President Trump and his national security team are reportedly skeptical of Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for tabling nuclear talks. U.S. officials say President Trump expressed doubts Monday that Iran was acting in good faith. Iran has so far refused Trump’s key demand that it end all nuclear enrichment and formally renounce nuclear weapons. In his latest post on Truth Social, Trump threatened Iran to “better get smart soon.” Earlier on Tuesday, Trump posted, “Iran has just informed us that they are in a 'State of Collapse.' They want us to 'Open the Hormuz Strait,' as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!).” This is Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia, a spokesperson for the Iranian army.

Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia: “Regarding the current situation, we have not considered the war to be over. From the day the fighting stopped and, in effect, a ceasefire or silence took place on the battlefield, since there is no trust in the United States and our enemies, we have continued in the same way as during the war, making serious efforts to update our list of targets.”

In southern Lebanon, Israel has killed at least seven people on Tuesday, including emergency workers. It comes as the United Nations reports that since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Iranian authorities have executed 21 people and arrested 4,000.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a new round of sanctions Tuesday targeting Iran’s banking network and Chinese purchases of Iranian oil. Oil prices continue to rise, with Brent crude reaching $112 a barrel. It comes as the United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday it is withdrawing from OPEC, after nearly six decades of membership. The UAE is the third-largest oil producer in OPEC, behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Meanwhile, an NBC News analysis found that bets on prediction markets wagering on the war’s outcome have now surpassed $2 billion.

A federal grand jury has again indicted former FBI Director James Comey, this time over his social media post showing seashells arranged on a beach to read “86 47.” The two-count indictment claims that the image was a death threat against President Trump. Both counts carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The new indictment comes less than a month after Trump dismissed Attorney General Pam Bondi, who he had complained was not aggressive enough in executing his agenda. A previous Justice Department case against Comey was dismissed last year when a federal judge found that the prosecutor who secured the indictment had been unlawfully appointed. Comey’s second indictment came the same day as his daughter, Maurene Comey, won a court ruling allowing her to proceed with a lawsuit against the government. Maurene Comey was fired as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan last year. She was the lead federal prosecutor securing the conviction against Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. James Comey responded to his latest indictment in a video posted to Substack on Tuesday.

James Comey: “I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So, let’s go.”

The Federal Communications Commission announced on Tuesday that it is accelerating the review of eight local broadcasting licenses used by ABC. The agency cited an investigation into whether Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies constitute unlawful discrimination. The move came one day after President Trump and first lady Melania Trump publicly demanded ABC fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke he made about the first lady days before the White House correspondents’ dinner shooting. Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said, “This is an unprecedented and politically motivated attempt to interfere with how broadcasters operate, and this unlawful overreach will fail.”

The Trump administration has fired all 22 members of the National Science Board, which is the policy and advisory arm of the National Science Foundation. Democratic Congressmember Zoe Lofgren of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology said, “This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation. Will the president fill the NSB with MAGA loyalists who won’t stand up to him as he hands over our leadership in science to our adversaries?” Last year, the Trump administration targeted the NSF for sweeping cuts under Elon Musk’s now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, halting more than 1,600 NSF grants worth nearly $1 billion.

King Charles III addressed a joint session of Congress Tuesday. He’s only the second British monarch to do so. He reaffirmed what he called the enduring bond between the United States and the United Kingdom, and praised NATO, while urging continued support for Ukraine.

King Charles III: “In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time and the United Nations Security Council was united in the face of terror, we answered the call together, as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder through two world wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan and moments that have defined our shared security. Today, Mr. Speaker, that same unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people.”

King Charles avoided any mention of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse, despite a direct request from Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna, who said the British ambassador to the U.S., Christian Turner, had privately told him the king would acknowledge them. King Charles’s visit was overshadowed by leaked audio of Ambassador Turner telling a group of British students back in February that the only country that has a special relationship with the United States is Israel.

An Israeli court has extended the detention of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, again without filing any charges against him. According to Physicians for Human Rights, Dr. Abu Safiya is currently held in Negev Prison under harsh conditions and is being denied his medication and medical treatment despite a deterioration in his health. Dr. Abu Safiya was detained at gunpoint back in 2024 when Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital. He had continued working at the hospital even after his son was killed in an Israeli airstrike. U.N. special rapporteurs have called for Dr. Abu Safiya’s immediate release, saying they had received reports he has endured severe torture.

The Trump administration has issued new visa restrictions ordering U.S. embassies and consulates to reject applications of foreign nationals who may intend to seek asylum in the United States. The Washington Post reports U.S. officials will be required to question applicants on whether they fear harm and persecution in their home countries. The State Department cable adds, “Visa applicants must respond verbally with a 'no' … for the consular officer to continue with visa issuance.” The new rules come after a federal appeals court ruled Trump’s claims of an “invasion” in order to shut down asylum requests at the U.S.-Mexico border is unlawful.

The ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis is back on duty and has been transferred to a different state, so far facing no consequences after he fatally shot Good in broad daylight back in January. That’s according to The Daily Beast, which reports Jonathan Ross is back at work with ICE while the Trump administration continues to sabotage an investigation into Good’s killing. At least six senior Justice Department officials quit over the mishandling of the case, as well as an FBI official in Minneapolis who was forced to end an investigation into Ross.

The state of Arizona has sued the Trump administration, seeking to block plans by DHS to turn a warehouse in the city of Surprise into an ICE jail. The warehouse is located across the street from a hazardous chemical storage facility. Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed the federal lawsuit Friday, joining growing opposition nationwide to Trump’s expansion of immigrant detention.

ICE is also planning to open another jail in Louisiana to detain immigrant children and their families at a former military base and one the nation’s most PFAS-contaminated sites. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals,” linked to cancer and other health risks.

Meanwhile, a Maryland federal judge temporarily blocked plans to repurpose a warehouse into an ICE detention center, as the Trump administration failed to conduct an environmental impact review. The decision could significantly delay Trump’s efforts of detaining immigrants at warehouses across the country.

In South Africa, human rights groups are raising alarm as vigilante violence against African immigrants intensifies across the country. Immigrants say they’re living in constant fear, reporting assaults, violent harassment on the streets and disruptions to their businesses by xenophobic groups. There are mounting calls for the South African government to address the rising threats against immigrants following the reported killing of two nationals from Nigeria.

There are heightened security concerns in Colombia after a series of attacks ahead of next month’s presidential election. Armed groups have launched over two dozen drone and explosive attacks since Friday, including a deadly bombing on a highway near Cali which killed at least 21 people. This is Colombian leftist presidential candidate Iván Cepeda.

Iván Cepeda: “It is clear that those behind these terrorist acts are seeking to benefit, let us say it plainly, the political project of the far right.”