Middle East war live: Iran says US naval blockade of Hormuz 'illegal' and 'piracy'

Trump orders blockade of Hormuz strait after Iran talks fail

President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy on Sunday to block the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, furious with Iran's refusal to surrender its nuclear ambitions after peace talks in Pakistan broke down without an agreement. In response to Trump's announcement, Iran's Revolutionary Guards wa...

War in the Mideast: Israel, Lebanon gear up for talks

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Sunday he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war, ahead of planned talks on Tuesday in Washington between Lebanese, Israeli and US officials -- even as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in south Lebanon that the fight there was far from ov...

Pope Leo XIV begins landmark Algeria visit on first leg of Africa tour

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Algeria on Monday at the start of an 11-day tour of Africa, the first international trip of his papacy that risked being overshadowed by public criticism from US President Donald Trump over his stance on the Iran war....

Magyar built 'wide popular movement: 43% liberal, 22% left-wing, 10% green and only 11% right-wing

The elections in Hungary had one of the highest turnouts since the fall of the Soviet Union. Following Péter Magyar's landslide victory, FRANCE 24's Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome Bálint Magyar, Author, Hungary's former Minister of Education and one of the founding members of the Alliance of Fr...

Mideast war a 'big problem' for EU competitiveness: Former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta

We speak to an influential voice on European reform, former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta, author of a landmark report on the future of the Single Market, presented in April 2024. Two years on, he says many of its recommendations remain unimplemented, warning that continued fragmentation of t...

Iran war prompts European rethink on energy security: How can the EU become more independent?

Europe’s energy dependence has been sharply exposed by the war in Iran. Although efforts have been made over the past four years to reduce reliance on Russia, disruptions to liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have highlighted the EU’s continued vulnerability. The...

Trump calls Pope Leo 'terrible' in public attack after pontiff's anti-war message

US President Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, accusing the US-born pontiff of being "a very liberal person" and "terrible for foreign policy". His comments came after Leo suggested over the weekend that a "delusion of omnipotence" was fuelling the US...

Fidesz MEP László attributes loss to low turnout of 'undecided voters' and EU 'economic stagnation'

The elections in Hungary had one of the highest turnouts since the fall of the Soviet Union. Following Péter Magyar's landslide victory, FRANCE 24's Senior European Editor Armen Georgian is pleased to welcome András László, MEP for Patriots for Europe / Fidesz. According to Laszio, the outcome...

Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, most since 1989: NGOs

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest number since 1989, two NGOs said Monday, warning it risked using capital punishment even more extensively after protests in January and the war against Israel and the US....

Iran executed 'at least 1,639 people' in 2025, highest number since 1989

Iran executed at least 1,639 people last year, an average of more than four executions per day, Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty said in their joint annual report, warning that the regime risked killing even more people this year after protests in Ja...

Russia–Ukraine Easter truce expires amid mutual accusations of violations

A 32-hour Easter truce between Russia and Ukraine expired on Monday, with both sides accusing each other of thousands of violations despite a brief lull in air and missile strikes along the 1,200-kilometre front line. The ceasefire period still saw ongoing drone and artillery activity, officials sa...

Hungary's 'return to Europe: Peaceful revolution' embraces new path away from Russia and autocracy

As Péter Magyar is set to become Hungary's new prime minister, with an astounding supermajority, FRANCE 24's Senior European Editor Armen Georgian is pleased to welcome Tamás Harangozó, Deputy Leader of the MSZP Socialists in Hungary's parliament. According to Harangozó, this election is nothi...

Iran - Enemies of the Strait: Former NATO General discusses US blockade threats

Jean Paul Palomeros, a former French Airforce General, who's held high level command roles in both France and NATO, where he was Supreme Allied Commander in the alliances warfare development command, overseeing transformation from 2012 to 2015....

Live: Vote counting begins in Hungary, challenger Magyar ‘cautiously optimistic’

Polling stations closed on Sunday in Hungary, following a day marked by record turnout. After more than 15 years in power in Hungary, Viktor Orbán is seeking a fifth term. Trailing in the polls behind his centre-right rival Peter Magyar, the Prime Minister has run a highly aggressive campaign, cla...

'Undeterred’: Hungarian investigative journalist faces threats and espionage accusations from Orbán

Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome Szabolcs Panyi, VSquare’s Budapest-based lead investigative editor in charge of Central European investigations and investigative journalist at Direkt36. His reporting into alleged ties between Hungary’s political leadership and Russian state actors triggered an...

Undeterred’: Hungarian investigative journalist faces threats and espionage accusations from Orbán

Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome Szabolcs Panyi, VSquare’s Budapest-based lead investigative editor in charge of Central European investigations and investigative journalist at Direkt36. His reporting into alleged ties between Hungary’s political leadership and Russian state actors triggered an...

🔴 Middle East war live: Trump says US will begin 'blockading' Strait of Hormuz

US, Iran fail to agree on peace deal

⁠Iran's ⁠Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad ​Baqer Qalibaf ​said Sunday that Iran raised "forward-looking" ​initiatives ‌during talks ⁠in Islamabad ‌but that the US failed ⁠to "earn" the trust of the Iranian delegation. US Vice President JD Vance said earlier that 21 hours of peace ta...

Celin Dion to perform 16 concerts in Paris

Starting in September, legendary singer Celine Dion will perform 16 concerts in Paris. This will be Dion’s first performances after a lengthy break prompted by a rare health condition. As fans flock from overseas, ticket sales, hotels and restaurants could bring hundreds of millions of euros to t...

US and Iran fail to reach a deal after peace talks in Islamabad

The United States and Iran ended peace talks on Sunday without reaching a deal to end the war, leaving a fragile two-week ceasefire in doubt as both sides blamed each other for the breakdown and signaled little progress on core disputes....

Lebanon protests talks with Israel

Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are set to begin Tuesday in Washington, with Israel urging Lebanon’s government to take responsibility for disarming Hezbollah — a move widely seen as nearly impossible and one that could risk pushing the country into civil war, which some analysts say wo...

Latest exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine

Ukraine’s military says it has documented 469 Russian violations of the 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire. Governors in two Russian border regions say Ukrainian drones struck targets in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, injuring five people. Jenni Shin reports....

Iran-US: Talks ended after 21 hours without reaching agreement

US Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that 21 hours of peace talks in Pakistan between the US and Iran had failed to produce an agreement to end the war. Each side blamed the other for the failure of the negotiations....

Russia refuses to extend Easter truce unless Zelensky 'accepts its terms'

Russia warned Sunday it will not extend an Orthodox Easter truce with Ukraine unless Volodymyr Zelensky accepts its terms, saying the war will resume if Kyiv refuses. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cast the decision as Zelensky’s, arguing peace could come “literally today” if Ukraine agree...

Middle East war live: Trump says US will begin 'blockading' Strait of Hormuz

The US navy will begin blockading ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz “effective immediately”, US President Donald Trump said in a social media post Sunday. He added that the US would ‌also “interdict” every ‌vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran fo...

'The Last Cedar of Lebanon': A play exploring war’s lasting scars

Aïda Asgharzadeh was widely praised for her powerful exploration of dissidence and exile in Persian Dolls, weaving her own family’s story into a drama spanning Iran and France. Her deft use of history as a backdrop to intimate, personal narratives is once again in focus with her latest play, The...

Planes fly from Beirut airport despite Israeli bombing

Smoke from an Israeli strike still lingered in the air as a plane from Lebanon's national carrier took off from Beirut airport, which has stayed open despite the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah....

Russia and Ukraine trade strikes before temporary ceasefire

An Orthodox Easter ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine began on Saturday. The Kremlin said it had ordered a 32-hour truce from 4pm (13:00 GMT) to midnight on Sunday, a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a halt to hostilities for the holiday. France 24 correspondent Gulliver...

Iran, US top officials meet face-to-face

The United States and Iran began 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. FRANCE 24's Andrew Hilliar tells us more....

Mexico seeks to curb reliance on US gas

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced plans to use new hydraulic fracturing technologies, or fracking, to reduce Mexico’s reliance on foreign energy amid the Iran war. She framed the approach as a form of sustainable extraction, but communities who say they have been harmed by frackin...