Welcome back to Global Overview, where we feature United States The wishes of President Donald Trump Iran, Finland‘s proposals for a new nuclear policy, and a projected resounding victory for Nepalparliamentary candidate preferred by young people.
‘Unconditional Surrender’
US President Donald Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on Friday, all but dashing hopes that Washington would be willing to negotiate a ceasefire with Tehran in the near future. “There will be no agreement with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump he wrote about Social Truth, adding that after that happens, the White House will work with its allies and the new Iranian leadership (which Trump himself has. he swore help personally choose) “MAKING IRAN GREAT AGAIN.”
Welcome back to Global Overview, where we feature United States The wishes of President Donald Trump Iran, Finland‘s proposals for a new nuclear policy, and a projected resounding victory for Nepalparliamentary candidate preferred by young people.
‘Unconditional Surrender’
US President Donald Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on Friday, all but dashing hopes that Washington would be willing to negotiate a ceasefire with Tehran in the near future. “There will be no agreement with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump he wrote about Social Truth, adding that after that happens, the White House will work with its allies and the new Iranian leadership (which Trump himself has. he swore help personally choose) “MAKING IRAN GREAT AGAIN.”
This is in stark contrast to Trump’s previous public stance. Just one day after the US-Israel war against Iran began, Trump told reporters Atlantic that “They (Iran) want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them.” Since then, White House officials have repeatedly claimed that the dispute is irrelevant change of governmenteven if Trump continues make a statement on the contrary.
Trump’s unwillingness to discuss conflict with the hopes of other foreign leaders. According to the President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, several countries have offered to mediate peace talks. Although Pezeshkian did not name the countries that have reached out, Egypt, Oman, Qatar and Turkey have reportedly offered agent negotiation since the war broke out on Saturday.
“The situation may be out of anyone’s control,” said UN chief António Guterres he wrote on X on Friday. “It is time to stop fighting and reach serious diplomatic talks.”
However, Tehran also seems likely to come to the table. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said NBC News on Thursday that Tehran refuses to negotiate with Washington. “The truth is that we don’t have a good experience negotiating with the United States, you know, especially with this administration,” Araghchi said. “We negotiated twice, last year and this year, and then in the middle of the negotiation, they attacked us.”
Pezeshkian reiterated those concerns on Friday, to write“Mediation should deal with those who insulted the Iranian people and fueled this conflict.”
All the while, the fighting continues do damage on the Middle East. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned late Thursday that firepower on Iran was about to “increase dramatically.” And on Friday, Israel was multiplied his military campaigns in Lebanon and Iran, to carry out large-scale bombings against Hezbollah targets in Beirut as well destruction of a large underground building built for Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The escalating conflict has finally fueled the oil markets after a week of relative satisfaction. On Friday, the Benchmark price Crude oil rose 8 percent to more than $92 a barrel in London, with a steeper increase of 12 percent, to $90 in Washington. Gasoline and diesel prices around the world—but especially in the United States—followed suit, and other refined products, such as jet fuel, rose even faster.
Also on Friday, the Trump administration released a document first description of his plan to have the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) provide a marine insurance settlement to persuade oil tankers to return to Strait of Hormuzwhere almost no ships move due to higher insurance rates and the threat of attack by Iranian drones and missiles.
But the U.S. reinsurance program, which starts at $20 billion in insurance for some components of certain ships, may not be enough to solve the financial challenge of providing shelter for stranded ships at sea. Experts say that shipping requires insurance for the order $350 billion begin blocking oil tankers in Hormuz—far beyond the DFC’s original plan or even its entire war chest.
FP’s Keith Johnson contributed to this report.
Today’s Most Read
What we’re after
A new nuclear strategy. Helsinki he announced his intention on Thursday to change the long-standing ban on possessing nuclear weapons on Finnish soil. “The amendment is necessary to facilitate the military defense of Finland as part of the alliance and to take full advantage of NATO’s deterrence and collective defense,” Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said when the Russian forces. continue to threaten Europe.
Still, the President of Finland Alexander Stubb maintains that the change in policy is not about Helsinki facing a new security threat but rather seeking to better align with its Nordic neighbors and actively participate in NATO’s nuclear programs. Finland joined NATO in 2023 following Russia full invasion of Ukraine last year. It shares more than 830 mile border with Russia.
Although amendments to the 1987 Helsinki Nuclear Energy Act still require parliamentary approval, the proposal has already it provoked anger from Moscow, which warned on Friday that the move would exacerbate tensions in Europe. “The fact is that by deploying nuclear weapons on its territory, Finland is starting to threaten,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “And if Finland threatens us, we take appropriate measures.” He did not specify what those steps might be.
A big win for Gen Z. Preliminary results in Nepal’s parliamentary elections showed great benefits on Friday for the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the party of rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah. The RSP is leading in 110 constituencies, even in the home turf of former Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress party and Oli’s CPN-UML alliance are eyeing just 10 seats each.
Such a show could to give it to many RSPs in Nepal’s 275-member lower house, all but ensure that Shah runs for prime minister. Analysts believe that this is largely due to the large number of voters among the youth. Thursday’s election was the first for Nepalis to vote since then a massive protest led by Generation Z and a brutal government crackdown in September forced Oli out of power. Shah, 35, has since used Nepal’s political calculations to push generational change– with himself at the helm.
But even if the former mayor of Kathmandu takes power, experts predict rocky future. Since Nepal started holding elections nearly 70 years ago, no government has ever completed a full five-year term without interference. To maintain power, the Shah will have to deal with systemic corruption, widening wealth gaps, the rise of Hindu nationalismand average economic growth.
Friends across the sea. Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi the host Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Tokyo on Friday, where the two leaders signed a new strategic agreement designed to strengthen defense, trade, energy and technology cooperation. “This is a solid foundation on which we can build something better, more successful, more ambitious,” Carney said.
A non-binding agreement aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the Pacific and Arctic security zones. This includes conducting joint military training exercises, combating illegal fishing, and addressing growing cyber threats. Takaichi and Carney also vowed to work more closely on key mining and energy projects to improve supply resilience. Especially, Carney he insisted that “Canada is in a position to double our LNG (liquefied natural gas) exports by the end of this decade, and double again by the end of the next decade.”
Both Ottawa and Tokyo are in the midst of massive defense construction. Last month, Canada he announced that it plans to divert billions of dollars normally paid to US defense companies to its domestic manufacturers as relations with Washington sour due to Trump’s trade war. Meanwhile, Takaichi wants to increase military spending and strengthening government-led investment in semiconductor manufacturing and artificial intelligence to help deal with Chinese threats against Taiwan.
What In The World?
The United States on Tuesday launched military operations targeting “narco-terrorists” along with which South American country?
A. Honduras
B. Peru
C. Ecuador
D. Argentina
Odds and Ends
Caviar and codfish eye gel may not sound like the most delicious food, but is it art? In Denmark, Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt is considering using the name for gastronomy education. According to Danish Michelin-awarded chef Rasmus Munk, “We convey a message through our food; our food is our way of expressing ourselves.” But officially recognize gastronomy as an art form, Copenhagen’s 179-seat parliament must first vote to reclassify.
In the meantime, the FP World Review writer will just enjoy a Trader Joe’s dinner.
And The Answer Is…
C. Ecuador
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa’s efforts to combat drug-related crime, in part through cooperation with the United States, have not resulted in a reduction in murders, FP’s Catherine Osborn said. report in Latin America for short.
To take other weekly FP international news quizzes, click hereor register be notified when a new one is published.
