Links to ELEVEN-plus reports (15 or so): from the Associated Press, the Cradle, Middle East Monitor, National Public Radio, Truthout, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-14-26, and up or down for today’s SUDAN, LEBANON and MEDIA so far.) – MCM

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Mediators move closer to extending U.S.-Iran ceasefire, officials say, by Samy Magdy, Sam Metz and Mike Corder| AP  CAIRO — Mediators moved closer today to extending the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and restarting negotiations to salvage the fragile truce before it expires next week. A senior Iranian military official threatened to halt trade in the region if the U.S. does not lift its naval blockade. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Sanctioned Iranian ships bypass US Hormuz blockade ‘without disturbance’: report. From the Cradle. A sanctioned Iranian oil tanker has successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz – bypassing the newly imposed US blockade on the Islamic Republic’s ports, Iranian media reported today. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. to deploy thousands more troops to Middle East to pressure Iran: report. From Middle East Monitor. The U.S. is moving to deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East in the coming days as Washington seeks to pressure Iran into reaching a deal to end the conflict, the Washington Post reported today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for March 14 report from the Cradle.

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IMF predicts Iran war will slow economic growth and raise inflation globally. Reported by Michel Martin of NPR discusses the forecast with Simon Johnson, a former IMF chief economist. Click HERE to listen and read; and HERE for links to all six IRAN war-related reports today from NPR’s “Morning Edition.”  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM APRIL 14  Diplomats try to arrange second round of U.S.-Iran talks during first full day of American blockade, by Munir Ahmed and Sam Metz | AP  ISLAMABAD — Diplomats worked through back channels Tuesday to arrange a new round of talks between the United States and Iran after Washington enacted its blockade of Iranian ports, while Tehran threatened to retaliate by striking targets across the war-weary region. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Links to NINE reports: from the Cradle, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 4-14-26.  Scroll up or down for today’s SUDAN, IRAN and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

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Hezbollah inflicts heavy losses on Israeli army during Bint Jbeil battles. From the Cradle. Hezbollah resistance fighters are fiercely confronting the Israeli military’s attempts to capture the strategic southern city of Bint Jbeil, inflicting heavy losses on invading troops, Hebrew media reports have confirmed. READ MORE . . .

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3 wars, 1 region: A look at the peace talks. Reported by Daniel Estrin and A Martínez | NPR  Negotiations are happening between countries involved in three separate wars in the Middle East. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Former U.S. ambassador on talks between Israel and Lebanon. Reported by Michel Martin of NPR speaks with Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, about this week’s Israel-Lebanon talks in the United States. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM APRIL 14  Lebanon and Israel hold first direct diplomatic talks in decades in Washington, by Kareem Chehayeb and Matthew Lee | AP  WASHINGTON — Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington following more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it a “historic opportunity” but making clear that no breakthrough agreement would happen right away. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from NPR.

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FROM APRIL 14. Hezbollah chief urges Beirut to reverse course ahead of talks with Israel. From the Cradle. Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem made a speech on Monday, accusing the Lebanese government of “weakness” and rejecting the direct negotiations planned between Beirut and Tel Aviv in Washington. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 14  Hezbollah says it launched drones at Israeli military in occupied Golan Heights. From Middle East Eye. The group said in a statement it targeted an artillery position in Za-oura and battalion command headquarters in Odem on Tuesday, using a “squadron of drones.” READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 14  Israel plans to create buffer zones in Lebanon and Gaza to protect its territory. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  Israel is creating a large buffer zone in southern Lebanon for a prolonged military occupation, with low expectations that direct talks with Lebanon will lead to quick action on disarming Hezbollah. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM APRIL 14  Humanitarian access to southern Lebanon severely restricted, markets have collapsed. From Middle East Monitor. Nearly 63% of planned humanitarian convoys to southern Lebanon have not been completed due to negative or absent responses to deconfliction requests, a senior UN official said Tuesday, warning that aid delivery is severely hampered by escalating violence, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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Links to a report from the Cradle and to commentary via Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for MEDIA 4-13-26.  Scroll up for today’s SUDAN, IRAN and LEBANON so far.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 14  CPJ demands release of journalist detained in Kuwait over social media posts. From the Cradle. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Tuesday for the immediate release of U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, who has been held by authorities in Kuwait for more than six weeks over social media posts related to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 14  Language of media as a weapon of war, by Sayid Marcos Tenorio | Middle East Monitor  The language of hegemonic media does not merely describe the world. It organizes it, hierarchises it and, above all, disciplines it. Within the dominant vocabulary of international relations, certain terms . . . READ MORE . . .

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Links to TEN-plus reports, analyses, interviews and commentaries (14): from or via the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, Common Dreams, Consortium News, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-13-26 and LEBANON.) — MCM

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Efforts underway for second round of U.S.-Iran talks as ships reported transiting Strait of Hormuz, by Munir Ahmed and Sam Metz | AP  ISLAMABAD — The standoff between the United States and Iran deepened today as the U.S. declared it had blockaded Iran’s ports, Tehran threatened to strike targets across the region, and Pakistan said it was racing to bring the sides together for more talks. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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U.S. and Iran block oil exports as rest of the world takes economic hit. Reported by Greg Myre and Michel Martin | NPR  In the U.S.-Iran showdown in the Gulf, the question is: Who can hold out longer? Both countries are now blocking oil exports through the critical Strait of Hormuz. Click HERE to listen and read; and HERE for links to all four Iran war-related reports today from NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

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Why the Islamabad talks failed, by Sami Al-Arian | Middle East Eye  The Islamabad meeting between the United States and Iran did not collapse because diplomacy failed. It collapsed because the U.S. came with an ultimatum, not an intention to negotiate. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 13  Araghchi says deal was ‘inches away,’ by Jake Johnson | Common Dreams / Consortium News  Iran’s foreign minister said Sunday that the Trump administration’s representatives derailed marathon talks in Pakistan’s capital with maximalist demands, just as the two sides were “inches away” from a preliminary agreement to end the six-week conflict. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 13  Trump says U.S. military has blockaded Iranian ports to pressure Tehran, by Samy Magdy, Julia Frankel and Mike Corder | AP  CAIRO — U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday the American military had begun a blockade of Iranian ports as part of his effort to force Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz and accept a deal to end the war that has raged for more than six weeks. Iran responded with threats on . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM APRIL 13  As U.S. blockades Strait of Hormuz, Iran military warns of weapons ‘enemy has no idea about,’ by Jessica Corbett | Common Dreams  As the U,S. military on Monday began a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after the Trump administration’s failed talks with the Iranian government, a spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a warning to the United States. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 13  A U.S. military blockade of Iran’s ports takes effect. What does that mean? Reported by Jackie Northam and Tom Bowman | NPR  A U.S. blockade of Iranian ports went into into effect Monday, while President Trump claims Iran wants to make a deal. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM APRIL 13  How many people have the U.S. & Israel killed in Iran? by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies | Common Dreams / Consortium News  The world must use this pause in the war to push for a permanent ceasefire and peace agreement, but we must also start to assess the true human cost of the war –- something the U.S. is always reluctant to do in its wars, from Vietnam to Iraq to Afghanistan. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 13  UK, Spain reject Trump’s new scheme to blockade Hormuz Strait. From the Cradle. The UK and others have rejected Washington’s plan to impose a blockade on Iranian ports and target ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz in collaboration with the Islamic Republic. READ MORE . . .

A link to a report from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 4-11-26.  Scroll up for IRAN.) — MCM

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Israel rejects Lebanon ceasefire during Washington talks: report. From Middle East Monitor. Israel pre-empted a meeting today with Lebanon in Washington by rejecting a ceasefire during preliminary talks, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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Links to SEVEN-plus reports, analyses, interviews and commentary (11): from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Al Jazeera, the Cradle, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-12-26.) — MCM

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U.S. military is poised to blockade Iranian ports, while Tehran threatens ports in the Mideast, by Samy Magdy, Julia Frankel and Mike Corder | AP   CAIRO — The U.S. military vowed to blockade all Iranian ports starting today in an effort to force Tehran to open the crucial Strait of Hormuz and accept a peace deal. Iran responded with threats on all ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, taking aim at U.S.-allied countries. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Retired U.S. Navy admiral on Trump’s threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. Michel Martin of NPR speaks with retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Foggo, dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy, about President Trump’s command to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read; and HERE for links to all five Iran war-related reports on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”  Click HERE for report from Al Jazeera.

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Tehran vows ‘permanent’ control of Hormuz after U.S. announces blockade of Iranian ports. From the Cradle. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian military today accused Washington of “piracy” while vowing to act “decisively” to control the Strait of Hormuz and secure Iran’s waters — this hours after the U.S. military announced a blockade of Iranian ports. READ MORE . . .

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Trump is returning to a war with Iran that offers no easy victory for anyone, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  It is entirely in keeping with the way he has managed this war that U.S. President Donald Trump’s first reaction to the collapse of talks in Islamabad was to announce a measure that helps Iranmore than it hurts it. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 13  U.S. military says it will blockade Iranian ports after talks ended without agreement, by Munir Ahmed, Josh Boak and Sam Metz | AP  ISLAMABAD — President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. Navy would swiftly begin a blockade of ships entering or leaving the strategic Strait of Hormuz, after U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement. U.S. Central Command announced the blockade would involve all Iranian ports, beginning . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR.

* Among the news organizations with frequent war updates, photos and occasionally maps are Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor: HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. AP and El País reports in Spanish are HERE and HERE. *

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First, links to reports from National Public Radio and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for MEDIA 4-10-26 and today’s IRAN so far.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 12  Iran-U.S. conflict fought amid censorships and digital fog of war. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Geoff Brumfiel and Rob Schmitz | NPR  Amid the war in Iran, countries have been censoring and policing what their citizens are saying about the conflict and what information they have access to. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM APRIL 11  Experts warn of ‘hasbara’ and disinformation in digital battle over Palestine. From Middle East Eye. Researchers, activists and digital rights experts on Tuesday warned of coordinated propaganda and disinformation efforts shaping global narratives on Palestine during a webinar hosted by the Global Alliance for Palestine. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 12  What’s it like to cover the Ukraine war as the world’s attention is focused on Iran? Reported by Gabriel J. Sánchez, Joanna Kakissis and Rob Schmitz | NPR  A look at what it’s like to cover the war in Ukraine, and how the war in Iran is changing that. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM APRIL 8  American journalist kidnapped by an Iran-backed militia released. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  American journalist Shelly Kittleson has been released a week after she was kidnapped by an Iranian-backed Iraqi militant group. Click HERE to listen and read.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For now, links to NINE-plus reports, analyses, interviews and commentaries (11 or so): from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, Indian Punchline, Truthout, CNN, Anadolu Ajansi, Consortium News, and MintPress News; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-11-26.) — MCM

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U.S. and Iran end ceasefire talks without agreement and blaming each other, by Munir Ahmed, Sam Metz and Samy Magdy | AP  ISLAMABAD — The United States and Iran ended face-to-face talks today without an agreement to end the war, leaving a fragile two-week ceasefire in doubt. U.S. officials said the negotiations collapsed over . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and Middle East Eye.

Watch: The World This Week: ‘Will the war end?’ Joe Lauria of Consortium News talked with fellow journalist Chris Hedges Friday evening to examine the prospects of a deal to end the war on Iran and to remake the Middle East. Click HERE for video and print introduction. 

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FROM APRIL 8  Inside the U.S. F-15E rescue coverup: Contradictions, costs, and a failed mission, by Robert Inlakesh | MintPress News  A triumphant success of biblical proportions, was the way U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth described his nation’s mission to evacuate two fighter pilots, whose F-15E fighter jet was downed over Iran’s Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. Click HERE for Inlakesh’s article and his MintPress News podcast on same subject.

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TO BE CONTINUED

Links to FIVE reports and analyses: from Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on its name as highlighted. (Scroll down for LEBANON 4-10-26 and IRAN.) — MCM

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Israel says it attacks more than 200 Hezbollah sites in Lebanon. From Middle East Eye. Additionally, the Israeli military said it would continue targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry said today’s death toll from Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon has risen to 10. READ MORE . . .

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Death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 rises to 1,953. From Middle East Monitor. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Friday that another 6,303 were injured, Anadolu reported, but that the figures remain preliminary as rescue teams continue clearing rubble and a large number of remains require DNA testing to confirm the identities of victims.

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What the Lebanese government wants from the talks with Israel, by Adam Chamseddine | Middle East Eye  BEIRUT — Caught between Israeli belligerence, Iranian power projection and lukewarm American attention, the Lebanese government is trying . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ceasefire exemptions and quarries of death, by Binoy Kampmark | Middle East Monitor  In the Devil’s Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce defines peace as a period of cheating between two periods of fighting.  The Israeli version of a ceasefire might be . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 10  U.S. diplomacy’s last breath, by Patrick Lawrence | Special to Consortium News  Israel’s just-announced plan to enter talks with the Lebanese government will come to nothing; whatever is said or agreed, whatever others may insist, the bombing will continue. And Trump, in his regime’s serial dishonesty these past weeks, has reshaped the conventions of American diplomacy in the Israeli fashion. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

ADVISORY  Watch: The World This Week, at 8 p.m.: ‘Will the war end?’ Joe Lauria of Consortium News talks with fellow journalist Chris Hedges to examine the prospects of a deal to end the war on Iran and to remake the Middle East. Click HERE at 8 p.m. EDT to livestream talk, or for subsequent video — and before then for print introduction. 

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Links to ELEVEN-plus reports, analyses, commentaries and interviews (about 20): from or via the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Cradle, Peoples Dispatch, Consortium News, Indian Punchline, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and Anadolu Ajansi; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-10-26.  Scroll up for LEBANON.) — MCM

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U.S.-Iran talks begin in Pakistan as war’s fragile truce holds, by Munir Ahmed, Sam Metz, E. Eduardo Castillo and Samy Magdy | AP  ISLAMABAD — The United States and Iran began negotiations today 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. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and Middle East Eye.

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Pressure builds on Iran to ‘drop’ Lebanon ceasefire demand as Islamabad talks hang in balance. From the Cradle. Pakistani officials are pressuring the Iranian delegation in Islamabad to enter talks with their US counterparts by “dropping” demands for a ceasefire in Lebanon, according to information obtained by Lebanese journalist and the Cradle columnist Dr. Mohamad Hassan Sweidan. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 10  Iran does not seek war but will never abandon its rightful demands, claims Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, by Abdul Rahman | Peoples Dispatch  Millions of Iranians took to the streets Thursday to mark the 40th day of the mourning of the deaths of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, various other leaders, and the school children of Minab. READ MORE . . .

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Lebanese journalist Kim Ghattas shares likely outcome of U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with Lebanese journalist Kim Ghattas. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE and HERE for all nine Iran war-related segments on NPR’s “All Things Considered” Friday and “Weekend Edition Saturday.”

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FROM APRIL 10  U.S. diplomacy’s last breath, by Patrick Lawrence | Special to Consortium News  Israel’s diplomatic credibility has long been nonexistent for the simple reason the Zionist state has no interest either in the truth or in negotiating anything with anybody — certainly not with any of its West Asian neighbors. And Trump, in his regime’s serial dishonesty these past weeks, has reshaped the conventions of American diplomacy in the Israeli fashion. He has turned the United States into the same sort of pariah. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 10  The Iranian billionaire negotiating with Trump, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline / Consortium News  Glaring differences between the United States and Iran notwithstanding, the talks beginning in Islamabad Saturday have a fairly good chance of being a success. READ MORE . . .

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Islamabad and the end of easy power, by Junaid S. Ahmad | Middle East Monitor  History, when it chooses to humiliate power, does not bother with elegance — it stages spectacle. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 10  Could the Islamabad talks end 48 years of hostility between the U.S. and Iran? by Seyed Hossein Mousavian | Middle East Eye  After 40 days of military confrontation, the ceasefire between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other emerged from a combination of military, strategic, political, and economic realities. READ MORE . . .

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Former U.S. secretary of state says Netanyahu repeatedly pressed U.S. presidents to strike Iran, only Trump agreed, by Merve Berker | Anadolu  Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had repeatedly urged U.S. administrations to carry out military strikes on Iran, but previous presidents declined. He spoke in an interview on The Briefing with Jen Psaki on Friday. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED