President Donald Trump is reportedly to rename the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Gulf ahead of his trip to the Middle East in the coming days. 

The expected announcement was first reported Wednesday by the Associated Press, which clashed with the Trump administration earlier this year over the president renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back. The AP cited two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.

Iran’s foreign minister slammed the reported change, writing that, ‘politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned.’

‘Such biased actions are an affront to all Iranians, regardless of their background or place of residence. Let’s hope that the absurd rumors about the PERSIAN Gulf that are going around are no more than a disinformation campaign by ‘forever warriors’ to anger Iranians all over the world and agitate them,’ Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X. 

The foreign minister said the name Persian Gulf ‘is deeply rooted in human history’ and that Iran ‘has never objected to the use of names such as the Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, or Red Sea.’

‘The use of these names does not imply ownership by any particular nation, but rather reflects a shared respect for the collective heritage of humanity,’ Abbas Araghchi wrote, adding that he is confident Trump ‘is aware that the name PERSIAN Gulf is centuries old and recognized by all cartographers and international bodies and was even used by all leaders of the region in their official communications until as recently as 1960’s.’ 

‘While any short-sighted step in this connection will have no validity or legal or geographical effect, it will only bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion in Iran, the U.S. and across the world,’ he said. 

Trump is traveling in the coming days to the Middle East, where he will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which all lie on the body of water. 

U.S. and Iranian officials are also expected to meet for the fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman in the coming days. Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday the U.S. was negotiating toward a ‘complete cessation’ of Tehran’s nuclear program. 

Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf under the Persian Empire. 

The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of ‘Gulf of Arabia’ and ‘Arabian Gulf’ is dominant in many countries in the Middle East, according to the AP. The government of Iran – formerly Persia – threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.

On Google Maps in the U.S., the body of water appears as the ‘Persian Gulf’ followed by ‘Arabian Gulf’ in parentheses. Apple Maps only says the Persian Gulf.

The U.S. military for years has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and images it releases.

A spat developed in 2017 during Trump’s first term when he used the name Arabian Gulf for the waterway. Iran’s president at the time, Hassan Rouhani, suggested Trump needed to ‘study geography.’

‘Everyone knew Trump’s friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too,’ Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote online at the time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti says life behind bars has changed him into a better person and is asking a federal judge to consider that personal transformation when he gets resentenced on May 27.

Avenatti was originally sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to defrauding clients of millions of dollars and hiding millions more from the IRS. He appealed that sentence, and a new hearing was ordered by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which said the trial judge erred by ultimately giving Avenatti a too-lengthy sentence. 

‘Since his 2022 original sentencing, [Avenatti] has lived every day of his incarceration seeking to atone for the harm he caused and set his life on a different path,’ Avenatti’s lawyers wrote on Tuesday in their 41-page argument for a more lenient sentence.

That filing offers details about Avenatti’s life at the Terminal Island prison in Los Angeles. They described how Avenatti is trusted by prison officials to help other inmates – including serving as ‘suicide watch companion.’ He also completed a drug abuse program and ‘regularly attended AA meetings and religious services.’

Avenatti’s lawyers also included an internal Bureau of Prisons report, which says he ‘has been a model inmate….[and] has distinguished himself through his work in the library, where he has voluntarily assisted academically challenged inmates with legal matters.’  

The lawyers also claim Avenatti’s prison behavior is a true reflection of his character and done without regard to the upcoming resentencing hearing. ‘His actions demonstrate remorse, rehabilitation, and a strong desire to become a source of positive change,’ they wrote.

Federal guidelines allow for judges to consider an inmate’s good deeds behind bars when resentencing. Prosecutors argue Avenatti is still the same shady lawyer – now disbarred – and still deserves a long sentence.

‘Defendant’s egregious violations of his duties and the trust placed in him by his clients, his infliction of great harm by stealing millions of dollars from them, and his greed and arrogance leading to the calculated choices and deception that he carried out for years against his clients and the IRS, all remain the same,’ Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brett Sagel and Ranaee Katzenstein wrote in their filing submitted early Wednesday morning.

Avenatti’s release date is currently set for July 31, 2035. He is asking U.S. District Court Judge James Selna for a sentence that would have him released in just a few years. Prosecutors are asking for a sentence of only a few months less than the 14 years originally handed down.

Both filings offer detailed arguments about the different factors they want Selna to reconsider at the upcoming hearing, including determinations about how to properly assess how much money Avenatti’s clients actually lost. Those technical determinations are significant as they influence the severity of the sentence. In essence, as the financial amounts increase, so does the sentence. The appellate court ruled Selna miscalculated some of those losses at the original sentencing hearing.

‘Mr. Avenatti acknowledges that nothing can change how much he hurt the former clients he was entrusted to help,’ federal public defender Margaret Farrand wrote about her client. ‘Nothing can change the shame he still feels. But Mr. Avenatti has tried his best to show that his remorse and concern for others are real, not through his words, but through his actions while in custody.’

This case is separate from Avenatti’s other convictions for attempting to extort Nike and stealing money from his most famous client, Stormy Daniels. Avenatti’s attempts to get those convictions and sentences overturned on appeal all failed.

President Donald Trump – whose second-term agenda has been bogged down by judicial roadblocks – announced several judicial picks in Truth Social posts on Tuesday, and complained in a post on Wednesday that the judiciary is preventing him from executing the job Americans elected him to do.

‘Our Court System is not letting me do the job I was Elected to do. Activist judges must let the Trump Administration deport murderers, and other criminals who have come into our Country illegally, WITHOUT DELAY!!!’ he declared in a Wednesday post.

Trump announced Missouri Principal Deputy Solicitor General Maria Lanahan as a nominee to sit as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, calling her ‘a true patriot’ in a Tuesday post.

He also picked Judge Cristian Stevens to serve on the same court, calling Stevens, who currently serves on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, ‘a Great Patriot,’ in another post.

The president also selected Zachary Bluestone to sit on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, referring to him as ‘a True Legal Warrior’ in a Tuesday post.  

A Tuesday White House press release notes that ‘Zachary Bluestone is appellate chief and a violent crimes prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.’ 

Trump is tapping Show-Me State Solicitor General Joshua Divine for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri as well as the Western District of Missouri.

‘I am proud to nominate Edward Aloysius O’Connell to serve as Associate Judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Eddie will help fix Violent Crime in the City by restoring the RULE OF LAW to Washington, D.C.,’ Trump declared in a post on Tuesday.

According to the White House release, ‘Edward Aloysius O’Connell is Chief of Staff and Deputy General Counsel of the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.’

The president’s judicial picks will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Last week, Trump announced his pick of Whitney Hermandorfer to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, calling her ‘a Fighter who will inspire confidence in our Legal System.’ She is the Strategic Litigation Unit director with the office of the Tennessee state attorney general.

Fox News’ Luke Trevisan contributed to this report

Republican leaders in the House are increasingly concerned about China’s presence in Cuba and its capacity to spy on the U.S. from the island.

A new report analyzing open-source intelligence found the addition of what appears to be a circularly disposed antenna array (CDAA) at the Bejucal signals intelligence site near Havana, Cuba. The antenna could pinpoint radio signals from between 3,000 and 8,000 miles away, putting key U.S. military installations and even Washington, D.C., well within range. 

‘The CCP’s poisonous alliance with Cuba has posed significant threats to U.S. national security for decades,’ House Intel Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. 

‘Their alleged involvement in signals intelligence hubs in Cuba is outward, unconcealed adversarial behavior against the U.S. The CCP’s actions are becoming increasingly more bold and thereby detrimental to Western Hemisphere security.’ 

The chairman called on the U.S. and its partners to work to thwart CCP influence in the Western Hemisphere. 

The report’s authors at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said work on the CDAA is ongoing, but satellite imagery shows it is ‘already easily identifiable as a CDAA by its circular shape.’

A group of House leaders requested a briefing from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the matter on Tuesday. 

‘The PRC is positioning itself to systematically erode U.S. strategic advantages without ever firing a shot,’ read a letter penned by Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., China Committee Chair John Moolenaar, R-Mich., Transportation and Maritime Security subcommittee Chair Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., and Rep. Sheri Biggs, R-S.C. 

‘The geographic proximity of suspected PRC-linked facilities in Cuba to sensitive U.S. installations, including Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, Kennedy Space Center, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, may enable the PRC to monitor American detection and response capabilities, map electronic profiles of U.S. assets, and prepare the electromagnetic environment for potential future exploitation,’ the lawmakers wrote. 

Cuba has a history of allowing U.S. adversaries to use its soil to snoop on U.S. communications. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union operated a surveillance facility at the Lourdes Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Complex near Havana. That site monitored U.S. satellites and intercepted sensitive military and commercial telecommunications. After Russia, China moved in – pouring $8 billion into infrastructure projects on the island, including telecoms networks built by Huawei and Zhongxing Telecommunication Equipment Corporation, which are sanctioned by the U.S. due to surveillance concerns. 

‘If left unchecked, the PRC’s activities in Cuba could establish a forward operating base for electronic warfare, enable intelligence collection, and influence operations that directly undermine U.S. national security interests,’ the lawmakers added. 

READ THE LETTER BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE

Cuba offers Beijing a platform to ‘monitor U.S. military movements, disrupt critical communications in the event of a crisis, and shape political dynamics throughout the region to its advantage.’

China has denied having any ties to surveillance infrastructure in Cuba, and nothing in the unclassified space shows indisputable links to China. But U.S. officials have long warned about China’s access to spying facilities on the island. 

An earlier report from CSIS identified four SIGINT sites as ‘highly likely’ to be supporting CCP surveillance operations on the U.S. 

‘These sites have undergone observable upgrades in recent years, even as Cuba has faced increasingly dire economic prospects that have drawn it closer to China,’ that report’s authors said. 

WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance said that the concessions that Russia is seeking from Ukraine to end the conflict between the two are too stringent, but he believes there is a viable path forward for peace and wants both to find common ground. 

‘The step that we would like to make right now, is we would like both the Russians and the Ukrainians to actually agree on some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another,’ Vance said here Wednesday at the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington. 

‘We think that if cool heads prevail here, we can bring this thing to a durable peace that will be economically beneficial for both Ukrainians and the Russians,’ Vance said. 

Vance appeared for a discussion with Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, president of the Foundation Council of the Munich Security Conference and the former German ambassador to the U.S. 

Russia’s demands include Ukraine never joining NATO, and preventing foreign peacekeeper troops from deploying to Ukraine following the conflict. Additionally, Russia is seeking to adjust some of the borders that previously were Ukraine’s. 

Additionally, Ukraine is on board with a 30-day ceasefire, while Russia refuses to participate. Vance said that the U.S. is seeking to find solutions beyond the ceasefire. 

‘We’ve tried to move beyond the obsession with the 30-day ceasefire, and more on what the long-term settlement look like, and we’ve tried to consistently advance the ball,’ Vance said. 

Vance has urged for European nations to bolster defense spending and increase European independence, aligning with the Trump administration’s ‘America First’ agenda that has pushed NATO allies to beef up their own military spending.

The event comes as Ischinger recently cautioned that any attempts to establish a peacekeeping force in Ukraine to end the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv absent the U.S. could mean the ‘de facto end of NATO,’ according to Politico. 

Should the U.K. and France send a peacekeeping force there like they’ve both discussed without U.S. involvement, that could prompt Russia to accuse Ukrainians of starting a conflict, Ischinger said in a Politico interview published Monday. 

‘And therefore the Europeans in Ukraine would possibly be shot at, and would need to reply, to engage without the United States on their side,’ Ischinger said. ‘Quite frankly, that would be the end of NATO as we know it.’

Vance previously appeared at the Munich Security Council in February, where he laid out the Trump administration’s stance that Europe ‘step up in a big way to provide for its own defense.’ 

He also cautioned that Russia and China don’t pose as great a threat to European nations as the ‘threat from within,’ in regard to issues like censorship and illegal immigration.

European leaders pushed back on the remarks at the time, with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he perceived the comments as a comparison to ‘conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regimes.’

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

Vice President JD Vance previewed the next round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks on Wednesday, saying President Donald Trump would be ‘open’ to sitting down with Chinese and Russian officials in the future to prevent proliferation.  

U.S. and Iranian officials are scheduled for a fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman in the coming days. Trump will visit the Middle Eastern countries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week. 

At the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, former German ambassador to the U.S., Wolfgang Ischinger, asked Vance if the administration would ‘go for zero enrichment’ by Tehran and noted the unresolved ‘Gaza issue.’ 

Vance cited ‘two big issues’ with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the formal name of the Iran nuclear deal secured in 2015 during the Obama administration. 

Trump has said the flawed deal did not prevent Iran from building an atomic bomb. The vice president on Wednesday added that former President Barack Obama’s agreement had ‘incredibly weak’ enforcement regarding inspections, and he, therefore, didn’t believe ‘it actually served the function of preventing the Iranians from getting on the pathway to nuclear weapons.’ 

Secondly, Vance said the Trump administration believes there were some elements of the Iranian nuclear program that were actually ‘preserved’ under the JCPOA.

‘Yes, there weren’t nuclear weapons. Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon,’ Vance said, arguing the deal ‘allowed Iran to sort of stay on this glide path towards a nuclear weapon if they flip the switch and press go.’ 

‘We think that there is a deal here that would reintegrate Iran into the global economy,’ Vance said ahead of the talks. ‘That would be really good for the Iranian people, but would result in the complete cessation of any chance that they can get a nuclear weapon. And that’s what we’re negotiating towards. And as the president has said, that’s Option A.’ 

If Option A is ‘very good for the Iranian people,’ Vance offered that Option B ‘is very bad.’ 

‘It’s very bad for everybody. And it’s not what we want, but it’s better than Option C, which is Iran getting a nuclear weapon. That is what is completely off the table for the American administration. No ifs, ands or buts,’ Vance said. 

Trump told NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ in an interview that aired Sunday that he would only accept ‘total dismantlement’ of Iran’s nuclear program. 

The vice president on Wednesday said the Trump administration’s broader objective is to prevent nuclear proliferation, noting that he believes the president would be ‘open’ to sitting down with China and Russia down the road. 

‘If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, which country then next gets a nuclear weapon, and then when that country gets a nuclear weapon, which country after that? We really care not just about Iran, but about nuclear proliferation,’ Vance said. ‘The president hates nuclear proliferation. I hate nuclear proliferation. And I think that the president would be very open to sitting down with the Russians and the Chinese and saying, ‘look, let’s get this thing in a much better place. Let’s reduce the number of nuclear weapons that are in the world writ large.’ That’s obviously not a conversation for tomorrow. That’s a conversation, God willing, for a few years from now.’ 

‘But there is no way you get to that conversation if you allow multiple regimes all over the world to enter this sprint for a nuclear weapon,’ Vance added. ‘And we really think that if the Iran domino falls, you’re going to see nuclear proliferation all over the Middle East. That’s very bad for us. It’s very bad for our friends. And it’s something that we don’t think can happen.’ 

As for negotiations with Iran, Vance gave a grade of ‘so far, so good,’ thanking intermediaries, including the Omanis, for ensuring that the talks are ‘on the right pathway.’ 

‘But this is going to end somewhere, and it will end either in Iran eliminating their nuclear program — their nuclear weapons program,’ Vance said. ‘They can have civil nuclear power. Okay. We don’t mind that. But let me ask this basic question – which regime in the world has civil nuclear power and enrichment without having a nuclear weapon? And the answer is no one.’ 

‘So our proposition is very simple. Yes, we don’t care if people want nuclear power. We’re fine with that. But you can’t have the kind of enrichment program that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon. And that’s where we draw the line.’ 

Trump announced on Tuesday that the U.S. military, which has been bombing Iran-backed Houthis since March 15 to defend freedom of navigation, would stop its strikes on the Yemen-based terror group, which communicated it does ‘not want to fight’ anymore. The Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile launched from Yemen that struck near the main terminal of an Israeli airport last weekend hours before the Israeli Cabinet voted to expand fighting in Gaza. 

From the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump also teased a ‘very, very big announcement’ happened before his Middle East trip, but declined to clarify the subject, besides saying it ‘wasn’t necessarily about trade.’ 

The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee has called on the Department of Justice and the FBI to ‘immediately investigate’ a string of anonymous pizza deliveries sent to judges’ homes.

In the event that the DOJ and the FBI have already initiated investigations, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., also asked Attorney General Pam Bondi and Kash Patel for an update on those efforts. 

‘In recent months, federal judges and their relatives have received anonymous deliveries to their homes,’ Durbin wrote in a letter to Bondi and Patel on Tuesday. ‘These deliveries are threats intended to show that those seeking to intimidate the targeted judge know the judge’s address or their family members’ addresses. The targeted individuals reportedly include Supreme Court justices, judges handling legal cases involving the Administration, and the children of judges. Some of these deliveries were made using the name of Judge Esther Salas’s son, Daniel Anderl, who was murdered at the family’s home by a former litigant who posed as a deliveryman.’

‘These incidents threaten not only judges and their families, but also judicial independence and the rule of law,’ Durbin wrote. ‘It is imperative that the Justice Department (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigate these anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and that those responsible be held accountable to the full extent of the law.’

Durbin asked that Bondi and Patel provide ‘information on any steps that DOJ or the FBI have taken to protect the judges and their families who have received anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and to prevent further anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and other threats.’ His letter also highlighted ‘the essential role that the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) plays in protecting the federal judiciary and urge you to ensure that the size of the USMS workforce is not reduced.’ 

The Democrat said USMS Acting Director Mark P. Pittella reportedly sent a letter on April 15 to more than 5,000 USMS employees offering them the opportunity to resign. 

‘In the midst of increasing threats of violence against judges, it is inappropriate and unacceptable to reduce the size of the agency tasked with protecting the federal judiciary and the judicial process,’ Durbin wrote. ‘Accordingly, I ask you to commit to fully supporting USMS and to maintaining or increasing its current number of employees.’ 

The letter further asked that Bondi and Patel brief the committee and provide responses to a series of questions by May 20, including how many anonymous pizza deliveries have been sent to judges’ homes or the homes of their family members since Jan. 20 – President Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day; whether each matter prompted an investigation and if not, why; and how many suspects have been identified and if there’s any reason to suspect coordination. 

Durbin said any responses with ‘classified or law-enforcement sensitive material’ should be sent to the committee Democrats under a separate cover.

The letter only named one impacted judge – U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. 

Salas’ 20-year-old son, Daniel Anderl, was murdered on July 19, 2020, at the family’s home in North Brunswick, New Jersey. The gunman, who posed as a FedEx delivery driver, also critically wounded Salas’ husband. The suspect was identified as Roy Den Hollander, a self-proclaimed anti-feminist lawyer who previously appeared in Salas’ courtroom. Authorities said Den Hollander died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in upstate New York days after killing Daniel. 

Before the shooting, Salas had handled high-profile cases, including those involving Jeffrey Epstein and the Real Housewives of New Jersey stars Teresa and Joe Giudice.

Last month, Salas told news outlets that she and other judges have received strange pizza deliveries at their homes, with at least 10 of them having her son’s name on the order. 

In March, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s family members reported receiving strange pizza deliveries to separate households, Newsweek reported. Authorities said Barrett’s sister also received a bomb threat. 

J. Michelle Childs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit also claimed in a podcast last month that a mysterious pizza delivery had arrived at her door. 

‘Federal judges are receiving anonymous deliveries as an intimidation tactic. It’s an ongoing threat… and it’s increasing,’ Durbin wrote on X. ‘Some deliveries are even using the name of a judge’s son who was murdered by a former litigant posing as a deliveryman. Attorney General Bondi and FBI Director Patel must investigate.’ 

‘Judges are facing ongoing and increasing threats… even against their families,’ Senate Judiciary Democrats said on X. ‘Pam Bondi must commit to fully supporting the Marshals Service and—at minimum—maintaining the current size of its workforce.’ 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department and the FBI for comment early Wednesday but did not immediately hear back. 

President Donald Trump’s new special envoy to the Middle East was sworn in by Secretary of State Marco Rubio Tuesday in an Oval Office ceremony.

Speaking before the swearing-in, Trump praised Witkoff, who was instrumental in securing an extended ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the return of 33 hostages, including two Americans, who were being held by Hamas. 

Trump said Witkoff has ‘been with me, more or less, one way or the other, every step of the way,’ adding that he has ‘absolute confidence and support and trust’ in his Middle East envoy’s ability to secure key deals in the realm of foreign diplomacy, such as ceasefire agreements between Israel and Hamas and between Ukraine and Russia. 

Though Witkoff is a real estate businessman by trade, Trump said he ‘quickly established himself as one of the toughest, smartest and best negotiators in the business,’ which is why he chose him for the important role of special envoy to the Middle East.

‘As a businessman, he’s admired and respected by all, and now Steve is putting his talents to work for America’s special envoy to the United States and making a lot of progress. Our country is blessed to have a negotiator of such skill and experience who really selflessly steps up to the plate, puts himself forward all the time,’ the president said.

Trump did note there was somewhat of a learning curve for Witkoff when it came to foreign government relations but said he has been ‘figuring it out’ at a lightning pace. 

‘It takes him about an hour to figure it out,’ Trump said. ‘After that, he’s brutal. He does a great job.’ 

Trump noted Witkoff has already been active over the last several months, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders from Iran. 

‘He’s working tirelessly to end the bloody and destructive conflicts,’ said Trump, touting Witkoff’s success so far in negotiations with various world leaders.

After the ceremony, Trump took questions from reporters, addressing a range of topics, including the just-announced ceasefire between the U.S. and the Houthis. When asked about conflicting reports indicating the Houthis do not plan to stop attacking Israel, Trump said that the terror group’s surrogates have indicated ‘very strongly’ that ‘they want nothing to do with [the United States].’  

Trump was also asked questions about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and, in particular, about the release of the remaining 21 living hostages. 

‘This is a terrible situation. We’re trying to get the hostages out. We’ve gotten a lot of them out,’ Trump told reporters, noting it is also just important to find and return the bodies of those already killed by Hamas. 

He shared that two weeks ago a couple whose son died as a hostage came to him and said, ‘Please, sir, my son is dead. Please get us back his body.’ 

‘They wanted his body. He’s dead,’ Trump said from the Oval Office after Witkoff’s confirmation. ‘They know. He said they wanted his body as much as you would want the boy if he was alive. It’s a very sad thing.’

Trump also commented on Iran and its potential development of nuclear weaponry. The president said definitively that ‘they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon.’

‘This is really crunch time. I would tell you, for Iran and for their country, this is a very important time for Iran. This is the most important time in the history of Iran, for Iran, and I hope they do what’s right,’ Trump told reporters. 

‘I’d love to see a peace deal, a strong peace deal. … We want it to be a successful country,’ he added. ‘We don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that. But they can’t have a nuclear weapon. And if they choose to go a different route, it’s going to be a very sad thing. And it’s something we don’t want to have to do, but we have no choice.’