US Iran Sea Blockade: Talks Collapse; Iran Calls Putin, Lavrov To China; Budanov Kiev Faces Disaster

Alexander Mercouris

 

 

EU Celebrates, Magyar Defeats Orban. Iran Blockade Begins. Trump Slams Pope Leo

Alex Christoforou

 

 

Ukraine Running Out of Options as Russia Eyes Sumy and Slavyansk

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Iran Retaliates Against Trump's Hormuz Blockade, Negotiations OVER | Mohammad Marandi

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TOP NEWS

Iran Negotiations
Sources: US Proposes 20-Year Halt to Iranian Enrichment

The US proposed that Iran refrain from enriching uranium for a period of 20 years in exchange for easing sanctions, but the proposal was rejected during talks in Pakistan this weekend, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

This is a softer line than the US's previous stance, which entailed a permanent ban. Iran reportedly countered with a proposal that would have entailed a ban for only a couple of years, but the talks broke down and never resulted in any agreement.

Situation in the Strait of Hormuz
NATO countries refuse to participate in Trump's blockade

Several NATO countries have announced that they will not participate in Trump's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports.

Countries such as Britain and France state that they do not intend to be drawn into the conflict, and emphasize the importance of opening the strait for free passage.

– We do not support the blockade, says British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the BBC.

Yesterday, Donald Trump claimed that other countries will be involved in the blockade, and that several countries, including Britain, will send minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz.

NATO chief Mark Rutte has previously said that NATO can provide assistance in the strait if all 32 member states can agree on what such a mission should look like. 

The election in Denmark
Analysis: Mette Frederiksen is betting on two different horses

The Danish Social Democratic Party leader Mette Frederiksen announced on Sunday that she wants to explore whether there are opportunities to form a broad government in the middle of Danish politics, and negotiations will begin today with the liberals in Venstre and the wave-making party Moderates.

However, it is absolutely too early to shout hello, writes Politiken's Elisabeth Swan in an analysis. She believes that many Danish voters are crossing their fingers at the idea of ​​a new center-right government.

At the same time, Venstre and the Moderates must realize that a pure right-wing government is a rather distant dream, she writes.

"There were attempts in 2022. They didn't work. Others have tried again in 2026, and that didn't work either. Maybe there's no need for a third attempt."

According to TV2's Ash Rostrup, it is also still unclear which side S leader Mette Frederiksen actually stands on. He writes that she is trying to open a new door, without closing the one that leads to a government with the left-wing parties.

"Mette Frederiksen is now openly betting her political capital on two different horses," writes Rostrup.

Political situation in Cuba
Cuba's president after the threats: "If we have to die, we will die"

There is nothing that would justify an American attack on Cuba, the country's president Miguel Díaz-Canel tells NBC News. It would rather have serious consequences for the security of Cuba, the United States and the entire region.

But if that were to happen, he says that Cuba is prepared to defend itself.

– It will be a fight, and we will defend ourselves. If we have to die, we will die, because as our national anthem says: ‘To die for the fatherland is to live,’ he tells the newspaper.

The statement comes after Donald Trump said on several occasions that the country is “next in line” after the interventions in Venezuela and Iran. Among other things, the American president has stopped all oil supplies to the region.

Reactions to Hungarian election

Orbán and his inner circle have fallen silent after the election

Viktor Orbán and his inner circle have disappeared from the public eye after what the outgoing prime minister described as a “painful” loss in Sunday’s election, Bloomberg reports.

Orbán and his foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, usually update their followers on Facebook non-stop, but since Sunday night it has been completely silent for the first time in a long time.

During the election campaign, the eventual winner of the election, Péter Magyar, openly speculated that those who became rich during Orbán’s 16-year rule might leave the country if he lost.

Orbán’s daughter and son-in-law – one of the country’s richest couples – moved to New York shortly before the election.

Kremlin not planning to congratulate: “Hungary is unfriendly”

The Kremlin is not planning to congratulate Péter Magyar on his victory in the Hungarian election. At the same time, Hungary is described as an “unfriendly country.” This is reported by the state-run Russian news agency Ria.

At a press conference, Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov elaborated on the reasoning, Bloomberg reports:

- Hungary has made its choice and we respect that. We expect to be able to continue our very pragmatic contacts with the new Hungarian government.

During his 16 years as Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán has been one of Russia's most important allies in the EU. In a phone call last fall, for example, he is said to have said that he was at Putin's "disposal".

Magyar wants to hurry up: A new era awaits

TT

Published 15.05

          

          Péter Magyar at Monday's speech in Budapest. Photo: Denes Erdos/AP/TT

          Hungary's election winner wants to take power as soon as possible.

A new era awaits, proclaims Péter Magyar. He wants to exclude Viktor Orbán from future elections and accuses his government of having already started tearing up compromising documents.

- The Hungarian people have not only voted for a change of government, but for a complete change in how the country is governed, says Magyar at a speech the day after the election, in which his party Tisza defeated the long-standing ruling party Fidesz by a good margin.

He promises a new era, where legal certainty will be restored and power will be transparent.

- Our country has no time to waste. Hungary is in danger in every way: It has been plundered, skinned, betrayed, put in debt and ruined.

A few weeks away

The election winner is urging Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok to convene the newly elected parliament as soon as it is formally possible. On May 4, the votes should be counted and a result nailed down, so only the following day, May 5, will a new government be hammered through.

Hungary will become a constructive and more compromise-loving part of the EU, promises Péter Magyar. He says he has scheduled a long series of phone calls with other leaders within the union as early as Monday afternoon.

But it is not an unreserved turn towards Brussels. Magyar describes the EU as a “complicated, bureaucratic and compromising” organization – but adds that many compromises also serve Hungary well.

“We will certainly debate a lot, but we will not go there and argue for the sake of arguing,” says Magyar, according to The Guardian, among others.

Excluding More Orbán

During his speech, Péter Magyar was interrupted by a colleague who came in with a note for him, which he stopped and read. It seemed to be about the incumbent Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.

– They are shredding documents in full force (at the Foreign Ministry), but it will not help. But I say this to give you some context for the situation Hungary is in.

The Tisza leader calls President Sulyok a puppet appointed by Orbán. He also promises to legislate so that prime ministers can only serve two terms – effectively excluding Viktor Orbán from a future return to power.