The U.S. and Iran could hold new peace talks
A new round of in-person talks between the U.S. and Iran could be held as early as this week, two people familiar with the ongoing negotiations said. Both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance also signaled progress, even as U.S. forces launched a blockade barring ships from entering or exiting Iranian ports.
The new round of talks would come after Vance met with Iranian leaders in Pakistan last weekend but failed to reach a peace agreement to end the war. A major sticking point in negotiations is opening the Strait of Hormuz for a free flow of shipping, the first person familiar with negotiations said. The U.S. military said overnight that its blockade of Iranian ports “has been fully implemented” and that “U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea.” In the first 24 hours, six vessels turned around after being issued warnings. China, which has faced growing pressure to use its influence over Tehran to help end the war, assailed the blockade as “dangerous and irresponsible” – its most public significant public intervention to date.
Another sticking point is Iran’s nuclear capability. The U.S. asked Iran for a 20-year suspension of uranium enrichment. Iran agreed to three to five years, the second person familiar with the negotiations said. The U.S. also asked Iran to remove highly enriched uranium from the country, but Iran agreed to mix it and make it a less potent material.
Learn more about the stakes of the diplomatic talks.
More Iran war news:
– Oil prices are starting to come down, but not for reasons that suggest a return to normalcy.
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L.A. sheriff’s department launches investigation allegations against Swalwell
Authorities in Los Angeles County said they’re investigating an alleged incident involving Eric Swalwell as a woman came forward and accused the former U.S. representative of sexual assault in 2018. The woman, Lonna Drewes, said at a news conference yesterday that Swalwell drugged, raped and choked her in a California hotel room. “And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness,” Drewes said. “I thought I died.”
Drewes’ accusation is the latest in a growing number of sexual misconduct allegations against Swalwell, who dropped his bid for governor of California last weekend and officially resigned from Congress yesterday. Hours after Drewes’ statement, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said that it is investigating the 2018 allegations against Swalwell. An attorney for Swalwell said his client “categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him.”
Here’s what else to know about the latest accusations.
