Global Edition

Orban loses Hungary vote to pro-Europe newcomer after 16 yrs in power

US

US says to begin blockade of Iranian ports

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, ISLAMABAD, WASHINGTON, BEIRUT, JERUSALEM AND DUBAI

  • The US military said the blockade would begin at 1400 GMT, and apply to all ships leaving or seeking to dock at Iranian ports on either side of the key waterway.
  • The US military said it would begin a blockade of all Iranian ports Monday, after talks between the warring sides in Pakistan collapsed, and despite the Iranian military warning that it would treat any such action as an act of piracy. 
  • The US military said the blockade would begin at 1400 GMT, and apply to all ships leaving or seeking to dock at Iranian ports on either side of the key waterway.
The US military said it would begin a blockade of all Iranian ports Monday, after talks between the warring sides in Pakistan collapsed, and despite the Iranian military warning that it would treat any such action as an act of piracy. 
Trump had announced on social media he would blockade the strategic Strait of Hormuz trade route that he has been demanding Tehran fully re-open, after Vice President JD Vance left negotiations with an Iranian delegation in Islamabad.
The US military said the blockade would begin at 1400 GMT, and apply to all ships leaving or seeking to dock at Iranian ports on either side of the key waterway.
It was unclear, however, how the military would enforce such a blockade. 
Despite the threats, there was no indication that there would be an immediate resumption of the war that came to a screeching halt with a ceasefire that took effect last week, and which had engulfed the region in violence.
Oil prices, which had tumbled with the truce, jumped around eight percent Monday, with both key WTI and Brent contracts topping $100 a barrel.
The weekend's failed talks dashed hopes of a swift deal to permanently end the war that has killed thousands and thrown the global economy into turmoil since it began in late February.
Traffic through the strait, a key route for global oil and gas shipments, has been heavily restricted since the start of the war, with Iran only allowing through some vessels serving friendly countries such as China.
A sense of dread spread across the Middle East as fears of renewed fighting rattled an already tense region. 
"Things could change at any moment," said Aishah, a 32-year-old economic consultant based in Doha. 
"It's more about taking each day as it comes."

Uncertainty

"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," US Central Command said, adding it would begin at 1400 GMT on Monday.
US forces would not impede vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports, it added.
In a lengthy social media post on Sunday, Trump said his goal was to clear the strait of mines and reopen it to all shipping, but that Iran must not be allowed to profit from controlling the waterway.
Nicole Grajewski, an assistant professor at Sciences Po's Center for International Research, said a US blockade was "not a minor coercive signal" but could rather be considered an effective resumption of the war.
Iran's military command issued a statement branding the upcoming blockade a criminal act of piracy and warned: "If the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran's ports in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be safe."
China, Washington's great power rival and a big importer of Iranian oil, also criticised the plan. 
"The Strait of Hormuz is an important international trade route for goods and energy, and maintaining its security, stability, and unimpeded flow is in the common interest of the international community," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, urging Iran and the US not to reignite the war.
Russia, Iran's main international ally, said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would visit his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
Among Washington's NATO allies, much criticised by Trump for their reluctance to follow him to war, Spain's Defence Minister Margarita Robles said the planned naval blockade "makes no sense".
"It's one more episode in this whole downward spiral into which we've been dragged," she said. 
And in a BBC radio interview, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain will not join the US blockade, adding adding the UK "is not getting dragged in" to the war with Iran. 

'We'll see'

Pakistan, which hosted the weekend's failed talks, has said it hopes to continue facilitating a dialogue and has called on both sides to honour the fragile two-week ceasefire.
Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran's delegation in Pakistan, said Tehran would "not bow to any threats" from Washington, while navy chief Shahram Irani called Trump's blockade threat "ridiculous".
The strait was far from the only friction point jettisoning global efforts led by Pakistan to end the war, which began on when Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran, which retaliated by attacking Gulf and Israeli cities.
The US delegation in Islamabad -- led by Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner -- was frustrated by Iran's refusal to give up what its right to what it insists is a civilian nuclear programme.
"I have always said, right from the beginning, and many years ago, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!" Trump later posted.
Vance told reporters in Islamabad that Washington had made Tehran its "final and best offer," adding: "We'll see if the Iranians accept it."
burs/dc/ser

Global Edition

Presidential runoff looms as Peru's Fujimori claims victory over leftist 'enemy'

BY ANDREW BEATTY

  • "We have had a logistical problem, and we have done everything humanly possible to reduce it," said Piero Corvetto, head of the election commission.
  • Peru's Keiko Fujimori looked set to face a runoff against a conservative rival after a troubled first-round presidential election on Sunday marred by logistics foul-ups, police raids and allegations of fraud.
  • "We have had a logistical problem, and we have done everything humanly possible to reduce it," said Piero Corvetto, head of the election commission.
Peru's Keiko Fujimori looked set to face a runoff against a conservative rival after a troubled first-round presidential election on Sunday marred by logistics foul-ups, police raids and allegations of fraud.
First counts and exit polls showed the 50-year-old daughter of disgraced former president Alberto Fujimori ahead in the 35-candidate race, but she was well short of the 50 percent needed to win outright.
Her nearest rival was far-right Rafael "Porky" Lopez Aliaga -- who has vowed to "hunt" Venezuelan migrants and likens himself to a cartoon pig -- although he was in a tight race for a runoff spot with millions of votes still to count.
Peruvians had hoped Sunday's election would end the political chaos that has brought eight presidents in a decade and a surge in violent crime. 
But election day saw yet more tumult, with missing election materials preventing 100 polling centers from opening on time.
Amid hours-long delays, police and prosecutors raided the headquarters of the National Office of Electoral Processes in an effort to find out who was to blame.
In all, some 63,000 voters were unable to cast their ballots, prompting the authorities to declare that 13 polling places would open in Lima on Monday to allow them another chance.
By early Monday morning, official results showed Fujimori with 17 percent of the vote, and Lopez Aliaga with 16 percent.
Speaking to supporters, Fujimori stopped short of claiming outright victory but said the results were "a very positive sign for our country."
"The enemy is the left" she said, adding that "according to these quick-count results, they would not reach the second round."
Lopez Aliaga had earlier claimed "grave electoral fraud" and called on supporters to take to the streets in protest.
Outside the election authority, a small group gathered as police guarded the building and investigators took statements. 
"We cannot stay silent," said Karina Herrera, a 25‑year‑old administration student. "They have not made it easier for people to vote." 
Officials said police also raided a private subcontractor blamed for failing to deliver ballots, boxes and other materials on time. 
The missing votes represent a small fraction of the total but could still matter in a close race. 
"We have had a logistical problem, and we have done everything humanly possible to reduce it," said Piero Corvetto, head of the election commission.
"There is no possibility of fraud," he said. "There is full assurance that the results will faithfully reflect the popular will." 

Crime and punishment

Violent crime and corruption dominated the campaign.
Peru's homicide rate has more than doubled in a decade, while reported extortion cases jumped from 3,200 to 26,500 over the same period. 
On the eve of the election, frontrunner Fujimori told AFP that she would "restore order" in her first 100 days by sending the army into prisons, deporting undocumented migrants and strengthening borders. 
In an exclusive interview, Fujimori said she would seek a united front with conservative leaders in the United States, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia. 
"We will ask for special powers," she said, including to modernize the police force.
"We will expel undocumented citizens" she added. 
This is Fujimori's fourth bid for the presidency. Her father died in 2024 after serving 16 years in prison for crimes against humanity, directing death squads, bribery and embezzlement.
During the campaign, she has leaned on newfound nostalgia for his strongman rule. 
"I believe that time and history are giving my father the place he deserves," she told AFP. 
Incumbent President Jose Maria Balcazar, in office for less than two months, was barred from running. 
More than 90 percent of Peruvians say they have little or no confidence in their government and parliament, according to Latinobarometro. 
Despite the turmoil, Peru remains one of the region's most stable economies in the region.
arb/lga

US

Trump says 'not a big fan' of Pope Leo after his anti-war message

  • "I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo.
  • US President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday that he is "not a big fan" of Pope Leo XIV, after the global leader of Catholics made a plea for peace amid the war in the Middle East.
  • "I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo.
US President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday that he is "not a big fan" of Pope Leo XIV, after the global leader of Catholics made a plea for peace amid the war in the Middle East.
The 70-year-old American pope publicly implored leaders on Saturday to end the violence, telling worshippers at St Peter's Basilica: "Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!"
"I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person, and he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
He accused the pontiff of "toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon."
Trump later doubled down on his comments to reporters with a post on Truth Social, saying: "I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."
"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," he said.
The president added that Leo had only been elected "because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump." 
"If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican."
Trump later posted an AI-generated image seemingly depicting himself as Jesus Christ. 
In the image, the president appears dressed in red and white robes as he cures a man with his healing hand. The American flag is shown over his shoulder. 
Trump and the White House have previously shared AI-generated images, including one that showed the president dressed as the pope.

Rejecting a rift

Washington and the Vatican have rejected reports of a rift.
On Friday, a Vatican official denied reports that a top Pentagon official gave the church's envoy to the United States a "bitter lecture" over Pope Leo's criticisms of the Trump administration.
The story in the Free Press -- which the Pentagon had already dismissed as "distorted" -- reported that Cardinal Christophe Pierre was summoned in January to the Pentagon, where he was given a dressing-down by US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby.
The military official reportedly told the cardinal that the United States "has the military power to do whatever it wants -- and that the Church had better take its side."
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement "the account presented by certain media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond to the truth in any way."
While both parties insist the meeting was cordial, the Holy See and the White House have openly been at odds over the Trump administration's hardline mass deportation campaign -- which the pope called "inhuman" -- and the use of military force in the Middle East and Venezuela. 
When Trump made genocidal threats against Iran Tuesday -- saying "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" -- the pontiff slammed the "truly unacceptable" statement and urged parties to "come back to the table" for negotiations. 
Earlier this month, Pope Leo hailed the news of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran as a "sign of real hope."
But peace talks between the United States and Iran, held in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, ended abruptly and without a resolution on Saturday, with US Vice President JD Vance telling reporters after a marathon-session of talks that Washington has delivered its "final and best offer."
sla/cms/lkd/lga

US

US military to begin blockade of Iranian ports on Monday

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, ISLAMABAD, WASHINGTON, BEIRUT, JERUSALEM AND DUBAI

  • "The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," US Central Command said in a statement, adding it would begin at 1400 GMT on Monday.
  • The US military said it would begin a blockade of all Iranian ports on Monday, after talks between the warring sides in Pakistan collapsed with President Donald Trump blaming the Islamic republic's refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
  • "The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," US Central Command said in a statement, adding it would begin at 1400 GMT on Monday.
The US military said it would begin a blockade of all Iranian ports on Monday, after talks between the warring sides in Pakistan collapsed with President Donald Trump blaming the Islamic republic's refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Trump had announced on social media he would blockade the strategic Strait of Hormuz trading route that he has been demanding Tehran fully re-open, after his vice president, JD Vance left negotiations with an Iranian delegation in Islamabad on Sunday.
The stall in talks dashed global hopes of a deal to permanently end the war that has killed thousands and thrown the global economy into turmoil since it began in late February.
As negotiating teams flew out, mediator Pakistan said it would keep facilitating their dialogue and has called on both sides to honour the fragile two-week ceasefire struck last week that experts said could be put at risk by any maritime military blockade.
"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," US Central Command said in a statement, adding it would begin at 1400 GMT on Monday.
US forces would not impede vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports, it added.
Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed the US military's statement, a more limited operation than envisaged in his earlier post that asserted all ships trying to enter or exit the strait would be blocked.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards had warned before the US military announcement that they had full control of traffic through Hormuz and would trap any challenger "in a deadly vortex".
In his lengthy social media post, Trump said on Sunday his goal was to clear the strait of mines and reopen it to all shipping, but that Iran must not be allowed to profit from controlling the waterway.
"Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said. "Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!"
Oil prices -- which tumbled last week after the temporary ceasefire  -- jumped around eight percent Monday, with both key WTI and Brent contracts topping $100 a barrel.
Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran's delegation in Pakistan, said Tehran would "not bow to any threats" from Washington, while navy chief Shahram Irani called Trump's blockade threat "ridiculous".
After the highest-level US-Iran talks since the 1979 Islamic Revolution failed to deliver a deal, Iranian foreign ministry Abbas Araghchi blamed "maximalism, shifting goalposts, and (a) blockade" that prevented an agreement he said they were "just inches away from".
Trump told reporters on Sunday he was ambivalent on the prospect of talks continuing with Iran.
"I don't care if they come back or not. If they don't come back, I'm fine," he said.

'Final and best offer'

Tehran has already been restricting traffic through the strait -- a key route for global oil and gas shipments -- while allowing some vessels serving friendly countries such as China to pass.
Nicole Grajewski, an assistant professor at Sciences Po's Center for International Research, said a US blockade was "not a minor coercive signal" but could rather be considered an effective resumption of the war.
The US military said Saturday that two US Navy warships had transited the strait to begin clearing it of mines, a claim Tehran denied.
Iran's Fars news agency reported Sunday that two Pakistan-flagged oil tankers bound for the strait had turned back.
But the strait was far from the only friction point jettisoning global efforts led by Pakistan to end the war, which began on when Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran, which retaliated by attacking Gulf and Israeli cities.
The US delegation in Islamabad -- led by Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner -- was frustrated by Iran's refusal to give up what it called its right to a nuclear programme.
"I have always said, right from the beginning, and many years ago, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!" Trump later posted.
Vance told reporters in Islamabad that Washington had made Tehran its "final and best offer," adding: "We'll see if the Iranians accept it."

Violence in Lebanon

Even before the historic talks, concern had been high over whether the ceasefire could collapse due to continued Israeli strikes it says are targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Iran and Pakistan insist the truce also applies.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Sunday he was working to stop the war and ensure Israeli troops withdrew, even as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in south Lebanon that the fight there was far from over.
Lebanese and Israeli officials are due to hold talks in Washington on Tuesday.
Hezbollah said overnight it had launched rocket towards towns in northern Israel, continuing attacks that it began in early March to avenge the death of Iran's supreme leader in the opening salvo of Israeli-US strikes that began the regional war.
Israeli strikes on Beirut and other parts of Lebanon last week after the temporary ceasefire announcement had killed hundreds, according to Lebanon's health authorities.
burs-ft/msp/ceg/mtp

gender

Australia names Coyle first woman to lead army

  • "And it is a deeply historic moment.
  • A woman will command Australia's army for the first time since its founding 125 years ago, Defence Minister Richard Marles said Monday as he unveiled the "deeply historic" appointment.
  • "And it is a deeply historic moment.
A woman will command Australia's army for the first time since its founding 125 years ago, Defence Minister Richard Marles said Monday as he unveiled the "deeply historic" appointment.
Lieutenant general Susan Coyle was named Australia's Chief of Army following a three-decade career during which she has served in the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
"Her achievement means that she will be the first woman to command a service in Australian history," Marles told reporters. 
"And it is a deeply historic moment. As Susan said to me, you cannot be what you cannot see." 
Australia's army is in the throes of a major transformation, equipping itself with long-range firepower, drones and other modern combat tools.  
Coyle stressed her experience in areas such as cyber-warfare. 
"This breadth of experience provides a strong foundation for the responsibilities of command and the trust placed in me," she said.
sft/oho/tc

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • - Iran says deal was 'inches away' - Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had been just "inches away" from a deal with Washington during weekend talks in Pakistan.
  • The latest developments in the Middle East war: - Trump says doesn't care if Iran returns to talks - US President Donald Trump said he does not care if Iran comes back to negotiations with the United States after weekend talks in Pakistan failed to produce a deal.
  • - Iran says deal was 'inches away' - Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had been just "inches away" from a deal with Washington during weekend talks in Pakistan.
The latest developments in the Middle East war:

Trump says doesn't care if Iran returns to talks

US President Donald Trump said he does not care if Iran comes back to negotiations with the United States after weekend talks in Pakistan failed to produce a deal.
"I don't care if they come back or not. If they don't come back, I'm fine," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, upon his return from Florida.

Countdown to US Gulf blockade

The US military said it will blockade all Iranian Gulf ports on Monday at 1400 GMT, effectively seizing control of maritime traffic in the critical Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which a fifth of the global oil supply passes.
"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," US Central Command said in a post on X, adding the United States would "not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports".
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Iranian security forces had full control over the Strait of Hormuz and warned enemies would be trapped in a "deadly vortex" in case of any "wrong move".
Iran's navy chief Shahram Irani called Trump's threat "ridiculous and funny", according to state TV, adding the country's military was "monitoring and supervising all the movements of the aggressive American army in the region".

Iran 'will not bow' to threats

Iran's parliament speaker, who led the weekend talks, said his country would not give in after Trump's earlier threats to blockade the strait.
"If they fight, we will fight, and if they come forward with logic, we will deal with logic," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, cited by several Iranian news agencies.
"We will not bow to any threats, let them test our will once again so that we can teach them a bigger lesson."

Oil rises above $100 again

The US oil benchmark rebounded above $100 a barrel on Monday after peace talks failed and Trump ordered the blockade of Iranian ports.
Shortly after trading began, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for May delivery rose around eight percent to $104.50, while June delivery of international benchmark Brent rose seven percent to $102.

Iran says deal was 'inches away'

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had been just "inches away" from a deal with Washington during weekend talks in Pakistan.
"Iran engaged with US in good faith to end war," he said in a post on X.
But when "just inches away" from an agreement, "we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade", he added.

Lebanon working for Israeli withdrawal

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war and ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
"We will continue to work to stop this war, to ensure the Israeli withdrawal from all our lands, the return of all the prisoners, to rebuild our destroyed villages and towns, and the safe return of the displaced," Salam said.

Netanyahu says threat of invasion removed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting troops who invaded southern Lebanon, said Israeli forces had eliminated the threat of an invasion by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
"The war continues, including within the security zone in Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.

Israeli tank rams UN vehicles

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said an Israeli tank twice rammed peacekeeping vehicles in the country's south where Israel and Hezbollah have been at war since last month.
Israeli soldiers had also blocked a road in south Lebanon's Bayada "that is used to access UNIFIL positions", it said a statement.

Lebanon deaths

Lebanese official media reported extensive Israeli strikes across the country's south as the health ministry said at least five people were killed and the war's overall toll on that front rose to 2,055 dead.
Israel insists the current Middle East ceasefire does not apply to its military operations in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah.
burs/jj/rmb/msp/lkd/mtp

Israel

Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, most since 1989: NGOs

  • At least 48 women were executed, the highest number recorded in more than 20 years and a 55 percent increase from 2024, when 31 women were hanged, according to the NGOs. Of these, 21 women were executed for the murder of their husbands or fiances, the report said.
  • Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest number since 1989, two NGOs said Monday, warning it risked using capital punishment even more extensively after protests in January and the war against Israel and the US. The number of executions represented an increase of 68 percent on the 975 people Iran put to death in 2024, and also included 48 women who were hanged, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) said in their joint annual report.
  • At least 48 women were executed, the highest number recorded in more than 20 years and a 55 percent increase from 2024, when 31 women were hanged, according to the NGOs. Of these, 21 women were executed for the murder of their husbands or fiances, the report said.
Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest number since 1989, two NGOs said Monday, warning it risked using capital punishment even more extensively after protests in January and the war against Israel and the US.
The number of executions represented an increase of 68 percent on the 975 people Iran put to death in 2024, and also included 48 women who were hanged, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) said in their joint annual report.
If the Islamic republic "survives the current crisis, there is a serious risk that executions will be used even more extensively as a tool of oppression and repression", the report said.
IHR -- which requires two sources to confirm an execution, the majority of which are not reported in Iranian official media -- said that the figure represented an "absolute minimum" for the number of hangings in 2025.
The figure amounted to an average of more than four executions per day.
The report said the number of executions was by far the highest since IHR began tracking it in 2008, and was the most reported since 1989, in the earlier years of the Islamic revolution.
The NGOs also warned that "hundreds of detained protesters remain at risk of death sentences and execution" after being charged with capital crimes over January 2026 protests against the authorities -- quashed by a crackdown that rights groups say left thousands dead and tens of thousands arrested.
"By creating fear through an average of four to five executions per day in 2025, authorities tried to prevent new protests and prolong their crumbling rule," said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.

'Creating fear'

Even during the war against Israel and the United States that began on February 28, Iran has hanged seven people in connection with the January protests: six convicted of membership in the banned opposition group People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), and one dual Iranian-Swedish citizen charged with spying for Israel.
Raphael Chenuil-Hazan, executive director of ECPM, said: "The death penalty in Iran is used as a political tool of oppression and repression, with ethnic minorities and other marginalised groups disproportionately represented among those executed."
The report noted that the Kurdish minority in the west and the Baluch in southeast -- both of whom largely adhere to the Sunni strain of Islam rather than the Shia branch dominant in Iran -- are particularly targeted.
Almost half of those executed were convicted of drug-related offences, the report said. 
At least 48 women were executed, the highest number recorded in more than 20 years and a 55 percent increase from 2024, when 31 women were hanged, according to the NGOs.
Of these, 21 women were executed for the murder of their husbands or fiances, the report said. Rights groups have said women executed for killing spouses or relatives were often in abusive relationships.
Almost all hangings were carried out inside prisons, but public hangings more than tripled to 11 in 2025, the report said.
Iran's penal code allows for other methods of capital punishment, but in recent years all known executions have been carried out by hanging. 
Rights groups including Amnesty International say Iran carries out the most executions of any nation worldwide per capita, and the most of any country other than China, for which no reliable data is available.
sjw/smw/ceg

US

Trump says 'not a big fan' of Pope Leo after his anti-war message

  • "I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo.
  • US President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday that he is "not a big fan" of Pope Leo XIV, after the global leader of Catholics made a plea for peace.
  • "I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo.
US President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday that he is "not a big fan" of Pope Leo XIV, after the global leader of Catholics made a plea for peace.
"I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person, and he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
He accused the pontiff of "toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon."
On Saturday, the 70-year-old American pope publicly implored leaders to end the violence, telling worshippers at St. Peter's Basilica: "Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!"
Trump reiterated his comments to reporters with a post on Truth Social saying: "I don't want a Pope who think it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."
Washington and the Vatican have recently denied reports of a rift.
On Friday, a Vatican official denied reports that a top Pentagon official gave the church's envoy to the United States a "bitter lecture" over Pope Leo's criticisms of the Trump administration.
The story in the Free Press -- which the Pentagon had already dismissed as "distorted" -- reported that Cardinal Christophe Pierre was summoned in January to the Pentagon, where he was given a dressing-down by US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby.
The military official reportedly told the cardinal that the United States "has the military power to do whatever it wants -- and that the Church had better take its side."
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement "the account presented by certain media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond to the truth in any way."
While both parties insist the meeting was cordial, the Holy See and the White House have openly been at odds over the Trump administration's hardline mass deportation campaign -- which the pope called "inhuman" -- and the use of military force in the Middle East and Venezuela. 
When Trump made genocidal threats against Iran Tuesday -- saying "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" -- the pontiff slammed the "truly unacceptable" statement and urged parties to "come back to the table" for negotiations. 
Earlier this month, Pope Leo hailed the news of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran as a "sign of real hope."
But peace talks between the United States and Iran, held in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, ended abruptly Saturday with US Vice President JD Vance telling reporters after a marathon-session of talks that Washington has delivered its "final and best offer."
sla/cms

trade

Spain's Sanchez calls China trade imbalance with EU 'unsustainable'

  • However, Sanchez stressed on Monday that trade between the EU and China was "imbalanced", calling on Beijing to open its market to European imports.
  • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called China's trade imbalance with the European Union "unsustainable" on Monday, as he began a three-day visit to Beijing where he hopes to strengthen economic ties.
  • However, Sanchez stressed on Monday that trade between the EU and China was "imbalanced", calling on Beijing to open its market to European imports.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called China's trade imbalance with the European Union "unsustainable" on Monday, as he began a three-day visit to Beijing where he hopes to strengthen economic ties.
Sanchez's visit is his fourth to China in four years as he seeks to position Spain as a bridge between Beijing and the 27-member European Union, whose relations with the United States show signs of strain.
US President Donald Trump's tariffs and unpredictable foreign policy have caused concern among Western leaders, many of whom -- including from Britain, Canada and Germany -- have flocked to Beijing, in recent months seeking closer ties.
However, Sanchez stressed on Monday that trade between the EU and China was "imbalanced", calling on Beijing to open its market to European imports.
"We need China... to open up so that Europe does not have to close itself off," Sanchez said, during a visit to Tsinghua University.
He called on Beijing to "help us correct the current trade deficit... A deficit that is unbalanced, which grew by a further 18 percent last year alone. And which is unsustainable for our societies in the medium and long term".
Last year, Spain, with a population of around 50 million, ran a trade deficit of 42.3 billion euros ($49.1 billion) with China, a country of more than 1.4 billion people.
Spain's own trade deficit with China, Sanchez added, accounts for 74 percent of the European country's total deficit.
The Spanish leader is also keen to boost trade with China after Trump, who is due to visit Beijing in May, threatened last month to cut trade with Spain.
Trump's threats came after Spain denied the use of its military bases for US strikes against Iran, a key economic partner of Beijing.
Spanish government sources said a primary goal of the trip is particularly to secure greater market access for agricultural and industrial goods, and to explore joint ventures in the technology sector.
Sanchez is also expected to use the visit to attract new investors for the eurozone's fourth-largest economy and to gain access to China's critical raw materials.
On Monday, he is scheduled to visit the headquarters of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi and tour a technology exhibit at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 
Sanchez is then set to meet top Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, on Tuesday.
During his visit to China in April 2025, Beijing agreed to expand access for a range of Spanish products, including pork and cherries. 
The Spanish government has said that Spain's exports to China rose 6.8 percent in 2025, crediting the growth to strong ties with Beijing.

Spanish 'gateway'

Spain holds special appeal for Chinese investors, in part because its economy is growing at one of Europe's fastest rates and energy costs remain relatively low, said Claudio Feijoo, a China expert at the Technical University of Madrid.
"China perceives Spain as relatively friendly, less confrontational toward China than other countries and likely more independent from Washington. This allows for more autonomous decision-making," he told AFP.
"Spain is also seen as a gateway to Europe, Latin America and North Africa. It can function as a hub -- a place from which multiple markets can be accessed at once."
Agricultural products have the greatest potential in China, he said, noting that the country "cannot produce all the food it needs, or at least not at the quality required by its population", while Spain is a major producer of many food items.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Wednesday called Spain "an important partner of China within the EU", adding that Sanchez's visit offers a chance to "promote bilateral relations to an even higher level".
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia paid a state visit to China last November, the first by a Spanish monarch in 18 years, highlighting the closeness of ties.
Sanchez, one of Europe's few remaining left-wing leaders, is travelling with his wife Begona Gomez and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.
bur-ds/imm/lga/dhw/tc

film

Lost film of French cinema pioneer retrieved from US attic

BY MATTHEW PENNINGTON WITH JEFF KOWALSKY IN JENISON, UNITED STATES

  • For the past 20 years, McFarland, 76, had been the keeper of the trunk, which originally belonged to his late great-grandfather who showed silent movies to audiences in rural Pennsylvania at the turn of the 20th century.
  • The battered wooden trunk had been in the family for a century -- shifted from attic to barn to garage as it was handed down through the generations.
  • For the past 20 years, McFarland, 76, had been the keeper of the trunk, which originally belonged to his late great-grandfather who showed silent movies to audiences in rural Pennsylvania at the turn of the 20th century.
The battered wooden trunk had been in the family for a century -- shifted from attic to barn to garage as it was handed down through the generations. No one knew a cinematic treasure was inside.
That was until retired high school teacher Bill McFarland's curiosity got the better of him. 
For the past 20 years, McFarland, 76, had been the keeper of the trunk, which originally belonged to his late great-grandfather who showed silent movies to audiences in rural Pennsylvania at the turn of the 20th century.
"It was just this trunk of films that seemed too good to throw away. But I had no idea what they were or how to show them," McFarland told AFP. 
He offered them to museums and even tried to sell them through an antique store, whose owner soon told him to take them away after learning vintage nitrate film reels were highly combustible and could explode.
Then last summer, McFarland drove from his home in the northern state of Michigan to the US Library of Congress’ National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper in the southern state of Virginia.
He was in for a surprise -- a pleasant one.

Pioneering short film

Spliced in the middle of one of the 10 reels was a lost short film by Georges Melies, a French cinema pioneer -- the first to experiment with fictional narratives and special effects at the very dawn of moving pictures.
The 45-second film, "Gugusse and the Automaton," was made in 1897 -- just two years after the Lumiere Brothers staged the world's first public screening of a movie in Paris.
Melies, a theatrical showman and magician, attended that screening and was inspired to make films of his own. He is most famous for "A Trip to the Moon" (1902) with its iconic scene of a rocket landing in the eye of the man in the Moon.
By a decade later, his filmmaking had fallen out of vogue as the center of the movie world shifted from Europe to America.
Melies ended up as a toy seller in Paris’ Gare Montparnasse train station -- a story that was dramatized in Martin Scorsese’s 2011 film, "Hugo." But his legacy endured.
"He was one of the first filmmakers," said George Willeman, leader of the congressional library's nitrate film vault, who said the recovered reel was likely a third-generation copy of the Melies original. "And one of the first to experience film piracy."

Copy's miraculous survival

In retrospect, piracy was a salvation for film historians as it means that Melies' work lives on.
Reputedly, he destroyed hundreds of his own negatives, and the celluloid was melted down -- and some of it used as raw material to make soldiers' boots during World War I.
While "Gugusse and the Automaton" was known to be in Melies' back catalogue, no one had seen it until McFarland delivered it to the library in his Toyota sedan last September.
It features a magician -- played by Melies -- cranking up an automaton that grows in size and then beats the magician on the head with a stick. The magician retaliates by bashing the automaton with a sledgehammer until it disappears, shrinking through a surprisingly slick series of jump cuts.
"These single frame cuts are really precise for a movie this old, and the gags are timeless," said Jason Evans Groth, curator of the library's moving image section, who recounted McFarland popping the trunk of his car with the film reels inside when he arrived in Culpeper.
The film's discovery has taken McFarland on another journey -- learning about the life of his great-grandfather William DeLyle Frisbee.

'Ticking time bomb'

Born in 1860 in the rural northwest of Pennsylvania, Frisbee was a stocky, mustached man with many strings to his bow. 
He grew potatoes, kept bees, made maple syrup and taught school three months each year. In his downtime he would travel by horse and buggy across Pennsylvania and neighboring states with what he called his "exhibition": a new-fangled Edison phonograph, a magic lantern slide projector and later on, movies. 
Well-thumbed pocket diaries describe Frisbee's travels. "Gave the exhibition at Garland, $5 receipts, rough crowd," reads one entry, referring to a community in northwestern Pennsylvania.
"I can only imagine Saturday night, they might have been liquored up a little bit," observed McFarland. "I wonder if there were disappointed customers, or if they were just rowdy? Maybe they were excited at seeing these pictures."
A century on, and the archivists at the Library of Congress were excited too.
An alarmed McFarland watched specialists whisk the precious reels to a refrigerated vault, already home to tens of thousands of films from the golden age of Hollywood -- and specially designed to prevent a nitrate-fueled fire.
"It finally really registered that I had been...carrying a ticking time bomb," McFarland said.
Library film preservation specialists spent a week restoring the film reel frame-by-frame and digitizing it. The reel was shrunken through age and frayed, but otherwise in remarkable condition for something stashed in sun-heated attics for years.
It’s now a piece of cinema history, viewable on the library’s website.
msp/sms

religion

Pope Leo XIV heads to Algeria, first stop of African tour

BY CLéMENT MELKI

  • But the visit to Algeria is also infused with personal significance for the Augustinian pontiff, with the country holding "a special place in his mind and heart because of St Augustine," Vesco said.
  • Pope Leo XIV begins an 11-day tour of Africa on Monday, his first major international trip since becoming pontiff and the first ever by a leader of the world's Catholics to the Muslim country of Algeria.
  • But the visit to Algeria is also infused with personal significance for the Augustinian pontiff, with the country holding "a special place in his mind and heart because of St Augustine," Vesco said.
Pope Leo XIV begins an 11-day tour of Africa on Monday, his first major international trip since becoming pontiff and the first ever by a leader of the world's Catholics to the Muslim country of Algeria.
Leo is due to depart Rome Monday morning on the papal plane for the Algerian capital of Algiers, a trip aimed at continuing to "build bridges between the Christian and Muslim worlds," the Archbishop of Algiers Jean-Paul Vesco told AFP. 
Before meeting with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and addressing authorities and diplomats, the pope will pay tribute to the victims of Algeria's 1954-1962 war of independence against France at the Martyrs Memorial overlooking the city.
Already in Algiers ahead of the historic visit, the atmosphere of an imminent celebration pervaded the air, with walls repainted, roads repaved and green spaces adorned with plants and flowerpots. 
Leo's packed trip covering 18,000 kilometres in total also includes the central African countries of Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, with the pope due to return home on April 23. 
The American pope's visit coincides with war in the Middle East, which shows no signs of abating after the failure to reach an agreement between the United States and Iran.
On Saturday, Leo said "Enough to war!" in a fiery speech from St Peter's Basilica imploring warmongers to stop the violence. 
But the visit to Algeria is also infused with personal significance for the Augustinian pontiff, with the country holding "a special place in his mind and heart because of St Augustine," Vesco said.
The influential fifth-century Christian theologian laid the foundations for the 13th century Augustinian order to which Leo belongs, one based on communal living and service. 
In his very first speech as pope, Leo presented himself as a "son" of Augustine, whose writings he often quotes. As head of the order, before becoming pope, the former Robert Francis Prevost twice visited Algeria.  
On Tuesday, the pope will visit the northeastern city of Annaba -- formerly the ancient Roman city of Hippo -- the one-time home of the saint whose autobiographical "Confessions" is a seminal work within the Christian tradition. 
Father Fred Wekesa, the rector of the Saint Augustine Basilica at Annaba where Leo will celebrate mass, said the pope's upcoming visit would give his small flock a "message of encouragement and solidarity".

'Capable of peace'

Monday's itinerary includes a visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers -- with the world's highest minaret -- and the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, overlooking the Bay of Algiers.
Leo plans to pray privately in the chapel dedicated to 19 priests and nuns murdered during Algeria's 1992-2002 civil war. 
The pope will not, however, visit the Tibhirine monastery, whose monks were kidnapped and murdered in 1996, an event still shrouded in mystery.  
Wekesa lamented shadows still cast by Algeria's bloody civil war, when 200,000 people were killed in the conflict between Islamists and security forces.
Although some people still viewed Algeria "through the lens of the 'dark years'," Leo's visit will allow the world to see "the hospitality and generosity of the Algerian people," said Wekesa. 
"We are capable of living together in peace."
Although Algeria's constitution guarantees freedom of worship, subject to conditions, human rights groups say the repression of religious minorities is continuing. 
Three human rights groups called on Leo last week to push the issue during his visit. 
ams/giv/ceg

Global Edition

Orban loses Hungary vote to pro-Europe newcomer after 16 yrs in power

BY ANDRAS ROSTOVANYI

  • Earlier Sunday, Orban, 62, conceded defeat.
  • Viktor Orban, who has ruled Hungary for 16 years as a self-described "thorn" in the EU's side and a defender of "illiberal democracy", on Sunday conceded defeat to conservative Peter Magyar, who won a thumping majority in parliamentary elections.
  • Earlier Sunday, Orban, 62, conceded defeat.
Viktor Orban, who has ruled Hungary for 16 years as a self-described "thorn" in the EU's side and a defender of "illiberal democracy", on Sunday conceded defeat to conservative Peter Magyar, who won a thumping majority in parliamentary elections.
Orban's defeat, in a vote that saw a record turnout, dealt a heavy blow to nationalists, including US President Donald Trump who supported him.
It also deprives Russian President Vladimir Putin of his most sympathetic ear inside the European Union.
Tens of thousands of jubilant supporters of Magyar's Tisza party cheered the results outside the party's election headquarters on the banks of the Danube in Budapest, waving Hungarian flags and dancing, as car horns sounded in the capital.
"I feel fantastic!" Zoltan Sziromi, a 20-year-old student, celebrating in the crowd, told AFP.
"We've finally got rid of that system, and it was about time." 
Magyar, who arrived waving the Hungarian flag, told the cheering crowd that voters had "liberated Hungary", calling his party's win a "miracle" in the central European country of 9.5 million people.
"Today, the Hungarian people have said 'yes' to Europe," the 45-year-old former government insider and political newcomer told supporters.
He promised to "restore the system of checks and balances..., guarantee the democratic functioning of our country" and put Hungary "back on track".
Acknowledging it was an "enormous" task, he called for unity, saying the victory belonging to "all Hungarians".

'Unambiguous'

With 98.15 percent of precincts counted, Tisza secured a two-thirds majority with 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament on 53.6 percent of the vote, according to official election results. Orban's Fidesz took 55 seats on 37.9 percent of the vote.
Earlier Sunday, Orban, 62, conceded defeat.
"The election results, though not yet final, are clear and understandable; for us, they are painful but unambiguous," Orban, 62, told reporters.
"We have not been entrusted with the responsibility and opportunity to govern. I congratulated the winning party," he said.
Turnout in the election reached a record 79.50 percent, according to the near-complete vote count.
Orban, who was seeking a fifth straight term, has transformed his country into a model of "illiberal democracy", clashing with Brussels over rule-of-law issues, as well as over support for war-torn Ukraine. 
Magyar burst onto the scene just two years ago, promising to fight corruption and offering better public services. He drew support against a backdrop of economic stagnation, and despite an electoral system skewed in favour of Orban's Fidesz party.
Congratulations for Magyar poured in from around Europe, with France and Germany urging him to work together for a "strong Europe".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to work with Magyar "for the benefit of both nations, as well as peace, security, and stability in Europe".
"Hungary has chosen Europe," head of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, posted on X.
Ahead of the vote, both Orban's and Magyar's camps had alleged foreign interference during the campaign.
US Vice President JD Vance visited Hungary last week to rally with Orban, attacking the alleged interference in Hungary of Brussels "bureaucrats".
Trump had promised to bring US "economic might" to Hungary if Orban's party secured victory.

'Defeat for authoritarianism'

Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, said Oran's defeat was a "major blow to those who have looked to Viktor Orban's corrupt model as a blueprint -- including Donald Trump himself.
"This is a resounding defeat for authoritarianism that echoes far beyond Hungary's borders," Tanden added.
Orban had focused on making Ukraine the central topic of his campaign, portraying the neighbouring country, which is fighting off a Russian invasion, as "hostile" to Hungary.
He had also vowed to continue his crackdown against "fake civil society organisations, bought journalists, judges (and) politicians".
Fidesz supporters gathered for the results-watching event in Budapest were stunned.
"I am a Fidesz supporter with all my heart," Juliana Varga Szabo, a 58-year-old teacher, told AFP, tears in her eyes, saying that perhaps she had been living in a "bubble".
"Now that bubble is burst. I won't change my values. We'll just have to see what the future brings," she added.
bur-jza/jj

US

Lebanon PM says working to get Israeli troop withdrawal

  • "We will continue to work to stop this war, to ensure the Israeli withdrawal from all our lands," Salam said in a televised address.
  • Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Sunday he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war, even as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in south Lebanon that the fight there was far from over.
  • "We will continue to work to stop this war, to ensure the Israeli withdrawal from all our lands," Salam said in a televised address.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Sunday he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war, even as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in south Lebanon that the fight there was far from over.
The Lebanese Red Cross said in a statement that one of its paramedics had killed in the south.
They said its teams had been "directly targeted by an Israeli drone" while on a humanitarian mission, even though "the ambulances and their crews bore the protective Red Cross emblem".
Secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Jagan Chapagain, said he was "appalled and saddened" at the killing of a second Lebanese Red Cross volunteer in weeks.
The United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL said an Israeli tank rammed its vehicles on two occasions, "in one case causing significant damage".
Israel says the fragile temporary ceasefire in the wider Middle East war does not apply to its battle with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
It has kept up its attacks on the country as the militants fight back.
"We will continue to work to stop this war, to ensure the Israeli withdrawal from all our lands," Salam said in a televised address.
"We are continuing our efforts... to negotiate to stop the war," he added, ahead of planned talks on Tuesday in Washington between Lebanese, Israeli and US officials.
Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East conflict when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel after US-Israeli strikes killed Iran's supreme leader.
Israel has responded with massive strikes and a ground invasion.

'Accountability'

Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces had eliminated the threat of an invasion by Hezbollah militants during a visit to troops in southern Lebanon.
But he added: "There is still more to do, and we are doing it.
"The war continues, including within the security zone in Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.
Israeli officials have repeatedly said that Israel wants to establish a "security zone" in south Lebanon to help prevent Hezbollah attacks.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli attacks on dozens of locations in the south on Sunday, with additional strikes on the adjacent West Bekaa area.
The health ministry raised the war's overall toll to more than 2,050 dead, including 165 children and more than 80 health workers.
The Lebanese Red Cross condemned attacks on its personnel as "clear and blatant violations of all provisions of international law".
Before Sunday's deadly mission, which also wounded another paramedic, "the necessary contacts were made with UNIFIL for protection and safe passage", it said. 
Israel's military has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using ambulances for military ends.
Lebanon's health ministry also said an Israeli strike on Qana killed five people, including three women, and wounded 25 others.
An AFP photographer in the southern town saw significant destruction as an excavator worked to clear debris and first responders carried a body out from under the rubble.

'Moral obligation'

In south Lebanon's Bazuriyeh, Hassan Berro, a rescue worker from the Risala Scout association -- which is affiliated with the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement -- said: "Our emergency centre was hit and completely destroyed, along with all its contents, including beds and medical equipment."
The AFP photographer saw windows shattered and debris covering several hospital beds in the building, where walls and ceilings were also damaged.
Also Sunday, the Israeli army accused Hezbollah of using a hospital compound in south Lebanon's Bint Jbeil "for military purposes".
Hezbollah said it had launched attacks on Israeli targets across the border and inside Lebanon, including against troops in Bint Jbeil, where the NNA reported heavy fighting.
Pope Leo XIV, who visited Lebanon late last year, expressed his closeness to the Lebanese people on Sunday.
He said there was a "moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the atrocious effects of war".
lg/jj

conflict

Easter truce between Ukraine and Russia ends

BY BARBARA WOJAZER WITH DARIA NAZAROVA IN ZAPORIZHZHIA

  • While the 32-year-old officer said the truce had not been "fully" observed, the lull had allowed his soldiers of the 33rd Mechanised Brigade to attend an Easter Sunday mass outside in the freezing forest chill.
  • A truce between Russia and Ukraine to mark the Orthodox Easter formally expired Monday, both sides having accused each other of thousands of violations, despite a lull in Russian air raids.
  • While the 32-year-old officer said the truce had not been "fully" observed, the lull had allowed his soldiers of the 33rd Mechanised Brigade to attend an Easter Sunday mass outside in the freezing forest chill.
A truce between Russia and Ukraine to mark the Orthodox Easter formally expired Monday, both sides having accused each other of thousands of violations, despite a lull in Russian air raids.
The truce lasted 32 hours, from 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Saturday until the end of the day on Sunday.
Both sides had agreed to observe the ceasefire, which Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on Thursday and which Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky proposed more than a week earlier.
But as with a similar agreement last year, only relative calm reigned along the 1,200-kilometre (745-mile) front line.
As of 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Sunday, "7,696 violations by the enemy have been recorded", the Ukrainian army said on Facebook.
Russia had adhered to the ceasefire to some extent, while continuing "combat operations in certain sectors, including the use of FPV drones and kamikaze drones", it added.
Russia's defence ministry accused Kyiv of nearly 2,000 breaches of the truce.
"A total of 1,971 ceasefire violations by units of the Ukrainian armed forces were recorded between 4:00 pm Moscow time on April 12 and 8:00 am on April 12," the ministry said on the state-pushed MAX messenger service.
Kyiv had fired 258 times using artillery or tanks, carried out 1,329 FPV drone strikes, and dropped "various types of munitions" on 375 occasions, notably via drones, Russia said.
Moscow also accused the Ukrainian military of launching "three nighttime attacks" against Russian positions and also "four attempts to advance" along the front line, adding that it had thwarted each one.
Zelensky had called for a longer ceasefire in his evening address Saturday, saying Ukraine had put the proposal to Russia.
But in comments aired Sunday, the Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected any extension unless the Ukrainian leader accepted Russia's "well-known" terms.
"Until Zelensky musters the courage to assume this responsibility, the special military operation will continue after the truce expires," Peskov added, referring to the war in Ukraine.

'Holiday joy'

In a sign that the truce had some effect, the Ukrainian army said it had recorded no long-range Shahed drone attacks, guided aerial bombings or missile strikes.
Ukraine has had to deal with barrages of hundreds of Russian drones on a near-nightly basis, prompting retaliation from Kyiv.
In northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region, Lieutenant Colonel Vasyl Kobziak told AFP on Sunday morning that things were "rather calm" in his sector.
While the 32-year-old officer said the truce had not been "fully" observed, the lull had allowed his soldiers of the 33rd Mechanised Brigade to attend an Easter Sunday mass outside in the freezing forest chill.
"Our comrades have the chance, as you can see, to have their Easter baskets blessed and to feel the warmth and joy of this holiday," he told AFP, referring to the religious tradition of priests blessing food and eggs.
In Russia's Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, Governor Alexander Khinshtein also accused Kyiv of breaking the ceasefire by attacking a gas station in the town of Lgov with a drone, injuring three people, including a baby.
Residents in Ukraine's southern city of Zaporizhzhia were sceptical about Russia's intentions.
"I think they're using this as a cover to reconvene," said 28-year-old manager Vladyslav.
"If we're going to declare a ceasefire, it shouldn't be for just one day," said 58-year-old economist Maryna.

Frontline freeze

Recent months have seen several rounds of US-brokered negotiations fail to bring the warring parties closer to an agreement to stop the fighting, triggered by Russia's February 2022 invasion.
The process has stalled further since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East, with Washington's attention having shifted towards Iran.
But even before the Iran war, progress towards a peace deal in Ukraine had been slow, due to differences over the issue of territory.
Ukraine has proposed freezing the conflict along the current front lines. 
But Russia has rejected this, saying it wants the whole of the Donetsk region despite it being partly controlled by Ukraine -- a demand Kyiv says is unacceptable. 
The war has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee their homes, making it Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.
Russia, whose battlefield advances have slowed since last year, has paid a high price in manpower for relatively small territorial gains.
Moscow occupies just over 19 percent of Ukraine, most of which was seized during the first weeks of the conflict.
burs-cad/jj

Magyar

Peter Magyar: former govt insider promising system change

BY ANDRAS ROSTOVANYI

  • "He sounds more convincing to some former Fidesz voters when he says the system is rotten from within," the expert told AFP. "In a way, Magyar is like Orban 20 years ago without all the baggage, the corruption and the mistakes made in power."
  • Just a few years ago, Peter Magyar applauded Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's speeches from a front row seat before emerging as the nationalist leader's most serious challenger in his 16 years in power.
  • "He sounds more convincing to some former Fidesz voters when he says the system is rotten from within," the expert told AFP. "In a way, Magyar is like Orban 20 years ago without all the baggage, the corruption and the mistakes made in power."
Just a few years ago, Peter Magyar applauded Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's speeches from a front row seat before emerging as the nationalist leader's most serious challenger in his 16 years in power.
"They called me the 'eternal opposition' within (Orban's party) Fidesz," he told AFP soon after bursting into prominence in 2024 as the government faced a presidential pardon scandal involving a child abuser's accomplice.
On Sunday, Hungarians decided Magyar would be the "eternal opposition" no more, giving his party a clear victory at the polls. The election win, he said, had "liberated" the country.
European leaders were lining up to congratulate him Sunday, hailing what they see as a break with Orban's hostile approach to the European Union.
A skilful communicator -- on social media but also on the campaign trail -- the 45-year-old conservative has promised change, vowing to dismantle "brick by brick" Orban's whole political system -- one he had deep ties to until very recently.
People who know Magyar personally say he is a perfectionist with a short temper but who will apologise for his shortcomings.
He toured the nation almost non-stop over the past two years promising to curb graft and fix public services, propelling his TISZA party -- a portmanteau for respect and freedom -- to the top of the polls.
His status as a former government insider contributed to his meteoric rise, according to Andrzej Sadecki, lead analyst at the Warsaw-based Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW).
"He sounds more convincing to some former Fidesz voters when he says the system is rotten from within," the expert told AFP.
"In a way, Magyar is like Orban 20 years ago without all the baggage, the corruption and the mistakes made in power."

'Courageous'

Born into a family of prominent conservatives, Magyar was fascinated with politics from an early age.
During his university years, he befriended Gergely Gulyas -- Orban's current chief of staff -- and met Judit Varga, whom he married in 2006 and who later became justice minister under Orban.
After a stint in Brussels, where Magyar served as a diplomat dealing with EU matters, the family moved back to Hungary in 2018.
Magyar then headed the state's student loan provider and sat on the board of multiple other state companies.
Magyar and Varga, who have three children, divorced in 2023.
Largely unknown to the public, Magyar shot to prominence when a scandal over the pardoning of a convicted child abuser's accomplice shook the government in early 2024, leading to the resignation of the president, as well as Varga's retirement from politics.
Although Magyar brushed off a question about his political aspirations back then as a "bad (idea), even as a joke", weeks later he organised his first rally, attracting tens of thousands.
Magyar quickly became seen as "courageous, action-orientated and willing to take personal risks," Veronika Kovesdi, media expert at Budapest-based ELTE university, told AFP.
His social media messaging "emotionally resonated" with his followers, granting him an "unparalleled organic reach", said Kovesdi, adding many supporters see him as a "hero, tirelessly fighting for them".
The former insider took over the previously unknown TISZA so he could legally run in the 2024 European elections, leading it to second place behind the ruling coalition.
As his popularity has skyrocketed, Magyar has faced a "tsunami of hatred and lies" as he put it, ridiculing some claims and denying others, including domestic abuse accusations from Varga.
These attacks "helped further legitimise him as a leader who is truly capable of bringing about change" according to Kovesdi.

'Chance for change'

Magyar has promised to crack down on corruption, improve public services such as healthcare and carry out reforms required to unfreeze billions of euros in EU funds earmarked for Hungary.
On foreign policy, he has vowed to make the country a reliable NATO ally and EU member, while being critical of Russia, with which Orban sought close ties despite Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Like Orban however, Magyar also rejects sending arms to Ukraine and opposes the country's quick EU integration, though he does not share Orban's hostile rhetoric towards Kyiv.
He has even stricter anti-immigration views than Orban, pledging he would end the government's guest worker programme.
Magyar's stance on LGBTQ rights is vague, but he emphasises he backs equality before the law.
Occasionally, he has had heated arguments with the media, lambasting outlets for "misplacing" their focus.
"As he was socialised in Fidesz, there are also doubts whether he can provide a genuine rupture with Orban's rule," analyst Sadecki said.
"Left-wing voters might not be fully happy with his agenda, but they still support him, because he represents the biggest chance for change," he added.
ros/jza/giv/jj

Orban

Exit stage right: Hungary's Orban 16-year rule draws to an end

BY ANDRAS ROSTOVANYI

  • - Orban system - Orban began remaking Hungary's institutions, building a system he dubbed the "illiberal state" in 2014.
  • Hungary's Viktor Orban, who conceded defeat to his rival in parliamentary elections on Sunday, was for 16 years a dominant and divisive figure who constantly tweaked his country's political system during his time in power.
  • - Orban system - Orban began remaking Hungary's institutions, building a system he dubbed the "illiberal state" in 2014.
Hungary's Viktor Orban, who conceded defeat to his rival in parliamentary elections on Sunday, was for 16 years a dominant and divisive figure who constantly tweaked his country's political system during his time in power.
But the self-styled "illiberal" politician saw his tight grip on power gradually weaken from 2024 when Peter Magyar, 45, a former government insider burst on to the scene.
The 62-year-old nationalist was a close ally of US President Donald Trump, China and Russia, but a thorn in the side of the European Union establishment.
Leading a central European country of just 9.5 million people, Orban cultivated an international reputation as a staunch opponent of immigration, LGBTQ rights and the West's support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
He stood out among European political leaders "as someone different," Emilia Palonen, associate professor at the University of Helsinki told AFP.
"Illiberal political leaders look up to him as a role model, who has made it, managed to take power," she added.

Learning from his mistakes

Orban became a household name during the dying days of communism in 1989 with a fiery speech demanding democracy and the withdrawal of Soviet troops.
He was one of "new" Europe's brightest stars, becoming a lawmaker in freshly democratic and optimistic Hungary in 1990.
But he soon shed his image as a radical liberal and began moulding the Fidesz party he co-founded into a new conservative force preaching family and Christian values.
The move paid off, and with Orban developing a rare knack for connecting with ordinary voters, he became prime minister in 1998 at just 35.
His first period in office was rocky, resulting in a humiliating loss against the Socialists in 2002 and again in 2006.
He bounced back, older and savvier in 2010.
"The left was deeply unpopular back then, and, combined with the global economic downturn, this gave him a really fertile ground for a political shift," Palonen said.
Armed with a two-thirds majority in parliament, Orban implemented a root-and-branch reform of Hungarian state institutions and introduced a new constitution steeped in conservative values.
"He has learned from his first term mistakes. He was able to push through sweeping changes rapidly, cementing his power," Palonen added.

Orban system

Orban began remaking Hungary's institutions, building a system he dubbed the "illiberal state" in 2014.
"He managed to build up the political system around himself," political scientist Attila Gyulai from the ELTE University's Centre for Social Sciences told AFP.
"All policy issues, ideological preferences, socio-cultural perceptions culminate in one referendum-like question: do you want Viktor Orban? Yes or no?"
Orban's detractors repeatedly accused him of undercutting the independence of the judiciary and academic freedom, muzzling the press and curtailing civil rights, generating clashes with the European Union.
Orban turned this to his advantage, running multimedia campaigns around his tussles with "Brussels", portraying himself as the protector of national interests.
His governing Fidesz-KDNP coalition was re-elected with thumping majorities in the past three elections.
Long part of the EU's largest political family, the European People's Party (EPP) and Fidesz split in 2021.
The following year, the EU suspended billions of euros of funding earmarked for Hungary over corruption and rule of law concerns.
Although Orban's government undertook reforms that allowed some funds to be unblocked, billions of euros remain frozen.

Wearing out

After his 2022 electoral victory, Orban positioned himself as a geopolitical player, nurturing close ties with Trump, hard-right leaders and eastern autocracies.
Just last week, US Vice President JD Vance visited Hungary to rally together with Orban, who Trump  described as a "truly strong and powerful leader".
Orban's government also spent taxpayers' money lavishly to promote his political model.
He used Hungary's six-month EU presidency in 2024 to undertake a self-styled peace mission to Moscow, infuriating fellow European leaders.
But even as similar leaders rose to power around the globe, Orban's domestic authority waned against a backdrop of economic stagnation, scandal and the emergence of the charismatic Peter Magyar.
His authority also took a hit as record numbers attended the Budapest Pride march he sought to ban.
"All of Orban's domestic and foreign policy since 2010 were about changing the prevailing liberal values and political logic in Hungary, and beyond," political scientist Gyulai said.
"He certainly succeeded on leaving his mark," he added, pointing to the EU's hardening line on migration.
"But he acted as a battering ram" so he could be the one who "wears out first," he said.
In the end, his focus on foreign policy and networks at the expense of domestic affairs cost him dearly.
"Orban's focus on external alliances, particularly his ostentatious closeness to Trump and Vance" was "less effective," according to Bulcsu Hunyadi, an anayst with Political Capital.
bur/pmu/jza/jj

Global Edition

Delays mar vote as crisis-hit Peru picks ninth president in decade

BY ANDREW BEATTY

  • "We have to end this," said voter Elena Flores, 50.
  • Hours-long delays marred Peru's presidential and legislative elections on Sunday, as voters sought to end political chaos that has seen a string of presidents ousted or jailed.
  • "We have to end this," said voter Elena Flores, 50.
Hours-long delays marred Peru's presidential and legislative elections on Sunday, as voters sought to end political chaos that has seen a string of presidents ousted or jailed.
From the Amazon to the Andes, around 27 million Peruvians voted on half-metre-long ballots listing 35 presidential candidates, in a contest dominated by concerns about crime and corruption.
Peru has had eight presidents in the last decade, with impeachment and corruption convictions so common the country even built a jail for former leaders.
The frontrunners in the race include a conservative comedian, an autocrat's daughter, and an ex-mayor who likens himself to a cartoon pig.
Conservative candidates have dominated pre-election polls, raising the prospect Peru could join the growing tide of hard-right leaders in Latin America. 
"I want people to vote for an honest president," said shopkeeper Anita Medrano, 60. "Not the old or traditional ones. They already had their chance." 
No candidate was polling above 15 percent, well short of the 50 percent needed to win outright, making a June runoff likely.
"The people can't take it anymore," said Rosenda Lopez, a 47-year-old textile vendor. "I hope someone is elected who works for the community. They are killing us." 
Delays of several hours in opening some polling centers sparked cries of fraud after a bitter campaign.
Furious would-be voters waited for seven hours under the equatorial sun in parts of Lima. 
The electoral commission blamed a subcontractor for failing to deliver materials and extended voting by an hour. 

Crime and punishment

In the past decade, Peru's homicide rate has more than doubled, while reported extortion cases jumped from about 3,200 to 26,500 a year. 
In response, candidates have competed with hardline pledges, including killing hitmen, deporting migrants and locking criminals in jungle prisons ringed with snakes. 
"We have to end this," said voter Elena Flores, 50. "We are living in a country of drug traffickers." 
On the eve of the vote, frontrunner Keiko Fujimori told AFP she would "restore order" in her first 100 days by sending the army into prisons, deporting undocumented migrants and strengthening borders. 
In an exclusive interview Fujimori said she would seek a united front with conservative leaders in the United States, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia. 
"We will ask for special powers," she said, including to modernize police and deploy the armed forces in prisons. "We will expel undocumented citizens." 
This is Fujimori's fourth bid for the presidency. Her father, former president Alberto Fujimori, died in 2024 after serving 16 years in prison for crimes against humanity, bribery and embezzlement. 
During the campaign, she has leaned on renewed nostalgia for his strongman rule. 
"I believe that time and history are giving my father the place he deserves," she said. 
She faces a late surge from former Lima mayor Ricardo Belmont, 80, who has built a large following on TikTok. 
"He's collecting votes from left to right, like Pac-Man," said Patricia Zarate of the Institute of Peruvian Studies.
Also running are TV comedian Carlos Alvarez and far-right ex-mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, who has promised to "hunt" Venezuelan migrants and calls himself "Porky" after the cartoon character.
Sociologist David Sulmont said the election showed "a major disconnect" between voters and what politicians are offering.
Incumbent president Jose Maria Balcazar, in office for less than two months, is barred from running. 
Polling stations opened at 7:00 am and will close at 6:00 pm local time (2300 GMT), an hour later than planned. Voting is compulsory.
bur-arb/des

US

'No other way': Mideast prepares for more fighting as talks fail

BY AFP TEAMS IN DOHA, TEHRAN, TEL AVIV AND RIYADH

  • With nerves already battered, President Trump on Sunday ordered an immediate naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, vowing to intercept any ship that pays tolls to Tehran while also preventing Iran from earning future oil revenues. 
  • A sense of dread spread across the Middle East after talks between the US and Iran collapsed, as fears of renewed fighting rattled an already tense region with Donald Trump ordering a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.  
  • With nerves already battered, President Trump on Sunday ordered an immediate naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, vowing to intercept any ship that pays tolls to Tehran while also preventing Iran from earning future oil revenues. 
A sense of dread spread across the Middle East after talks between the US and Iran collapsed, as fears of renewed fighting rattled an already tense region with Donald Trump ordering a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.  
Following more than 20 hours of talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, US Vice President JD Vance admitted the yawning differences between the US and Iran proved to be insurmountable for the moment. 
What could come next and whether the two sides will continue to respect a two-week ceasefire was anybody's guess as both the Iranian and American delegations departed Pakistan without a deal. 
"Things could change at any moment," said Aishah, a 32-year-old economic consultant based in Doha. 
"It's more about taking each day as it comes."
The failure of the talks, however, did not surprise many in the region. 
"I didn't have a lot of hope for them going in, because the two sides want completely opposite things," Laura Kaufman, a 38-year-old school teacher in Tel Aviv, told AFP. 
"There didn't seem to be anyone willing to actually negotiate."
A recent poll found that only 10 percent of the Israeli public believe the war against Iran had constituted a "significant success, compared to 32 percent who view it as a failure".
In Iran, a brief spell of hope that talks would end the hostilities between the long-time foes was quickly dashed. 
"I really wanted them to make peace," said Mahsa, a 30-year-old employee of an export company in the Iranian capital.
"It's been almost 45 days now that I've seen everyone stressed. It's a bad situation."

'Worried'

Elsewhere in the Middle East, the negotiations' failure only seemed to guarantee more uncertainty. 
"I am worried about the continuation of the situation and the return of attacks again, because they were causing me tension," said Imam, an Egyptian housewife living in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi.
"I was making a great effort not to pass my tension on to the children."
With nerves already battered, President Trump on Sunday ordered an immediate naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, vowing to intercept any ship that pays tolls to Tehran while also preventing Iran from earning future oil revenues. 
"Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!" he wrote. 
The news came as many in the region were hoping for a return to normality. 
Earlier Sunday, Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said its key east-west oil pipeline and other major energy facilities had been restored following attacks by Iran on targets across the Gulf. 
"Of course I am worried that the war will return again," said Amin, a pharmacist living in Saudi Arabia's eastern province, who asked to use a pseudonym for security reasons.   
Back in Iran, a sense of the inevitable had begun to sink in for many people. 
"I would have preferred peace, but I think there is no other way but war and confrontation," said Hamed, 37. 
"Based on what I see and hear, unfortunately we are going to war again and it seems like we will have a long war."
In Lebanon, meanwhile, the ceasefire never started in the first place, with the warring sides disputing whether it was included under the deal as Israel stepped up its strikes there.
Dentist Kamal Qutaish called Lebanon "an arena where the whole world fights", adding much depended on how efforts towards peace progressed. 
"If (negotiations) collapse, it will affect not just us, but the whole world," he said. "Only a madman wouldn't be afraid."
burs-ds/ser/smw/jfx

US

After unsuccessful US-Iran talks, what next for Trump?

BY SUSAN STUMME

  • "Iran already has no trust in Trump," Telhami told AFP. "Hard to understate what this makes of what's left of America's global credibility."
  • The failure of US-Iran peace talks has left President Donald Trump with several unpalatable options, as analysts say his order to blockade the strategic Strait of Hormuz could further complicate his next move.
  • "Iran already has no trust in Trump," Telhami told AFP. "Hard to understate what this makes of what's left of America's global credibility."
The failure of US-Iran peace talks has left President Donald Trump with several unpalatable options, as analysts say his order to blockade the strategic Strait of Hormuz could further complicate his next move.
Any hopes that US Vice President JD Vance would emerge from the marathon day of negotiations with top Iranian officials with a deal to end a war that has rippled across the Middle East were dashed when he left Pakistan emptyhanded.
Protracted talks would undermine Trump's insistence that Iran has "no cards" left to play, while ramping up military action would expose US forces to heightened risk and could alienate voters -- already angry with surging gas prices -- ahead of midterm elections.
And the blockade of the strait through which a fifth of the world's oil moves would do little to ease global economic jitters.
For Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, Trump's propensity to talk off the cuff and make threats -- what he called the president's "carnival barker" style -- leaves his close aides scrambling to chart a path forward. 
"He may be simply buying more time to move in more military assets or because he doesn't know what else to do. I wouldn't call it a strategy; it is a military-centric approach without strategy," Katulis told AFP.
Shibley Telhami, a professor of peace and development at the University of Maryland and a fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, says the threat of a blockade was "bewildering and seems self-defeating."
"Iran already has no trust in Trump," Telhami told AFP. "Hard to understate what this makes of what's left of America's global credibility."

'Untrustworthy and duplicitous'

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards on Sunday pledged that Tehran's enemies would be trapped in a "deadly vortex" if they were to make a wrong move in the strait.
Danny Citrinowicz, a fellow at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, said a naval blockade would indeed expose US forces to increased risk.
"There is little reason to believe that a blockade would force Iranian capitulation. If anything, Iran's demonstrated resilience thus far suggests the opposite," Citrinowicz wrote on X.
"Iran's geographic scale and military capabilities mean that sustaining such an operation would demand substantial and prolonged allocation of American resources."
And such a prolonged military engagement may not sit well with Americans who say they are worried and stressed about the conflict, which began in late February. 
A CBS News poll published Sunday revealed that worry, stress and anger far outweigh safety and confidence, when those polled were asked how they feel about the war.
More than 80 percent of respondents said the United States should seek to reopen the strait and improve global access to oil, which would bring gas prices down, and make sure that the Iranian people are "free."
But fewer than 10 percent said they believed those goals had been achieved.
"I don't see how, 40-plus days into this war, that we are safer, that our allies are safer. I'm not even sure Israel is safer," Democratic US Senator Mark Warner said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" talk show.
"I don't understand how blockading the strait is going to somehow push the Iranians into opening it. I don't get the connection there."
So if the blockade is not an answer, what about more negotiations?
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine suggested that would not be an easy path, given that Trump removed the US from a 2015 accord reached by Tehran and world powers on restricting its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
"This is not going to be an easy negotiation because the last negotiation that led to a control of Iran's nuclear program, the US made the decision to tear it up and walk away from the deal," Kaine told CNN.
Katulis echoed that idea.
"Iranian officials are also untrustworthy and duplicitous, but the Trump administration is providing the mirror image of that," he said.
"If I were an Iranian official leaving Islamabad, I would wonder if I am back on the Israeli kill list."
sct-sst/mlm

US

Trump orders US naval blockade of Strait of Hormuz

  • The US leader slammed Iran for "knowingly" failing to deliver on a pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, writing: "As they promised, they better begin the process of getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST!"
  • President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of failed peace talks with Iran -- a significant escalation that would test an already fragile ceasefire.
  • The US leader slammed Iran for "knowingly" failing to deliver on a pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, writing: "As they promised, they better begin the process of getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST!"
President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of failed peace talks with Iran -- a significant escalation that would test an already fragile ceasefire.
In lengthy social media posts and an interview on Fox News, Trump acknowledged that the marathon negotiations in Islamabad had gone "well" and "most points were agreed to."
But he said Tehran had been "unyielding" in its refusal to give up its nuclear ambitions, and had failed to open the strait, through which a fifth of the world's crude oil passes -- a condition of the two-week ceasefire currently in place.
And he threatened China with a massive 50 percent tariff on its goods entering the United States if it decides to help Tehran militarily.
"Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
"Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!"
Trump initially suggested that "other countries" would be involved in the blockade effort, and then told Fox's "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo" that Britain "and a couple of other countries" would be sending minesweepers.

'Staggering' tariff threat

US Vice President JD Vance left Pakistan without a deal after weekend talks with a team led by Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf -- the highest-level meeting between the two sides since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The talks were meant to solidify a fragile two-week ceasefire with a final deal to end the conflict that has engulfed the Middle East, leaving thousands dead and roiling global markets. But no conclusions were reached.
"We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We'll see if the Iranians accept it," Vance told reporters.
Trump said he had been fully debriefed by the US negotiating team of Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law.
The US leader slammed Iran for "knowingly" failing to deliver on a pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, writing: "As they promised, they better begin the process of getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST!"
Iran has effectively blocked the strait for weeks, since the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign against the Islamic republic more than six weeks ago.
On Saturday, the US military announced that two of its warships had transited the strait at the start of a mine clearance operation.
Trump on Sunday warned China that it would face a high price if it were to help Tehran militarily at this phase of the war.
"If we catch them doing that, they get a 50 percent tariff, which is a staggering -- that's a staggering amount," Trump told Bartiromo.
He also reiterated a threat to destroy Iranian power plants and other civilian energy infrastructure if no lasting deal is reached, and warned that US forces would "finish up the little that is left of Iran" if necessary.
"We are fully 'LOCKED AND LOADED,'" he wrote.
sst/mlm