Middle East Crisis Iran War

Trump's Statements on Iran Increasingly Contradictory

Donald Trump's statements on the war in Iran are becoming increasingly scattered and contradictory, and White House staff are struggling to keep them in order and clean up the mess. The Washington Post reports.

This was noticeable, among other things, on Monday, when Energy Secretary Chris Wright and UN Ambassador Mike Waltz confirmed that Vice President JD Vance would go to Pakistan for new peace talks - at the same time that Trump was on the phone with several media outlets and said that Vance was staying home for unclear "security reasons".

In order not to contradict the president openly, anonymous sources in the administration went to the media and explained that Vance would indeed participate.

The president and his closest aides have also repeatedly contradicted each other about how the peace talks are going.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the criticism, blaming “bloodthirsty media” who call and talk to Trump “and then complain about the answers they get.”

US: Iran-linked oil tanker boarded in Asia

US forces have boarded an Iran-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, the US Department of Defense said on X. The vessel is the M/T Tifani, which is stateless and under US sanctions for smuggling Iranian crude oil.

“International waters are not a haven for sanctioned vessels,” the Defense Department wrote, warning at the same time of more operations against ships that provide material support to Iran.

Iranians try to live their lives: “Cry all night – then I go out with friends”

Iranians struggle to gain a foothold in the everyday life of war. The BBC's review of social media shows a clear divide between those who think that posting about everyday and light-hearted things should not be allowed, and those who think that it is a must to survive.

According to critics, people are minimizing the war by posting pictures from cafes, shopping trips and football matches, while others defend it.

One user "puts on nice clothes and goes out with friends even after crying several times during the night".

- It's not strange [...] Our brains have to do other things sometimes, so that we don't break down. This is probably how our lives will look for a long time to come, writes another.

The regime has eased the almost total shutdown of the internet a little, but the majority of the population remains offline, writes Al Jazeera. Some are rounding it off with VPNs and similar methods.