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American and Iranian officials sat down for a first round of direct talks Saturday in Oman, a major step after years of rising tensions and stalled diplomacy that will continue with further discussions next weekend, according to a statement released by the White House. 

The meeting between U.S. Special Envoy Steven Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was the first face-to-face exchange since President Donald Trump returned to office as Iran continues to expand its nuclear program.

The White House described the discussions as "very positive and constructive," adding, "the United States deeply thanks the Sultanate of Oman for its support of this initiative."

Witkoff, joined by U.S. Ambassador to Oman Ana Escrogima, told Araghchi Trump had personally instructed him to try to resolve differences through diplomacy, if possible. 

DELEGATES FROM IRAN, US HOLDING TALKS IN OMAN AMID ONGOING TENSIONS: WHAT TO KNOW

The talks took place on the outskirts of Oman’s capital, Muscat, and lasted just over two hours. Omani Foreign Minister Said Badr hosted the meeting. 

Iranian state TV later confirmed the sides exchanged several rounds of messages, and there was a short, direct conversation between the American and Iranian diplomats.

Military pressure appears to be a big reason Iran came to the table. Rebecca Grant, a senior fellow at the Lexington Institute, told the "Fox Report" Saturday the U.S. has sent a clear signal by moving powerful military assets into the region.

TRUMP DEMANDS DO-OR-DIE NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN. WHO HAS THE LEVERAGE? 

"All the options are not only on the table. They're all deployed to the Middle East," Grant said. "Somewhere between four and six B-2 stealth bombers [are] forward in Diego Garcia, [along with] two aircraft carriers. That has really gotten Iran’s attention."

Grant said Iran now faces a choice. 

"Iran either has to talk or get their nuclear facilities bombed," she said.

Tensions between the two countries have been high since 2018, when Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal. 

That agreement placed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program. Since then, Iran has been enriching uranium at much higher levels. The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Iran is enriching uranium to 60% purity, just below weapons-grade, and has stockpiled over 18,000 pounds of it. Under the original deal, Iran was limited to 3.67% purity and a much smaller stockpile.

While U.S. intelligence agencies do not believe Iran has started building a nuclear weapon, they warn the country is getting closer to being able to do so if it decides to.

Gen. Jack Keane, a Fox News military analyst, said Iran’s leaders now believe Trump is serious about using military force if they don’t agree to limit Iran's nuclear program.

"They’ve come to the conclusion that the president is dead serious about supporting an Israeli-led, U.S.-supported strike on Iran to take down their nuclear enterprise," Keane said.

Grant explained that the U.S. and its allies are ready for such a strike if talks fail. 

"Israel took out a lot of Iran’s air defenses last year," she said. "Then you have two [U.S.] carriers, land-based fighters in the region and B-2 bombers with bunker-busting bombs. That’s the threat display."

She added that Iran has no real need to enrich uranium since it can buy nuclear fuel on the open market. 

"It is time for them to start to make a deal," she said. "And I think, maybe, due to our military pressure and Trump’s resolve, they’re beginning to realize it."

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has said he’s not open to direct negotiations on the nuclear program but has also blamed the United States for breaking past promises. 

"They must prove that they can build trust," Pezeshkian said in a recent Cabinet meeting.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei warned of consequences if threats continue. 

"Violence breeds violence, peace begets peace," he wrote on social media. "The US can choose the course... and concede to consequences."

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News no deal can happen unless Iran gives up its nuclear weapons plans. 

"We have to fully, verifiably eliminate their nuclear weapons program for there to be any agreement," he said. "All we ask is that they behave like a normal nation."

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Grant said any future deal will need strict terms. 

"It’s going to have to include real inspections," she said. "It’s going to have to include them giving up, frankly, some of that enriched uranium. There will have to be some limits on their ballistic missile development."

The two nations are scheduled to meet again April 19 in Oman, according to the White House statement.

Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney after he seemed to validate an anti-Israel protester’s assertion that there is a "genocide" in Gaza.

"Canada has always sided with civilization. So should Mr. Carney. But instead of supporting Israel, a democracy that is fighting a just war with just means against the barbarians of Hamas, he attacks the one and only Jewish state. Mr. Carney, backtrack your irresponsible statement," Netanyahu wrote in a post on X.

ELITE UNIVERSITY SUED, ACCUSED OF NOT TAKING ACTION AGAINST ANTISEMITIC HARASSMENT

Carney was at a rally in Calgary, Alberta, when someone in the crowd shouted, "Mr. Carney, there’s a genocide happening in Palestine!"

In response, Carney thanked the protester and said, "I’m aware, which is why we have an arms embargo" as the crowd began chanting his name.

The response sparked an uproar among Canadian Jewish organizations, such as the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which tweeted an objection to Carney’s comments. CIJA also criticized Canada's arms restrictions on Israel, calling them "dangerous."

"It is outrageous to see politicians fuel antisemitism through false narratives of demonization," CIJA tweeted. "There is no genocide in Gaza. Claiming otherwise is false."

JEWS ‘UNDER SIEGE’ IN TRUDEAU'S CANADA AMID SOARING ANTISEMITISM

Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi, a member of Canada’s Conservative Party, also condemned Carney’s remarks, calling them a "disgraceful betrayal of moral clarity."

"By siding with a heckler and endorsing the false, slanderous claim of 'genocide' in Israel, he has shown himself unworthy of leadership or respect."

When asked to clarify his comments, Carney claimed he did not hear the protester say the word "genocide."

"It's noisy. If you're up there you hear snippets of what people say and I heard Gaza, and my point was I'm aware of the situation in Gaza," he said, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

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Canada began halting arms sales to Israel in January 2024. Months later, in September 2024, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that she had suspended the permits of multiple companies over a U.S. plan to sell Canadian-made ammo to Israel. She said that Canada would "not have any form of arms or parts of arms be sent to Gaza, period."

Nearly a month into Israel’s renewed ground operation, U.S. backing appears to be shaping the conflict on multiple levels—militarily, diplomatically and politically. Israeli officials have suggested the chances of a hostage deal have significantly increased, with some anticipating developments within the next two weeks.

On Monday, sitting beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump told reporters, "We are trying very hard to get the hostages out. We're looking at another ceasefire. We'll see what happens." The remarks highlighted Trump’s dual-track approach: continued diplomatic pressure on Iran and direct support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. 

With what Israeli officials describe as a "free hand" to operate, Israel has expanded its offensive into Rafah and the strategically significant Morag Corridor. The stated aim is to increase pressure on Hamas and help secure the release of the remaining 59 hostages.

ISRAEL LAUNCHES NEW GROUND OPERATION IN GAZA

A senior Israeli security official told Fox News Digital that the campaign is being carried out in close coordination with the United States. "Everything is coordinated with the Americans — both the negotiations and the operational activity. The goal is to bring the hostages home. We now have a free hand to act, and no longer facing the threat of a veto at the UN Security Council, unlike during the previous administration."

The same official pointed to a shift in humanitarian policy that, in their view, has enhanced Israeli leverage. "Unlike the previous administration, the U.S. is not forcing 350 aid trucks into Gaza every day. That gives us leverage," the official said, adding that limiting aid reduces Hamas’s ability to control the population.

On Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced the IDF had completed the takeover of the Morag Axis. The Morag Corridor — which separates Rafah from Khan Younis — is part of an effort to establish a new buffer zone and degrade Hamas’s operational capabilities. "The logic is that the more territory Hamas loses, the more likely it will be to compromise on a hostage deal," the official said.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reinforced that strategy during a visit to front-line units this week. "I expect you to defeat the Rafah Brigade and lead to victory wherever you are fighting," he told troops. The IDF had previously declared the Rafah Brigade dismantled in September, but forces have returned to key strongholds, where tunnel networks remain.

HAMAS LAUNCHES FIRST ATTACK ON ISRAEL SINCE CEASEFIRE COLLAPSE

In the same statement on Saturday, Katz warned Gazans, "Hamas is unable to protect the residents or the territory. Hamas leaders are hiding in tunnels with their families or living in luxury hotels abroad, with billions in bank accounts, using you as human shields. Now is the time to rise up, to get rid of Hamas, and to release all the Israeli hostages — that is the only way to stop the war."

In their Oval Office meeting, Trump and Netanyahu reiterated their alignment on core issues. Netanyahu stated that Gazans should be "free to choose to go wherever they want," in what some analysts view as a reference to renewed discussions about third-country resettlement. Trump went further, floating the idea of a U.S. presence in the Strip, noting, "Gaza is an incredible piece of important real estate. Having a peace force like the United States there, controlling and owning the Gaza Strip would be a good thing."

Javed Ali, a former senior director at the U.S. National Security Council and now a professor at the University of Michigan, offered a more measured view of the current military strategy. "Now that we're almost a full month into the resumption of high-intensity IDF operations in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, Israel's military strategy appears to be focused on clearing and holding remaining pockets of known Hamas elements, which at the same time is displacing Palestinians throughout the territory."

CEASEFIRE OVER AS ISRAEL STRIKES GAZA AFTER HAMAS REFUSED TO RELEASE HOSTAGES, OFFICIALS SAY 

Ali said it remains unclear how Israel intends to manage or govern areas it clears. He drew comparisons to the U.S. experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The U.S. encountered its own challenges in the post-9/11 wars with similar 'clear and hold' approaches, since insurgent and jihadist elements in both conflicts utilized guerrilla warfare tactics and terrorist attacks."

While the Biden administration had previously emphasized humanitarian access, Ali noted that the current White House has not publicly pressed Israel to scale back its operations. "That could change," he said, particularly as humanitarian conditions worsen or if negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program progress. "If those talks gain momentum, Iran may pressure the U.S. to rein in Israel’s campaign against Hamas to preserve what remains of the group. Whether the U.S. team, led by Steve Witkoff, entertains such demands will be a key regional development to watch."

On the ground, Israel has moved to reshape the humanitarian landscape in Gaza. The decision to restrict Hamas’s access to aid reflects a broader policy shift under IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who reversed his predecessor's stance and authorized the military to directly oversee the distribution of supplies. "Hamas will not regain control over the aid, because that was its lifeline," an Israeli security official explained. "It’s what allowed it to maintain control over the territory throughout this period. People in Gaza know that Hamas controls the aid; if they realize that Hamas no longer does, its control within the Strip becomes ineffective."

Humanitarian organizations and international leaders continue to condemn Israel. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking on April 8, condemned the ongoing blockade of aid. "More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza. No food. No fuel. No medicine. Gaza is a killing field — and civilians are in an endless death loop," he said.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Oren Marmorstein, strongly rejected the Secretary-General’s claims. "As always, you don’t let the facts get in the way when spreading slander against Israel," he posted on X. "There is no shortage of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip — over 25,000 aid trucks have entered during the 42 days of the ceasefire. Hamas used this aid to rebuild its war machine. Yet, not a word in your statement about the imperative for Hamas to leave Gaza. The people of Gaza are braver than you — they’re calling, loud and clear, on Hamas to leave and stop abusing them."

Eugene Kontorovich, a senior legal scholar at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital: "One doesn’t need the Israeli Supreme Court to say there is no starvation in Gaza — this was admitted by the UN’s own Food Security Phase Classification, which in June found that prior UN reports were inaccurate and that there is no famine. There is no serious evidence of starvation in Gaza, and what food scarcity does exist can be attributed to Hamas pillaging and hoarding aid. As the truth comes out, it becomes clear that the starvation claims were designed to halt Israel’s legitimate self-defense against a genocidal attack."

As military and diplomatic tracks converge, Israeli officials remain cautiously optimistic that talks may soon produce results.

Delegates from the United States and Iran are holding talks in Oman on Saturday in a delicate effort to restart negotiations over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. 

The talks, between a mediator to Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, come nearly seven years after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. Since then, indirect talks between the two adversaries have made zero progress.

Trump has imposed new sanctions on the Islamic Republic as part of his "maximum pressure" campaign and has suggested military action remained a possibility. Despite this, the president has said he still believed a new deal could be reached by writing a letter to Iran's 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which he sent early last month. 

Khamenei, meanwhile, has warned that Iran would respond to any U.S.-led attack with an attack of its own.

TRUMP DEMANDS DO-OR-DIE NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN. WHO HAS THE LEVERAGE? 

"They threaten to commit acts of mischief, but we are not entirely certain that such actions will take place," the supreme leader said. "We do not consider it highly likely that trouble will come from the outside. However, if it does, they will undoubtedly face a strong retaliatory strike."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei called such threats against Iran "a shocking affront to the very essence of International Peace and Security."

"Violence breeds violence, peace begets peace. The US can choose the course...; and concede to CONSEQUENCES," he wrote on X.

AHEAD OF TRUMP ADMIN-IRAN TALKS, NEW REPORT SAYS IRAN NUCLEAR THREAT RISES TO ‘EXTREME DANGER’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected direct negotiations with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program.

"We don't avoid talks; it's the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far," Pezeshkian said in televised remarks during a Cabinet meeting. "They must prove that they can build trust."

Once allies, both countries have been hostile to one another for nearly half a century, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution that saw the creation of a theocratic government led by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whose rule was cemented in a CIA-led coup in 1953, had fled Iran before the revolution, ill with cancer, as demonstrations swelled against his rule. Late in 1979, university students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seeking the shah's extradition and sparking the 444-day hostage crisis that severed diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S.

TRUMP'S GOT IRAN CORNERED BY FOLLOWING REAGAN'S DOCTRINE

In the decades since, Iran-U.S. relations have see-sawed between enmity and grudging diplomacy, with relations peaking when Tehran made the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers before Trump withdrew from the deal, sparking more tensions in the Mideast that persist today.

Under the original 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium up to 3.67% purity and to maintain a uranium stockpile of 661 pounds. The last report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's program put its stockpile at 18,286 pounds as it enriches a fraction of it to 60% purity.

U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has "undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so."

Iran has insisted for decades that its nuclear program is peaceful. However, its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran now enriches uranium to near weapons-grade levels of 60%, the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so.

A fertility clinic in Australia has confirmed a critical error in which one woman gave birth to another couple’s child after an embryo transfer went wrong.

The incident occurred at Monash IVF’s Brisbane clinic and is being described as the result of "human error," despite what the company says are strict protocols in place.

Monash IVF revealed that the mistake was identified in February, after the birth parents requested their remaining embryos be transferred to another clinic. During that process, an extra embryo was found in storage, sparking an internal investigation.

It was then confirmed that an embryo belonging to a different couple had been incorrectly thawed and transferred, ultimately resulting in the birth of a child.

GEORGIA WOMAN SAYS SHE'LL 'NEVER FULLY RECOVER' AFTER IVF MIX-UP LEADS TO HER LOSING CUSTODY OF BABY

"Monash IVF can confirm that an incident has occurred at our Brisbane clinic, where the embryo of one patient was incorrectly transferred to another patient, resulting in the birth of a child," Monash IVF said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Our focus is on supporting our patients through this extremely distressing time. We are devastated about what has happened and apologize to everyone involved.

"We are truly sorry."

The clinic stressed that it is prioritizing the privacy of the families involved, including the child, and confirmed that the information being shared publicly has been de-identified with their knowledge.

VERMONT ACCUSED IN LAWSUIT OF TRACKING PREGNANT WOMEN CONSIDERED UNSUITABLE TO BE MOTHERS

According to the clinic, the situation was escalated to senior leadership within hours, prompting an immediate investigation. 

"The investigation confirmed that an embryo from a different patient had previously been incorrectly thawed and transferred to the birth parents, which resulted in the birth of a child," according to the statement. "The investigation also found that despite strict laboratory safety protocols being in place, including multi-step identification processes being conducted, a human error was made."

Monash IVF said its Crisis Management Team was activated as soon as the issue was identified. Within a week, the Medical Director of the Brisbane clinic began meeting with the affected patients to offer apologies and support. 

The company said it conducts regular compliance audits and is now undertaking full process reviews while reinforcing safeguards across all of its clinics.

"On behalf of Monash IVF, I want to say how truly sorry I am for what has happened. All of us at Monash IVF are devastated and we apologize to everyone involved. We will continue to support the patients through this extremely distressing time," Monash IVF Group CEO Michael Knaap said. "Since becoming aware of this incident, we have undertaken additional audits and we're confident that this is an isolated incident. 

"We are reinforcing all our safeguards across our clinics – we also commissioned an independent investigation and are committed to implementing its recommendations in full."

Monash IVF has not released further information about how the child was returned to the biological parents or the current legal status of the case.

The case echoes a similar incident in the U.S. involving a Georgia woman. 

In 2023, Krystena Murray underwent IVF treatment at Coastal Fertility Specialists and gave birth to a baby who was not biologically hers. A DNA test confirmed the error, and after a custody battle, Murray was compelled to give the child, a boy, to his biological parents. 

Murray has since filed a lawsuit against the clinic, citing emotional distress and negligence.

It is unclear if the families involved will be compensated for the Monash IVF Group's error.

There should be "no rush" in negotiations after a Tennessee pastor was kidnapped while preaching at a church in South Africa, a retired FBI agent and hostage negotiator from Knoxville told Fox News Digital. 

"There’s no rush into this," Jason Pack told Fox News Digital on Friday evening. "Calming things down, slowing things down and just having that dialogue and listening to see what [the hostage takers] want is really the key here."

He said he’s sure the U.S. authorities are in close contact with the South African authorities, who are leading the investigation, adding that along with the U.S. embassy there, the FBI also has a legal attaché office there that will be involved.

Pack explained, "Negotiators want to buy time and slow things down. Generally speaking, when an incident like this happens, there's a lot of adrenaline pumping, a lot risk for violence. So generally, at the time when these incidents happen, that's the highest risk for violence. So now there's time, hopefully there's an open line of communication and there's opportunity to make this end safely for everybody."

SIX OHIO SUSPECTS ACCUSED OF TORTURING MAN IN WEEKLONG HOTEL KIDNAPPING: ‘EXTREMELY DISTURBING’

Josh Sullivan, 45, was kidnapped by several armed, masked men who broke into his church in the Eastern Cape Province Thursday evening, took cellphones from parishioners and drove away with Sullivan in his own truck. 

Sullivan, a missionary, came to South Africa with his wife and two children in 2018. 

"The main goal now both from the South African government and from the U.S. government is the safe return of Pastor Sullivan to his family and his loved ones without anyone getting hurt," Pack stressed. "That's the key goal here right now." 

He added that "if there is a silver lining in any of this" it would be that "none of the other family members were hurt."

Pack said that may mean the kidnapping was for money rather than a "political statement" against Americans or missionaries. 

"So hopefully that's indicative of an open line and an open dialogue that the folks who are involved with this will want to do and so everybody can come home safely," he said. 

Pack added that Sullivan and his family are from the same part of Tennessee as him and the "community is rallying around them. They're praying for the safe return of the pastor and his family to his loved ones and for his family here in East Tennessee, there are certainly prayers."

He told Fox News Digital that "most of these things are settled with words and not force. So, the more you can have open dialogue, the more we can talk and listen, I think the more successful you can be in these type situations."

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He added that while apprehending his captors is important, "Right now it's not about catching the bad guys, it's about the safety of Mr. Sullivan, and it's the safety the folks involved. So we can work on that later."

The abject desperation in the Gaza Strip is emboldening the population there. For the first time since Hamas seized power 18 years ago, they are speaking out against Hamas at great personal risk.

"Since Oct. 7 people have been blaming Hamas and recognizing Hamas started this war," Moumen Al Natour said.

A Gaza lawyer and former political prisoner of Hamas, Al Natour knows very well the risk he is taking by making public statements against Hamas. 

"I would be lying if I said I was not afraid," he said through a translator. "I am afraid like any citizen living as a hostage under Hamas rule for the last 18 years. If I don’t speak out against Hamas, we will certainly be exposed to something worse in the future."

SLAIN HAMAS HOSTAGE'S FAMILY FIGHTS FOR THE RELEASE OF THOSE STILL IN GAZA

While Al Natour is taking the dangerous step of speaking out – he even wrote an opinion piece published in The Washington Post – he is not entirely alone. 

On March 26, thousands of Palestinians took to the devastated streets in the Northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya. They chanted, "Out, out, Hamas get out" and "The people want the fall of Hamas."

A demonstration in Gaza against Hamas would have previously been a guarantee of a heavy-handed response from the terrorist organization. Now, Hamas is weakened, partially by Israeli Defense Forces, partially by the desperation of the Gazans Hamas claims to serve. 

"Recently, anger has been increasing towards Hamas because the situation is deteriorating," said Al Natour.

Power has been a rare luxury in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. Video that comes from the Gaza Strip is an accurate reflection of the pervasiveness of the destruction. Al Natour told Fox News only buildings in the center of the Gaza Strip escaped the wrath of Israel's army.

Water is scarce. "Most of the water we have is dirty, unhealthy water," Al Natour said. "It’s very hard to have access to clean water. The water they use for other purposes is seawater, and it’s very salty. It is greatly affecting people's health over here."

UN GLOBAL COMMS ARM UNDER FIRE FOR ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS AS CRITICS CALL FOR REFORMS

Life in Gaza will only return to a healthy standard when the war ends. So, Al Natour says Gazans want to liberate the Israeli hostages. "The people of Gaza are all for the release of all Israeli hostages and sending them back to their houses. But, on the other hand, the civilians in Gaza do not have anything. They do not have the tools or any ability to help in this matter."

He also said that Gazans want an end to Hamas rule, replacing them with local leadership focused less on fighting Israel, less on political affiliation, more on providing the basics of life.

"Gaza is totally destroyed," he said. "We don’t need political affiliations or political programs right now. We only want to give the people services."

The established Palestinian leadership was quick to reject President Donald Trump's proposal to evacuate and then reconstruct the Gaza Strip and call it a freedom zone. "That’s a hell of a place," the president said last Monday.

Living in the destruction, Al Natour thinks Gazans could agree, even if it means leaving the coastal strip for good. "People welcomed Trump’s recommendation because life in Gaza is hell, and no human being can stay in Gaza forever under these circumstances."

President Donald Trump remains adamant that his administration will engage in "direct" nuclear talks with Iran on Saturday in Oman, while Tehran appears to remain equally steadfast in its insistence the negotiations will be "indirect."

Middle East envoy Stever Witkoff is scheduled to travel to Oman, where he could potentially be meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, though the Iranian official has so far maintained the talks will be held through a third party.

While it remains unclear who will get their way regarding the format of the discussions, Iran expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Behnam Ben Taleblu, said this public controversy between Washington and Tehran is all a game of leverage.

"Both sides have an incentive to either overrepresent or underrepresent what is happening," he told Fox News Digital. "These are often the negotiations before the negotiations." 

IRAN MULLS PREEMPTIVE STRIKE ON US BASE AFTER TRUMP BOMB THREATS

"For the White House, the desire to be seen as having direct talks with the Islamic Republic is high," he said, pointing to the lack of direct engagement between Washington and Tehran dating back to his first term and the regime’s deep disdain for the president, as witnessed in an apparent assassination attempt. 

While the Iranian government has long held contempt for the U.S., a sentiment that has persisted for decades, Trump is "very different," Ben Taleblu said.

The security expert highlighted the 2020 assassination of top Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the crippling effect of the U.S.-sanctioned maximum-pressure campaign and Trump’s open support for the Iranian people as the major issues that have rankled the Iranian regime.

"Trump is a very bitter pill to swallow, and I think the supreme leader of Iran once said that the shoe of Qasem Soleimani has more honor than the head of Trump," Ben Taleblu said. "Being seen as directly negotiating with someone [like that] would be making the Islamic Republic look like a supplicant. 

"The U.S. wants to be seen as having driven Iran to the negotiating table, and the Islamic Republic does not want to be seen as being driven to the negotiating table," he added. 

AHEAD OF TRUMP ADMIN-IRAN TALKS, NEW REPORT SAYS IRAN NUCLEAR THREAT RISES TO 'EXTREME DANGER'

Tehran’s chief advantage is the fact that, despite severe U.S. sanctions and geopolitical attempts to halt its development of a nuclear weapon, it has made serious gains in its enrichment of uranium to near-weapons-grade quality, as well as with its missile program, a critical component in being able to actually fire a nuclear warhead.

It also has drastically closer ties with chief U.S. adversarial superpowers like Russia and China, whose position and involvement in countering Western attempts to disarm a nuclear Iran remains an unknown at this point. 

While Iran holds significant leverage when it comes to negotiating with the Trump administration on its nuclear program, Washington has a plethora of levers it can use to either incentivize or coerce Tehran into adhering to international calls for the end of its nuclear program.

"The U.S. actually has a heck of a lot of leverage here," Ben Taleblu said, pointing to not only more economic sanctions, including "snapback" mechanisms under the United Nations Security Council, but also military options.

Trump last month threatened to "bomb" Iran if it did not engage in nuclear talks with the U.S.

But some have questioned how long the administration will allow negotiations to persist as JCPOA-era snapback sanctions expire in October 2025.

The White House would not confirm for Fox News Digital any time restrictions it has issued to Iran, but Trump on Wednesday told reporters, "We have a little time, but we don’t have much time."

TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO STOP IRAN FROM MAKING NUCLEAR BOMB: 'DANGEROUS TERRITORY'

"The regime has its back against the wall," Ben Taleblu said. "A military option, given what has been happening in the Middle East since Oct. 7, 2023, is an increasingly credible option against the Islamic Republic of Iran."

"And the regime is engaging, now, to delay and prevent a military option from ever materializing," he added. "They are hoping to use talks with the Americans as a human shield against the Israelis."

"So long as you're talking to America, the Israelis aren't shooting at you," Ben Taleblu continued. 

Trump this week said that it would be Israel who would take the lead on a military strike on Iran, not the U.S., should nuclear talks fail, which again could be a negotiating tactic as Israel has already demonstrated it will not hesitate to militarily engage with Iran.

"Pursuing wholesale disarmament of the Islamic Republic of Iran is incredibly risky, and it doesn't have a great track record of succeeding," Ben Taleblu said.

The Iranian expert said the only way to actually take on the Islamic Republic would be through a "broader" and "more holistic" strategy that focuses not only on nuclear nonproliferation but removing the "Axis of Resistance," scaling up sanctions and having a "ground game" to counter the regime through cyber, political and telecommunication strategies "for when Iranians go out into the street and protest again."

"What the Islamic Republic would always want is to have you focus on the fire and not on the arsonist, and the arsonist is quite literally a regime that has tried to kill this president," Ben Taleblu said.

China has been ramping up its military actions around Taiwan in what one top commander warned on Thursday are not just drills, but "rehearsals."

"China's unprecedented aggression and military modernization poses a serious threat to the homeland, our allies and our partners," Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said during a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. "With military pressure against Taiwan increasing by 300%, China's increasingly aggressive actions near Taiwan are not just exercises, they are rehearsals."

CHINA LAUNCHES LARGE MILITARY DRILLS AROUND TAIWAN TO ISSUE 'SEVERE WARNING'

Beijing has long looked to assert its dominance over Taiwan as it aims to "reunify" the island with mainland China in a move the West and Taipei have warned is against Taiwan’s wishes and would disturb the region’s status quo.

Taiwan identifies as a sovereign nation. However, it is officially recognized by China, the United Nations and the U.S. as part of the "One China" policy – though the U.S. has increasingly warned Beijing against disrupting regional stability by forcibly "reunifying" the island with the mainland. 

"While the [People’s Liberation Army] PLA attempts to intimidate the people of Taiwan and demonstrate coercive capabilities, these actions are backfiring, drawing increased global attention and accelerating Taiwan's own defense preparations," Paparo said. 

TAIWAN'S PRESIDENT TARGETS CHINA INFLUENCE, KICKS OUT PRO-BEIJING AGITATORS AMID RISING TENSIONS

But it is not only China’s military posture toward Taiwan that concerns top military commanders. 

"China's outproducing the United States in air missile, maritime and space capability and accelerating these," Paparo said. "I remain confident in our deterrence posture, but the trajectory must change."

The Indo-Pacific commander warned that China is outstripping the U.S. in the production of fighters at a rate of 1.2 to 1, and warned that the U.S. is falling behind when it comes to shipbuilding, as well as some missile and space-based capabilities. 

"They built combatants at the rate of 6 to 1.8 to the United States," Paparo told the lawmakers, in reference to China’s investment in producing ships, aircraft and weaponry. 

"We've got to get at the problems of why we don't have enough [of a] combat logistics force – and that's shipbuilding. Why we don't have enough labor," Paparo said. "And those are looking hard at pay and incentives in order to recruit and retain those people."

A Mexican drug lord was released from custody after being convicted in the 1985 killing of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena. 

Ernesto "Don Neto" Fonseca Carrillo, one of the co-founders of the Guadalajara Cartel, was freed last weekend after completing his 40-year sentence, a federal agent confirmed to the Associated Press. 

Fonseca, 94, had been serving the remainder of his sentence under home confinement outside Mexico City since being moved from prison in 2016. The DEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday from Fox News Digital. 

Rafael Caro Quintero, another Guadalajara Cartel co-founder who also was convicted in the murder, was one of 29 cartel figures Mexico sent to the United States in February. It’s unclear if the U.S. is now looking to bring Fonseca into custody. 

FATHER OF MARINE VETERAN MURDERED IN MEXICO PRAISES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SANCTIONS ON SINALOA CARTEL 

At the time of his murder, the DEA and Camarena had been utilizing a series of wiretaps to make sizeable drug busts inside Mexico. 

In February 1985, as Camarena left to meet his wife for lunch outside the U.S. consulate in Guadalajara, he was surrounded by officers from the DFS, a Mexican intelligence agency that no longer exists. 

"Back in the middle 1980s, the DFS, their main role was to protect the drug lords," former DEA agent Hector Berrellez, who led the investigation into Camarena's murder, told Fox News in 2013. 

The DFS agents then took Camarena, blindfolded and held at gunpoint, to one of Caro Quintero's haciendas nearby. 

MEXICO EXTRADITES DOZENS OF CARTEL LEADERS AND MEMBERS TO US, INCLUDING DRUG LORD RAFAEL CARO QUINTERO 

For more than 30 hours, Caro-Quintero and others interrogated Camarena and crushed his skull, jaw, nose and cheekbones with a tire iron. They broke his ribs, drilled a hole in his head and tortured him with a cattle prod. As Camarena lay dying, Caro-Quintero ordered a cartel doctor to keep the U.S. agent alive. 

The 37-year-old’s body was found dumped on a nearby ranch about a month later. 

In 2013, Caro Quintero walked free after serving 28 years in prison.  He was released after a court overturned his 40-year sentence for the kidnapping and killing of Camarena. 

Caro Quintero was arrested again by Mexican forces in July 2022 after he allegedly returned to drug trafficking. 

Fox News’ Greg Wehner, William La Jeunesse, Lee Ross and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Greenpeace’s United Kingdom leader and five other activists reportedly were arrested Thursday after tossing hundreds of liters of "blood-red dye" into a pond at the U.S. embassy in London in a protest against the war in Gaza. 

The environmental group said the action was to "highlight the death and devastation caused in Gaza as a direct result of the US’ continued sale of weapons to Israel." 

"Twelve activists tipped the non-toxic, biodegradable dye from containers emblazoned with the words ‘Stop Arming Israel’ into the large pond located in front of the embassy building in Nine Elms, south-west London," Greenpeace said in a statement. "The containers were delivered to the Embassy on bicycles with trailers disguised as delivery bikes." 

Greenpeace later said Will McCallum, the co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, was one of six people taken into custody.  

CONTROVERSIAL CLIMATE GROUP FACING BANKRUPTCY, HOW DID IT GET HERE? 

He was charged with suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, according to the organization. The others reportedly received similar charges. 

"At 07:30hrs on Thursday, 10 April, officers on duty at the US Embassy in Nine Elms became aware of a group of Greenpeace protesters putting red dye into the pond at the side of the building. The group made off, but officers responded quickly and carried out a search of the area," a Metropolitan Police spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Six people have so far been arrested nearby on suspicion of criminal damage and conspiracy to cause criminal damage.

"The pond is accessible via a public footpath. There was no breach or attempted breach of the secure perimeter of the site," the spokesperson added.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

JUDGE FINDS GREENPEACE LIABLE, ORDERED TO PAY HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OVER DAKOTA ACCESS OIL PIPELINE PROTESTS 

Footage released by Greenpeace UK purportedly showed the activists dumping the dye into the pond at the American embassy Thursday. 

"We've turned the embassy pond blood-red because U.S. weapons continue to fuel an indiscriminate war that's seen bombs dropped on schools and hospitals, entire neighborhoods blasted to rubble, and tens of thousands of Palestinian lives obliterated," Areeba Hamid, co-executive director at Greenpeace UK, said in a statement. 

"The ceasefire Trump claimed credit for has collapsed and full-scale war is back. If Trump has any real interest in stopping the war, he should listen to the majority of Americans and stop arming Israel now," she added. "And the UK government should do the same." 

JERUSALEM — A leading U.S. research institute devoted to monitoring Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons program published an alarming report ahead of this weekend's U.S.-Iran talks, declaring Tehran’s atomic weapons system has reached an extremely dangerous stage.

The Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Science and International Security titled its shocking new report, "The Iran Threat Geiger Counter: Extreme Danger Grows." 

According to the study, "Since February 2024, the date of its last report, the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program has worsened significantly. Major negative factors include Iran’s greater nuclear weapon capabilities, its shorter time frames to build nuclear weapons, and the growing normalization of internal Iranian discussions favoring building nuclear weapons.

TRUMP VINDICATED AS EXPLOSIVE REPORT CONFIRMS IRAN SUPERVISES HOUTHI ‘POLITICAL AND MILITARY AFFAIRS’

"The possibility of Iran deciding to build nuclear weapons has been increased by the ongoing military conflicts in the Middle East, pitting Iran and its proxy forces against Israel and its allies, a conflict Iran is losing. The volatile security situation is now combined with the perception, if not the reality, that Iran is preparing to build nuclear weapons."

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, "We have a little time, but we don't have much time, because we're not going to let them have a nuclear weapon. We can't let them have a nuclear weapon."  He added "I'm not asking for much. I just — I don't — they can't have a nuclear weapon."

When asked about the potential for military action if Iran does not make a deal on their nuclear weapons, Trump said, "Absolutely."

"If it requires military, we're going to have military," the president told reporters at the White House. "Israel will obviously be very much involved in that. They'll be the leader of that. But nobody leads us. We do what we want to do."

Trump withdrew from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal—the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—in 2018 because, he argued, that the accord did not stop Tehran’s drive to build a nuclear weapons device.

TRUMP SAYS US WILL DEAL ‘DIRECTLY’ WITH IRAN IN HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON SATURDAY

A state-controlled Iranian news outlet claimed on Monday that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s alleged fatwa against nuclear weapons does not outlaw their production but bans their use. Fox News Digital sought to obtain a copy of the alleged religious fatwa from Iran, but the regime has so far refused to provide the document. Iran experts have claimed that the fatwa is non-existent. 

The Institute for Science and International Security report also warned that "Iran still possesses military capabilities that threaten the region. It has large stockpiles of drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles that it can employ against Israel and its allies. Iran also continues to be a major player in the Ukraine war, backing Russia with vast arms transfers, including drones and missiles."

The mouthpiece of Iran’s Khamenei—the anti-American paper Kayhan—just urged the assassination of Trump.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "Threatening language from the Iranian regime or its mouthpiece against the President, or any American, is unwise."

Iran’s regime has sought to assassinate Iranian American dissidents on American soil.

Fox News Digital reporter Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — Taiwanese President William Lai is struggling to contain both open hostility and private "wooing" by China. In late March, four Taiwanese soldiers, three of whom were part of a unit that provides security for Taiwan’s Presidential Office, were jailed for up to seven years after being convicted of selling pictures of sensitive information to China. 

The verdicts came after last month’s speech in which Lai condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the harshest terms used by a Taiwanese leader in modern history. In his remarks, the president said Taiwan will not be "bullied or manipulated" and promised repercussions against those who make "expressions of loyalty to the enemy."

Lai, aware of Beijing’s "carrot and stick" campaign, warned Taiwanese to be wary of China’s "United Front," a political strategy employed by the CCP in which they – with plenty of smiles and often "investment" capital – enter international organizations and various influential groups and plant agents who then build alliances with targeted individuals, political parties and other interests.

TRUMP CABINET PICKS DELIGHT TAIWAN, SEND STRONG SIGNAL TO CHINA

But Taiwan’s government is swimming upstream against a very strong flow of Chinese covert actions backed by huge sums of Chinese money. Last week, Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu, along with two others from the president’s ruling party, were reportedly detained on suspicion of spying for the CCP.   

For many Taiwanese, Lai’s enough-is-enough speech and subsequent actions by his government are a welcome change from a period of perceived vulnerability. Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) insiders told Fox News Digital that they feel "Taiwan has been on the defensive for far too long" and that their voters "are tired of us being a punching bag." 

The DPP government is also promising to take a harder stance against what it calls Chinese infiltration. Taiwanese citizens found to have Chinese identity cards have had their Taiwan nationality revoked because it is illegal to be a Taiwan/China dual citizen or dual ID holder. 

China does not accept Taiwanese passports, so those here who wish to travel there must obtain a substitute passport known as "Taiwan Compatriot ID," but these are for temporary stays. Some Taiwanese have sought a Chinese ID card to make living and working in China easier, but the days of divided loyalties are over, according to Taiwan’s government. 

In the days and weeks after Lai’s address, Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency revoked the visas of a handful of Chinese citizens for making online content that contravenes local laws. 

CHINA LAUNCHES LARGE MILITARY DRILLS AROUND TAIWAN TO ISSUE 'SEVERE WARNING'

Taiwan has some of the most liberal free-speech laws in Asia; here one can stand near government buildings, wave China’s national flag and advocate for communism without fear of arrest. But calling for the "violent overthrow of Taiwan’s government by the military of the People’s Republic of China" is a red line, which internet influencer "Yaya in Taiwan" crossed, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior. "Yaya," a Chinese national whose real name is Liu Zhenya, lived in Taiwan on a spousal visa and has three children with her Taiwanese husband.

But instead of treating her visa as a privilege, says Taiwan’s government, "Yaya" openly supported the forceful annexation of Taiwan by China. Yaya’s defenders argue that she, and others recently evicted from Taiwan, are being selectively prosecuted.

Yet some here are not buying Lai's threats. Dr. Huang Kwei-bo, a professor in the Department of Diplomacy at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, told Fox News Digital that all this "get tough with China" talk is mostly political theater: "These dramatic Lai administration policy proposals are firstly maneuvers aimed at regaining control over Taiwan’s parliament, as well as building momentum for upcoming local elections in late 2026."

Huang also said Taiwan’s ruling party, the DPP, is "crying out to get the Trump administration’s attention in the hope that Trump’s officials will be more willing to endorse the DPP in power and work with, or include, the Lai administration in any ‘countering China’ policy."

Taipei-based political risk analyst and lawyer Ross Darrell Feingold said Lai’s moves correspond with the tough-on-China approach of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other China hard-liners in the Trump administration: "The Trump administration will want to see a government in Taiwan that is equally tough on China as the United States, whether in the political, trade or military spheres."

A broad majority of Taiwanese appear to want tougher measures against acts that threaten Taiwan’s national sovereignty, but some analysts note the new tough talk has arrived just in time for Lai’s party as it hopes to succeed in an ongoing effort to remove opposition Chinese Nationalist Party legislators from office, win control of municipal governments in local elections in November 2026 and then help Lai secure a second term in 2028.

The United States and Panama have officially signed a new defense and security pact aimed at reinforcing control over the Panama Canal, a move that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claims is critical to pushing back against China’s growing grip in the region.

In a press release posted Wednesday night on X, the Panama Canal Authority confirmed that Panama’s Minister for Canal Affairs and Hegseth signed a joint declaration that reaffirms Panamanian sovereignty and outlines new military cooperation.

The deal "reaffirms respect for, and the recognition of, Panamanian sovereignty over the interoceanic waterway," the Canal Authority stated. 

It also upholds both nations’ commitment to the Neutrality Treaty and the legal framework that governs canal operations, including Panama’s Constitution, the treaty itself, and the Canal’s Organic Law.

​​HEGSETH SAYS PANAMA AGREED TO ALLOW US WARSHIPS TO TRAVEL 'FIRST AND FREE' THROUGH CANAL

But the declaration goes beyond words. It lays out plans for a cost-sharing model to cover services provided to U.S. warships and auxiliary vessels, with the goal of keeping it "cost-neutral."
 

"Efforts will be made [to] develop a mechanism which will allow compensation for services provided to warships and auxiliary vessels, seeking a cost-neutral basis," the statement reads. "This mechanism will be evaluated jointly with the Ministry of Security of Panama."

According to Hegseth, a broader framework is also in the works, one that would guarantee U.S. warships "first and free" passage through the Panama Canal.

Hegseth announced Wednesday that U.S. and Panamanian officials had already signed a memorandum of understanding, and that a final document is on the way to formally secure toll-free priority for American naval vessels.

The Canal Authority, meanwhile, emphasized that this agreement is just the start. "The declaration constitutes a first step in establishing this model, which will be developed in later stages."

US, PANAMA ‘TAKING BACK’ CANAL FROM ‘CHINA’S INFLUENCE,' SAYS HEGSETH

While the U.S. builds up its military coordination, the Panama Canal Authority confirmed that collaboration already includes "engineering, security, and cybersecurity," key focus areas for both governments as they push back against foreign interference.

The move comes just as the U.S. prepares to deploy the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship, to the region in a show of presence and partnership.

Earlier this week, Hegseth visited U.S. troops, met with Panamanian officials, and toured the canal. He warned sharply that China’s reach in the Western Hemisphere is already too big, and still growing.

"Make no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain," Hegseth said. "They operate military facilities and ground stations that extend their reach into space. They exploit natural resources and land to fuel China's global military ambitions. China's factory fishing fleets are stealing food from our nations and from our people."

Hegseth stressed that war is not the objective. "Together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere," he said.

He also made clear that the U.S. is taking steps to counter Chinese-controlled infrastructure in Panama.

"China-based companies continue to control critical infrastructure in the canal area," Hegseth said. "That gives China the potential to conduct surveillance activities across Panama. This makes Panama and the United States less secure, less prosperous and less sovereign. And as President Donald Trump has pointed out, that situation is not acceptable."

Hegseth was blunt: "The United States will not allow China to threaten the canal’s operation." He added, "To this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades."

Despite the growing military and political coordination, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has publicly denied that China controls the canal.

"I completely reject that statement," Mulino said, pushing back on earlier claims from the U.S. State Department that a deal had already been reached guaranteeing toll-free passage for U.S. warships. The Canal Authority added that it has "not made any adjustments" to its fee structure.

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Hegseth did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Fox News' Morgan Philips contributed to this report.

As Burma, also known as Myanmar, struggles in the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake, Reverend Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, praised the swift cooperation of the Burmese government and shared his confidence in a generous U.S. response under President Donald J. Trump.

"America has always been generous," Graham told Fox News Digital. 

"President Trump is not against aid. He supports aid, but he does not support waste," Graham continued. "And that’s what’s happened in some of these cases in the past—our government has wasted too much money. But I think the president will be very generous."

Graham also reflected on the president’s personal trials. "I believe God saved his life," he said, referencing the assassination attempt in Butler, Pa. "And the president believes that—he says that. So we need to pray for him. There are many people that would like to see harm come to him. So we just need to pray for God’s continued protection and hand on President Trump."

PRESIDENT TRUMP'S VISIT TO NORTH CAROLINA 'GAVE PEOPLE HOPE': REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM

Samaritan’s Purse has already begun surgical operations in Naypyidaw, the capital city of Burma, which lies between Yangon and Mandalay and is among the areas most severely impacted. The organization is operating out of a soccer stadium provided by the Burmese government, which has also granted full cooperation, including visa approvals and facility access.

Graham reported that Samaritan’s Purse initially deployed 60 beds and two operating theaters. The government contributed an additional 24 beds via medical container units, known as connexes, including one operating room. "So it was 84 beds and three operating theaters," Graham explained. "The rest of the hospital arrives tomorrow… we should be fully operational by the day after tomorrow."

According to the organization’s official press release, Samaritan’s Purse is establishing a full-scale emergency field hospital equipped with an emergency room, laboratory, pharmacy, critical care unit, and two permanent operating rooms. Nearly 100 earthquake victims were already waiting for surgery when the team arrived.

Graham emphasized urgency: "Speed is critical after a deadly earthquake like the one that rocked Myanmar," he said. "We praise God that we are already able to provide surgery even while we are still building the full field hospital."

One of the first patients treated was a woman who shielded her son during a building collapse. "She covered her son’s body with her body to protect him," Graham shared. "She had problems with her spine. They had to operate on her, and she’s recovering—she’s doing well."

DONALD TRUMP JR., KRISTI NOEM JOIN FRANKLIN GRAHAM IN HELENE-TORN NORTH CAROLINA WITH SAMARITAN'S PURSE

With over 3,500 confirmed deaths and thousands more injured or missing, the humanitarian need is immense. "People are lined up to come in, there’s just no help up there," Graham said. "This is a very poor, very desperate part of the world... It’s going to take years for them to build back. If they can build back, I don’t know."

Samaritan’s Purse sent more than 104 tons of critical supplies, including six water filtration systems, hygiene kits, emergency shelter material, and solar lights, aboard a 747-cargo plane from Greenville, South Carolina. They currently have more than 80 Disaster Assistance Response Team members in-country, with more arriving soon.

The organization’s logistics capacity played a vital role. "We keep all of this in stock," Graham said. "We have warehouses here in North Carolina… So it’s just a matter of loading the boxes on the plane and going." He noted that the hospital will need to be resupplied regularly: "About every 10 days we’ll have a plane leaving Greensboro for Myanmar."

Temperatures in the region are exceeding 110°F with high humidity. The team lives in tents and works in austere conditions. "We provide our own accommodations. We have our own water, we have our electricity, we’re self-contained, but it’s a tough assignment," Graham said.

Still, the team remains committed. "They’re holding clinics during the day, operating during the night… But our team is motivated. They are excited for the opportunity to serve the people of Myanmar and to do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Samaritan’s Purse has worked in Burma before, responding to Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and maintaining a country office from 2017 to 2022.

"We need prayer, number one," said Graham. "And of course, we always need financial help. This is a very long way from home."

"We want every patient to know that God loves them and they are not alone. Please pray for everyone affected and for our Disaster Assistance Response Team as they serve those who are hurting in Jesus’ Name," Graham added.

Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian humanitarian organization led by Rev. Franklin Graham, based in Boone, North Carolina. Known for rapid disaster response, it provides emergency medical care, shelter, clean water, and critical supplies in crisis zones around the world.

Operating in over 100 countries, the organization brings physical relief and spiritual hope, serving those in need in the name of Jesus Christ.

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For more information, visit SamaritansPurse.org.

Canada has a new U.S. ambassador to sort through its strained relations with Washington as the Senate on Wednesday approved President Donald Trump’s nomination of Peter Hoekstra in a 60-37 vote. 

His confirmation as U.S. ambassador to Canada comes at one of the most challenging times in Washington’s long relationship with its northern neighbor after Trump launched a series of tariffs targeting Ottawa and repeatedly claimed he believes Canada should become the U.S.’s 51st state. 

But despite heightened concerns over Trump’s ambitions for Canada, particularly among Democratic lawmakers, Hoekstra’s Senate confirmation process was a relatively smooth road.  

TRUMP PICKS FORMER CONGRESSMAN PETE HOEKSTRA TO BE AMBASSADOR TO CANADA

"I do have a special appreciation for Canada as a neighbor," he told senators at his confirmation hearing last month.

Following questions from Delaware Democrat Sen. Christopher Coons, Hoekstra affirmed that "Canada is a sovereign state."

However, he declined to comment on the president’s repeated desire to incorporate Canada as the next U.S. state – a proposal Ottawa has consistently rejected.

"How the president and the relationship between the former prime minister in Canada and the characteristics, the nature of that relationship… I don’t know," he added.

The Michigan lawmaker and former ambassador to the Netherlands during President Trump’s first term referenced his state’s close ties to Canada during his opening remarks last month before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"My home state is connected to Canada by four and soon to be five, bridge crossings along maritime board, across the Great Lakes, vital lakes that drive businesses, jobs and livelihoods in both states," Hoekstra highlighted. "If confirmed, I will work tirelessly to build on that record of cooperation extended, obviously nationally."

CANADA STARES DOWN CONSEQUENCES OF TRUMP TARIFF WAR: JOB LOSSES, GROCERY PRICE HIKES, POSSIBLE RECESSION

Canada is the U.S.’s largest trading partner and the number one purchaser of U.S. goods.

"I think there’s 36 states that see Canada as their number one trading partner internationally," Hoekstra confirmed. 

The U.S. is also, by far, Canada’s largest trading partner and top purchaser of Canadian goods, but Trump has repeatedly called the relationship "unfair." 

In 2023, the U.S. imported some $443 billion worth of goods, accounting for 72% of all Canadian exports, while Canada imported $317 billion U.S. goods, accounting for 49% of Ottawa's total imports.

TRUMP SAYS CANADA WOULD HAVE NO TARIFFS AS 51ST STATE, AS OBSERVERS BRACE FOR TRADE WAR

In response, Trump slapped Ottawa with a blanket 25% tariff on all Canadian imports in a move to dissuade American consumers from purchasing Canadian goods, with the exception of energy imports, which saw a 10% tariff. 

Additionally, Trump announced a 25% tariff on all imported vehicles and parts, which will also drastically affect Canada as automobiles are a chief export item to the U.S. 

Conservative and center-left parties reached a deal to form a new German government on Wednesday after weeks of negotiations, paving the way for new leadership in Europe’s biggest economy after months of political drift.

Friedrich Merz, the leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union, is expected to become Germany’s next leader under the agreement, replacing outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The parties involved sent an invitation to a news conference on the coalition deal at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT).

Merz’s two-party Union bloc emerged as the strongest force from Germany’s election on Feb. 23. Merz turned to the Social Democrats, Scholz’s center-left party, to put together a coalition with a parliamentary majority.

GERMANY'S CONSERVATIVE ELECTION TURN POINTS TO 'TRUMP EFFECT INTERNATIONALLY,' EXPERT SAYS

It’s still going to be a little while before parliament can elect Merz as chancellor, perhaps in early May. Before that can happen, the coalition deal will need approval in a ballot of the Social Democrats’ membership and by a convention of Merz’s CDU.

Details of the agreement weren’t immediately available.

But already last month, the two sides pushed plans through parliament to enable higher defense spending by loosening strict rules on incurring debt and to set up a huge infrastructure fund that’s aimed at boosting the stagnant economy.

That was an about-turn for Merz, whose party had spoken out against running up new debt before the election without entirely closing the door to future changes to Germany's self-imposed "debt brake."

The election took place seven months earlier than planned after Scholz’s unpopular coalition collapsed in November, three years into a term that was increasingly marred by infighting and widespread discontent. Germany, the 27-nation European Union's most populous member, has been in political limbo since then.

WORLD LEADERS REACT TO TRUMP’S SWEEPING TARIFFS: ‘TUMULTUOUS TIMES’ AHEAD

The market turbulence caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs added to pressure for Merz’s Union and the Social Democrats to bring their coalition talks to a conclusion.

The tariffs threaten to add to the woes of an export-heavy economy that shrank for the past two years, and generating growth will be a central task for the new government.

Increasing doubts about U.S. commitment to European allies also played into the prospective coalition's decision to enable heftier defense spending. Merz said last month that Germany and Europe must quickly strengthen their defense capability and that "‘whatever it takes’ must also go for our defense now."

Another factor in the haste to reach an agreement was a decline for the Union in the opinion polls, showing support slipping from its election showing, while the far-right Alternative for Germany, which finished a strong second in February, gained as the political vacuum persisted.

The prospective new coalition brings together what have been post-World War II Germany’s traditional big parties, but the Union’s election-winning performance in February was lackluster and the Social Democrats dropped to their worst postwar showing in a national parliamentary election.

Together, they have 328 seats in the 630-member lower house of parliament, the Bundestag.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and representatives from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have arrested seven Florida residents in an ongoing international child sexual abuse material (CSAM) crime ring investigation.

Officials say the men purchased the material through ads on TikTok and that the ringleader is believed to be in Turkey. 

One undercover agent working the case was able to purchase 6.7 terabytes of child pornography, comprising roughly 1.2 million videos and pictures, according to Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell.

 "It’s disgusting that child sexual abuse material is advertised in plain view on apps such as TikTok, and we will continue fighting to get these major social media companies to do their part in shutting down the spread of this material. I’m grateful for our FDLE partners who uncovered this deviant network and highlighted their sickening actions. Our Statewide Prosecutors will ensure these disgusting criminals face justice," said Attorney General James Uthmeier.

FLORIDA OFFICIALS DIVIDED OVER ICE DEPORTATION DEAL AIMED AT CRIMINAL ALIENS: 'EMBARRASSED FOR OUR CITY'

The alleged ringleader is in Turkey, according to Florida’s attorney general. A warrant is out for his arrest, and investigators are working to extradite him to Florida.

"The arrests of these predators are just the beginning. Every image of child abuse leaves a lasting scar on an innocent life, and we will aggressively prosecute these heinous crimes," said Uthmeier.

The investigation started in July 2024 after an FDLE agent doing a proactive criminal review of a website known to advertise child sexual abuse discovered someone selling content.

Upon identifying the user, the detectives initiated a full investigation and uncovered multiple listings from the same seller. They were able to have the website down within a week.

SON OF SUSPECTED WOULD-BE TRUMP ASSASSIN ARRESTED ON CHILD PORN CHARGES

The suspect, Krunalkumar Modi, 39, of New Jersey, was arrested on July 31, and charged with 100 counts of promotion of sexual performance by a child, five counts of out-of-state transmission of child sexual abuse material, five counts of distribution of obscene material, and two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

The agents were also able to uncover that Modi was part of a larger distribution ring lead by "John De Vil."

"John De Vil" has been officially identified as Mehmet Bozuyuk, who currently resides in Adana, Turkey. Bozuyuk has several stolen identities and has used them in order to sell and distribute CSAM globally through money mules like Modi, and Ximena Maqueda, an Oregon resident, according to a statement released by FDLE.

The investigation resulted in the arrest of seven CSAM ring "customers" residing in Florida. The "customers" are currently charged with conspiracy to commit RICO, purchase of child sexual abuse material and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

 Arrest warrants are also active for:

Officials are asking that people go to the FDLE website to review tips for keeping your children safe online at https://www.secureflorida.org/SF/Family-Safety/BPParents.

Oded Lifshitz was 83 years old when he was ripped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his wife, Yocheved, during Hamas' attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Yocheved returned to Israel alive in October 2023 and has been advocating for other hostages’ release ever since. On Feb. 20, 2025, Oded returned to Israel in a coffin. His family, however, has not given up hope for those who remain in Gaza.

Daniel Lifshitz, Oded and Yocheved’s grandson, told Fox News Digital that, while the hostages who have returned have brought some light back to Kibbutz Nir Oz, nothing can really be done until all the hostages are back. As of the time of this writing, 13 hostages taken from Nir Oz are still in Gaza, and not all of them are alive.

OPINION: YOU FREED ME FROM HAMAS, PRESIDENT TRUMP. PLEASE SAVE MY BROTHER, TOO

When speaking to Fox News Digital, Daniel described his late grandfather as a "warrior of peace," explaining that while Oded served in four wars, he also fought for the rights of minorities.

Oded and Yocheved were peace activists who helped Palestinian pediatric cancer patients from Gaza cross into Israel for chemotherapy. In the eulogy she delivered at her husband’s funeral, Yocheved discussed their activism and said they "were hit by a terrible attack by those we helped on the other side," according to the Times of Israel’s translation.

Daniel explained that his grandmother felt betrayed not by Hamas or Islamic Jihad, but by Palestinian civilians who she and her husband had spent years helping. 

"After October 7, they didn't — we didn't see the Palestinians going to protest outside against Hamas, going to protests for the release of the hostages, which they know if they would release all the hostage is that will be also the end of the war," Daniel told Fox News Digital. "And they need to show that they don't want Hamas, and that is where my grandmother she feels really great betrayal because it’s for whom we try."

ISRAEL'S UN AMBASSADOR SLAMS HAMAS' 'EVIL AND DEPRAVED' DISPLAY OF HOSTAGES' COFFINS

Oded’s body was returned alongside those of Ariel and Kfir Bibas. The boys’ mother, Shiri Bibas, was supposed to be in the fourth coffin, but her remains were not there when the coffin arrived in Israel. Her body was returned two days later.

"… their return together is symbolizing the failure of the international community for me because in those cars came a 9-month-old baby, the only baby held hostage in the world with an 83-year-old great-grandfather, the only great-grandfather health hostage world," Daniel told Fox News Digital. 

Daniel grew up with Shiri’s sister, Dana, who told Fox News Digital that she is like a sister to him.
When asked about the differences between the Biden administration and the Trump administration’s handling of the situation, Daniel told Fox News Digital that Trump’s team is "more creative."

"If one thing doesn’t work, they don’t continue. They try to bring another solution," Daniel told Fox News Digital.

In the face of tragedy, the Lifshitz family has refused to give up hope that the remaining hostages, alive and dead, will one day return home to Israel. Daniel also hopes his grandmother will be able to get some rest once she knows the hostages are home.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said the U.S. will take back the Panama Canal from "China’s influence" as Washington tries to reassert control over the major trade route. 

"The United States of America will not allow communist China or any other country to threaten the canal's operation or integrity," he said during a press event from the Central American nation. "To this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades.

"Together we will take back the Panama Canal from China's influence," he added.

SEC HEGSETH TO VISIT PANAMA AFTER TRUMP'S DEMANDS FOR CANAL'S RETURN

Panama has repeatedly rejected the Trump administration’s claims that China effectively controls the canal as it operates two major ports on either end of the waterway. 

However, the Central American nation withdrew from its 2017 Belt and Road Initiative agreements with Beijing earlier this year in a signal that Panama has chosen to side with the Trump administration in this geopolitical spat.

Hegseth laid out a litany of joint exercises, operations and the general presence of the U.S. military in and around the canal in a move to counter China, though Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Pentagon to confirm whether this signified an increase in U.S. presence in the region.

GREENLAND, PANAMA FIERCELY REJECT TRUMP'S AMBITIONS IN ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

"Our relationship with Panama, especially our security relationship, will continue to grow in the months and years ahead," Hegseth said. "Our relationship is growing in part to meet communist China's rising challenges."

The defense secretary said China-based companies continue to install "critical infrastructure" in the canal, which gives China the "potential" ability to "conduct surveillance."

"This makes Panama and the United States less secure, less prosperous, less sovereign," he added.  

"I want to be very clear. China did not build this canal. China does not operate this canal, and China will not weaponize this canal," Hegseth said.

The Chinese embassy in D.C. did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.