International

Trump says there may be a nuclear agreement with Iran “very, very soon”

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington could reach a possible agreement on nuclear weapons with Iran “very, very soon”, just hours after assuring that he had sent a letter to Tehran urging negotiations.

“We have a situation with Iran and something is going to happen very soon, very, very soon,” Trump explained in an appearance before the press at the Oval Office, where he added that only “the last brushstrokes” remain to reach an agreement and that “there will be interesting days ahead.”

“With hopefully we will be able to have a peace agreement, I am not speaking from a position of strength or weakness. I’m just saying that I prefer to see a peace agreement than the other (the military option), although the other will solve the problem,” the president added, pointing out that Washington cannot “allow them to have a nuclear weapon,” in reference to the ayatola regime.

Trump assured that he would have quickly reached an agreement with Tehran if he had won the 2020 presidential elections – which he again called “rigged” – and held his predecessor, Joe Biden, responsible, whom he called a “very stupid person,” for allowing Iran to enrich itself after withdrawing the country’s sanctions.

The statements come hours after the US president himself said in an interview on Fox Business that he had written a letter to the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, in which, he assured, he threatened to intervene militarily if the Islamic republic did not open up to negotiations.

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In any case, the Iranian mission to the UN, quoted by the state agency IRNA, said shortly after that it had not received any letter from the president of the United States.

In 2018, during his first term (2017-2021), Trump decided to withdraw his country from the so-called Joint Comprehensive Action Plan, a pact to stop Tehran’s nuclear advances agreed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Iran, the European Union (EU) and Germany in 2015.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.