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US President Donald Trump urges Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Muslim-majority nations to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords as part of Iran peace and regional stability efforts.

Middle East roundup: Trump urges Saudi Arabia, Qatar to sign Abraham Accords in Iran peace deal

Oil prices plunged more than 5% in Asian early trading on Monday as hopes of a US-Iran deal to end the Middle East war rose despite comments from President Donald Trump downplaying its imminence.

Middle East roundup, May 24: Oil prices fall over 5% on hopes for Iran deal

WASHINGTON: A gunman opened fire near the White House on Saturday evening, with US Secret Service agents killing the assailant in a shoot-out during which a bystander was also struck, authorities said. President Donald Trump was in the White House at the time -- on a day when he was working to negotiate a deal with Iran -- but was not impacted by the incident, Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. The confrontation took place just after 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) when a man near the White House security perimeter &quot;pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing.&quot; &quot;Secret Service Police returned fire striking the suspect who was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. During the shooting one bystander was also struck by gunfire,&quot; Guglielmi said, without giving details on the bystander&#39;s condition. No Secret Service officers were hurt. &quot;Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country&rsquo;s most cherished structure,&quot; Trump said on Truth Social early Sunday.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 825px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2058407251673506301&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=a68cc03651fd282476f4be353d0cc978abde75be&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2058407251673506301"></iframe></div></div>Multiple US media identified the suspect as Nasire Best, 21, of Maryland, reporting that Best had a history of mental health concerns and had multiple prior interactions with Secret Service members. Police and security forces swarmed the scene, cordoning off access as National Guard troops blocked an AFP reporter from entering the area in downtown Washington. &quot;We heard probably 20 to 25 what sounded like fireworks, but they&#39;re gunshots, and then everyone started running,&quot; Canadian tourist Reid Adrian told AFP. Journalists who were on the White House North Lawn at the time said they were ordered to run and shelter in the press briefing room. ABC News correspondent Selina Wang had been recording a video for social media when the gunfire broke out, capturing the sounds of the shots as she dove to the ground. &quot;It sounded like dozens of gunshots,&quot; she said on X. Trump assassination attemptsTrump, 79, has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts, the most recent of which took place on April 25 when an armed man stormed a security checkpoint in a hotel where Trump was attending a media gala. The man never got close to Trump or the other guests attending the event. In July 2024, Trump was targeted during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A gunman killed an audience member and lightly wounded the then-candidate in the ear. A few months later, another armed man was arrested on a West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round. &quot;Thank God President Trump is safe,&quot; House Republicans said on X after the Saturday evening shooting. &quot;Endless gratitude to the Secret Service for their immediate, heroic response. Political violence has to stop.&quot; Trump has cited security concerns as one of his reasons for building a ballroom at the White House, tearing down the East Wing after taking office again last year. The $400 million project currently under construction will feature, according to the New York real estate magnate, six floors below the highly secure &quot;drone-proof&quot; ballroom, including an underground military hospital.

President Trump says the White House shooter had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure.

Gunman killed after opening fire outside White House

US President Donald Trump speaks during a Mother's Day luncheon in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2026. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Iran and the US had "largely negotiated" a deal that included opening the Strait of Hormuz, but the draft was "subject to finalization."

Middle East roundup, May 23: Trump says draft deal with Iran includes opening of Strait of Hormuz

Pakistan’s army chief was received in Tehran by Iranian and Pakistani interior ministers; Israeli airstrikes hit multiple locations in Lebanon after evacuation warnings issued in southern areas.

Middle East roundup, May 22: Pakistan's CDF lands in Iran; Israel airstrikes kill 10 in Lebanon

WASHINGTON: US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation on Friday, ending the tenure of a controversial pick who appeared to be at odds with President Donald Trump over the Middle East War.&nbsp; Gabbard, 45, said she was quitting as Director of National Intelligence to care for her husband, Abraham Williams, after he was recently diagnosed with an &quot;extremely rare form of bone cancer.&quot; &quot;He faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months,&quot; Gabbard said in a letter to Trump that she posted on X. &quot;At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle.&quot; Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, married her Hawaii-based cinematographer husband in a Hindu ceremony. They met while shooting campaign advertisements, and he proposed to her while surfing at sunset. Trump hailed Gabbard, whose job involved coordinating information from the sprawling network of 18 US intelligence agencies for the president&#39;s daily briefing. &quot;Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her,&quot; Trump said on his Truth Social network, adding that she &quot;rightfully&quot; wanted to help her husband with his cancer battle. Her deputy, Aaron Lukas, would serve as the acting Director of National Intelligence, the president added. Gabbard is the fourth in a series of high-profile women to have left Trump&#39;s cabinet in recent months. Trump fired Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem in March and Attorney General Pam Bondi in April. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer stepped down in April amid a series of scandals.But the White House pushed back at a report that Gabbard had been forced out. &quot;This is false. Her husband, who is an absolutely incredible human being, has been diagnosed with a rare bone cancer,&quot; her chief of staff, Alexa Henning, said on X. White House spokesman Davis Ingle said that &quot;any suggestion that the White House forced her to resign over her husband&rsquo;s health is slanderous.&quot; Syria trip&nbsp; The former Democrat was a surprising choice as intel chief for Republican Trump, given her previous history of endorsing conspiracy theories and opposition to America&#39;s foreign military interventions. As a congresswoman, Gabbard had in particular expressed opposition to going to war against Iran. She faced questions over her 2017 meeting with now-deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and her peddling of Russian propaganda &ndash; particularly false conspiracy theories about the Ukraine war. She was also regarded with suspicion by some over her views on US government surveillance and her backing for National Security Agency (NSA) leaker Edward Snowden. Trump pressed on with the appointment, but she appeared to be increasingly frozen out of decision-making in recent months as he headed toward the war with Iran. Gabbard was reportedly not in the room when Trump huddled with his top advisors in the immediate run-up to the launch of the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. After the war began, she repeatedly contradicted or failed to fully back the justifications that the Trump administration gave for launching the war. Gabbard declined to endorse Trump&#39;s claim that Iran posed an imminent threat &ndash; an assessment that the administration used to justify the strikes. She also said US intelligence had concluded that Iran was not rebuilding nuclear enrichment capacities that were destroyed last year by the United States and Israel &ndash; a claim also used as a major justification for the war. The Hawaii native served in Iraq with the Army National Guard. The experience informed her opposition to America&#39;s long foreign wars, as it did for Vice President JD Vance and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. Gabbard&#39;s mother, born on the US mainland, embraced Hinduism and raised her children in the tradition. Her first name, Tulsi, is a sacred plant in Hinduism, and she is a lifelong vegetarian.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard prepares to leave at the conclusion of a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats in the Hart Senate Office Building on March 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. (AFP)

US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard resigns to care for her husband after his cancer diagnosis, ending a controversial tenure marked by disagreements over Middle East policy and scrutiny of her past views.

Trump's intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard resigns

NUUK: More than 500 Greenlanders demonstrated against US President Donald Trump&#39;s desire to control the vast Arctic island, after the inauguration of the US consulate&#39;s new premises in Nuuk. The crowd chanted and held posters reading &quot;Go Home USA&quot;, &quot;Make America Go Away!&quot; and &quot;We are not for sale&quot;, with many waving Greenland&#39;s red-and-white flag, according to an AFP journalist at the scene in the island nation&#39;s capital late on Thursday. &quot;Asu (&#39;Stop&#39; in Greenlandic) USA,&quot; read another sign. Trump has repeatedly argued that Washington needs to control Greenland because of national security concerns, claiming that if it does not, the Danish autonomous territory risks falling into the hands of China or Russia. The demonstrators turned their backs on the consulate building and observed two minutes of silence to express their displeasure with the United States. The new premises, in the center of the capital Nuuk, had been inaugurated a little earlier in the presence of the US ambassador to Denmark, Kenneth Howery. Greenlandic broadcaster KNR reported that Howery told guests at the inauguration that Trump had now ruled out the use of force to control Greenland and said that Greenlanders would decide their future themselves. Greenland&#39;s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen had declined an invitation to take part in the inauguration. Earlier in the week, Nielsen held talks with Trump&#39;s special envoy for Greenland, Jeff Landry, who made his first visit -- uninvited -- to the island since his appointment in December. Landry told AFP on Wednesday that the US needed to strengthen its presence in the territory. &quot;It&#39;s time for the US to put its footprint back on Greenland,&quot; he said as he wound up his four-day visit. &quot;Greenland needs the US,&quot; he insisted.

The US ambassador to Denmark, Ken Howery, opens the new American consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on May 21, 2026. (Photo by Oscar Scott Carl / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP)

Europe

More than 500 Greenlanders protested in Nuuk against US President Donald Trump’s renewed push for American control over Greenland during the inauguration of the new US consulate.

Greenlanders protest outside US consulate's new office

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar chaired the closing session of the Regional Envoys&rsquo; Conference in Islamabad, reaffirming Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to strengthening historic brotherly ties with Gulf countries, enhancing economic engagement, ensuring the welfare of the diaspora, and promoting regional peace and stability, according to the Foreign Office. Pakistan positioned itself as a mediator since the war erupted following joint US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on Feb. 28, which triggered Iranian retaliation and a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world&rsquo;s oil and gas passes. Pakistan remained engaged in diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions between the US and Iran. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2056386055880822798&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=da4787ba1b60e4458861b4793b69df6c1deab858&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2056386055880822798"></iframe></div></div> FM Dar emphasized that the welfare of the Pakistani diaspora in Gulf countries and across the world remains a top priority of the government. &ldquo;He also highlighted Pakistan&rsquo;s constructive and facilitative role in promoting regional peace and stability, and stressed the importance of sustained engagement,&rdquo; the statement added. &ldquo;DPM/FM [Ishaq Dar] took stock of the comprehensive deliberations and key recommendations emerging over the past few days,&rdquo; the statement said. In his closing remarks, FM Dar directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heads of Missions, and relevant ministries to maintain close coordination, pursue proactive engagement, and ensure effective follow-up on the recommendations. Envoys to the Gulf and European countries appreciated Pakistan&#39;s peace efforts and lauded Islamabad&#39;s efforts to promote regional peace.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan reaffirms support for Gulf ties and regional peace as foreign minister Ishaq Dar highlighted mediation efforts in the Iran-US crisis, drawing praise from Donald Trump, Iran and the United Nations.

Pakistan reaffirms commitment to regional peace efforts as Islamabad envoys conference concludes

Barakah power plant. (File photo: X/WAM news agency)

Abu Dhabi’s media office says the fire broke out outside the facility’s inner perimeter and was brought under control while IAEA confirms radiation levels remain normal; Israeli forces continue to attack Lebanon and Gaza, violating the ceasefire.

Middle East roundup: UAE says drone that hit nuclear site crossed western border

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian holds a telephonic conversation with Pope Leo XIV on Saturday, May 16. (Photo: Tasnim News Agency)

The Iranian president has sent a message to the Pope thanking him for his ethical and logical position on recent military aggressions against Iran, according to Iranian Tasnim News Agency.

Articles tagged with "US President Donald Trump"