Hindustan Times (Bathinda)
Iran shuts strait as Israeli strikes kill 20 in Lebanon
DUBAI: Iran said it has closed the Strait of Hormuz for shipping transit due to what it called Israel’s violation of a ceasefire, even as Pakistan said Us-iran talks were set to open in Switzerland on Sunday. The Hormuz action casts a new cloud over...
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Strikes in Lebanon stall Us-iran talks
The American push to quickly begin high-stakes talks with Iran hit a snag Friday, just days after the signing of an agreement that opens a two-month window for negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program and returning oil traffic through the Strait of...
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MOU inked, clock starts on final deal
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States expects “a complete ceasefire on all fronts,” as an Us-iran interim peace deal he signed took effect, his vicepresident announced an end to a blockade of Iran ports and a complex 60-day...
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Trump: Will help India led by Modi if attacked
NEW DELHI: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US will help India if the country is attacked under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the two leaders met for the first time in 16 months on the margins of the G7 Summit in...
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Telegram blocked before NEET retest
The Centre has blocked Telegram across India until June 22 and ordered the platform to disable its messageediting feature until June 30 — two separate interventions on NTA’S recommendations, the first to disrupt organised fraud ahead of the NEET-UG...
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Framework forged for a fragile peace
The US and Iran reached an initial agreement Monday that would extend their shaky ceasefire and lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but significant challenges remain to ending the war, including whether Israel will continue its offensive in...
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20 TMC MPS merge with little-known Tripura party
At least 20 rebel lawmakers of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday told speaker Om Birla that they have merged with a littleknown Tripura-based party, strengthening the Nationalist Democratic Alliance and setting the stage for one of the biggest...
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Trump, Modi meeting on cards; PM lands in France
WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump will meet on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, White House officials told HT on Saturday, hours after the PM departed for a nearly week-long visit to France and...
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US, Iran agree on final wording of peace deal, says Pak’s PM
Pakistan’s prime minister said Friday the United States and Iran have agreed to wording of an agreement aimed at ending their war in the Middle East and that mediators were working with both sides to finalize a deal. Shehbaz Sharif said the US and...
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3 Indian sailors dead in US attack; 3rd vessel hit
NEW DELHI: Three Indian seafarers reported missing after a US attack on a tanker off the coast of Oman have been confirmed dead, shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Thursday, hours after US forces targeted another merchant vessel with 20...
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Mamata attends INDIA meet, MPS break ranks
NEW DELHI: The Trinamool Congress’s Lok Sabha unit tottered on the precipice of a split on Monday after at least 14 lawmakers met in Delhi and discussed breaking away in the presence of Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, the latest setback for the...
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HC judge threatened, daughter in London attacked over verdict
MUMBAI: The family of retired Bombay high court judge GS Patel has for 10 months now, faced threats and actual acts of violence across two continents in connection with his landmark 2024 judgment settling the succession issue in the Dawoodi Bohra...
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Missiles, drones fly in major W Asia flare-up
CAIRO: Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones toward Bahrain and Kuwait early Saturday, Bahrain’s government said, adding that they were intercepted. It called on Tehran to immediately cease attacks on Gulf neighbors that it deemed a “serious...
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RBI keeps rates steady, takes steps to attract foreign capital
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India maintained status quo on monetary policy rate and stance – they continue to be 5.25% and neutral – on Friday even as it reduced its growth forecast and increased its inflation forecast...
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After 21 died, owner filed to renew expired licence
NEW DELHI: The devastating blaze in an illegal bed-andbreakfast in south Delhi’s Hauz Rani that killed 21 people and injured 21 more began in the kitchen of the restaurant on the ground floor, preliminary probes of Delhi Fire Service and police have...
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Safety gaps spark another Delhi tragedy as 21 die in B&B blaze
An early morning fire on Wednesday in Flourish Stay, a bed-and-breakfast in Hauz Rani, south Delhi, killed at least 21 people, including 12 foreign nationals, with significant violations by the establishment highlighting the lax regulatory and...
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TMC stares at a split as rumblings over LOP intensify
DELHI: The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal is headed for a vertical split, with nearly 60 dissident legislators set to support expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly — a move...
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Ministry increases scrutiny, calls for CBSE report on OSM tender
NEW DELHI: The Union education ministry has sought a detailed report from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on the procurement process for the board’s On-screen Marking (OSM) system, amid mounting scrutiny over the rollout of the platform...
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Capital building collapse snuffs out 6 lives, 9 hurt
Six people died and nine were injured in Saturday evening’s building collapse in Saidulajab, officials said on Sunday, even as rescuers continued to comb through the debris, after yet another accident in the Capital that triggered alarm about illegal...
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DKS gets CLP nod as next CM of Karnataka
DK Shivakumar was unanimously elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Karnataka on Saturday, paving the way for him to take over as chief minister while capping a leadership transition in the southern state that came about after his...
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AAP storms Punjab civic polls, Cong distant second
: The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a resounding victory in the Punjab civic body elections, fundamentally altering the state’s urban political landscape. As vote counting progressed on Friday, AAP candidates comfortably secured over 958...
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Siddaramaiah makes way for DKS in K’taka leadership shift
Siddaramaiah resigned as Karnataka chief minister on Thursday, ending months of uncertainty over the Congress leadership transition in the state and potentially clearing the way for his deputy and challenger DK Shivakumar to assume...
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SIR valid, falls within ECI’S powers, says SC
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the validity of the special intensive revision (SIR) conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), ruling that the exercise furthered the constitutional objective of free and fair elections and fell within...
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Quad announces energy initiative, Fiji port project
The Quad on Tuesday launched an energy security initiative to help Indo-pacific nations cope with disruptions due to the West Asia conflict and a project to build a port in Fiji, as foreign ministers of the grouping sought to inject fresh momentum into...
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Petrol, diesel dearer by ₹2, 4th hike in 2 weeks
NEW DELHI: State-run oil companies on Monday raised petrol prices by ₹2.61 per litre and diesel prices by ₹2.71 a litre, the fourth rate hike in two weeks that has cumulatively seen petrol and diesel becoming costlier by ₹7.35 and ₹7.53 per litre,...
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Iran deal inches closer, but Trump says ‘no rush’
The United States is close to reaching a deal with Iran that would end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, regional officials told The Associated Press on Sunday. They said details and...
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PM backs peace push in meeting with Rubio
India will continue working with the United States for the global good even as it backs peace efforts and the peaceful resolution of the conflict in West Asia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday during talks with US secretary of state Marco...
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SC divided on UAPA bail, larger bench to weigh in
NEW DELHI: In an extraordinary institutional moment at the Supreme Court, a clash of judicial views between two coordinate benches over bail jurisprudence under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) spilled into the open on Friday, with one...
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Reforms, delivery, W Asia in focus as PM meets ministers
NEW DELHI: The call for Viksit Bharat (developed India) by 2047 is not just a slogan but the government’s commitment and therefore the focus of the administration should be on reforms and delivery, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told his council of...
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Rome, Delhi dial up ties during Modi’s Italy visit
India and Italy on Wednesday elevated their ties to a special strategic partnership and pledged to expand bilateral trade to €20 billion by 2029, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni held talks on strengthening...
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SC stays firm on stray dogs curbs in public places
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to modify its November 2025 directions ordering all states and Union territories to remove stray dogs from institutional areas such as schools, hospitals, sports complexes, bus depots and railway...
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Stalemate stays as Iran, US reject new peace moves
WASHINGTON: A deal to end the Iran war remains elusive after Washington and Tehran rejected fresh proposals as insufficient to secure an agreement. The stalemate continued even as oil prices edged up about 2% to a twoweek high in volatile trade amid...
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UAE N-plant attacked by drone, testing Iran truce
ABU DHABI: A drone strike targeted the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant on Sunday, sparking a fire on its perimeter. There were no reports of injuries or radiological release, but it highlighted the risk of renewed war as the Iran...
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CBI closes in on NTA paper-setting group
NEW DELHI: A second member of the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) paper-setting committee has been arrested in the NEET-UG 2026 question paper leak case — a senior botany teacher from Pune who allegedly disclosed botany and zoology questions at...
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Petrol, diesel retail prices hiked by ₹3/l as war bites
NEW DELHI: State-run oil companies raised pump prices of petrol and diesel by ₹3 per litre each across the country on Friday, while Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) increased compressed natural gas (CNG) rates by ₹2 per kg in and around Delhi — the first...
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Satheesan gets CM post, ending Kerala suspense
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vadassery Damodaran Satheesan staked his claim to form the next government in Kerala on Thursday after the 61-year-old was elected leader of the Congress legislative party, breaking 10 days of suspense over the party’s pick for the...
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In first step after PM’S appeal, gold, silver duty raised to 15%
NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday raised customs duty on precious metals including gold and silver to 15% from 6% to curb their imports and save foreign exchange for essentials such as energy and fertilizers amid a protracted war in West Asia that...
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NEET mess: NTA orders retest as CBI probes leak
NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: The National Testing Agency cancelled NEET-UG 2026 on Tuesday, nine days after 2.27 million students sat for the examination across 551 cities, after central agencies confirmed that the question paper had been compromised. Questions...
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Trump says truce with Tehran on ‘life support’
WASHINGTON/DUBAI: President Donald Trump said on Monday that a ceasefire with Iran was “on life support” after he rejected Tehran’s response to a US peace proposal, fuelling concerns of a resumption of hostilities in the 10-week-old conflict that has...
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Cut fuel use, gold buys: Modi as Iran war bites
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged Indians to adopt austerity measures ranging from cutting fuel consumption and postponing foreign travel to reducing edible oil use and chemical fertiliser dependence, as the government grapples...
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ED arrests Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora under PMLA
CHANDIGARH: The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday arrested powerful Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora following raids in connection with an alleged GST fraud-related money laundering case involving certain entities linked to him. The arrest of...
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Dada to replace Didi in West Bengal; Vijay meets guv again, left on hold
KOLKATA: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday declared Suvendu Adhikari the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’S) West Bengal legislative party, paving his way to become chief minister of the eastern state after sweeping to power in a...
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Guv keeps Vijay waiting as TN deadlock deepens
CHENNAI: The political churn in Tamil Nadu intensified on Thursday as actor-turned-politician Vijay met governor Rajendra Arlekar for a second time in two days even as Lok Bhavan defended its decision not to invite the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to...
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No invite yet for Vijay as Guv seeks legal opinion
NEW DELHI: Actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay met Tamil Nadu governor Rajendra Arlekar on Wednesday to stake claim to power but wasn’t invited to form the next government as officials said Lok Bhavan was seeking legal opinion to ensure the Tamilaga...
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Iran offers conditional deal to US on Hormuz
CAIRO: Iran offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts its blockade on the country and ends the war in a proposal that would postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, two regional officials said...
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Trump in crosshairs again as shooter targets DC function
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump and officials in his administration were the likely targets of a suspect who fired on a security agent guarding the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, US acting Attorney General Todd Blanche...
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Iran officials leave, US envoys call off trip to Pak for parleys
ISLAMABAD: The latest ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran appeared to fail Saturday before they began, as Tehran’s top diplomat left Pakistan and President Donald Trump soon afterward said he had told envoys not to travel to...
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Aap-heaval: 7 Rajya Sabha MPS revolt, desert Kejriwal
NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was jolted on Friday after Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha announced that seven out of 10 parliamentarians from the Upper House were quitting the party and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),...
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Trump’s ‘shoot, kill’ order sharpens Strait standoff
DUBAI: President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz, he said on Thursday, a day after Iran again displayed its ability to thwart traffic through the...
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Iran attacks 3 ships in Strait day after ceasefire extended
DUBAI: Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them on Wednesday, intensifying its assault on shipping in the key waterway. The attacks came a day after US President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an...
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TN, Bengal set to vote as campaign winds up
High-decibel campaigns for the Tamil Nadu assembly polls and 152 seats in West Bengal ended on Tuesday, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) making a strong push to breach the Opposition’s bastions in the southern and eastern parts of...
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Mixed signals as Pak talks hang in balance
DUBAI/WASHINGTON: Iran is considering attending peace talks with the United States in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, following moves by Islamabad to end a US blockade of Iran’s ports, a major hurdle for Tehran to rejoin...
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Trump announces new peace talks in Pakistan
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said his negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for talks with Iran, lifting hopes of extending a ceasefire set to expire this week even as Washington and Tehran remain locked in a standoff over the Strait of...
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Indian ships come under fire as Iran closes Hormuz again
NEW DELHI: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired at two Indianflagged merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, prompting the external affairs ministry to call in the Iranian envoy to lodge a formal protest over the incident. This was the first...
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Delimitation divide defeats bill to raise LS seats for women’s quota
NEW DELHI: A Constitution amendment bill to expand the size of the Lok Sabha and fasttrack 33% reservation for women failed to garner the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on Friday, marking the first defeat of a government bill since the...
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LS expansion will be fair, says govt; Oppn wants it in writing
NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday attempted to convince the Opposition that the proposal to increase the Lok Sabha’s strength and fast-track 33% reservation for women would involve a proportional 50% rise in each state’s seats, thereby not hurting...
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Trump hints at end to Iran war, fresh talks take shape
DUBAI/WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said the war he launched with Israel on Iran was close to over, as the army chief of mediator Pakistan reached Tehran to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict. The diplomatic push came as US and Iranian...
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Women’s quota: Bills seek to take LS seats up to 850 based on 2011 census
NEW DELHI: The government’s legislative push to reserve a third of the seats in Parliament and state legislative assemblies involves raising the cap on seats in the Lok Sabha from 550 to 850, with the allocation of seats to states, the reserved...
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US cuts off Iranian ports; Tehran vows to hit back
WASHINGTON/DUBAI: The US military began a blockade of ships leaving Iran’s ports on Monday, President Donald Trump said, and Tehran threatened to retaliate against ports of its Gulf neighbours after weekend talks on ending the war broke down. Oil...
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Talks fail, Trump says US will block Hormuz
ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. Navy would “immediately” begin a blockade of ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after Us-iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement or next diplomatic steps in...
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Iran-US direct talks begin in Pak amid fragile truce
ISLAMABAD: The US and Iran began historic face-to-face negotiations Saturday in Pakistan, days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced, as the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week. The...
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Iran lays down red lines ahead of talks with US in Islamabad
DUBAI/BEIRUT/CAIRO/ISLAMABAD: Iran said on Friday that Iranian assets must be unblocked and a ceasefire take hold in Lebanon before peace talks with the United States can proceed, throwing last-minute doubt over negotiations scheduled for Saturday in...
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Israel pushes for Lebanon talks as Iran truce teeters
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT/ISLAMABAD: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he is seeking direct talks with Beirut, a day after the worst bombardment of the war killed more than 300 people in Lebanon and placed Donald Trump’s Us-iran...
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Conflicting claims cloud nth-hour ceasefire
Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon Iran accuses US of violating three deal clauses, White House contests Tehran’s 10-point plan Vance to lead US team to Pakistan on Saturday to hold talks on a...
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Trump raises the stakes to civilisational levels
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump threatened Iran with civilisational destruction as the US attacked military targets on the country’s key oil export hub, ramping up pressure on Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday morning (Tehran...
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Trump threatens Tehran with night of destruction
TEHRAN: Iran on Monday rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war, while President Donald Trump appeared to widen his threat from civilian targets to the whole Islamic Republic as his ultimatum ticked...
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US aviator rescued after tense search, Trump vows ‘hell’ if Strait stays closed
TEHRAN: US President Donald Trump on Sunday made expletiveladen new threats to escalate strikes on Iran and its infrastructure if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline, after American forces rescued an aviator whose Iran-downed plane...
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Trump gives new ultimatum, hunt for US pilot intensifies
TEL AVIV: The US military on Saturday searched for a missing pilot shot down over a remote area in Iran, while President Donald Trump remained silent on the incident but reminded Tehran of his Monday deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz: “48 hours...
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