she said was intended as a signal that she was under surveillance.

“They came directly to my house,” Bensouda told Al Jazeera. “I got the message that they’re sending.”

She later said the pressure escalated, including a secret meeting in New York where Cohen confronted her and warned that continuing the investigation could endanger her and her family.

Mossad is also reported to have conducted a smear campaign targeting Bensouda’s husband using transcripts of intercepted recordings in an unsuccessful attempt to discredit her.

Bensouda said she felt “left alone” and “unsupported” throughout the process, urging the European Union to strengthen protections for the ICC against foreign intimidation and sanctions.

The revelations come amid increased pressure on the court following requests for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Israeli war minister Yoav Gallant.

The intimidation campaign coincided with US sanctions imposed on Bensouda in 2020, followed by later measures targeting current ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan and several judges, including asset freezes and restrictions on personal bank accounts.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei urges Muslim countries to deepen cooperation and shape a new regional and global order beyond American dominance.

“The [global] Muslim Ummah (Nation) and the nations of the region possess many shared capacities and common interests that will shape the new order and the future architecture of the region and the world,” Ayatollah Khamenei wrote in a message on Tuesday.

The message, issued on the occasion of the Day of Arafah, the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage, said Muslim nations were entering a historical phase in which regional realities were changing irreversibly and American military influence was steadily diminishing.

“The hands of time will not turn back, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for US bases,” the Leader stated.

He added that the United States “will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region” and was “growing more distant from its former status day by day.”

“The future belongs to the Muslim Ummah and the new Islamic civilization.”

Source: Presstv