INTERNACIONAL
Hallaron dos fosas con cuerpos en descomposición en Ecuador
Las Fuerzas Armadas de Ecuador informaron sobre el hallazgo de dos fosas con cuerpos en estado de descomposición durante un operativo ejecutado en la ciudadela Coral, en el cantón Esmeraldas, una de las zonas más afectadas por la violencia criminal en el país. La intervención fue realizada por el Bloque de Seguridad con participación de la Armada del Ecuador y la Policía Nacional del Ecuador, como parte de acciones coordinadas para desarticular estructuras delictivas en la frontera norte.
De acuerdo con el reporte oficial, el sector intervenido era utilizado como refugio por una célula del grupo delictivo organizado Los Tiguerones, una de las organizaciones señaladas por autoridades como responsable de múltiples hechos violentos en la provincia de Esmeraldas. Durante el operativo, seis personas fueron aprehendidas y puestas a órdenes de las autoridades competentes para el inicio de las investigaciones correspondientes.
En la misma acción, los uniformados incautaron una motocicleta reportada como robada, dos radios de comunicación Motorola, 48 municiones, una escopeta artesanal y dos teléfonos celulares. Todo el material fue ingresado en cadena de custodia, conforme a los protocolos legales vigentes, con el objetivo de que sirva como evidencia dentro de los procesos judiciales que se deriven del caso.
El hallazgo de las fosas se produjo durante el reconocimiento del área, en el marco de las labores de inteligencia militar y policial. Según el informe preliminar, los cuerpos encontrados se encontraban en avanzado estado de descomposición, por lo que serán necesarias pericias forenses para determinar la identidad de las víctimas, así como las causas y el tiempo aproximado de muerte. Las autoridades no han detallado, hasta el momento, el número exacto de cadáveres localizados en cada fosa.
La operación en la ciudadela Coral se inscribe en una serie de intervenciones que el Bloque de Seguridad ha intensificado en Esmeraldas, considerada una de las provincias más golpeadas por la violencia asociada al crimen organizado. En esta zona operan varias estructuras criminales, entre ellas Los Tiguerones, Los Choneros y facciones vinculadas a redes transnacionales de narcotráfico, que disputan el control territorial para actividades ilícitas como el tráfico de drogas, el sicariato y la extorsión.
Esmeraldas, por su ubicación estratégica en la costa norte y su cercanía con la frontera con Colombia, ha sido identificada por las autoridades como un punto clave en las rutas del narcotráfico. Esta condición ha incrementado la presencia de grupos armados y ha generado un contexto de violencia sostenida en varios sectores urbanos y rurales de la provincia.
Según cifras oficiales de seguridad, la provincia de Esmeraldas registró más de 700 homicidios en 2025, ubicándose entre las jurisdicciones con mayores índices de muertes violentas en Ecuador. Este aumento se ha atribuido principalmente a enfrentamientos entre organizaciones criminales y a disputas internas por el control de economías ilegales. En este contexto, los hallazgos de fosas clandestinas se han vuelto una señal recurrente de la dinámica de violencia que afecta a la zona.
Las autoridades han señalado que estos enterramientos ilegales suelen estar vinculados a ejecuciones extrajudiciales perpetradas por grupos delictivos, que buscan ocultar evidencias y evitar la identificación de las víctimas. En varios casos anteriores, los cuerpos hallados en fosas han correspondido a personas reportadas como desaparecidas, lo que ha generado procesos adicionales de búsqueda e identificación por parte de unidades especializadas.
Tras el operativo en la ciudadela Coral, los seis aprehendidos fueron trasladados a dependencias policiales, mientras que las investigaciones quedaron a cargo de la Fiscalía, que deberá determinar su posible vinculación con los hechos y con la estructura de Los Tiguerones en la zona.
En su comunicado, la Armada del Ecuador reiteró su compromiso de continuar ejecutando operaciones conjuntas para enfrentar al crimen organizado y reforzar la seguridad en la frontera norte del país. Estas acciones forman parte de la estrategia estatal desplegada desde la declaratoria de conflicto armado interno, que ha implicado la participación directa de las Fuerzas Armadas en tareas de control territorial y apoyo a la seguridad interna.
INTERNACIONAL
Habla un capitán iraquí que surca la ruta del Golfo de Omán al estrecho de Ormuz en plena guerra: «Navegamos sobre una bola de fuego”
El capitán iraquí Rahman Al-Jubouri está a cargo de un buque petrolero que navega cerca del estrecho de Ormuz. Asegura que ya no surca aguas, sino que viaja «sobre una bola de fuego». Durante una entrevista dio detalles sobre cómo es la situación hoy en esa región del mundo en tiempos de guerra.
A bordo de un petrolero que surca las tensas aguas entre el golfo de Omán y el estrecho de Ormuz, Al-Jubouri continúa trabajando en uno de los corredores marítimos más volátiles del mundo, donde la guerra de Estados Unidos e Israel con Irán ha alterado el comercio mundial y ha dejado a algunas tripulaciones varadas y expuestas a ataques.
Las hostilidades no son nuevas para Al-Jubouri, un veterano que trabaja en el mar desde 1984 y ha vivido décadas de convulsiones, como la guerra entre Irán e Irak y la Guerra del Golfo de 1991.
Una vez más, se encuentra operando en aguas de alto riesgo, mientras ataques militares esporádicos amenazan a las embarcaciones que buscan navegar por cuellos de botella como Bab el-Mandeb y el golfo Pérsico.
“El trabajo se ha convertido en un riesgo real; no sabemos cuándo podrían bombardearnos. Estamos navegando sobre una bola de fuego”, dijo en diálogo con la agencia AP.
Al-Jubouri lleva cuatro meses a bordo de su petrolero, el Sea Moon, con bandera de Palaos. En estos momentos, él y su tripulación navegan desde el golfo de Adén hacia el golfo de Omán para descargar petróleo en el puerto de Ras Isa, en Yemen.
Aunque su ruta no pasa por el estrecho de Ormuz en sí mismo, sigue considerándose de alto riesgo porque está cerca de la entrada al estrecho. El viaje ha sufrido demoras debido a consideraciones de seguridad y a interrupciones logísticas en medio de la guerra regional desatada por los ataques de Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán.
La guerra ha colocado a los buques comerciales en medio del fuego cruzado del conflicto regional, en el contexto del prolongado pulso entre Washington y Teherán por el estrecho de Ormuz. Varios petroleros han sido blanco de ataques perpetrados por fuerzas iraníes y grupos aliados. Las interrupciones intermitentes y las amenazas de cerrar el estrecho de Ormuz, un punto de estrangulamiento crucial para los flujos mundiales de petróleo, también han dejado embarcaciones demoradas, desviadas o varadas en el golfo.
Las fuerzas militares estadounidenses se apoderaron por la fuerza el domingo de un buque de carga con bandera iraní que intentó eludir un bloqueo naval cerca del estrecho, la primera interceptación de este tipo desde que comenzó la semana pasada el bloqueo de los puertos iraníes.
Los peligros de su trabajo implican que su tripulación realice simulacros de seguridad con regularidad para prepararse ante posibles ataques. “Los hemos entrenado sobre cómo responder si el barco recibe fuego, Dios no lo quiera”, dijo .
El año pasado, cuando estaba atracado en un puerto yemení, su embarcación se vio en un bombardeo. “Corté de inmediato las amarras, preparé los motores y salí del puerto por mi cuenta y riesgo para proteger a la tripulación y al barco”, dijo.
La metralla alcanzó el petrolero cuando se alejaba, causando daños menores, pero la tripulación salió ilesa. Pese a la amenaza persistente, la embarcación regresó después para las operaciones portuarias y retomó su ruta prevista.
Sin embargo, no toda la tripulación de Al-Jubouri puede soportar los peligros del trabajo. Su equipo se ha reducido de 27 marineros a 17, indicó. El miedo los hizo marcharse.
El desgaste psicológico se agrava por los largos periodos en el mar. En cuatro meses, Al-Jubouri no ha visto a su familia. Como muchos marineros, lucha contra la nostalgia.
“Sufrimos por estar lejos de nuestras familias y de nuestras patrias”, comentó. Aunque el acceso a internet a bordo permite que los tripulantes se mantengan en contacto, la distancia se siente especialmente marcada en medio de la tensión de una guerra en curso.
Al menos los suministros básicos se mantienen estables. Los alimentos y el agua embotellada se reponen con regularidad en el puerto, sin que se hayan reportado grandes escaseces.
Al-Jubouri afirmó que sus cuatro décadas en el mar le permiten adaptarse en situaciones de presión.
INTERNACIONAL
Who is Ahmad Vahidi? Iran’s new IRGC chief tied to global attacks and ‘Death to America’ ideology
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As President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to decide whether to extend a two-week ceasefire between the countries approaches, attention is increasingly turning not to Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, but to a shadowy Revolutionary Guard commander with a long record of terror, repression and hardline ideology.
Ahmad Vahidi, recently elevated to the top of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite paramilitary force within Iran’s military, is emerging as one of the most powerful men in Iran and, according to analysts, one of the key figures likely deciding whether Tehran resumes fighting or continues talks.
«By any standard, Vahidi is considered a radical even within the regime’s hardline elite, and his rise is a warning that Tehran’s war machine now calls the shots,» Lisa Daftari, foreign policy analyst and journalist, told Fox News Digital.
«Putting someone with such a bloody and murderous record at the top of the Revolutionary Guard Corps confirms that the regime is not moderating under pressure. On the contrary,» Daftari added, «it is doubling down on men whose careers are built on hostage‑taking, assassinations, and domestic repression. By any standard, Vahidi is considered a radical even within the regime’s hardline elite, and his rise is a warning that Tehran’s war machine now calls the shots.»
TRUMP’S APOCALYPTIC IRAN WARNING RAISES STAKES FOR SWEEPING US STRIKE THREAT
Why it matters: Analysts say Vahidi’s rise could shape whether Iran moves toward peace or deeper conflict. For the U.S., that means heightened risks to troops, allies and global stability if a hardline figure with a history tied to terror networks is now helping call the shots in Iran.
Ahmad Vahidi, recently elevated to the top of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite paramilitary force within Iran’s military, is emerging as one of the most powerful men in Iran. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)
Power increasingly concentrated outside formal institutions
Vahidi’s rise comes at a moment when Iran’s formal political institutions appear weaker than ever.
Experts describe the Islamic Republic today as a system in which informal networks and personal relationships matter more than official titles.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, described Iran as «a system of men, not laws, but one whose success rested on institutionalizing their power,» where decisions increasingly flow through Revolutionary Guard figures rather than the civilian government.
Beni Sabti, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said Vahidi may now be even more influential than parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf or even Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei.
«In my view, he is more dominant right now, even if they are coordinated. This is not a time for internal competition,» Sabti said, adding that Vahidi is the only one who meets the new supreme leader face-to-face.
VANCE EN ROUTE TO PAKISTAN FOR HIGH-STAKES IRAN TALKS AS ‘FRAGILE’ CEASEFIRE TEETERS
Long before the world knew the name Qassem Soleimani, Vahidi was one of the men who helped build the infrastructure of Iran’s overseas terror operations. (Morteza Nikoubazl/Nur Photo)
He previously led the Quds Force before Qassem Soleimani
Long before the world knew the name Qassem Soleimani, the longtime commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force who was killed in a 2020 U.S. drone strike, Vahidi was one of the men who helped build the infrastructure of Iran’s overseas terror operations.
He served as commander of the Quds Force in the 1990s, before Soleimani took over the elite unit responsible for foreign operations, covert action and support for proxy groups.
Analysts say Vahidi played a central role in building Iran’s network of terrorist allies across the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon.
«Ahmad Vahidi is the embodiment of the Islamic Republic’s most militant wing,» Daftari told Fox News Digital. «As Qassem Soleimani’s predecessor at the Quds Force, he helped build Tehran’s terror infrastructure abroad.»
Sabti said Vahidi was part of the original generation of Iranian operatives who forged ties with militant groups in Lebanon before and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Some accounts suggest he trained in camps linked to Palestinian and Lebanese factions in southern Lebanon, helping lay the foundation for Iran’s alliance with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terror group, in Lebanon.
Vahidi has been linked by analysts and Western governments to some of the deadliest attacks carried out by Iranian-backed networks over the past four decades.
As the commander of the Quds Force from 1988 to 1998, he has been connected to the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 241 U.S. service members, the 1996 Khobar Towers attack in Saudi Arabia, and a 2008 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Yemen.
VANCE WARNS IRAN WILL ‘FIND OUT’ TRUMP IS ‘NOT ONE TO MESS AROUND’ IF CEASEFIRE DEAL FALLS APART
Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei receives protection from elite NOPO force following his father’s assassination in U.S.-Israel attack on Tehran compound Feb. 28. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)
One of the world’s most wanted Iranian officials
Daftari noted that Vahidi «has been implicated by Argentine prosecutors in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.» Eighty-five people were killed in the bombing.
Argentine investigators and courts have also linked Vahidi to the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, although the Interpol red notice against him is specifically for his alleged role in the 1994 AMIA bombing.
In April, Argentina renewed attention on him after its President Javier Milei’s government designated the entire Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization and singled out Vahidi by name.
In announcing the move, the Argentine government said that red notices remained in place for several Iranian officials, «among them former Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, who was recently appointed to lead the IRGC.»
Vahidi is under multiple layers of sanctions by both the United States and the European Union. The sanctions significantly restrict his ability to travel, move money or do business internationally.
Washington first sanctioned him in 2010 for links to Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. Vahidi was redesignated in 2022 for «being an official of the Government of Iran and being responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the commission of serious human rights abuses against persons in Iran or Iranian citizens or residents, or the family members of the foregoing, on or after June 12, 2009, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Iran.»
He was redesignated by the United States in 2022 under Executive Order 13553 after Mahsa Amini’s death, when he served as interior minister and oversaw the regime’s response to nationwide protests.
Vahidi was sanctioned for orchestrating internet blackouts and directing Iran’s Law Enforcement Command, known as NAJA, during the crackdown, according to the U.S. Treasury.
The European Union first sanctioned him in 2008, and imposed parallel sanctions in 2022 over the use of live ammunition, arbitrary detention of protesters and journalists, and the violent suppression of demonstrations.
Human rights groups accused Iranian authorities of using live fire, mass arrests and torture against protesters, which resulted in more than 30,000 deaths.
Yigal Carmon, founder and president of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) warned, «Under his leadership, more such crimes are to be expected in the West against both Jews and non-Jews.»
PAKISTANI GENERAL SAYS IRAN DIPLOMACY STILL ‘ALIVE, DESPITE US BLOCKADE, FAILED TALKS
Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi briefs the media on elections in Tehran, Iran, March 4, 2024. Argentina sought the arrest of Vahidi on April 23, 2024, over his alleged involvement in the deadly 1994 bombing of Buenos Aires Jewish community center. (Vahid Salemi/AP)
Analysts say he represents the regime’s most radical faction
Experts say Vahidi is not merely another hardliner, but one of the most extreme figures even within Iran’s already radical ruling elite.
Sabti is warning that Vahidi’s growing influence could make Tehran less likely to agree to a genuine ceasefire.
«He brings even more radicalization into the system and may not want to stop the war, because it serves the interests of the Revolutionary Guards to continue,» Sabti said.
One of the biggest concerns surrounding Vahidi is that even if Iran agrees to a ceasefire, he may see it only as an opportunity to regroup.
That concern has taken on new urgency as Trump’s deadline approaches.
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Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, in Tehran, on April 8, 2026. The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday barely an hour before U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire, with Tehran to temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz. (AFP via Getty Images)
If Vahidi is indeed the man increasingly calling the shots in Iran, analysts say the key question is not whether Iran wants a ceasefire, but whether the Revolutionary Guard commander believes continued confrontation better serves his interests.
Carmon said, «Trusting him is a grave mistake. He belongs to the hard ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ corps.»
Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment.
war with iran, mojtaba khamenei, middle east foreign policy, ali khamenei, terrorism, iran
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With the six-month mark until Election Day 2026 closing fast, President Donald Trump’s top political advisers are meeting behind closed doors Monday with dozens of leading Republican political consultants from across the country for a strategy session as the party defends its razor-thin House and slim Senate majorities in the midterms.
The meeting, organized by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who was co-chair of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair, comes as the party in power in the nation’s capital faces traditional political headwinds and is expected to lose congressional seats. Republicans are also battling a challenging political climate fueled by persistent inflation, rising gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran, and the president’s underwater approval ratings.
The gathering, which was first reported by Politico, is aimed at establishing better coordination and sharing of data and strategy between the White House political team and consultants advising candidates in midterm showdowns.
STRATEGY SESSION: TRUMP’S TEAM HUDDLES ON MIDTERM MESSAGING
President Donald Trump hosts a lunch with the Kennedy Center Board members as chief of staff Susie Wiles looks on at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 16, 2026. (Annabelle Gordon/AFP)
The meeting also comes two weeks after Trump announced that Blair would temporarily step down from his White House role to steer midterm strategy from the outside. The president said in a social media post that Blair would take «a short leave of absence to lead the charge from the outside» against Democrats, and after the midterms would «return again to the White House, so we can finish the job.»
This is the second major gathering ahead of the midterms. Wiles, Blair and other top Trump political advisers met in February at the party’s Capitol Hill Club with Cabinet officials and their top aides to discuss promoting the Trump agenda and other midterm messaging.
Trump made a two-day swing last week to Nevada and Arizona, two crucial swing states in this year’s elections, to highlight the tax cuts that congressional Republicans passed, and which he signed into law last summer.
BACK ON THE TRAIL: TRUMP HITS BATTLEGROUND STATES TO TOUT TAX CUTS
President Donald Trump gestures at a roundtable event about no tax on tips, Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Las Vegas (Lucas Peltier/AP Photo)
The president’s stops were part of a full-court press last week by Republicans, around last Wednesday’s tax filing deadline, to spotlight the tax cuts, which they insist will give them a political boost with voters in the midterms.
The tax cuts were a key component of Republicans’ massive domestic policy measure, which passed almost entirely along party lines in the GOP-controlled House and Senate.
The law, originally titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act but rebranded as the Working Families Tax Cuts, is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities, including extending the president’s signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay.
FIRST ON FOX: GOP TAKES AIM AT DEMOCRATS FOR OPPOSING TRUMP TAX CUTS
President Donald Trump signs sweeping spending and tax legislation, known as the «One Big Beautiful Bill Act,» during a picnic with military families to mark Independence Day, at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2025. (Reuters/Ken Cedeno)
But much of the GOP messaging last week was overshadowed by coverage of the war with Iran and Trump’s very public spat with the pope.
Republicans in Congress are increasingly concerned about the political climate ahead of the midterms.
«If we lose the midterms, it’ll be because we didn’t talk about what moms and dads are worried about when they lie down to sleep at night…and that’s primarily the cost of living, GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said Saturday in an appearance on Fox News’ «The Big Weekend Show.»
And pointing to the tax cuts, Kennedy said the «One Big Beautiful Bill is going to help a lot of people in terms of their taxes and a lot of small businesses. And that’s what I wish the president would talk more about. If we talk about it, we’ll win the midterms.»
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Despite the Democratic Party’s poll numbers hitting all-time lows over the past year, Democrats are energized heading into the midterms thanks to a slew of off-year-election and special election victories and over performances, thanks in part to their laser focus on affordability since Trump returned to the White House.
The Democratic National Committee, in an email release Monday to supporters, claimed that «Republicans are in trouble ahead of the midterms — and they know it.»
midterm elections, donald trump, white house, republicans elections, house of representatives, democrats elections, senate
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