El gobierno de Irán salió al cruce de las declaraciones de Donald Trump sobre el estrecho de Ormuz y dejó en claro que no piensa ceder el control de esa estratégica vía marítima, clave para el comercio mundial de petróleo.

El lunes por la noche, el jefe negociador iraní, Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, sostuvo que la administración del paso “nunca volverá a ser lo que era antes de la guerra” y remarcó que será Irán quien lo gestione, aunque respetará las normas internacionales.

“Todos deben saber que la administración del estrecho de Ormuz nunca volverá a ser lo que era antes de la guerra”, afirmó Qalibaf, citado por la agencia estatal IRNA.

En esa misma línea, el funcionario agregó: “Por supuesto, se respetarán las normas internacionales, pero Irán administrará el estrecho de Ormuz”.

Las palabras de Qalibaf llegaron horas después de que Trump asegurara desde la Casa Blanca que Estados Unidos mantiene el control total del estrecho y que cuenta con una armada capaz de imponer un bloqueo si fuera necesario.

“Tenemos el control total del estrecho; contamos con una armada capaz de imponer un bloqueo”, había asegurado el mandatario, en un mensaje directo a Teherán.

Negociaciones en marcha y advertencias cruzadas

El cruce de declaraciones se dio en medio de las negociaciones entre ambos países para alcanzar un acuerdo más amplio sobre seguridad regional y el programa nuclear iraní.

Tras la firma de un memorando de entendimiento que abrió una tregua temporal, Washington y Teherán tienen un plazo de 60 días para avanzar en temas clave.

Qalibaf participó el lunes en Suiza de la primera ronda de conversaciones con representantes estadounidenses y destacó los logros obtenidos.

“Desde mi punto de vista, este viaje ha dado lugar a grandes logros, especialmente en lo que respecta a las discusiones sobre el estrecho, las relacionadas con Líbano, la cuestión de las exenciones petroleras y el tema del desbloqueo de los activos congelados, que es uno de los avances que estamos logrando”, expresó en un video publicado en la red social Telegram.

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El funcionario iraní aclaró que las negociaciones recién comienzan y que “debemos continuar con nuestros esfuerzos”.

Por su parte, Trump lanzó una advertencia sobre el cumplimiento de los compromisos asumidos por Teherán. “Si Irán no cumple con el acuerdo o no se comporta como debe, haré lo que tenga que hacer”, afirmó ante periodistas.

Además, el presidente estadounidense insistió en que espera avances en materia de supervisión nuclear y aseguró que Irán aceptará inspecciones amplias para garantizar lo que describió como “honestidad nuclear”.

Disputa por los fondos desbloqueados y el rol de Israel

Otro punto de tensión surgió en torno a los fondos iraníes desbloqueados tras el entendimiento bilateral. Trump afirmó que esos recursos terminarán destinados a la compra de productos estadounidenses: “Todo ese dinero volverá en forma de compras de alimentos que necesitan desesperadamente”, sostuvo.

Sin embargo, desde Teherán rechazaron esa interpretación. El gobernador del Banco Central de Irán, Abdolnaser Hemmati, aclaró que el memorando vigente no obliga a Irán a adquirir productos agrícolas estadounidenses y que los recursos podrán utilizarse para otros bienes autorizados por el régimen de sanciones.

En paralelo, Qalibaf acusó a Israel de intentar obstaculizar las conversaciones. Según el funcionario, el gobierno israelí “se encuentra ferozmente opuesto a este proceso de negociación, al que ve como una amenaza para su propia existencia y busca sabotearlo”.

Teherán también insiste en que Líbano debe formar parte del acuerdo destinado a poner fin al conflicto regional, mientras continúan las negociaciones entre representantes iraníes y estadounidenses.

In what’s being hailed as a major win for the Trump administration against Chinese domination of the rare earth minerals market, the U.S. has supported an American company, Virtus Minerals, in developing two major mines producing cobalt and copper in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

This is claimed to be the first U.S. rare earth minerals acquisition in the African nation since President Trump announced the Washington Accord last December.

Historically, China has been the heavy lifter of these metals. The Strategic Studies Institute reported that 80% of the world’s cobalt is produced in the DRC — and 80% of that is controlled by China. Cobalt, used in a wide range of applications, from electric cars and mobile phones to military jets, is on the U.S. government’s list of critical minerals. Copper, also on the list, has traditional uses such as piping for plumbing, but is also needed in electronics and the automotive industry.

During December’s signing at the White House, Trump made clear the administration’s fight to curb Chinese domination of minerals and help American mining companies make a major impact in the DRC. «A great day for Africa, a great day for the world,» Trump said.  The accord also aims to bring an end to fighting between the DRC and Rwandan-backed forces, although the Rwandan-supported M23 rebel group have continued their hostile infiltration in the Eastern DRC.

American mining company Virtus is, with U.S. support, claiming to be «the first U.S.-owned operator back in the DRC in more than a decade», with its investment in Chemaf, a local cobalt and copper producer with two mining operations, one, Étoile, in Lubumbashi and Mutoshi, in Kolwezi. Together it’s planned the mines will produce a combined 75,000 tonnes of copper, and 20,000 tonnes of cobalt a year. The processing plants are currently under development and will come online next year.

Virtus Minerals CEO and Chamaf Chairman. Phillip Braun, the Chargé d’Affaires U.S. Embassy Kinshasa Ian J. McCary, and Chemaf Managing Director Sooryanarayanan Prabhakaran cutting the ribbon of the new mine. (Virtus Minerals / Chemaf)

The minerals will ultimately be exported to the west through the Lobito Corridor to a port in Angola. Lobito is the rail route the U.S. has backed with a $5 billion investment commitment, with, according to a Virtus statement, «the aim of obtaining a secure, auditable copper and cobalt supply chain for the U.S. and its allies.»

THE WEST STILL DOESN’T GRASP THE DANGER OF CHINA’S RARE EARTH ENDGAME

Frans Cronje, president of the Washington-based Yorktown Foundation for Freedom, says the Virtus projects are significant because they show the administration is seriously trying to change the balance in a minerals battle with China.

He told Fox News Digital, «This development signals a more assertive United States effort to compete with China for access to Africa’s critical mineral base, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where cobalt and copper are strategically vital to global energy and defense supply chains.»

The U.S. and DRC flags fly outside Chemaf’s site in Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Virtus Minerals / Chemaf)

Cronje added, «China has built deep structural dominance across much of Africa’s resource sector over the past two decades, but U.S.-backed initiatives such as this suggest a shift towards more direct engagement, rather than relying on Chinese-controlled supply routes. This matters because Africa’s vast resource endowment, combined with its geostrategic position along key Atlantic and Indian Ocean corridors, makes it central to future global economic and security competition.»

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «President Trump and Secretary Rubio remain firmly committed to supporting U.S. companies that seek to do business in the DRC.»

AFRICAN WAR-TORN NATION INVOKES TRUMP ‘GOLDEN AGE’ FOR MINERALS DEAL IN EXCHANGE FOR BOOTING VIOLENT REBELS

Chemaf’s site in Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Virtus Minerals / Chemaf)

«The United States government fully supports the efforts of Virtus Minerals,» the spokesperson continued. «This acquisition serves as an initial flagship U.S. investment in the DRC, and sends a clear signal that the U.S. private sector interest is real and will catalyze further investment in alignment with the U.S.-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement, which positions the DRC to play an integral role in the Trump Administration’s global efforts to secure critical mineral supply chains.»

The spokesperson added, «increased U.S. investment will create quality jobs for American and Congolese workers, foster skills development and support local communities that have long been exploited by the opaque systems constructed and perpetuated by adversarial foreign actors who have controlled the DRC’s critical minerals sector.»

Cobalt and Copper mined from Chemaf’s Etoile site in Lubumbashi, DRC. (Virtus Minerals / Chemaf)

Virtus holds 56 mining licenses in total in the DRC. Phillip Braun, Virtus Minerals CEO and Chemaf chairman, told Fox News Digital, «our first goal is to bring the Étoile and Mutoshi plants up to full production. From there, we will explore everything Chemaf’s 56 mining permits have to offer — copper, cobalt and other metals like tungsten.»

«None of this would be possible,» Braun added, «without the strong partnership now growing between the United States and the DRC, and the support of leaders in both countries who saw what was possible. We look forward to bringing our two nations closer by building a steady, trusted supply of the minerals we depend on and supporting other American companies that want to invest in the DRC any way we can.»

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«A more active U.S. presence in these supply chains,» Cronje continued, «would mark a significant rebalancing of influence on the continent, with implications not only for resource access but for broader geopolitical alignment in regions that are becoming increasingly contested.»

Fox News Digital reached out to the DRC government for comment, but did not receive a response.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump are not on the ballot, but their sway over the Democratic and Republican parties will be tested Tuesday as New York, Maryland, Utah, and South Carolina hold primary elections and runoffs.

Trump, seemingly aiming to hedge his bets, made an 11th hour endorsement ahead of the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial runoff and is now backing both candidates in the showdown to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.

Meanwhile, Mamdani is testing the limits of political power as he takes on the party establishment one year after sending political shock waves across the country with his New York City Democratic primary victory en route to winning election as mayor of the nation’s most populous city.

The 34-year-old socialist mayor is backing a slate of candidates in the primary, including a trio of left-wing congressional contenders who are taking on the Democratic Party’s old guard.

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At the top of this list is political organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Mamdani-backed primary challenger taking on Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair, in New York’s 13th U.S. House District, which covers the northern third of Manhattan and a sliver of the Bronx. Chevalier, 32, says a victory on Tuesday could be the «domino» that falls and builds a «socialist power» nationwide.

The 71-year-old Espaillat, who has been in Congress for a decade, is supported by a slew of party leaders, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The mayor is also backing former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who ran against Mamdani last year in the crowded primary field but became one of his biggest backers. Lander is challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th Congressional District, which includes Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. Goldman’s supporters include former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

And in New York’s 7th, which covers parts of Brooklyn and Queens, Mamdani’endorsed state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, who is battling Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who is backed by retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez.

Along with the mayor, Valdez and Avila Chevalier are also members of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Valdez has said voters are looking for Democratic candidates with moral clarity on Israel, and the three congressional primary races have focused in part on anti-Israel sentiment, with Mamdani recently referring to AIPAC, a top pro-Israel lobbying group, as «monsters.»

«This is the team. This is our year. It’s up to all of us to get them over the finish line,» Mamdani emphasized in a social media post ahead of a rally last week with the three candidates and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the longtime progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up.

And at the rally, Mamdani emphasized that the Democratic Party «must change.»

‘FULL-BLOWN BATTLE’ BREWING IN DEM PARTY AS MAMDANI-STYLE CANDIDATES RISE IN KEY RACES

It’s a risky bet for the mayor, which could end with Mamdani being crowned a kingmaker, or weakening his political powers.

The socialist has been a darling of the far left for a year and a half. But six months into his tenure as New York City mayor, he can also count former critics within the Democratic Party, including Hochul, as allies. And he’s even earned praise from Trump.

Trump last year repeatedly claimed Mamdani was a «communist lunatic,» but during an Oval Office meeting in November that grabbed plenty of national attention, the president lauded Mamdani as a «very rational person» who would do a «really good job.»

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani meets with President Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 26, 2026. (Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani via X)

Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo told Fox News Digital, «It’s crystal clear that Mamdani understands power and how to leverage it.»

«He remains incredibly popular, and it appears he also understands that may not always be the case. That’s why I think you see him flexing his political muscle now. It’s smart politics,» added Caiazzo, a veteran of the 2016 and 2020 Sanders presidential campaigns.

The candidates Mamdani’s backing, including some running for state legislative offices, are mostly showcasing the mayor’s platform of focusing on affordability in a city with one of the nation’s highest costs of living.

Mamdani’s support for the trio of congressional candidates, along with Thursday’s rally with Sanders, gives Republicans, who have long cast the mayor as a radical, more ammunition to use him as a cudgel as they work to hold their razor-thin House majority in this year’s midterm elections.

«Zohran Mamdani’s socialist brand is as toxic as it comes,» National Republican Congressional Committee National Press Secretary Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital.

«And during a time when Democrats don’t have a leader or a message, he’s exactly the kind of bogeyman we can use against Democrats to truly show who is leading their party and the crazy policies they all support.»

In South Carolina, Trump on Friday took to social media to say that he was supporting longtime state Attorney General Alan Wilson as well as Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the battle for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, left, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, campaigns with GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, on June 22, 2026 in Sumter, South Carolina (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

«I can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other, so, therefore, I am going to Endorse, for Governor of South Carolina, both Pam Evette and Alan Wilson!» Trump wrote, adding: «With either one you can’t go wrong.»

The endorsement of Wilson appeared to be a move by Trump to cover his bases, because Trump was already backing Evette, who is also supported by McMaster, a longtime top ally of the president.

The South Carolina runoff had been viewed as the latest test of Trump’s immense grip over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests.

And his decision to back both Evette and Wilson wasn’t the first time he’s made dual endorsements in the same Republican race. Most famously, Trump endorsed «ERIC» in the 2022 GOP Senate primary in Missouri, where the two major candidates were Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens. Both candidates claimed the endorsement, with Schmitt ultimately winning the nomination.

South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette announces her bid for the Republican nomination for governor at The Smokestack at Judson Mill in South Carolina on July 14, 2025. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service/Getty Images)

In South Carolina, Trump endorsed Evette late last month, a week and a half before the gubernatorial primary.

Evette finished on top of a crowded field of contenders in the primary election, with Wilson second. The field also included Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and multimillionaire businessman Rom Reddy. Since no candidate won a majority of the vote, as the top two finishers, Evette and Wilson advanced to the June 23 runoff.

Mace and Norman endorsed Wilson after failing to advance to the runoff. And Wilson was also backed — and joined on the campaign trail on the eve of the runoff by Sen. Ted Cruz, the conservative firebrand from Texas.

Mace, reacting to Trump’s endorsement of both Evette and Wilson, wrote on social media, «LMAO,» which is a common abbreviation for the phrase «laughing my a– off.»

The runoff between Evette and Wilson turned combustible, and in last week’s final debate, both candidates launched personal attacks and accused each other of lying and misrepresenting their records.

Wilson worked to contrast his tenure as attorney general with what he’s argued is Evette’s largely ceremonial role as lieutenant governor. And he has spotlighted his experience as a combat veteran, prosecutor, and the state’s top law enforcement official.

Evette showcased herself as an outsider and a Trump-endorsed businesswoman, while casting Wilson as a career politician.

The power of the president’s endorsement is also on the line in upstate New York, in the race to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Trump is backing first-time candidate Anthony Constantino, a businessman and former boxer, who is facing off against Robert Smullen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and New York assemblyman who has the backing of the state party.

Also on the primary ballot

Incumbent Rep. Jerry Nadler’s decision to retire left his Manhattan district open for the first time since he was elected in 1992. Notable Democratic candidates in this crowded field include New York Assembly members Alex Bores and Micah Lasher, the late President John F. Kennedy’s grandson Jack Schlossberg, and former conservative lawyer and onetime anti-Trump Republican George Conway. Nadler endorsed Lasher — a former congressional staffer.

 Meanwhile, five Democrats are facing off in the primary in New York’s 17th Congressional District, in New York City’s northern suburbs and exurbs, with the winner facing off against GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in a key general election race that is one of a couple dozen that will decide if Republicans hold their razor-thin House majority.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., stands outside the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital.)

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In Utah, voters will nominate candidates for Congress using a new map that created a Democratic-friendly district in Salt Lake City, which upended reelection plans of the state’s all-Republican delegation.

And in Maryland, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore faces a longshot primary challenger as he runs for re-election amid speculation that he also has his eye on a potential 2028 presidential campaign.

Fox News’ Sally Persons and the Associated Press contributed to this report