INTERNACIONAL
Pakistan: America’s most complicated ally — and why Trump is betting on it again
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As Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, emerged as a key intermediary in negotiations tied to the escalating Iran crisis, Washington once again found itself relying on a country that American officials have spent decades accusing of playing both sides in the war on terror.
Munir has emerged as a key intermediary in negotiations aimed at preventing renewed conflict with Iran, placing Pakistan — despite decades of accusations involving Taliban safe havens, nuclear proliferation and Osama bin Laden — back at the center of U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East.
The latest negotiations have again exposed one of the biggest contradictions in U.S. foreign policy: Washington keeps turning to Pakistan even after years of tension, distrust and accusations that elements of the country’s security establishment supported militant groups fighting American troops.
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Pakistan’s renewed diplomatic role has come under heightened scrutiny — and exposed divisions among Republicans — after allegations that Iranian military aircraft may have been moved into Pakistani territory during the recent conflict, claims Islamabad has denied.
«I don’t trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them,» Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said May 12. «If they actually have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me maybe we should be looking for somebody else to mediate.»
Trump, however, publicly praised Pakistan’s leadership the same day.
«They’re great,» Trump told reporters May 12. «I think the Pakistanis have been great. The field marshal and the prime minister of Pakistan have been absolutely great.»
«Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir have been helpful mediators, and the United States is grateful for Pakistan’s efforts to bring an end to the conflict. When Iran’s nuclear threat is removed for good, the entire world will be safer and more stable,» White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf meets with chief of Defence Forces of Pakistan, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Tehran, Iran, May 23, 2026. (Iranian Parliament Speaker Office/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters)
Where Pakistan burned the US
Pakistan has long occupied an uneasy place in American foreign policy.
The nuclear-armed country borders both Iran and Afghanistan, maintains deep ties across the region’s security landscape and has historically been viewed by U.S. officials as too strategically important to fully isolate.
Even critics who accuse Pakistan of double-dealing acknowledge Washington has struggled to disengage from Islamabad because of the country’s nuclear arsenal, geographic position and influence over regional militant networks.
But distrust between Washington and Islamabad deepened dramatically after U.S. forces killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011 — a military town located near the country’s premier military academy.
«The fact that we had to do that operation without Pakistani support speaks volumes as to how much we trusted them,» Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of the Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital.
Critics and former U.S. officials long questioned whether Pakistani intelligence could have been unaware of bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad, though Pakistan has repeatedly denied knowingly sheltering him.
Analysts say Pakistan’s military establishment also spent years viewing Afghanistan through the lens of its rivalry with India, seeing a Taliban-friendly government in Kabul as a form of strategic leverage against Indian influence in the region.
«They view Afghanistan as strategic depth,» Roggio said.
Vice President JD Vance walks with Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker, and Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 11, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/Reuters)
Analysts say Pakistan’s security establishment historically differentiated between militant groups targeting Pakistan itself and groups viewed as useful against India or in Afghanistan — a strategy critics argue led Islamabad to tolerate or maintain ties with some Taliban-linked and anti-India groups even while cooperating with U.S. counterterrorism operations after 9/11.
Pakistani officials also have argued the country paid a heavy price for aligning with Washington after 9/11, pointing to years of suicide bombings, insurgent attacks and instability inside Pakistan itself.
Pakistan’s defense minister recently acknowledged the country had done «dirty work» for the U.S. and the West during decades of regional conflict, arguing policies tied to the anti-Soviet war in Afghanistan and the post-9/11 era ultimately destabilized Pakistan itself.
Roggio argued Pakistan’s security establishment spent years publicly cooperating with Washington while simultaneously tolerating or supporting Taliban-linked groups fighting American troops in Afghanistan.
PAKISTAN FLIP FLOPS ON TRUMP NOBEL PEACE PRIZE NOMINATION AFTER LESS THAN 24 HOURS
«Pakistan supported the Taliban knowing that they were killing Americans,» he said.
Pakistan’s latest diplomatic role has also drawn renewed scrutiny after allegations that Iranian military aircraft may have been moved into Pakistani territory during the recent conflict — claims Islamabad has denied.
Pakistan’s nuclear history has fueled concern in Washington for decades as well. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the architect of Pakistan’s nuclear program, later admitted operating a proliferation network that transferred nuclear technology and expertise to countries including Iran, Libya and North Korea.
Counterterrorism analysts and former U.S. officials have long warned that al Qaeda operatives and affiliated groups continued finding sanctuary in parts of Pakistan’s tribal regions even after the 9/11 attacks, though the scale of those networks remains debated.
Pakistani officials have long denied supporting terrorist organizations and argue the country has itself suffered heavily from Islamist violence, including attacks by ISIS-K and the Pakistani Taliban. Islamabad also has denied allegations that Iranian military aircraft were sheltered inside Pakistan during the recent conflict.
Why Trump is betting on Pakistan again
More than a decade after the bin Laden raid shattered trust between Washington and Islamabad, Pakistan’s military leadership has again emerged as a critical diplomatic channel for Washington — this time during the escalating crisis involving Iran.
Trump increasingly has engaged Munir directly in recent weeks, reinforcing longstanding perceptions that Pakistan’s military — rather than its civilian government — remains the country’s dominant power center.
Munir, a former intelligence chief, has leveraged Pakistan’s longstanding relationships across the region to position himself as a channel between Washington and Tehran.
Roggio argued Pakistan is also attempting to rehabilitate its international image by presenting itself as a stabilizing force in the region.
«They’re trying to present an image of being a purveyor of peace in the region,» he said.
Earlier rounds of diplomacy tied to the Iran conflict were also hosted in Islamabad, elevating Pakistan’s role as a regional intermediary.
Pakistan and Qatar appear to have emerged as complementary diplomatic channels rather than competing ones during the latest negotiations involving Iran.
Analysts say Pakistan’s military leadership has increasingly positioned itself as a political and security intermediary between Washington and Tehran, while Qatar has remained central to the more formal diplomatic and financial dimensions of regional negotiations.
This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region.
Qatar, which hosted negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban that led to the 2020 Doha agreement laying out the framework for the eventual U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, has again emerged as a central diplomatic channel as talks intensified over the weekend.
Pakistan also played a behind-the-scenes role in those negotiations, reflecting Washington’s longstanding reliance on Islamabad’s ties to the Taliban leadership during the Afghanistan war.
Critics of the Doha agreement argued it sidelined the U.S.-backed Afghan government while strengthening the Taliban ahead of its return to power in 2021.
Pakistan’s relationship with the Taliban also has become increasingly strained since the group returned to power in Afghanistan. Pakistani officials have accused Taliban authorities of failing to stop militants launching attacks into Pakistan from across the border, and Islamabad has threatened military action against some groups operating near Afghan territory.
The divide over Pakistan reflects a broader debate that has shaped U.S. foreign policy for decades: whether Washington’s strategic need for Islamabad outweighs longstanding concerns over the country’s relationships with militant groups and regional adversaries.
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More than a decade after the bin Laden raid shattered trust between Washington and Islamabad, Pakistan has once again become a diplomatic channel the U.S. appears unable — or unwilling — to avoid during one of the region’s most volatile crises.
afghanistan, middle east foreign policy, pakistan, foreign policy, iran
INTERNACIONAL
Zelensky se reúne con Trump en Washington para reforzar el apoyo de Estados Unidos frente a Rusia en plena escalada militar
El presidente de Ucrania, Volodimir Zelensky, llegó este martes a la Casa Blanca para reunirse con el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, con el objetivo de reforzar el respaldo de Washington frente a Rusia, en un contexto marcado por el incremento de los ataques de largo alcance entre ambos países y el estancamiento de los esfuerzos diplomáticos impulsados por la administración estadounidense.
Un funcionario de la Casa Blanca confirmó el viernes pasado a AFP que ambos mandatarios mantendrán un encuentro en Washington. La reunión coincidirá con un homenaje previsto para el senador Lindsey Graham, uno de los principales defensores del apoyo estadounidense a Ucrania, quien murió este mes a los 71 años.
Antes del viaje, Zelensky confirmó los preparativos del encuentro y expresó sus expectativas sobre el resultado de las conversaciones. “Estamos preparando una reunión con el presidente de Estados Unidos y su equipo”, afirmó el mandatario ucraniano. Además, manifestó su deseo de que “Washington continúe apoyando a Ucrania y que podamos terminar esta guerra con una paz digna”.
El encuentro tendrá lugar más de cuatro años después del inicio de la invasión rusa a gran escala y en un momento en el que las gestiones diplomáticas promovidas por Washington permanecen sin avances concretos.
Las relaciones entre Zelensky y Trump atravesaron varios momentos de tensión desde el regreso del mandatario estadounidense a la Casa Blanca en enero del año pasado. Sin embargo, en las últimas semanas ambos mostraron señales de un acercamiento.
Durante una reunión anterior en Washington, en octubre de 2025, Zelensky no logró convencer a Trump para autorizar el suministro de misiles de crucero Tomahawk a Ucrania.
Meses después, en febrero de ese mismo año, ambos protagonizaron un duro intercambio en el Despacho Oval ante las cámaras de televisión. En aquella oportunidad, Trump acusó a Zelensky de falta de gratitud y de “jugar con la Tercera Guerra Mundial”.
El tono entre ambos cambió durante su último encuentro, celebrado este mes en Turquía. En esa ocasión, Trump elogió el desempeño del mandatario ucraniano y aseguró que “ha hecho un trabajo increíble”, además de anunciar su intención de permitir que Ucrania produzca misiles antiaéreos Patriot, considerados clave para reforzar la defensa frente a los ataques rusos.
Desde su regreso al poder, Trump modificó la política de asistencia militar directa a Kiev. Su administración sustituyó los envíos directos de armamento por el programa PURL, mediante el cual los países europeos adquieren armas y posteriormente las transfieren a Ucrania.
A pesar de ese cambio, Estados Unidos mantiene un papel central en el respaldo a Kiev. Washington continúa proporcionando inteligencia militar y acceso al sistema satelital Starlink, que permite la comunicación de las tropas ucranianas desplegadas en el frente.
Como otra señal del acercamiento entre ambas partes, figuras influyentes próximas al movimiento MAGA, entre ellas Laura Loomer y Tim Pool, expresaron recientemente su respaldo a Ucrania, después de mantener durante un largo período una posición contraria a la ayuda militar para Kiev.
La semana pasada, Zelensky también mantuvo reuniones con los enviados de Trump, Steve Witkoff y Jared Kushner, para analizar fórmulas destinadas a “revitalizar la diplomacia”, proceso que permanece bloqueado desde el inicio de la guerra entre Estados Unidos e Israel en Medio Oriente en febrero.
Los anteriores intentos de mediación entre Moscú y Kiev no prosperaron debido a las diferencias sobre los territorios ucranianos reclamados por Rusia.
En paralelo, las relaciones entre Washington y Moscú también atraviesan un período de mayor tensión tras los contactos que llevaron a Trump a invitar al presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, a una cumbre en Alaska en agosto del año pasado.
El portavoz del Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, negó el lunes que existan conversaciones para un alto el fuego aéreo. Además, recordó su posición sobre el aumento de las operaciones militares ucranianas y sostuvo que la intensificación de esos ataques solo prolongará el conflicto.
En las últimas semanas, Ucrania amplió sus operaciones contra depósitos de petróleo y refinerías rusas, acciones que provocaron una crisis de abastecimiento de combustible. También dirigió ataques contra buques de carga en el mar de Azov y contra varios almacenes de la empresa rusa de comercio electrónico Wildberries.
Por su parte, Rusia mantuvo sus bombardeos a gran escala y bloqueó las exportaciones agrícolas ucranianas por vía marítima mediante ataques contra el puerto de Odesa y contra embarcaciones que utilizan esa terminal.
En el plano diplomático, el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Rusia, Serguéi Lavrov, se reunió la semana pasada en Manila con el secretario de Estado estadounidense, Marco Rubio. Durante el encuentro, Lavrov advirtió a su par estadounidense sobre el suministro de armas a Ucrania.
La reunión, la primera entre ambos desde septiembre del año pasado, se prolongó durante unos 30 minutos. Al término del encuentro, Rubio reiteró la voluntad de Washington de desempeñar un papel “constructivo” para poner fin a la guerra, aunque expresó cautela frente a las propuestas presentadas por Moscú.
Trump y Putin mantuvieron su conversación telefónica más reciente el pasado 5 de julio, en un contexto marcado por la falta de avances en las negociaciones para alcanzar un acuerdo que permita poner fin al conflicto.
(Con información de AFP)
conflict,essential,horizontal,peace
Trump delivers jokes and jabs at WCHA Dinner
President Donald Trump takes the stage at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, delivering a series of sharp jokes and jabs. His remarks target figures including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., various late-night television hosts, and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Fox News’ Christina Coleman provides a detailed report on the dinner’s memorable moments, highlighting Trump’s humorous and often critical commentary during the rescheduled event.
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A transgender influencer fired back at President Donald Trump after his joke comparing the biological male to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during Friday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner went viral.
«Maybe being publicly mocked and criticized by this administration is actually like the greatest compliment of all,» said Dylan Mulvaney in a TikTok post on Sunday. «Because it puts me in the company of some of the most brilliant, empathetic people in our world today.»
Mulvaney, once a social media star and one of the most recognizable transgender people in the United States, has maintained a low profile over the past few years since an advertising debacle featuring the influencer tanked the stock of a major beer company.
Mulvaney referred to the Bud Light backlash as a kind of «mind game.» (ABC screenshot)
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But Mulvaney was thrust back into the spotlight after Trump’s WHCA Dinner joke comparing the transgender influencer to Collins, a longtime media foe of the 45th and 47th president.
«I thought Kaitlan Collins had really made it big with a major new sponsorship, but then I informed her that it wasn’t her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney,» he said, referencing the beer brand’s failed marketing campaign.
In 2023, Bud Light partnered with Mulvaney for a March Madness promotion. On Instagram, Mulvaney posted a video featuring a Bud Light can with their face on it, sparking intense backlash, a prolonged boycott and a more than $27 billion loss in market cap for Anheuser-Busch.
«To the president, thank you for reminding me that I am more powerful than I even knew,» Mulvaney said in the Sunday video. «And to quote my favorite recording artist, Shea Diamond, ‘I am America.’»
CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins before the start of the press briefing with press secretary Karoline Leavitt at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 7, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
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Trump took his time roasting Collins in his hour-and-four-minute remarks at the WHCA Dinner on Friday.
Besides comparing her to a biological male who transitioned to female in a TikTok series where they would chronicle every day of ‘becoming a girl,’ Trump also took a swipe at her apparently steely demeanor.
«I want to personally congratulate CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on receiving her award. It was all about me. It’s a fake. She shouldn’t get the award. It was a fake, but I didn’t mind. I said, ‘Kaitlan, congratulations.’ But it was fake. There’s no question about it,» Trump said.
Collins received the WHCA Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure for broadcast due to her reporting on the contentious Oval Office meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump in February 2025.
«But she’s a young, attractive woman,» Trump went on, adding, «She never smiles. I said, ‘Kaitlan, do you ever smile? Smile. You have a nice position. You’re at CNN — fake news. You should be a happy person. So smile, Kaitlan. Just smile.’»
President Donald Trump speaks during the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on July 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)
Collins appeared to respond to Trump’s jokes at her expense in an Instagram post over the weekend featuring a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt.
«No one can make you feel inferior without your consent,» the quote said.
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CNN’s public relations team also posted a statement on X after Trump’s remarks about one of their biggest stars.
«We stand by our journalists and the integrity and fair mindedness with which the CNN team reports the news,» the statement, attributed to Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson, said.
«Honest, accurate journalism may sometimes irritate politicians, but our right to report and present that reporting to the public without government interference is fully protected by the U.S. Constitution. CNN will continue to exercise this right.»
donald trump, fox news media, woke, politics
INTERNACIONAL
Brasil presentó un pedido de consultas contra EEUU ante la Organización Mundial del Comercio por los nuevos aranceles de Trump
Brasil presentó un pedido de consultas contra Estados Unidos ante la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC) por los nuevos aranceles impuestos a varios productos brasileños, en un paso que podría derivar en un proceso formal de solución de controversias.
El gobierno brasileño informó que la solicitud se presentó el 27 de julio dentro del mecanismo de resolución de disputas de la OMC. En un comunicado, la cancillería precisó que «Brasil presentó, el 27 de julio, pedido de consultas a Estados Unidos en el ámbito del sistema de solución de controversias de la OMC» porque «considera que las medidas estadounidenses son injustificadas e incompatibles» con las reglas del comercio internacional.
El pedido de consultas constituye la primera etapa del procedimiento previsto por la OMC antes de la eventual conformación de un panel que analice el caso si las partes no alcanzan un acuerdo.
El nuevo gravamen del 25%, anunciado la semana pasada por la administración Trump, surge de una investigación de la Oficina del Representante de Comercio de Estados Unidos (USTR), que concluyó que determinadas políticas brasileñas son «desleales» y perjudican a empresas estadounidenses.
Entre las prácticas cuestionadas figuran el sistema de pagos automáticos PIX, las barreras de acceso a mercados brasileños como los sectores automotriz y de combustibles, la gestión de la lucha contra la corrupción, la legislación sobre propiedad intelectual y la deforestación ilegal.
Se calcula que la nueva tarifa afectará al 18% de las exportaciones brasileñas hacia Estados Unidos, aunque algunas asociaciones comerciales estiman que el impacto podría alcanzar hasta un tercio del total. Los sectores más expuestos son máquinas industriales, azúcar, etanol, madera y calzado.
No obstante, Trump excluyó del arancel a unos 2.100 productos, entre ellos la carne, el café, el petróleo, las piezas para aviones, el zumo de naranja y las tierras raras, insumos considerados estratégicos para la industria estadounidense.
La administración de Donald Trump aplicó este mes dos nuevas rondas de aranceles contra productos brasileños. Una fija gravámenes del 25% por supuestas prácticas comerciales desleales y la otra establece un arancel adicional del 12,5% por el presunto uso de trabajo forzado.
El presidente brasileño Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva cuestionó esas medidas y sostuvo que responden a motivaciones políticas en un año electoral, cuando buscará la reelección dentro de menos de tres meses.
La disputa comercial se suma a un conflicto previo entre ambos países. En 2025, Brasil también recurrió a la OMC después de que Washington impusiera aranceles del 50% como represalia por el proceso judicial por golpismo que terminó con la condena del expresidente Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), padre del actual candidato presidencial Flávio Bolsonaro, principal rival de Lula en las elecciones de octubre.
Aquel primer paquete de sanciones comerciales se revirtió posteriormente en gran parte, aunque la relación bilateral volvió a tensarse tras la imposición de los nuevos gravámenes estadounidenses.
Lula también sostuvo que Flávio Bolsonaro, aliado político de Trump, impulsó la presión arancelaria de Washington durante la campaña electoral brasileña. El dirigente opositor rechazó esa acusación.
La tensión entre ambos gobiernos también alcanzó el plano diplomático. El sábado, Brasil negó las visas a dos funcionarios estadounidenses que pretendían reunirse con autoridades electorales brasileñas, después de que Flávio Bolsonaro cuestionara la fiabilidad del sistema de votación electrónica del país.
(Con información de EFE y AFP)
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