Top World News

According to two former diplomats, the injection of religious fervor by Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth into the Iran war is a gift to the mullahs of the embattled country that will only make things worse.On MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” contributor Sam Stein noted that Hegseth made a strained comparison between a downed US airman emerging from a cave to be saved and Jesus over the Easter weekend, which has the effect of making the US attacks less about Middle Eastern geopolitics and more like a Christian crusade.Speaking with former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Stein asked, “When you frame war in matters of theology, when you have the president mocking Islam in his tweets or Truth Social posts, how does that play with the leadership in Iran? How will they view this war? When you have the defense secretary talking like that?”“Well, it does two things,” Sullivan began. “First, in a way, it plays into their hands because these guys are theocrats themselves. And so the idea of having a holy war against the Great Satan, the United States and the Little Satan, Israel, is core to their identity and core to their argument, to their own people who they were just mowing down. You got to back us in this holy war. So it really plays on the turf of the Iranian mullahs and clerics.”MS NOW host Joe Scarborough added, “The continued deification, to follow up on what Jake said, you know, and having people coming in; scam preachers, phony preachers coming in saying Donald Trump is Jesus Christ, it's grotesque... And yet every single day. And what they're doing is, Jake's exactly right. They are turning this into a crusade. They are literally playing right into Iran’s hands, right into the Revolutionary Guards’ hands.”Former president of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass agreed.“Absolutely,” he replied. “And again, it works against the idea of compromise. For the Iranian this has become an existential conflict. For us, this is still a limited conflict. It's very hard to prevail in a limited conflict when you're up against someone who basically feels if they lose, they're gone.” - YouTube youtu.be

The U.S. military has launched an attack on Iran’s Kharg island, according to Axios reporter Barak Ravid on Tuesday, citing an unnamed “senior U.S. official.”Kharg island is a major oil hub for Iran, and was attacked by the United States in mid-March with a “large-scale precision strike” that intentionally preserved the island’s oil infrastructure. According to Ravid, the U.S. attack on Kharg island Tuesday was isolated to “military targets,” but comes amid purported peace talks between the Trump administration and Tehran, and just hours ahead of President Donald Trump’s 8 p.m. EST Tuesday deadline for Iran to lift restrictions on a critical shipping waterway, or face an unprecedented attack on its civilian infrastructure.Trump has considered seizing Kharg island in the past, though such an operation, experts say, would be a logistical nightmare and likely result in “considerable American casualties.”Tuesday’s attack may also potentially jeopardize the Trump administration’s efforts to negotiate a deal with Iran ahead of the president’s deadline Tuesday evening.

Transcript reportedly details Hungarian leader offering whatever assistance he can to his Russian counterpartHungary elections explainerHungary’s Viktor Orbán offered to go to great lengths to help Vladimir Putin, telling the Russian leader “I am at your service” in an October call, it has emerged, prompting further scrutiny of Budapest’s ties to the Kremlin just as JD Vance arrived in the city.Air Force Two landed in Budapest on Tuesday morning carrying the US vice-president and his wife, Usha Vance, as Hungary reaches the final, heated days of a hard-fought election campaign that has played out against a backdrop of scandals regarding the relationship between Budapest and Moscow. Continue reading...

Donald Trump is champing at the bit to launch devastating strikes on Iran's critical infrastructure, making dark jokes about the attack to his inner circle even as mediators desperately work to broker a last-minute deal before his 8 p.m. ET Tuesday deadline.According to reporting from Axios's Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo, Trump is the most hawkish person in his entire administration — far more aggressive than Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who are being unfairly blamed for pushing escalation."The president is the most bloodthirsty, like a mad dog," one Trump insider told Axios, downplaying narratives that other cabinet members are the real warmongers. "Those guys sound like the doves compared to the president."Trump has begun testing advisers and confidants on his plan to strike power plants and bridges by using coded language: "What do you think of Infrastructure Day?"A senior administration official acknowledged the brutal reality of the situation: "If the president sees a deal is coming together, he'll probably hold off. But only he and he alone makes that decision." A defense official said they were "skeptical" there would be any extension this time around.Trump's negotiating team is pushing for a deal. Vice President JD Vance, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner believe Trump should pursue a ceasefire agreement if possible. But they're being outflanked by international pressure in the opposite direction.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia's leadership, the UAE, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are all urging Trump to reject a ceasefire unless Iran makes seemingly impossible concessions: reopening the Strait of Hormuz and relinquishing highly enriched uranium.Trump's advisers told mediators the president would need positive signals from Iran to consider extending the deadline. "We're knee-deep in negotiations, anything can happen," one said.But time is running out. "It will be extremely tense until Tuesday at 8pm," a U.S. source close to Trump said, underscoring the stakes of what could be a catastrophic escalation.

UN assists in emergency vaccination drive as country battles worst surge in cases in years amid fall in vaccination ratesBangladesh is battling its worse measles outbreak in years, with more than 100 children dead amid a rise in unvaccinated infants.The government, in partnership with the United Nations, has begun conducting an emergency measles-rubella vaccination drive for children across the country, after more than 900 cases were confirmed since March. Continue reading...

Japan’s top government spokesperson says a Japanese national who had been detained in Iran since January has been released on bail

Vietnam has unanimously elected Communist Party leader To Lam as president, consolidating his control over both party and state

A former Australian soldier has been charged with war crimes on allegations that he killed five unarmed Afghans while serving in Afghanistan from 2009 and 2012