US envoys Witkoff, Kushner to depart Saturday for Iran talks in Pakistan — White House

US envoys Witkoff, Kushner to depart Saturday for Iran talks in Pakistan — White House

ToI Staff

Jacob Magid

US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will depart on Saturday for Pakistan where they will hold direct talks with Iranian negotiators, the White House announced on Friday.

“Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in direct talks intermediated by the Pakistanis… with representatives from the Iranian delegation,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a Fox interview.

“The Iranians reached out… and asked for this in-person conversation. The President is dispatching Steve and Jared to go hear what they have to say, and we’re hopeful that it will be a productive conversation and hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal,” Leavitt added.

Leavitt didn’t specify with whom the US envoys would meet, but she appeared to be referring to Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who arrived in Islamabad on Friday evening.

However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a post on X that there were no plans for a meeting, and that Tehran’s “observations” would be conveyed to Pakistani officials.

While US Vice President JD Vance headed the US negotiating team during the first round of talks with Iran in Pakistan earlier this month, he was not slated to join Witkoff and Kushner. Vance’s counterpart in the talks was Iran parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, who did not make the trip with Araghchi.

CNN reported that Vance would be on standby to travel to Islamabad if negotiations progress.

Araghchi was set to discuss proposals for restarting peace talks with the United States while in Islamabad.

Araghchi said in a Friday statement on X that he was embarking on visits to Pakistan, Oman and Russia to coordinate with partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments, claiming that Iran’s neighbors remained Tehran’s priority, even though Tehran fired relentlessly on many of them during the war.

Two Pakistani government sources aware of the discussions said Araghchi’s visit would be a brief one to discuss Iran’s proposals for talks with the US, which mediator Pakistan would then convey to Washington.

Trump indicated to Reuters in a phone interview that Iran would soon submit a proposal to the US.

“They’re making an offer, and we’ll have to see,” Trump said.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking around the same time the news emerged, told a briefing that Iran had a chance to make a “good deal” with the United States.

“Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely … at the negotiating table. All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways,” he said.

Reports on Araghchi’s trip in Iranian state media and the Pakistani sources made no mention of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, who was the head of its delegation at the only talks held so far, earlier this month.

Pakistani sources had said earlier that a US logistics and security team was already in place in Islamabad for potential talks.

Slippery Slope: UK Police Continue Efforts To Criminalize Public Preaching Of The Gospel

Slippery Slope: UK Police Continue Efforts To Criminalize Public Preaching Of The Gospel

Christian Concern

Bread of Life Community Church in Essex has been issued with a Community Protection Notice (CPN) that could criminalise its pastor and members for preaching the Christian gospel in Colchester city centre.

This is believed to be an unprecedented use of public‑order powers against a whole church, rather than individual Christian street preachers and further seeking to criminalise the content of the message rather than just the manner of preaching.

The CPN, served following months of pressure from council wardens, prohibits the church’s use of amplification during its weekly outreach. Breaching the notice is a criminal offence, meaning Pastor Stephen Clayden and his council could face prosecution simply for continuing their long‑standing ministry.

Pastor Clayden, who establishes and oversees all outreach activity, strongly denies that he or any member of his team has acted unlawfully. He says the church intends to challenge the notice in court and resist any attempt by the authorities to silence the gospel.

The church has now formally appealed the notice, and the case will be heard at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on 1 May 2026, in a hearing expected to have wide‑ranging implications for freedom of religion and expression in the UK.

The appeal is supported by the Christian Legal Centre.

From Volume Restrictions To Attempted Content Control

Until recently, the church’s outreach in Colchester had never attracted formal complaints. The team preaches, sings hymns, hands out literature and Bibles, and speaks to members of the public, many of whom express appreciation for the support, prayer, and hope offered by the evangelists.

However, correspondence with the council reveals a steady escalation, including street wardens repeatedly demanding cessation or reduction of amplification, despite the current Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) containing no prohibition on amplified sound.

A Community Protection Warning was issued in November 2025, followed by threats of fines.

Wardens then raised concerns not only about volume, but about the content of the preaching, including theological references to judgment and hell, which the council claimed might distress some listeners.

As well as using amplification, the CPN accuses the church of using ‘religious messaging’ which mentions ‘hell’ that causes ‘harassment, alarm and distress.’

The notice continues by saying that wardens have ‘tried to educate’ the preachers, but the preaching is ‘unreasonable’ and having a ‘detrimental effect on the community’.

The church provides a regular food bank collection to the local community and also when church members are preaching, they have in the past bought warm clothes for people who need them. The church has also purchased hot meals for the homeless.

This marks a significant shift from regulating noise to attempting to regulate Christian doctrine expressed in public.

Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Bread of Life Community Church argues that the issue is not disturbance but discomfort with the message itself, something expressly protected under Articles 9 and 10 of the Human Rights Act.

In its formal appeal under section 46 of the Anti‑social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, Bread of Life Community Church argues that the CPN is unlawful and should be quashed in its entirety.

The church contends that the conduct alleged in the notice did not take place. It denies engaging in threatening, harassing or intimidating behaviour and says that describing biblical teaching about hell as “intimidation” is a serious mischaracterisation of routine Christian evangelism. All outreach activity is livestreamed and recorded, and the church says no evidence exists of threats or harassment.

The appeal further argues that the council has failed to demonstrate any genuine detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality, as required by law.

Preaching takes place outside a closed retail unit, not near active businesses, and no objective evidence of harm has been produced. On the contrary, the church says many members of the public respond positively.

The church also denies that its conduct was persistent, unreasonable, or something it could reasonably be expected to stop. Use of a loudspeaker for preaching, it argues, is a normal and lawful aspect of public religious expression, expressly protected by Articles 9, 10 and 11 of the Human Rights Act. The local PSPO contains no ban on amplification, despite repeated claims by wardens that it does.

Crucially, the appeal argues that the CPN is vague and disproportionate, particularly in its prohibition on undefined “intimidating behaviour”.

The church says that attempting to restrict doctrinal statements, such as warnings about judgment amounts to unlawful content‑based censorship of protected religious speech.

The appeal also raises concerns about procedural and factual errors, including the absence of documented incidents, evidence, or specific complaints supporting the council’s allegations.

Essex Magistrates’ Court has confirmed that the appeal will be heard on 1 May 2026 at 2:00pm at Colchester Magistrates’ Court, where the church will ask the court to cancel the CPN in full or, alternatively, strike out requirements which unlawfully restrict protected religious expression.

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What Is Going To Happen When The Oil Reserves Run Out And The Tankers Stop Arriving?

What Is Going To Happen When The Oil Reserves Run Out And The Tankers Stop Arriving?

Michael Snyder

A lot of people out there seem to think that the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is not that big of a deal, and that is because we aren’t feeling the consequences yet. By the end of this month, the last oil tankers that left the Persian Gulf before the war with Iran began will have arrived at their destinations. And right now nations all over the globe are running through their strategic energy reserves. Some nations have months of oil left, and some nations only have weeks of oil left. As those reserves start to run dry, we are going to witness a supply crunch that is absolutely unprecedented.

If you don’t believe me, perhaps you will believe the head of the International Energy Agency.

He is warning that we are “facing the biggest energy security threat in history”…

“We are facing the biggest energy security threat in history,” Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, or IEA, told CNBC on Thursday.

“As of today, we’ve lost 13 million barrels per day of oil … and there are major disruptions in vital commodities,” he told Steve Sedgwick virtually at CNBC’s CONVERGE LIVE in Singapore.

Birol has previously warned that the Iran war and ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz would result in “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced” and urged governments to bolster their resilience with alternative energy sources.

For now, we are only witnessing limited rationing and limited shortages around the world because everyone is running through their strategic reserves.

And so it feels like we are going to come through this okay.

But the truth is that we aren’t.

Global supplies of oil and natural gas will get steadily tighter during the months ahead.

The Iranians are hardly letting any commercial vessels get through the Strait of Hormuz, and even if they suddenly changed their minds tomorrow we are being told that it could take up to six months to clear all of the mines out of the Strait of Hormuz…

It may take up to six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian mines, according to a new report.

A Defense Department official relayed the estimate to lawmakers during a closed-door congressional briefing on Tuesday, three sources familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

The assessment points to potentially long-lasting economic consequences, as the strait — now subject to dueling U.S. and Iranian blockades — is a critical trade artery that carried 20 percent of the world’s oil before the war.

It appears that Iran has been using this temporary ceasefire to lay more mines in the Strait.

And clearing them will not even begin until the end of the war…

Any efforts to remove the mines won’t even begin until the war ends, the official warned.

The Iranian navy began placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz in March, as US-Israeli forces continued their joint attacks on the country.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is promising that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports will continue until Iran finally agrees to make a deal…

According to CENTCOM, more than 30 vessels have been redirected by the U.S. Navy since the blockade was initiated…

The last update by CENTCOM, on Wednesday night, said 31 ships had been redirected since the start of the blockade.

Iran has called the blockade a violation of the ceasefire agreement, while the U.S. says it will remain in place as a condition of negotiations.

With Iran and the U.S. both blocking traffic, barely anything is getting out of the Persian Gulf.

It is a ticking time bomb for the entire global economy, and we are potentially facing catastrophic supply disruptions…

The scale of these observed and potential supply disruptions is without precedent. The 1973 oil embargo wiped roughly 7 percent of global oil production off the market but was politically reversible. The present crisis has reduced 13 percent of global supply, at least temporarily, and it is a physical disruption. The recovery of damaged infrastructure will take months or even years. Finally, the Middle East accounts for about 30 percent of total global oil supply; in a worst-case scenario, virtually all these volumes could be at risk.

The nations that will be the least affected are those that either do not need to import oil or that have accumulated large reserves.

For example, China possesses the largest strategic oil reserves in the entire world…

New data from the US government released this week shows just how aggressively China added to its oil reserves ahead of the war in Iran.

The US Energy Information Administration estimates China ended 2025 with nearly 1.4 billion barrels of oil stocked away, compared to 1.2 billion barrels among the 32 members of the International Energy Agency (IEA), which includes 413 million barrels in US coffers.

And the US has been drawing down its stockpile, with the latest US reserve levels showing about 405 million barrels following the sale of over 8 million barrels in the first half of April.

Even though the Chinese buy more oil and natural gas from the Middle East than anyone else, they will be able to function normally for many months.

Other countries will not have that luxury.

Before the war, it was being projected that the strategic reserves that the UK is holding can only last for about 90 days…

As of February 26, according to the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, the UK holds about 38 million ⁠barrels of crude oil and 30 million barrels of refined products, as strategic reserves. The reserves are thought to be able to last around 90 days.

Other European countries are in even tougher positions.

Shortages of jet fuel will probably start to show up first.

At this point, we are being told that Europe only has about six weeks of jet fuel left…

Jet fuel prices have risen even faster, doubling in price to almost $200 a barrel. And as the war drags on, jet fuel is getting harder to come by for countries that don’t produce it or have limited supplies.

“In Europe, we have maybe six weeks or so (of) jet fuel left,” the International Energy Agency’s executive director, Fatih Birol, told the Associated Press on April 16.

It appears to be inevitable that flights will be canceled and planes will be grounded on a widespread basis.

In fact, Lufthansa has already announced that it will be eliminating about 20,000 short-haul flights…

Lufthansa is cutting roughly 20,000 short-haul flights this summer, citing a spike in jet fuel prices that has rendered many routes “unprofitable” as the global aviation industry grapples with rising costs.

If the Strait of Hormuz is not opened soon, this will only be just the very beginning.

Just because we aren’t experiencing the full consequences of this crisis today does not mean that those consequences are not coming.

It is going to take time for the strategic oil reserves to run dry.

But once they do, things are going to get really crazy.

Magnitude 4.0 earthquake hits Missouri along New Madrid Seismic Zone

Magnitude 4.0 earthquake hits Missouri along New Madrid Seismic Zone

Zach Kaplan

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake hit Missouri on Thursday afternoon, with shaking felt in the surrounding states, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The earthquake rumbled a kilometer northwest of Cooter, Missouri, according to the USGS. The location is 80 miles north of Memphis, Tennessee, and just above the Arkansas state line, NewsNation local affiliate WREG reports.

The earthquake hit right along the New Madrid Seismic Zone, which the Missouri Department of Natural Resources describes as “the most active seismic area in the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains.”

Missouri's Cooter rattled by earthquake with shockwaves felt across multiple states

Chris Melore

A large earthquake has struck right in the heart of an ancient seismic zone feared to one day bring a catastrophic natural disaster to the Midwest.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) detected a magnitude 4.0 quake less than a mile from the small Missouri city of Cooter at 1.59pm ET on Thursday.

Although Cooter only has a population slightly over 300, the seismic event has already been reported by over 500 people across six states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.

According to USGS, the shockwaves were felt over a distance of more than 300 miles, from western Tennessee to central Arkansas.

Residents have reported light to moderate shaking throughout the region, but there have not been any reports of injuries from local news outlets.

Cooter sits in the southeasternmost part of the state, known as Missouri's Bootheel. However, this region is also known for being in the heart of the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ).

Although these light tremors are considered harmless and normal for the region, scientists have calculated that the NMSZ is entering the window where a massive seismic event could take place, affecting millions throughout the central US.

Between December 1811 and February 1812, a group of three powerful earthquakes over 7.0 in magnitude caused damage in multiple, including Cincinnati and St Louis, and was felt in states as far away as Connecticut and Louisiana.

Studies have found that large quakes like these could happen in the NMSZ every 200 to 800 years.

This means the region has just entered the range for the next major disaster in the Midwest to strike, although there is no guarantee it will happen this century.

Europe Turns on Turkey as the War Cycle Expands

Europe Turns on Turkey as the War Cycle Expands

Martin Armstrong

I have warned that once geopolitical tensions ignite, they do not remain contained, and what we are now witnessing is the steady expansion of conflict lines as Turkey is being recast from a strategic NATO partner into a geopolitical threat by the very alliance it once helped anchor.

The European Union has now openly shifted its tone, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen effectively grouping Turkey alongside Russia and China, stating that Europe must ensure it is not influenced by “Russia, Turkey or China,” which is an extraordinary statement when directed at a NATO member and signals a clear break in strategic trust, especially when such language aligns closely with broader geopolitical narratives emerging from the Middle East.

Not so coincidentally, tensions are escalating rapidly between Turkey and Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned that Israel faces a widening circle of adversaries and must prepare for emerging threats across the region. 

Turkish officials have responded by accusing Israel of deliberately seeking its “next enemy,” with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stating that Israel “cannot live without an enemy.” Bibi has remained in control by posturing Israel as on the defensive against external enemies, yet he has become the aggressor. It is Netanyahu, not Israel, who could not survive without an enemy to ward off.

When you step back and examine Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, this is a nation that has never accepted a subordinate role within Europe. Turkey has long viewed itself as a regional power with deep historical roots tied to the Ottoman Empire, and Erdoğan has made that posture explicit by declaring that no one can “threaten or bully Turkey,” reinforcing Ankara’s willingness to confront both Europe and its traditional allies when it perceives its sovereignty to be at risk.

What makes this situation far more dangerous is that Turkey is not a minor player that can simply be pressured into compliance, because it possesses one of the largest and most capable militaries in NATO, second only to the United States in manpower, with hundreds of thousands of active personnel, advanced drone capabilities, and a strategic geographic position controlling access between Europe, the Black Sea, and the Middle East, which makes any deterioration in relations far more consequential than policymakers appear willing to acknowledge.

Europe continues to depend on Turkey for migration control, regional security, and energy transit routes, yet it is now publicly labeling the nation as a threat. This is precisely how alliances fracture and friends turn into foes.

The growing hostility between Turkey and Israel introduces an additional layer of risk, because both nations operate militarily within overlapping regions such as Syria.

Europe’s decision to move against Turkey also risks pushing Ankara further away from the Western sphere and toward alternative alliances, including Russia and China, thereby accelerating the fragmentation of the global order and weakening NATO cohesion at a time when it is already under strain.

Broader conflicts are not triggered by a single event, but by a series of shifts in rhetoric, policy, all building momentum until the system reaches a breaking point. The reality is that Turkey is no longer treated as a reliable ally by Europe. As Israel elevates Turkey within its own threat framework, Europe appears to be following that trajectory, signaling a deeper realignment that will have far-reaching consequences for regional stability and the future of the Western alliance.