INTERNACIONAL
Iran talks with Europeans set for Friday; White House sees ‘substantial chance’ for renewed negotiations
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After a week of intense speculation about whether President Donald Trump will launch a strike on Iran in support of Israel’s efforts to eliminate the country’s nuclear weapons program, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced there is a «substantial chance» for renewed negotiations.
This comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is reportedly scheduled to meet with European leaders in Geneva Friday.
Speaking with reporters in the White House press briefing room Thursday, Leavitt confirmed U.S. and Iranian officials have engaged in six rounds of direct and indirect negotiations during the conflict with Israel, which broke out June 13.
TRUMP REAFFIRMS HARD-LINE ON IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL: ‘WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM’
Leavitt, however, did not say whether U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been leading the president’s negotiations with Iran, would be present for the meetings in Geneva.
Asked by Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich whether the fact that Iranian officials had found a way to get to Geneva meant they could also get to the White House to engage in negotiations, Leavitt responded: «I am not going to get into hypotheticals, but as you heard from the president yesterday, they have expressed interest in doing so.»
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, speaks with an unidentified Omani official upon his arrival at Muscat, Oman, April 25, 2025, a day before negotiations with U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. (AP)
Addressing the possibility of the U.S. becoming directly involved in the conflict, Leavitt read a message from the president saying, «Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.»
While she said Trump is hoping to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict, she said he has simultaneously been very «direct and clear» that the terms of any deal with the country must include no enrichment of uranium, which would contribute to the Iranian nuclear program the president has long opposed.
A massive plume of smoke rises from an oil refinery in southern Tehran after reports of an overnight Israeli strike targeting the site June 15, 2025. (Atta Kenare/AFP)
She stressed the U.S. faces a serious threat due to Iran’s nuclear program, saying, «Iran has never been closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon.»
«Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that,» said Leavitt. «And it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon, which would, of course, pose an existential threat not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world.»
IRAN HAS ALL IT NEEDS TO BUILD NUCLEAR WEAPON, REPORT SAYS
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the media during elections in Tehran, Iran, May 10, 2024. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Nonetheless, Leavitt said, «Iran is absolutely not able to achieve a nuclear weapon. The president has been very clear about that. And, by the way, the deal that Special Envoy Witkoff proposed to the Iranians was both realistic and acceptable within its terms, and that’s why the president sent that deal to them.»
Leavitt emphasized Trump’s stance that Iran «can and should make a deal» to end the conflict or «they will face grave consequences.»
«Iran is in a very weak and vulnerable position because of the strikes and the attacks from Israel,» she said. «We sent a deal to them that was practical, that was realistic.»
According to French outlet RFI, the talks Friday with the Iranians will include French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
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A map shows where Iran’s most important nuclear sites are situated. (Fox News/FDD)
The outlet reported Barrot saying, «France, Britain and Germany stand ready to bring our competence and experience on this matter» and «we are ready to take part in negotiations aimed at obtaining from Iran a lasting rollback of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.»
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lammy Thursday. According to a statement by State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, the two discussed the Israeli-Iran conflict and «agreed Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon.
In response to additional questions about potential U.S. negotiations with Iran, a representative for the White House directed Fox News Digital to Leavitt’s comments in the briefing room.
INTERNACIONAL
Estados Unidos envía al portaaviones más grande del mundo al Caribe y crece la tensión con Venezuela
El Pentágono anunció este viernes el despliegue de un portaaviones y su flotilla acompañante para “contrarrestar el narcoterrorismo” en América Latina.
Estados Unidos movilizó en agosto destructores, un submarino y barcos con fuerzas especiales en aguas internacionales del Caribe sur, cerca de las costas de Venezuela, con el supuesto propósito de combatir el tráfico de drogas.
Leé también: Máxima tensión en el Caribe: Trump amenazó con atacar por tierra a organizaciones narco en Venezuela
Aunque ha habido regularmente presencia de portaaviones para ejercicios de entrenamiento con fuerzas de países vecinos, es la primera vez que Estados Unidos despliega una fuerza de esta magnitud en América Latina contra el narcotráfico.
El despliegue del grupo de ataque del portaaviones USS Gerald R. Ford se produce “en apoyo a la directiva del presidente de desmantelar las Organizaciones Criminales Transnacionales (TCOs) y contrarrestar el narcoterrorismo en defensa de la Patria”, dijo en X el portavoz del Pentágono, Sean Parnell.
Anuncio del portavoz del Pentágono, Sean Parnell. (Foto: X / @SeanParnellASW)
En tanto, el comunicado del Pentágono no indica la fecha en que llegará el portaaviones a la región. El USS Ford, que tiene cinco destructores en su grupo de ataque, está desplegado actualmente en el mar Mediterráneo.
Una persona familiarizada con la operación dijo a la agencia AP que uno de esos destructores está en el mar Arábigo y otro en el mar Rojo. En el momento del anuncio, el portaaviones estaba en un puerto de Croacia, en el mar Adriático.
La persona, que declaró bajo condición de anonimato para hablar de operaciones militares sensibles, no quiso decir cuánto tiempo tomaría para que el grupo de ataque llegue a las aguas frente a Venezuela o si los cinco destructores harían el viaje.
Horas antes de este anuncio, el secretario de Guerra, Pete Hegseth, informó vía X el décimo ataque contra una presunta narcolancha, con un balance de seis muertos.
En la noche del jueves, el Departamento de Guerra de Estados Unidos lanzó el décimo ataque contra una presunta narcolancha que navegaba frente a las costas de Venezuela. (Video: secretario de Defensa Pete Hegseth X @SecWar)
Al menos 43 personas han muerto en el Caribe y en el Pacífico desde que Estados Unidos inició su actual campaña sin precedentes de ataques letales mediante misiles en la región, el 2 de septiembre.
La embarcación destruida en la noche del jueves al viernes operaba para el cártel Tren de Aragua, aseguró el secretario en la red X. “Nuestros servicios de inteligencia sabían que la embarcación estaba involucrada en el contrabando de narcóticos”, agregó, y dijo que el ataque tuvo lugar en “aguas internacionales”.
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Este fue el primer ataque nocturno en la zona, explicó Hegseth, que acompañó su mensaje con un video en blanco y negro en el que se ve una lancha que circula a velocidad normal, hasta que explota.
El jefe del Pentágono advirtió que Estados Unidos tratará a los “narcoterroristas” como ha tratado a la organización terrorista “Al Qaeda” de Osama bin Laden.
Petro acusó a EE.UU. de cometer “ejecuciones extrajudiciales”
Estados Unidos está cometiendo “ejecuciones extrajudiciales”, afirmó el jueves el presidente colombiano, Gustavo Petro, que mantiene un pulso particular con el inquilino de la Casa Blanca, Donald Trump.
El líder republicano avisó al inicio de su actual mandato que estaba dispuesto a utilizar todo el potencial militar estadounidense para acabar con las rutas del narcotráfico y con los cárteles.
Para ello, declaró a los cárteles como el de Sinaloa o Tren de Aragua “organizaciones terroristas”, mediante decreto presidencial. Estados Unidos está cometiendo “ejecuciones extrajudiciales”, afirmó el jueves el presidente colombiano, Gustavo Petro. (Foto: Reuters)
Esto permitiría a Washington, según el gobierno, utilizar las mismas herramientas que usó durante dos décadas en todo el mundo tras los ataques del 11 de septiembre de 2001 de Al Qaeda.
Estados Unidos está en “conflicto armado” con los cárteles de la droga, explicó Trump en una carta enviada al Congreso. Además, asegura que el tráfico marítimo de droga prácticamente ha sido erradicado. Sin embargo, el ritmo de los ataques con misiles contra las embarcaciones se ha incrementado.
Al mismo tiempo, el presidente evoca de manera creciente que está dispuesto a emprenderla contra los intereses “narcoterroristas” en tierra firme, sin aclarar dónde. El Pentágono no indicó la fecha en que el portaaviones llegará al Caribe sur. (Foto: AFP / Jonathan Klein)
El jueves, Washington anunció junto a Trinidad y Tobago ejercicios militares conjuntos frente a las costas de Venezuela con el buque de guerra USS Gravely. El gobierno del país caribeño decidió brindar “categóricamente su claro apoyo a la intervención militar en curso”.
“Incendiar” América del Sur
Venezuela movilizó tropas y milicias ante la amenaza estadounidense.
Nicolás Maduro, acusado por el gobierno estadounidense y encausado oficialmente ante un tribunal en Nueva York por supuestamente encabezar el denominado cártel de los Soles, sostiene que la verdadera intención de Washington es promover un cambio de régimen en su país.
En este contexto, Celso Amorim -asesor especial del presidente brasileño, Lula da Silva- sentenció que una “intervención externa” en Venezuela “puede incendiar” América del Sur, durante una entrevista con la AFP.
Leé también: Venezuela aseguró que un sector “extremista” de EE.UU. quiere colocar explosivos en su embajada en Caracas
“No podemos aceptar una intervención externa porque eso va a crear un resentimiento inmenso”, agregó Amorim.
Trump llegó a confirmar que la CIA podría llevar a cabo operaciones encubiertas dentro de Venezuela.
La oposición demócrata en el Congreso estadounidense también exigió explicaciones, ya que la Constitución establece que el Congreso debe autorizar expresamente una declaración de guerra.
Ante esta situación, Trump declaró que está dispuesto a enviar a Hegseth ante el Congreso para dar explicaciones antes de pasar a una nueva fase en tierra.
Con información de AP y AFP.
Narcotráfico, Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, Venezuela
INTERNACIONAL
Frantic manhunt launched after asylum seeker who sexually assaulted teen accidentally freed from prison
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Britain’s immigration system is under fire after officials confirmed an Ethiopian asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and another woman was accidentally released from prison Friday, sparking a manhunt for the fugitive sex offender.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was sentenced in September to 12 months behind bars, Reuters reported.
An «appalled» British Prime Minister Keir Starmer slammed the release of Kebatu, calling it «totally unacceptable,» according to The Associated Press.
His arrest in July ignited weeks of protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, a migrant housing site about 20 miles north of London, according to the report.
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At its peak in 2023, the home secretary said more than 400 hotels were being used to house asylum seekers, costing nearly £9 million GBP per day, or roughly $11.3 million.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was convicted of two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence. (Essex Police)
«We share the view of communities nationwide that these hotels must close — including the Bell Hotel in Epping,» U.K. Foreign Secretary and Labour MP Yvette Cooper wrote in a previous statement. «We are moving to do so as quickly as possible through a structured and sustainable plan, rather than through one-off court rulings that create more problems for other local areas or councils.
«Such piecemeal decisions risk repeating the chaos that led to the large-scale use of hotels in the first place.»
Officials said Kebatu was supposed to be transferred to an immigration detention center for deportation but was mistakenly freed, according to the report.
People protest outside Epping Forest District Council after the British government won a court ruling resulting in asylum seekers not being evicted from The Bell Hotel in Epping, Britain. (Reuters/Jack Taylor)
Britain’s Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy wrote in an X post he was «appalled at the release in error at HMP Chelmsford.»
«We are urgently working with the police to track him down, and I’ve ordered an urgent investigation,» Lammy wrote. «Kebatu must be deported for his crimes, not on our streets.»
Kemi Badenoch, a conservative member of Parliament for North West Essex, also made a fiery post, saying the «entire system is collapsing under Labour.»
«The fake asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a child in Epping has been ‘released in error,’» Badenoch wrote. «How does that happen? Because the entire system is collapsing under Labour. Govt mistakenly letting people out instead of deporting. Those they deported are coming back. Nothing of substance has been done to address the threat to women and girls living in these communities.»
Protesters react next to police during a protest near Epping Forest District Council after the British government won a court ruling resulting in asylum seekers not being evicted from The Bell Hotel in Epping, Britain, in August. (Reuters/Jack Taylor)
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Badenoch said conservatives voted against Labour’s prisoner release program because it was «putting predators back on our streets,» but she pointed out Kebatu was just convicted.
«A level of incompetence that beggars belief,» she wrote. «Only Conservatives have a plan for stronger borders and public order.»
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Nigel Farage, a member of Parliament for Clacton and the leader of Reform UK, added on X, «The Epping hotel migrant sex attacker has been accidentally freed rather than deported. He is now walking the streets of Essex. Britain is broken.»
united kingdom,world,immigration
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The White House pushed back on reports claiming President Donald Trump will likely name the upcoming White House ballroom after himself, saying any name designation for the event space will come directly from the president.
«Any announcement made on the name of the ballroom will come directly from President Trump himself, and not through anonymous and unnamed sources,» White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital Friday.
Reports spread like wildfire Friday afternoon that Trump planned to name the ballroom after himself, with ABC News publishing a report that administration officials were reportedly already calling the project «The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom.»
«I won’t get into that now,» Trump told ABC News Thursday when asked about a potential name, the outlet noted.
DAVID MARCUS: TRUMP’S BALLROOM IS NO VANITY PROJECT, IT’S ABOUT AMERICAN GRANDEUR
The White House said President Trump would directly reveal a name for the upcoming White House ballroom. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump announced Monday that construction had begun on the ballroom, after months of Trump touting the upcoming project to modernize the White House. The project does not cost taxpayers and is privately funded, the administration has repeatedly said.
«For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc. I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer!» Trump posted to Truth Social on Monday. «The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly. This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come!»
TRUMP CELEBRATES WHITE HOUSE DEMOLITION AS NEW BALLROOM RISES: ‘MUSIC TO MY EARS’
An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Eric Lee/Getty Images)
The ballroom’s official construction set off a firestorm of criticisms among Democrats who have characterized Trump as destroying the iconic American residence.
«Oh you’re trying to say the cost of living is skyrocketing? Donald Trump can’t hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom,» Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren posted to X in response to Trump’s Monday announcement.
«The White House became my home when I was twelve years old. I always understood that it wasn’t my ‘house’; it was The People’s House,» former first daughter Chelsea Clinton posted to X. «The erasure of the East Wing isn’t just about marble or plaster — it’s about President Trump again taking a wrecking ball to our heritage, while targeting our democracy, and the rule-of-law.»
A McCrery Architects rendering provided by the White House of the exterior of the new ballroom. (White House)
«I wanted to share this photo of my family standing by a historic part of the White House that was just torn down today by Trump,» New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim posted to X Monday. «We didn’t need a billionaire-funded ballroom to celebrate America. Disgusting what Trump is doing.»
HILLARY CLINTON FIRES UP VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION: ‘NOT HIS HOUSE»
The Trump administration repeatedly has hit back at the criticisms, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying on Fox News that presidents historically have wanted a large entertaining space at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
President Donald Trump shows an image of his planned ballroom as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Oct. 22, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
«Nearly every single president who’s lived in this beautiful White House behind me has made modernizations and renovations of their own,» Leavitt said on Fox News’ «Jesse Watters Primetime» Tuesday. «In fact, presidents for decades — in modern times — have joked about how they wished they had a larger event space here at the White House, something that could hold hundreds more people than the current East Room and State Dining Room.»
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«President Obama even complained that, during his tenure, he had to hold a state dinner on the South Lawn and rent a very expensive tent.»
donald trump,white house,democrats
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