United States news and current affairs. Coverage of US politics, policy, defence, economy, and global influence from The Oceania Cables.
Summary Over the weekend of April 11-12, 2026, senior US and Iranian delegations convened in Islamabad, Pakistan, for direct negotiations mediated by Pakistani officials. The US team, led by Vice President JD Vance and including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, engaged face-to-face with an Iranian delegation headed
Summary CENTCOM’s announcement of a mine clearing mission in the Strait of Hormuz marks a critical intervention after Iran’s IRGC was unable to locate or clear naval mines it deployed beginning March 10, 2026. According to U.S. officials cited by the New York Times and Wall Street
Summary A two-week ceasefire between the United States, Iran, and Israel was announced on April 7, 2026, following weeks of escalating conflict that threatened regional stability and global energy supplies. The agreement, brokered primarily by Pakistan with support from China, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, mandates a halt to
Summary This morning President Donald Trump reaffirmed his ultimatum to Iran, issuing a final warning via Truth Social and referencing the prospect of regime change. The United States Air Force was observed deploying multiple B-52 bombers from RAF Fairford, as reported by open-source intelligence and confirmed by mainstream
Summary On April 3, 2026, Iranian air defenses downed a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle over southwestern Iran, forcing both crew members to eject. While the pilot was quickly recovered, the weapons systems officer (WSO), an Air Force colonel, spent nearly two days evading a large-scale Iranian