Reuters

Gold prices climbed to a record high on Tuesday (October 14) as renewed US-China trade tensions exacerbated broader uncertainty, bolstering safe-haven demand, while the prospects of US rate cuts lent support, with silver also reaching an all-time peak.&nbsp;Spot gold was up 0.4% at $4,124.79 per ounce, as of 0029 GMT, after having hit an all-time high of $4,131.52 earlier in the session.&nbsp;Safe-haven gold has surged 57% year-to-date, surpassing the crucial $4,100 milestone for the first time on Monday (October 13), bolstered by geopolitical and economic uncertainties, rate-cut expectations, strong central bank buying, and strong ETF inflows.&nbsp;Spot silver was up 0.3% at $52.49 per ounce, after hitting $52.70 earlier in the day, supported by factors driving gold and tightening in the spot market.&nbsp;Bank of America and Societe Generale analysts now forecast gold to hit $5,000 by 2026, while Standard Chartered raised its 2026 average forecast to $4,488.

Business

Spot gold comes down to $4,124.79 per ounce, as of 0029 GMT, after having hit an all-time high of $4,131.52 earlier in the session.

Gold hits record high on safe-haven rush; silver follows suit

PARIS: British singer-songwriting legend Sting finds the multiple genres and streaming platforms of the modern music scene &quot;quite odd&quot;, but still believes in the power of song to unite people. In an interview with AFP, the 74-year-old with 17 Grammy Awards and sales of over 100 million albums also spoke about his worries about AI as a tool for repression, as well as politicians &quot;whose idea is to separate us all&quot;. The former frontman of The Police was speaking in Paris ahead of the French debut of his partly biographical musical &quot;The Last Ship&quot;, which is set in his hometown of Wallsend in northeast England. It tells the story of the decline of shipbuilding on the River Tyne and is intended as a tribute to the working-class area that Sting left to pursue his music career. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Why did you go back to your roots for this show?&nbsp;</h2>My entire life has been about escaping from what was offered to me. At a certain point, I realised that what I was given as a child was very valuable: a community, a family, a town with a purpose, and that had been taken away. My way of repaying the debt to my community was to tell a story of an industry that was shut down by the government, and the betrayal, but also to weave in a love story. I also think it&#39;s about many universal problems we face in society. Many communities are losing work because of technology, AI, and so I think it&#39;s highly relevant to what&#39;s going on politically. It&#39;s an act of resistance for people, and I think we need to resist what&#39;s happening. So the play is a kind of political statement. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Can music and art be a form of resistance?&nbsp;</h2>I think art is a machine for empathy, where we can see the world through other people&#39;s eyes, you can step into someone else&#39;s shoes and see their point of view. That is very valuable because there are politicians in the world at the moment whose idea is to separate us all, to say: &#39;You belong to this club and you can&#39;t come in here.&#39; That separation is not useful for society. It&#39;s certainly not good for peace. So I think art has a place in fighting against that trend. This is why these politicians want to get rid of art, and education, and science, and diplomacy. All of these things I personally value, and I think art is my way of contributing to that feeling. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Why do you place so much value on work?&nbsp;</h2>Human beings need to do something with their hands. I&#39;m very lucky. I use my hands every day to play the bass. I think human beings need to build things, to make things, to feel dignity, the sense of self. I&#39;m lucky that I&#39;m just enjoying myself. But it&#39;s work. It&#39;s hard work. But I would do it for nothing. I would do it for no money.&nbsp;Like a fish has to swim, I have to sing. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">How do you feel about what the music industry has become?&nbsp;</h2>What I believe now is that there are separate ecologies in music. Whereas before, the number one song in France or England, everybody knew it. Now there are so many genres and so many different streaming systems. It&#39;s quite odd. I&#39;m lucky in that I came up at a time when it was a monoculture. Everybody knows The Police. So I still trade on that. I&#39;m famous because of that. But now you can be successful in a niche and nowhere else. It&#39;s not better or worse, it&#39;s just different. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Are you worried about AI and the music industry?</h2>I&#39;m not afraid, yet. I think it produces an interesting facsimile, but it does not feel emotion. So what can it really give us? It can give us a trick. A mirror. I think there&#39;s a way of using it for medical research. But to actually produce art that we&#39;d want to see or listen to, I&#39;m not sure. I&#39;m worried more politically about what AI can do, the harm, in the wrong hands. Leaders who will use it for increased surveillance of society. It&#39;s a very useful tool to keep people observed and controlled. I fear that more than I fear an artistic invasion of my life.

Entertainment

The 74-year-old with 17 Grammy Awards and sales of over 100 million albums speaks about his worries about AI as a tool for repression, as well as politicians "whose idea is to separate us all".

Sting finds fractured modern music scene 'quite odd'

GAZA: Israel&rsquo;s military said it opened fire on Tuesday to eliminate a threat posed by suspects who approached its forces in the northern Gaza Strip. Health authorities in the enclave said at least six Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire. The military said the suspects had crossed a boundary established for an initial Israeli pullback under a United States&ndash;brokered ceasefire plan, violating the agreement.Gaza&rsquo;s local health authority said Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in two separate incidents across the enclave on Tuesday. On Monday, Hamas released the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza, and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees as part of the ceasefire deal. US President Donald Trump declared the end of a two-year war that has reshaped the broader Middle East.

Israeli soldiers work on their tanks at a gathering point on the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025 after Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their war and the release of the remaining hostages. (AP Photo/Ariel 

Middle East

Israel’s military said it opened fire on Tuesday to eliminate a threat posed by suspects who approached its forces in the northern Gaza Strip. Health authorities in the enclave said at least six Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire.

Israel says it fired on Gaza suspects; six reported killed

NEW DELHI: The UN peacekeeping chief warned Tuesday that the &quot;indispensable&quot; role played by peacekeepers was facing challenges due to budget cuts, as funding shortfalls translate into troop reductions. &quot;We do not have a choice but to implement these reductions, which are due to the partial non-payment by some states,&quot; Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told representatives from 32 UN troop-contributing countries. &quot;The international community is divided,&quot; he said in New Delhi. &quot;As a result, the appetite for collective responses to crises is diminishing.&quot; Shortfall in budget&nbsp;UN officials said earlier this month there was 16&ndash;17% shortfall in the peacekeeping budget, largely linked to US aid cuts. As a result, a 25% troop reduction will be spread across nine of the 11 peacekeeping missions. The United States was expected to contribute $1.3 billion of the $5.4 billion budget for 2025-2026 peacekeeping operations. But it has told the United Nations it will only pay around half that amount, or $682 million, which includes $85 million for a new international anti-gang mission in Haiti that was not in the original budget. Slashed foreign aid&nbsp;President Donald Trump has long claimed that international institutions have taken advantage of the United States and has slashed foreign aid. Lacroix emphasized the achievements of peacekeepers over the decades. &quot;The list, as we know, is very long of countries which successfully reached stability with the support of peacekeeping,&quot; he said. &lsquo;Indispensable&rsquo; role&nbsp;&quot;They make the difference between life and death for hundreds of thousands of civilians. They monitor ceasefires. They help build national key capabilities. Their role is indispensable.&quot; Despite the budget cuts, the overall security landscape has &quot;deteriorated&quot;, he added, demanding more of the truncated force. &quot;We&#39;re facing emerging drivers of conflict such as the impact of climate change, the role of international global terrorism and... the negative aspect of digital technology.&quot;

Americas

UN officials said earlier this month there was 16–17% shortfall in the budget, largely linked to US cuts; as a result, 25% troop reduction will be spread across nine of the 11 peacekeeping missions.

'Indispensable' peacekeeping operations threatened by cuts, UN warns

NEW YORK: JPMorgan Chase will directly invest up to $10 billion in US companies with crucial ties to national security. The investment plan revealed Monday will focus on four areas: supply chain and advanced manufacturing in critical minerals, pharmaceutical precursors and robotics; defense and aerospace; energy independence, with investments in battery storage and grid resilience; and strategic technologies, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and quantum computing. The investment is part of the bank&#39;s Security and Resiliency Initiative, a $1.5 trillion, 10-year plan to facilitate, finance, and invest in industries critical to national security. &ldquo;It has become painfully clear that the United States has allowed itself to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical minerals, products, and manufacturing &ndash; all of which are essential for our national security,&rdquo; Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon said in a statement. &ldquo;Our security is predicated on the strength and resiliency of America&rsquo;s economy. America needs more speed and investment.&rdquo; This summer, JPMorgan helped put together a deal under which the Defense Department agreed to invest $400 million in US rare earth company MP Materials. The bank is also providing financing for MP Materials&rsquo; second magnet-producing factory in the US. The nation&#39;s largest bank plans to finance approximately $1 trillion over the next decade in support of clients in these industries. JPMorgan Chase is looking to increase this amount by up to $500 billion, or a 50% increase, with additional resources and capital. &ldquo;America needs more speed and investment,&rdquo; Dimon said. &quot;It also needs to remove obstacles that stand in the way: excessive regulations, bureaucratic delay, partisan gridlock, and an education system not aligned to the skills we need.&rdquo; JPMorgan says that it serves 34,000 mid-sized companies and more than 90% of the Fortune 500. It plans to hire more bankers, investment professionals, and other experts to help address its investment plan. It will also establish an external advisory council comprising leaders from both the public and private sectors to guide the long-term strategy.

FILE - The logo for JPMorgan Chase & Co. appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Aug. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Banking

The investment is part of the bank's Security and Resiliency Initiative to facilitate, finance, and invest in industries critical to national security.

JPMorgan to invest up to $10 billion in US companies with ties to national security

TOKYO: Japan&#39;s top opposition parties were set to hold high-stakes discussions Tuesday, aiming to find a unified candidate for prime minister and oust the ruling party from power. The talks come after the ruling coalition collapsed last week, putting in peril Sanae Takaichi&#39;s bid to become the country&#39;s first woman premier. Japan was in political limbo over whether the opposition bloc would unite after junior partner Komeito quit its 26-year alliance with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). A union would give the opposition group enough votes to name a prime minister and block Takaichi, who was elected as LDP president just over a week ago but needs lawmakers&#39; approval to become premier. Yuichiro Tamaki, president of the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) -- the third largest opposition group in the lower house -- said the secretaries general of three main opposition parties will meet Tuesday evening to explore a possible union. However, he cautioned that their policies diverge significantly in crucial areas, including national defence and the use of nuclear energy. &quot;If we were to join together in a coalition government, alignment on fundamental policies would be essential,&quot; he told a press conference. &quot;If there&#39;s no alignment, the administration will be volatile,&quot; said Tamaki, who said last week he would be willing to stand as prime minister. DPP&#39;s secretary general was also expected to meet with his counterpart from the LDP and its former partner Komeito. The LDP named Takaichi as its new leader earlier this month, seemingly putting her on track to rise to the premiership. Although she could still win if opposition parties disagree on an alternative candidate, Komeito&#39;s exit from the coalition due to a slush fund scandal within the LDP has plunged Japan into a new political crisis. The LDP still occupies over 40 percent of the powerful 465-seat lower house but lacks the majority it needs to name a prime minister on its own. The largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) has said it was willing to name Tamaki or the leader of another opposition party as the premier in order to kick the LDP out of power. Yoshihiko Noda, head of the CDP, has said that &quot;this is a once-in-a-decade chance for a change of government&quot;.

Asia

Japan faces political turmoil as opposition parties meet to unite and block Sanae Takaichi’s premiership after the ruling coalition collapsed, threatening the Liberal Democratic Party’s hold on power amid deep policy divisions.

Japan in political uncertainty as opposition seeks to oust ruling party

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan rebuked India at the United Nations (UN) over Indian Occupied Kashmir, calling out what it termed disinformation, military occupation, and human rights abuses in the disputed territory. According to a statement posted on the social media platform X by Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Mission to the UN, on Monday, Minister Asif Khan said that each year, India comes to the UN with a recycled script of distortions. <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" 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=1977806191259697447&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=f7c2e28392685803db193b08aaab661df5e50254&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 768px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> He was responding to the Indian representative&#39;s earlier remarks related to Pakistan on issues of terrorism, extremism, and the Pahalgam incident.&nbsp; Khan, speaking on a right of reply at the 4th Committee Meeting on the Decolonization Items, said that, &ldquo;I am compelled to take the floor to respond to the disinformation-laden remarks of the representative of India.&rdquo; Setting &lsquo;record straight&rsquo;&nbsp;Setting the &ldquo;record straight&rdquo;, he said, &ldquo;The United Nations has not only the right, but the obligation to discuss the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.&nbsp;Jammu and Kashmir is not, and has never been, an integral part of India. It is an internationally recognized disputed territory whose final status is to be determined through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations, as prescribed in multiple Security Council resolutions.&rdquo; &ldquo;India itself had brought the matter to the Council, yet now refuses to honor its solemn commitments under international law and the Charter of the United Nations,&rdquo; he reminded the meeting. Alien subjugation&nbsp;Khan said that the &ldquo;Declaration of 1960 decrees that &lsquo;all peoples&rsquo; under alien subjugation have the right to self-determination.&rdquo; He pointed out that &ldquo;in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India maintains one of the densest military occupations in the world, deploying nearly 900,000 troops against an unarmed civilian population.&rdquo; Debunking India&#39;s &quot;false narrative&quot; of framing the struggle of Kashmiris as terrorism, Khan stressed, &ldquo;India rather needs to introspect to find the real reasons behind the mass resistance in the occupied territory.&rdquo; Khan listed &ldquo;India&rsquo;s backtracking from its obligations under the UNSC resolutions, its intransigence in denying the Kashmiri people their right to fundamental rights, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, mass incarcerations, sexual violence, and demographic engineering&rdquo; as the &ldquo;real reasons for the &lsquo;indigenous&rsquo; freedom movement.&rdquo; Settler-colonial projectThe Pakistani representative said that, &ldquo;Since August 2019, India has accelerated its settler-colonial project in flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.&rdquo; &ldquo;India is the principal sponsor of state terrorism in the region with a dubious distinction of extraterritorial assassinations. It has financed and directed terrorist proxies such as TTP, BLA, and the Majeed Brigade, whose attacks have killed thousands of innocent civilians in Pakistan,&rdquo; he added. Hollow claims&nbsp;The Pakistan representative said, &ldquo;India&rsquo;s claim to be the world&rsquo;s largest democracy is hollow&rdquo;, adding the country &ldquo;has become the world&rsquo;s largest producer of disinformation and intolerance.&rdquo; &ldquo;The ruling RSS-BJP ideology has institutionalized Islamophobia and turned persecution of minorities into state policy,&rdquo; he said. Regarding India&rsquo;s &ldquo;reckless behavior&rdquo; earlier this year, Khan said, &ldquo;It was Pakistan&rsquo;s responsible posture from a position of strength, and international facilitation, that prevented a dangerous escalation.&rdquo; &ldquo;India&rsquo;s denials and distortions cannot erase the simple truth: Jammu and Kashmir remains a disputed territory,&rdquo; he said.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan's representative to the UN: 'The United Nations has not only the right, but the obligation to discuss the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Jammu and Kashmir is not, and has never been, an integral part of India.'

 Pakistan rebukes India over Kashmir at UN meeting

ISLAMABAD: Left-arm spinner Noman Ali grabbed six wickets to put Pakistan firmly in command at lunch on day three of the first Test against South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Tuesday.&nbsp;South Africa were bowled out for 269 in reply to Pakistan&rsquo;s 378, giving the hosts a 109-run first-innings lead before going into the break at 36-2 in their second innings, extending the overall advantage to 145 runs. <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-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" 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=1977999388401418377&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2F&sessionId=f37eec23129ad603d10d8fd9bfb8b78d091d5c7a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 1019px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Noman finished with impressive figures of 6-112, claiming his ninth five-wicket haul in Test cricket. He wrapped up the South African innings early in the morning session, dismissing Tony de Zorzi for 104 after the opener completed a fighting second Test hundred.&nbsp;De Zorzi&rsquo;s 208-minute stay included 10 fours and two sixes before he holed out to Shaheen Shah Afridi at long-on. Off-spinner Sajid Khan provided strong support, taking 3-98, including the wickets of Senuran Muthusamy and Kagiso Rabada.&nbsp;In Pakistan&rsquo;s second innings, openers Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood fell cheaply &mdash; Imam stumped off Simon Harmer for 7 and Masood bowled by an arm ball for 9 &mdash; before Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam steadied the innings.&nbsp;At lunch, Pakistan led by 145 runs with eight wickets in hand, as batting continues to look difficult on a turning Lahore surface.

Cricket

South Africa bowled out for 269 in reply to Pakistan’s 378, giving the hosts a 109-run first-innings lead before going into the break at 36-2 in their second innings.

Pak-SA Test match: Noman’s six-for gives Pakistan control at lunch on Day 3

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday described the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a &ldquo;historic milestone&rdquo; towards peace in the Middle East, but reiterated that Pakistan&rsquo;s ultimate goal remains the creation of an independent Palestinian state.&nbsp;In a statement shared before departing Sharm el-Sheikh after attending the Gaza Peace Summit, the prime minister said Pakistan&rsquo;s foremost concern was to end the &ldquo;genocidal campaign&rdquo; in Gaza and secure an immediate halt to hostilities.&nbsp;&ldquo;Along with other brotherly nations, we consistently emphasized this priority. Our gratitude to President Trump is anchored in his promise to make it stop &mdash; and delivering on that promise,&rdquo; Sharif said, expressing appreciation for the US leader&rsquo;s role in brokering the ceasefire.&nbsp;<iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" 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=1977978658171011197&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2F&sessionId=f37eec23129ad603d10d8fd9bfb8b78d091d5c7a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">As I board the plane to return home after the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm el Sheikh, I want to share some reflections on the potentially transformational nature of what took place and why Pakistan has been so deeply involved. The most important priority for Pakistan was the&hellip;&mdash; Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1977978658171011197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="color: rgb(0, 115, 230);">October 14, 2025</a></blockquote>The premier noted that Pakistan&rsquo;s engagement in the summit reflected its enduring commitment to the Palestinian cause. &ldquo;The Palestinian people&rsquo;s freedom, dignity and prosperity remain a primary concern for Pakistan,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Reaffirming Islamabad&rsquo;s long-standing policy, Sharif stressed that the establishment of a strong, viable Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital &ldquo;remains the bedrock of Pakistan&rsquo;s Middle East policy and will remain so.&rdquo;&nbsp;PM hails Trump for Gaza peace dealThe remarks come a day after PM Sharif attended the signing of the Gaza ceasefire declaration at the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit for Peace in Egypt. Addressing the summit, Sharif said peace had been achieved after &ldquo;undying efforts led by President Trump, who is genuinely a man of peace.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Prime Minister recalled that Pakistan had earlier nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the conflict between India and Pakistan and announced his decision to &ldquo;nominate him once again for his extraordinary contribution in stopping the Gaza war.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;He has saved millions of lives. Mr President, I salute you. You are the man this world needed the most at this time,&rdquo; Sharif added.&nbsp;Smiling in response, Trump, sharing the podium with Sharif, added, &ldquo;Wow, I didn&#39;t expect that...that was very beautiful.&rdquo;&nbsp;Earlier, Trump and leaders from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey signed a declaration guaranteeing the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Under the agreement, Hamas freed the last 20 surviving captives in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.&nbsp;Trump called it &ldquo;a tremendous day for the Middle East and for the world,&rdquo; expressing confidence that the ceasefire &ldquo;is going to hold up.&rdquo;

Says the Palestinian people’s freedom, dignity, and prosperity remain a primary concern for Pakistan.

Ceasefire a milestone, but Palestinian statehood remains core objective: PM Sharif

ISLAMABAD: Iran said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump&#39;s call for a peace deal with Tehran was inconsistent with Washington&#39;s actions, referring to its strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June. &quot;The desire for peace and dialogue expressed by the US president is at odds with the hostile and criminal behavior of the United States towards the Iranian people,&quot; the foreign ministry said in a statement. 12-day war with IsraelIn mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iran, striking nuclear and military facilities as well as residential areas and killing more than 1,000 people. The 12-day war with Israel, during which the US struck the key nuclear facilities in Iran, derailed high-level nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks that killed dozens in Israel.&nbsp; A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24. Ball in Tehran&rsquo;s courtDuring a Monday speech at the Israeli Knesset, Trump said he wanted a peace deal with Iran and that the ball was in Tehran&#39;s court for any agreement to come to pass. In its statement, Iran dismissed the call. &quot;How can one attack the residential areas and nuclear facilities of a country in the midst of political negotiations, kill more than 1,000 people, including innocent women and children, and then demand peace and friendship?&quot; the foreign ministry asked. &lsquo;Irresponsible and shameful&rsquo;Trump also said &quot;nothing would do more good&quot; for the region than for Iran&#39;s leaders to renounce terrorists, stop threatening their neighbors, quit funding their militant proxies, and finally recognize Israel&#39;s right to exist. Tehran struck back, calling the remarks &quot;irresponsible and shameful&quot; and accusing the United States of being &quot;a leading producer of terrorism and a supporter of the terrorist and genocidal Zionist regime&quot;. &quot;The United States ... has no moral authority to accuse others,&quot; Iran&#39;s foreign ministry said. Convincing Tehran&nbsp;Former president of Iranian American Council Trita Parsi, while commenting on Trump&#39;s call for peace deal, stated in a post on X: &quot;This is how he sounded in January and February &mdash; yet he still greenlit Israel&rsquo;s attack on Iran and later bombed Iran himself.&quot;&nbsp; &quot;Tehran is now wary that talk of diplomacy may simply be a fa&ccedil;ade meant to lull it into a false sense of security before another strike,&quot; he added. Parsi states: &quot;Trump may genuinely seek diplomacy, but convincing Tehran of that will be far harder given his perceived duplicity in May and June.&quot;<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: 720px; 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=1977803558733910153&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=0960ec2515c71b17db7028d21dc6b23bb19343b5&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>&quot;Rejecting diplomacy won&rsquo;t improve its situation; it would only invite harsher sanctions and possibly another round of bombing,&quot; he added.

The US president said that he would 'love to take the sanctions off [Iran] when they're ready to talk.' But in June, Israel’s bombing of Iran resulted in killing more than 1,000 people; the 12-day war with Israel, during which the US struck nuclear facilities in Iran, derailed high-level nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.

Trump's call for peace 'at odds' with US actions: Iran 

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump, a self-proclaimed peacemaker who has campaigned for a Nobel Prize, finally got a camera-ready diplomatic victory on Monday as world leaders flew to Egypt for the signing of the ceasefire and hostage-release deal he brokered between Israel and Hamas.&nbsp;But if lasting peace is to take root, analysts and diplomats say, Trump will have to maintain pressure on the man whose support he&#39;ll need in the next phases of his plan: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.&nbsp;US presidents from Bill Clinton to Joe Biden have found the strong-willed Israeli leader difficult to work with, and even Trump administration officials have been frustrated by some Israeli military strikes they see as undermining US policy.&nbsp;But this month, Trump managed to push Netanyahu into accepting his framework for a broader peace deal while persuading other Middle Eastern countries to convince Hamas to return all the Israeli hostages, its key leverage in the war.&nbsp;The work could get harder from here, however.&nbsp;Israel and Hamas remain sharply divided over many aspects of Trump&#39;s 20-point plan, and, as Israel prepares for next year&#39;s elections, Netanyahu&#39;s approach may shift as he attempts to keep his right-wing coalition together.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;re entering a political year where everything is related to campaigns, and Netanyahu&#39;s calculations may flip from caving to pressure to trying to ensure his political survival,&quot; said Nimrod Goren, the president of Mitvim, an Israeli foreign policy think tank.&nbsp;The strength of Trump&#39;s peace plan, said the diplomats and analysts, is also its weakness.&nbsp;The document at the heart of the deal leaves much undefined, and neither side actually agreed to the fine print of each term. That vagueness was key to getting both sides to sign on, but it also means some of the most difficult diplomatic work is just beginning.&nbsp;Among the potential sticking points of Trump&#39;s peace plan is an agreement that Hamas disarm and play no role in Gaza&#39;s future administration. While Hamas agreed to Trump&#39;s plan generally, the group&#39;s official response made no mention of those specific terms, and Hamas leaders have indicated that they do, in fact, see a role for themselves in governing a post-war Gaza.&nbsp;&quot;There are any number of ways this could go sideways,&quot; said Jon Alterman, a Middle East expert at Washington&#39;s Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former State Department official.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s hard to remember an international agreement that left so much to be worked out later.&quot;&nbsp;The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;A senior US official suggested that Trump had gained influence with Netanyahu in part by strongly supporting Israel on other important matters.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s first administration formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the disputed Golan Heights as part of the country, two things long sought by the Israeli government.&nbsp;&quot;One thing President Trump&#39;s done with Israel ... is that he&#39;s not trying to be a middle-of-the-roader,&quot; the US official said. &quot;He&#39;s basically stood shoulder to shoulder with Israel 100%. But because of that, he&#39;s been able to help guide them in the right direction.&quot;&nbsp;A sterner TrumpTrump has a mixed record when it comes to applying political pressure on Netanyahu.&nbsp;In July, Israel bombed the Syrian defense ministry in Damascus even as the US had made a point of expanding ties with the new Syrian government. The US president gave political cover in Gaza to Netanyahu for months amid mounting humanitarian concerns among European and Arab allies.&nbsp;But in recent weeks, a sterner Trump has emerged. He forced Netanyahu to call the leader of Qatar to apologize after a failed bombing raid targeting Hamas negotiators in that country in September. Ultimately, he muscled Netanyahu into signing onto his 20-point plan despite the Israeli leader&#39;s misgivings.&nbsp;At the moment, said Alterman, the Middle East expert, Trump can likely exert leverage over Netanyahu given the US president&#39;s significant popularity in Israel.&nbsp;&quot;Trump&#39;s greatest leverage is he&#39;s much more politically popular in Israel than Netanyahu,&quot; Alterman said, &quot;and he can either support Netanyahu&#39;s political future or sabotage it.&quot;&nbsp;At the speech before the Israeli parliament on Monday, Trump playfully poked at the Israeli leader in ways that indicated he did not feel the need to treat Netanyahu with special deference.&nbsp;&quot;Well, see, now you can be a little bit nicer, Bibi, because you&#39;re not at war anymore,&quot; Trump said to laughs.&nbsp;But next year&#39;s elections could change Netanyahu&#39;s political calculations in ways that are difficult to predict.&nbsp;Supporters of right-wing politicians Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich could, in theory, threaten Netanyahu&#39;s governing coalition if they are sufficiently angered by the decision to halt military operations against Hamas.&nbsp;Analysts warn that foot-dragging by the Palestinian group over disarming could lead right-wing elements of the coalition to pressure Netanyahu to resume military operations in Gaza, effectively scuttling Trump&#39;s deal.&nbsp;&quot;We are troubled with the fact that Hamas still, today, declares it will stay in power in Gaza,&quot; Simcha Rothman, a member of the Religious Zionism party and of Netanyahu&#39;s governing coalition, told Reuters on Monday.&nbsp;&quot;We are not happy with any deal that is not a total surrender of Hamas ... We will not accept any partial victory.&quot;&nbsp;Another issue that could prove an irritant: a provision in the peace plan that admits the possibility of a future Palestinian state, which analysts say most Israelis would struggle to accept after Hamas&#39; cross-border attack of October 7, 2023.&nbsp;Dan Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Israel, said that if government and opposition politicians&#39; campaign heavily against the creation of such a state, it could limit the willingness of Arab countries to push Hamas to fulfill its obligations under Trump&#39;s deal.&nbsp;&quot;That was a very important inclusion to get the support of the Arab states to do their part,&quot; Shapiro said.&nbsp;&quot;If the political discourse is a full-on rejection of a Palestinian state for all time, I think that could color the enthusiasm of the Arab parties to play the parts that they need to play.&quot;

Secures a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, but analysts warn that vague terms, Netanyahu's political pressures, and Hamas' disarmament could jeopardize lasting peace.

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