WASHINGTON:&nbsp;Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who led a politically explosive investigation into Donald Trump&#39;s election campaign, has died aged 81, triggering a gloating response Saturday from the US president. US media reported that Mueller died late Friday, citing a family statement, without specifying a location or cause. Trump responded quickly on Truth Social, writing: &quot;Robert Mueller just died. Good, I&#39;m glad he&#39;s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!&quot; Barack Obama, whose presidency overlapped with Mueller&#39;s tenure as FBI chief for five years, hailed him as &quot;one of the most respected public servants of our time.&quot; Mueller led the FBI for 12 years, starting just days before the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States, during which time he built up the bureau&#39;s counterterror mission. After his tenure at the FBI, he was tapped as a special counsel for the Justice Department to lead an investigation into whether Trump&#39;s presidential campaign conspired with Russia to get him elected. Starting in 2017, Mueller operated for two years quietly behind the scenes, emerging in July 2019 to testify before Congress about the probe that Trump regularly denounced as a &quot;witch hunt.&quot; For many Americans, the nationally televised hearing was the first close look at the patrician, grey-haired former FBI director. What many saw was a cautious career prosecutor who was forced to testify under duress and who deflected questions from both Democrats and Republicans by referring repeatedly to his voluminous report. Mueller said his report did not exonerate Trump but he mostly deflected questions from lawmakers seeking to score political points for their sides. A &#39;straight shooter&#39;&nbsp;That was in keeping with the career of a public servant who had spent four decades serving both Democratic and Republican presidents. Before taking on the politically sensitive Russia investigation, Mueller, a former marine who was wounded and decorated for heroism in Vietnam, enjoyed a sterling reputation in Washington. Mueller is a &quot;consummate professional and a straight shooter,&quot; then-FBI chief Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, said in July 2019. As a young prosecutor in San Francisco and Boston, Mueller took on cases involving grisly murders, organized crime, fraud by powerful banks and terror attacks, winning some, losing some, but rarely drawing serious criticism for his work. At the FBI, he gained a reputation of being an exacting taskmaster and, despite his early Republican political alignment, someone who was appreciated by politicians of both political parties. Two of his most heralded prosecutions involved New York mobster John Gotti and General Manuel Noriega of Panama. After retiring in 2013, he joined a private Washington law practice where he handled official arbiter missions. Trump&#39;s May 2017 firing of Mueller&#39;s successor at the FBI, James Comey, resulted in Mueller being recalled to public service to lead the investigation into suspected Russia meddling. Over 22 months, his investigators issued charges against 34 individuals, including six Trump associates, and three companies. Born August 7, 1944, in New York City, Mueller grew up on Manhattan&#39;s tony upper East Side. He attended the elite, and at the time all-male, Princeton University where he earned his bachelor&#39;s degree in 1966. After college, Mueller enlisted in the US Marines, and after one year as an enlisted man, entered officer candidate school. As a marine, Mueller earned a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. In 2001, he took over an FBI beset by scandals, including the years-long deception by FBI mole Robert Hanssen and the agency&#39;s failure to turn over thousands of pages of investigative documents to Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh&#39;s attorneys. Then-president George W. Bush and legislators agreed that Mueller was the person to set the bureau right. &quot;His skills should be a perfect match for the challenge,&quot; Republican Senator Jeff Sessions said at the time. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, heartily agreed. &quot;Bob Mueller,&quot; he said, &quot;will give the FBI a major boost that will help it get back on its feet.&quot;

Americas

Robert Mueller, the former FBI director has died aged 81; The New York Times reported Mueller's death, citing a family statement, but did not specify a location or cause.

Former FBI chief Robert Mueller dies at 81

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi on Tuesday rejected reports of contacting senior US envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Iran&rsquo;s semi-official Tasnim News Agency.&nbsp;The denial follows reports by Axios and other outlets reporting that Aragchi had attempted to directly communicate with Steve Witkoff, with messages reportedly focused on ending the ongoing conflict.&nbsp;&ldquo;My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was prior to his employer&rsquo;s decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran,&rdquo; the minister said in a post on X.&nbsp;&ldquo;Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;The reports suggested a possible backchannel between Washington and Tehran, since US, &nbsp;Israel carried out airstrikes against Iran almost 3 weeks ago.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump, on multiple occasions, suggested that Iran wanted a deal for a ceasefire.&nbsp;&ldquo;They want to make a deal. They are talking to our people&hellip; we have people wanting to negotiate, [but] we have no idea who they are,&rdquo; Trump told reporters earlier.&nbsp;Iranian officials have maintained publicly that no ceasefire negotiations are underway

Central Asia

Iran denies reports of renewed contact with a US envoy, rejecting claims of backchannel talks with Donald Trump’s administration and insisting no ceasefire negotiations are underway amid escalating conflict.

Iran denies contact with US envoy

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Sunday the United States would hit Iran with &quot;force that has never been seen before&quot; if the country retaliated against US and Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran indicated it was &quot;going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before,&quot; wrote Trump, who has vowed to seek regime change in the Islamic republic, on his Truth Social platform early Sunday. &quot;THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!&quot; he said.<div class="fr-embed"><iframe src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116152251973821428/embed" class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>&#39;As long as necessary&#39;The bombing campaign by the US and Israel -- which followed a massive military buildup in the Middle East unseen since the 2003 invasion of Iraq -- killed Khamenei, Iranian state television confirmed Sunday. Iran has since retaliated, with reported Iranian strikes across the Gulf, including in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi and near regional US military bases. Trump has said the US bombing will continue &quot;as long as necessary&quot; and noted Khamenei&#39;s killing gives Iranians their &quot;greatest chance&quot; for taking power from the current regime.

Middle East

After Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's death in US-Israeli strikes, US president in a social media post warned Iran against retaliation, saying, 'THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT...WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!' 

Trump threatens Iran with force if they retaliate following Khamenei’s assassination

PARIS: Iran said Monday that a US attack of any scale would spur the Islamic republic to respond &quot;ferociously&quot;, after President Donald Trump said he was considering&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-considering-limited-military-strike-on-iran" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">limited strikes against</a>&nbsp;the country.&nbsp;The United States has built up forces in the Middle East to pile pressure on Iran to make a deal at negotiations due to restart on Thursday, with Trump weighing a limited strike if no agreement is reached.&nbsp;On Monday Iran&#39;s foreign ministry reiterated that any strike, even limited, would be &quot;would be regarded as an act of aggression. Period&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;And any state would react to an act of aggression as part of its inherent right of self-defence ferociously so that&#39;s what we would do,&quot; ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a briefing in Tehran attended by an AFP journalist.&nbsp;The two countries concluded a second round of indirect talks in Switzerland on Tuesday under Omani mediation.&nbsp;Further talks, confirmed by Iran and Oman but not by the United States, are scheduled for Thursday.&nbsp;The European Union, which has been sidelined in mediation on Iran, called for a diplomatic solution ahead of the talks.&nbsp;&quot;We don&#39;t need another war in this region. We already have a lot,&quot; EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.&nbsp;&quot;It is true that Iran is at its weakest point that they have been. We should be really using this time to find a diplomatic solution.&quot;&nbsp;Iran&#39;s clerical authorities have faced recent steep challenges, including a wave of mass protests that peaked in January, last year&#39;s 12-day war with Israel, and the weakening of Iran&#39;s regional proxies.&nbsp;Fears of conflictIran has, however, insisted only discussions on the country&#39;s nuclear programme are on the table at mediated talks. The West believes the programme is aimed at making a bomb, which Tehran denies.&nbsp;Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is leading the negotiations for Iran, while the United States is represented by envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump&#39;s son-in-law Jared Kushner.&nbsp;Trump is wondering why Iran has not &quot;capitulated&quot; in the face of Washington&#39;s military deployment, Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News broadcast over the weekend.&nbsp;Baqaei responded Monday by saying that Iranians had never capitulated at any point in their history.&nbsp;Trump had initially threatened military action over the violent crackdown on the protests that rights groups say saw thousands of people killed by security forces, but his attention soon shifted to Iran&#39;s nuclear programme.&nbsp;Scattered anti-government protests have continued in the country, despite the threat of suppression and arrests.&nbsp;Students rallied to commemorate those killed in competing pro- and anti-government demonstrations as the university semester restarted over the weekend.&nbsp;Iranians&#39; fears of a new conflict have grown and the concerns have also prompted several foreign countries to urge their citizens to leave Iran.&nbsp;India on Monday joined Sweden, Serbia, Poland and Australia in calling for its citizens -- estimated at 10,000 in the country by the foreign ministry -- to leave Iran.

Iran says that US attack of any scale would spur the Islamic republic to respond "ferociously", after President Donald Trump said he was considering limited strikes against the country

Iran says would respond 'ferociously' to any US attack, even limited strikes

WASHINGTON: US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Saturday that President Donald Trump is questioning why Iran has not &quot;capitulated&quot; in the face of Washington&#39;s military build-up aimed at pressuring them into a nuclear deal. The United States and Iran this week resumed Oman-mediated talks in Geneva aimed at averting the possibility of military action, after Washington dispatched two <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-aircraft-carrier-enters-mediterranean-as-trump-mulls-iran-strikes" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">aircraft carriers</a>, jets and weaponry to the region to back its warnings. In a Fox News interview with Trump&#39;s daughter-in-law Lara, Witkoff said the president was &quot;curious&quot; about Iran&#39;s position after he had warned them of severe consequences in the event they failed to strike a deal. &lsquo;He&rsquo;s curious&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;I don&#39;t want to use the word &#39;frustrated,&#39; because he understands he has plenty of alternatives, but he&#39;s curious as to why they haven&#39;t... I don&#39;t want to use the word &#39;capitulated,&#39; but why they haven&#39;t capitulated,&quot; he said. &quot;Why, under this pressure, with the amount of seapower and naval power over there, why haven&#39;t they come to us and said, &#39;We profess we don&#39;t want a weapon, so here&#39;s what we&#39;re prepared to do&#39;? And yet it&#39;s sort of hard to get them to that place.&quot; Meeting with Reza Pahlavi&nbsp;The US envoy also confirmed in the interview that he had met with Reza Pahlavi, who has not returned to Iran since before the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ousted the monarchy. &quot;I met him at the direction of the president,&quot; he said, without providing further details. US-based Pahlavi last week told a crowd in Munich that he was ready to lead the country to a &quot;secular democratic future&quot; after Trump said regime change would be best for the country. Draft proposal for agreement&nbsp; Witkoff&#39;s comments come after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-to-submit-draft-nuclear-proposal-as-us-military-presence-grows" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">draft proposal</a> for an agreement with Washington would be ready in a matter of days. Trump said on Thursday that Iran had at most 15 days to make a deal on concerns starting with its nuclear program. As talks between the two nations continued in Geneva, Iran&#39;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday said that Trump would not succeed in destroying the Islamic republic. Sanctions &nbsp;Western countries accuse the Islamic Republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies, though it insists on its right to enrichment for civilian purposes. Iran, for its part, is seeking to negotiate an end to sanctions that have proven to be a massive drag on its economy, which played a role in sparking anti-government protests in December.

The US and Iran this week resumed Oman-mediated talks in Geneva aimed at averting the possibility of military action, after Washington dispatched two aircraft carriers, jets and weaponry to the region to back its warnings.

US envoy says Trump questioning why Iran has not 'capitulated'

ISLAMABAD: India&rsquo;s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has stepped up his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the US Supreme Court struck down global tariffs imposed by former US President Donald Trump, triggering a fresh political row over India&rsquo;s interim trade understanding with Washington.&nbsp;In a post on X, Gandhi accused the prime minister of compromising India&rsquo;s national interest. &ldquo;PM Modi&rsquo;s betrayal now stands exposed,&rdquo; he wrote, adding that the premier &ldquo;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/congress-criticizes-modi-over-us-tariff-conditionality-on-russian-oil" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">can&rsquo;t renegotiate</a>&rdquo; and would &ldquo;surrender again.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 320px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2025074652406841686&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=ceba81b994fe79e6c41b6814b5f454752c7bc856&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>The remarks followed a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-vows-10-global-tariff-after-stinging-court-rebuke" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">6-3 ruling by the US Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;that the Trump administration had exceeded its authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 to impose sweeping import tariffs.&nbsp;The court held that the law did not permit such broad trade measures.&nbsp;Reacting to the verdict, Trump called it a &ldquo;terrible decision&rdquo; and announced plans to introduce a 10%&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/indian-garment-exporters-reel-under-us-tariffs" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">global tariff</a>&nbsp;under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows temporary import surcharges of up to 15% for 150 days to address balance-of-payments issues. The controversy has sparked sharp reactions from India&rsquo;s opposition. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned why the Modi government had moved ahead with what he described as a &ldquo;trap deal&rdquo; before the US court&rsquo;s ruling.<iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 392px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2025088486391644220&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=ceba81b994fe79e6c41b6814b5f454752c7bc856&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe><div class="fr-embed"> </div>He alleged that the joint trade statement included major concessions, including zero tariffs on several American exports and large-scale imports of US goods. Congress leader Dr Shama Mohamed also cited remarks attributed to Trump, quoting him as saying: &ldquo;We made a deal with India, it&rsquo;s a fair deal now, we are not paying tariffs and they are paying tariffs.&rdquo;<div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 665px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2025065394600579308&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=ceba81b994fe79e6c41b6814b5f454752c7bc856&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div>In her post on X, she echoed Gandhi&rsquo;s criticism, alleging that the deal benefits the United States at India&rsquo;s expense.&nbsp;She also questioned whether the government was aware of the pending case before the US Supreme Court and suggested that the agreement may have been concluded under pressure.&nbsp;The Modi government has yet to issue a response to the opposition&rsquo;s latest allegations.

India

Rahul Gandhi accuses the prime minister of compromising India’s national interest; says Modi 'can’t renegotiate' and will 'surrender again.'

Indian opposition leader says 'Modi will surrender again' after US tariff ruling

MINNEAPOLIS: Thousands of protesters took to the streets of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-battles-minneapolis-shooting-fallout-as-agents-put-on-leave" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Minneapolis</a>&nbsp;on Friday in the latest show of anger over President Donald Trump&#39;s immigration crackdown, as a prominent US journalist was charged over his coverage of protests in the northern city. People marched with signs blasting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency leading Trump&#39;s mass deportation drive, in response to a call for a &quot;national shutdown&quot; across the United States. Minneapolis has become the epicenter of the immigration policy backlash after two protesters, both US citizens, were shot dead by federal agents this month. &quot;I don&#39;t think our federal government should be terrorizing our people like this,&quot; Sushma Santhana, 24, told AFP as protesters chanted &quot;our streets!&quot; around her. The crowd gathered in freezing temperatures after Bruce Springsteen performed at an <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ice-agents-to-help-with-security-at-winter-olympics" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">anti-ICE</a> concert in the city. The US rock legend recently released &quot;Streets of Minneapolis,&quot; a tribute to the two killed protesters. Another protester, 24-year-old Max Maffor, said he was demonstrating &quot;to conserve what we would consider our democracy and all the liberties that we get from living in America.&quot; Rallies were also underway across Los Angeles, where immigration raids last year sparked protests, with thousands carrying signs outside City Hall. Journalist charged Earlier Friday, the Trump administration charged former CNN anchor Don Lemon and eight others with civil rights violations, after he and other reporters covered a protest at a church where an ICE official is a pastor. The journalist&#39;s lawyer said he was taken into custody in Los Angeles overnight, adding that his work covering the protest &quot;was no different to what he has always done.&quot; He faces two charges of conspiracy to deprive rights and interfering with First Amendment rights, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told AFP, referencing the constitutional protection for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-honors-charlie-kirk-with-presidential-medal-of-freedom-on-what-would-be-his-32nd-birthday" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">freedom</a>&nbsp;of expression, including religion. Political figures and media advocates condemned Lemon&#39;s arrest, with Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling for his immediate release. &quot;This is an egregious attack on the First Amendment and on journalists&#39; ability to do their work,&quot; said Committee to Protect Journalists CEO Jodie Ginsberg. Three other journalists were also arrested as part of the case and were later released, according to US media. Civil rights probe Trump meanwhile walked back his conciliatory tone to describe Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse gunned down on Saturday, as an &quot;agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist&quot; after new footage allegedly of Pretti emerged. AFP could not immediately verify the video, in which a man said to be Pretti is seen kicking and breaking the taillight of the agents&#39; car before they emerge and tackle him to the ground. Some Minneapolis residents were unstirred by the footage. &quot;So the guy kicked a car&#39;s light, does that mean he deserved to die?&quot; Pedro Wolcott, a Latino sandwich shop owner, told AFP. The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti&#39;s death, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters Friday. There is no similar probe for Renee Good, also fatally shot by agents in January. Government shutdown Trump had claimed he wanted to &quot;de-escalate a little bit&quot; in the fallout of the deaths and appointed a new point man in Minneapolis, top immigration adviser Tom Homan. Homan said that &quot;certain improvements could and should be made,&quot; a marked difference in tone from his predecessor on the ground, combative Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino. He also said his staff was &quot;working on a drawdown plan&quot; for some of the more than 3,000 federal agents, if there was greater cooperation from the local authorities in the Democratic-run city. Backlash over the deaths of Pretti and Good has landed in Congress, just before a government funding deadline. Democrats have drawn a red line around funding for the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/afghan-national-arrested-near-dc-for-isisk-support-homeland-security" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Department of Homeland Security, </a>demanding it be stripped out and renegotiated to impose new constraints on immigration enforcement agencies.

Minneapolis has become the epicenter of the immigration policy backlash after two protesters, both US citizens, were shot dead by federal agents this month.

Thousands rally in Minneapolis as immigration anger boils

Web Desk/AFP

WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM: Regional tensions have intensified dramatically as US President Donald Trump confirmed a naval fleet is advancing toward Iran, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on his rejection of Palestinian statehood, setting the stage for potential confrontation across the Middle East. Speaking at a ceremony in Iowa, President Trump announced that a significant naval presence is moving toward Iranian waters, expressing hope that Tehran would agree to negotiations.&nbsp; &quot;I hope Iran will make a deal with us,&quot; Trump stated, while simultaneously launching his midterm election campaign. The president claimed that in June, US forces eliminated Iran&#39;s nuclear capability through military operations that he said resulted in no civilian casualties. Trump&#39;s remarks came as the United States deployed the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to the Middle East and announced a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-to-conduct-multiday-military-exercise-in-middle-east" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">major multi-day Air Force exercise</a>&nbsp;in the region. The US military described the exercise as demonstrating America&#39;s ability to &quot;deploy, disperse, and sustain combat airpower&quot; across the region, though no specific dates or locations were disclosed. The American president told Axios news site that Washington has &quot;a big armada next to Iran&quot; but maintained that diplomatic talks remain viable.&nbsp; &quot;They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions,&quot; Trump insisted.&nbsp; He also took the opportunity to tout economic achievements, claiming America&#39;s economy has stabilized after what he called &quot;historic inflation&quot; a year ago, with investment volumes reaching $18 trillion. In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Netanyahu issued his own forceful statements, declaring that Israel would never allow the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza.&nbsp; &quot;It hasn&#39;t happened and it will not happen,&quot;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/will-block-establishment-of-palestinian-state-insists-israel-will-maintain-control-over-gaza-west-bank-netanyahu" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Netanyahu</a>said during a televised press conference, taking credit for having &quot;repeatedly blocked&quot; the implementation of a two-state solution. Netanyahu emphasized that Israel would maintain security control &quot;from the Jordan River to the sea,&quot; including Gaza. He stated that no reconstruction would occur in Gaza until Hamas is disarmed and the territory is demilitarized of weapons and tunnels. &quot;It will be done the easy way, or it will be done the hard way. But in any case, it will happen,&quot; the Israeli leader warned. The prime minister also addressed the Iranian situation, stating that while Trump would make his own decisions, Israel would act independently.&nbsp; &quot;If Iran makes the grave mistake of attacking Israel, we will respond with a force that Iran has never seen,&quot; Netanyahu threatened, referencing the 12-day war with Iran last June that saw Israeli strikes on military targets and the killing of senior Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian strongly condemned what he called US &quot;threats&quot; during a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pezeshkian argued these threats were &quot;aimed at disrupting the security of the region,&quot; highlighting Tehran&#39;s growing alarm at the American military buildup. In a significant diplomatic move, Saudi Arabia&#39;s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reaffirmed the Kingdom&#39;s commitment to respecting Iran&#39;s sovereignty.&nbsp; According to the Saudi Press Agency, the Crown Prince made clear that Saudi Arabia rejects the use of its airspace or territory for any military actions against Iran, regardless of the source or direction of such attacks.&nbsp; He stressed Saudi support for resolving disputes through dialogue to enhance regional security and stability. The escalating crisis has its roots in Iran&#39;s deadly anti-government protests that began in late December. Trump had repeatedly warned Tehran of military intervention if protesters were killed and encouraged Iranians to overthrow state institutions, declaring &quot;help is on the way.&quot; However, he pulled back from ordering strikes earlier this month, claiming Tehran had halted more than 800 executions under American pressure. As the naval armada approaches Iranian waters and military exercises commence, the international community watches anxiously to see whether diplomacy can prevail over the threat of another Middle Eastern conflict.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the Crown Prince made clear that Saudi Arabia rejects the use of its airspace or territory for any military actions against Iran, regardless of the source or direction of such attacks. 

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