印度批准32亿新元沼气增产计划 推动清洁燃料生产

2026年8月6日 22:44 / 联合早报

印度定下在2070年实现碳中和的目标。图为位于古吉拉特邦西部纳卡特拉纳村附近的阿达尼绿色能源风力发电场的风力涡轮机。 （路透社）

印度批准了一项25亿美元（32.03亿新元）的沼气（biogas）计划，旨在大幅扩大国内清洁燃料的生产。

印度星期四（8月6日）发布的政府声明称，最新的国家循环生物能源计划“标志着印度清洁能源发展历程中的一个决定性时刻”。这个计划将支持垃圾收集、粪便处理以及现有沼气厂的扩建。

声明称：“这将把印度丰富的农业残余物、牛粪、压榨泥（甘蔗渣）、城市有机垃圾等生物质资源转化为清洁燃料、有机肥料、农村收入和国家经济价值。”

法新社报道，中东战争导致的能源短缺凸显了印度对能源进口的依赖。这个南亚国家是世界第三大石油进口国和第二大液化石油气（LPG）进口国，由于美国和伊朗之间的冲突导致霍尔木兹海峡的封锁，印度的能源供应受到严重影响。

印度每年消耗3000多万吨液化石油气，其中一半以上依赖进口。

印度是世界上人口最多的国家，也是第三大化石燃料污染国，印度一直在大力推进沼气大规模生产，力争在2070年实现碳中和。

Trump officials say they’re strengthening Head Start with proposed rule. Critics say they’ll gut it

2026-08-06 09:30 AM ET / CNN

By Tami Luhby

A student looks for a certain letter during a reading and writing lesson at a Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government in January 2025 in Miami.

Rebecca Blackwell/AP

The Trump administration unveiled Thursday sweeping and controversial proposed changes to the Head Start program, which provides early education and health services to hundreds of thousands of low-income children.

Administration officials contend that the proposed rule would eliminate many of the program’s federal regulations in favor of state standards, which officials say would strengthen the program by giving providers more flexibility, could create up to 236,000 more slots and could save $2.2 billion annually that would be reinvested into Head Start.

But critics caution that the effort could hurt the program in multiple ways, particularly because state standards for early childhood education and health and safety requirements are often less stringent.

Head Start has faced tumultuous times during President Donald Trump’s second term.

A draft White House budget proposed ending federal funding for the program, which has served more than 40 million children and their families since 1965. The move raised many red flags among supporters, who noted that Project 2025, a massive policy playbook compiled by the conservative Heritage Foundation, called for Head Start’s elimination.

Ultimately, Trump requested essentially level funding for the program, which receives more than $12 billion annually.

Also, some providers temporarily lost access to their funding during the federal government shutdown last fall and after the Trump administration ordered a freeze on all federal funding shortly after the president took office in January 2025.

More flexibility

The rule aims to give providers more flexibility and control by having them align with state standards governing class sizes, staffing ratios, education requirements and background checks, among other practices, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

“We built this rule around trusting local leaders to make the decisions that are best for their local communities,” Alex Adams, who leads HHS’ Administration for Children and Families, told reporters. “Federal mandates can certainly hinder local decision-making, drive up costs and limit the program’s reach.”

It would add new nutrition and physical activity requirements, in keeping with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s priorities.

Notably, it would also tighten the cap on administrative expenses to 5%, down from 15%.

However, the proposed rule would maintain all the requirements in the Head Start Act, including the law’s framework for comprehensive services, eligibility, parental participation and civil rights protections, Adams said. It would also continue to require the program to focus on families with the greatest need and to emphasize school readiness and healthy development.

But critics warn that many states have less rigorous early childhood standards, which would harm the program’s effectiveness.

For instance, several states have staffing ratios that are much higher than Head Start’s mandate, which could mean that children get less individualized attention, Aaron Loewenberg, a senior policy analyst at the left-leaning New America, wrote in a report last month. Also, most states don’t have the same requirements for health screenings, vision and hearing assessments and family support.

“This forthcoming proposed rule seems designed to hollow out the program from within, leaving the Head Start name intact while gutting the federal standards that have long defined its quality and scope,” he wrote.

同意霍尔木兹海峡划一通行航道 伊朗与阿曼磋商共同管理机制

2026年8月6日 23:32 / 联合早报

伊朗消息人士和区域官员向路透社透露，伊朗与阿曼达成的协议明确了伊方对经由霍尔木兹海峡进入波斯湾的船只有管控权。如果属实，这将是伊朗至今获得的最大让步之一。 （路透社）

（华盛顿／德黑兰综合电）伊朗宣布，已同阿曼就划出一条让船只通过霍尔木兹海峡的航道达成协议，双方正在敲定共同管理这条战略航道的机制。分析认为，目前的形势发展向伊朗有利的方向倾斜。

伊朗外交部发言人巴加埃星期三（8月5日）宣布了同阿曼谈判的进展。但他强调，霍尔木兹海峡能否重新开放，仍取决于美国是否履行承诺，结束对伊朗港口实施的海上封锁。

巴加埃说：“导致霍尔木兹海峡局势不稳定的因素仍存在。它来自于美国，特别是针对伊朗和伊方利益的海上封锁，以及其他挑衅与威胁行径。”

伊朗消息人士和区域官员向路透社透露，伊朗与阿曼达成的协议明确了伊方对经由霍尔木兹海峡进入波斯湾的船只有管控权。如果属实，这将是伊朗至今获得的最大让步之一，因为在战争爆发前，伊朗没有这个管控权。

这也意味着美国和以色列今年2月底对伊朗开战，已导致中东的势力平衡发生重大转变，情况朝有利于德黑兰的方向发展。

伊朗一名高层消息人士说，目前的协议草案是伊朗管控经由霍尔木兹海峡驶入波斯湾的船只，但对于从波斯湾驶出海峡的船只，伊朗拥有怎样的权限则存在分歧。

伊朗副外长加里巴巴迪接受伊朗官媒采访时说，这个安排是为了让商船在进出波斯湾的航程中都经过伊朗领海。

德黑兰目前的战略之一是通过威胁美国在中东最亲密的盟友，以提高美国攻击伊朗的代价。消息人士透露，伊朗已警告波斯湾国家，如果美国继续攻击伊朗本土，伊方会对波斯湾地区的重要能源基础设施展开反击。

据伊朗高官和区域消息，伊朗外长阿拉格齐近期先后同沙特阿拉伯、土耳其和卡塔尔的外长，以及巴基斯坦陆军参谋长通话，呼吁他们劝阻美国继续对伊朗发动袭击。

阿拉格齐在每一次对话中都反复传达一个信息：伊朗已做好报复准备，但外交解决方案仍是避免中东局势进一步升级的最佳途径。

另一方面，美国总统特朗普在福克斯新闻台星期三傍晚播出的访谈中再次积极评价美伊谈判，称与伊朗的谈判进展“看来相当顺利”，但他没有具体说明谈判内容。

特朗普与赫格塞斯否认因缺弹药起冲突

《华盛顿邮报》同日引述消息报道，特朗普与战争部长赫格塞斯上星期六（7月31日）起冲突，导火线是战争弹药短缺。赫格塞斯是攻打伊朗的主要推手之一，他说服特朗普，让他相信战事会速战速决，但如今却持续五月有余，战争耗损巨大，而且霍尔木兹海峡问题胶着，特朗普对赫格塞斯的信心已削弱。

不过，白宫和五角大楼都反驳指这是假新闻。特朗普在社交媒体上否认美国弹药短缺，称美国的弹药还多得是。他也警告，将惩罚散播谣言的人。

FBI’s ‘clever’ Trump-Russia probe codename ignites suspicion something deeper was at play

August 6, 2026 11:38am EDT / Fox News

Newly declassified memos reveal the bureau’s 2017 ‘Oxferd C0mma’ counterintelligence investigation into the Comey firing

By Ashley J. DiMella Fox News

They tried to ‘sabotage’ Trump’s presidency: Mike Davis

Article III Project president Mike Davis discusses the DOJ subpoena of former FBI Director James Comey in an investigation into a ‘grand conspiracy’ to undermine Trump’s presidency on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’

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The White House on Wednesday released declassified FBI memos showing the bureau investigated whether President Donald Trump’s firing of James Comey was tied to Russia under the oddly spelled codename “Oxferd Comma,” fueling speculation that the misspelling was intentional.

Former Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeff Clark alleged the codename was deliberately altered to make records of the investigation harder to find.

“The FBI under James Comey and Christopher Wray was hopelessly corrupt. To penalize President Trump’s firing of Comey, they created a ridiculous investigation into Trump on the theory he was a witting or unwitting Russian agent,” Jeff Clark, who serves as vice president of litigation at the Oversight Project, told Fox News Digital.

“They called it OXFERD C0MMA (note the zero for the second ‘o’ and the misspelling of the University). The FBI managers thought this was clever. They imagined themselves as Blofeld in a James Bond movie deviously defeating the Freedom of Information Act,” Clark added, referring to the James Bond supervillain.

TRUMP ALLY DIGENOVA TAPPED TO LEAD DOJ PROBE INTO BRENNAN OVER RUSSIA PROBE ORIGINS

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 21: Acting Assistant U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey Clark speaks next to Deputy U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen at a news conference, where they announced that Purdue Pharma LP has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges over the handling of its addictive prescription opioid OxyContin at the Justice Department on October 21, 2020 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Yuri Gripas-Pool/Getty Images)

Clark explained on social media that he “consulted with a document expert” who concluded the first “o” in “Comma” was actually a zero – further obscuring the probe’s name.

Investigators on the “Oxferd Comma” case sought to determine whether Trump was “directed by, controlled by, and/or coordinated activities with, the Russian Federation in a manner constituting a threat to the [national security] of the United States and/or a violation of federal criminal statutes,” according to a May 16, 2017 FBI memo.

Trump fired Comey in May 2017, with the White House initially citing Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. The FBI opened the “Oxferd Comma” probe days later to examine whether the firing was connected to Russia.

“Additionally, let me speculate that James Comey was well-known by his associates as liking Oxford commas, so they named the operation (clearly motivated by revenge in response to Trump firing Comey) as a hommage (Fr.) to their beloved Comey,” Clark added. “But that doesn’t explain why it was deliberately misspelled as ‘Oxferd.’”

Clark, who served in Trump’s first administration, argued that the misspelling could have made it more difficult for anyone searching for records related to the operation. He suggested that a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request using the correct spelling might not have returned the relevant documents, potentially allowing the FBI to say that no responsive records had been found.

LEFT-WING GROUP CHASES PROOF OF KASH PATEL’S ALLEGED ‘EXCESSIVE DRINKING’ AS DEMS EYE FBI DIRECTOR’S OUSTER

The logo of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).(PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to Wray, Comey and the White House for comment.

“It should be investigated as an obstruction of justice. You know, some real obstruction of an official proceeding,” Clark posted to X.

The unusual spelling also drew attention on social media, where users resurfaced a 2017 Comey post about Oxford commas.

“Check the actual cover. I’m all about Oxford commas,” Comey wrote in a 2017 X post about his then-forthcoming memoir, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership.”

OBAMA-ERA ATTORNEY FLIPS SCRIPT ON COMEY INDICTMENT NAYSAYERS WITH WARNING NOT TO BURY DOJ YET

An FBI agent and a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer arrest a man near the White House at Farragut Square Path in Washington, D.C., United States, on Sept. 15, 2025.(Photo by Yasin Ozturk /Anadolu via Getty Images)

The FBI did not directly address the codename when asked by Fox News Digital on Thursday.

“The weaponization that occurred against President Trump under prior regimes was inexcusable and wholly un-American. Director Patel himself was the lead investigator who originally exposed the disgraceful Crossfire Hurricane scandal – and as Director, he has released over 40,000 pages of documents to the public exposing similar malfeasance from former FBI leadership – a three fold increase from both his predecessors combined,” Ben Williamson, assistant director of the FBI’s Office of Public Affairs, said.

“As we’ve said repeatedly: any individual who is found to have acted unethically or engaged in weaponization has been or will be fired from the Bureau and held accountable under the law,” Williamson added.

Ashley J. DiMella reports on politics for Fox News Digital.

同意霍尔木兹海峡划一通行航道 伊朗与阿曼磋商共同管理机制

2026年8月6日 23:32 / 联合早报

伊朗消息人士和区域官员向路透社透露，伊朗与阿曼达成的协议明确了伊方对经由霍尔木兹海峡进入波斯湾的船只有管控权。如果属实，这将是伊朗至今获得的最大让步之一。 （路透社）

（华盛顿／德黑兰综合电）伊朗宣布，已同阿曼就划出一条让船只通过霍尔木兹海峡的航道达成协议，双方正在敲定共同管理这条战略航道的机制。分析认为，目前的形势发展向伊朗有利的方向倾斜。

伊朗外交部发言人巴加埃星期三（8月5日）宣布了同阿曼谈判的进展。但他强调，霍尔木兹海峡能否重新开放，仍取决于美国是否履行承诺，结束对伊朗港口实施的海上封锁。

巴加埃说：“导致霍尔木兹海峡局势不稳定的因素仍存在。它来自于美国，特别是针对伊朗和伊方利益的海上封锁，以及其他挑衅与威胁行径。”

伊朗消息人士和区域官员向路透社透露，伊朗与阿曼达成的协议明确了伊方对经由霍尔木兹海峡进入波斯湾的船只有管控权。如果属实，这将是伊朗至今获得的最大让步之一，因为在战争爆发前，伊朗没有这个管控权。

这也意味着美国和以色列今年2月底对伊朗开战，已导致中东的势力平衡发生重大转变，情况朝有利于德黑兰的方向发展。

伊朗一名高层消息人士说，目前的协议草案是伊朗管控经由霍尔木兹海峡驶入波斯湾的船只，但对于从波斯湾驶出海峡的船只，伊朗拥有怎样的权限则存在分歧。

伊朗副外长加里巴巴迪接受伊朗官媒采访时说，这个安排是为了让商船在进出波斯湾的航程中都经过伊朗领海。

德黑兰目前的战略之一是通过威胁美国在中东最亲密的盟友，以提高美国攻击伊朗的代价。消息人士透露，伊朗已警告波斯湾国家，如果美国继续攻击伊朗本土，伊方会对波斯湾地区的重要能源基础设施展开反击。

据伊朗高官和区域消息，伊朗外长阿拉格齐近期先后同沙特阿拉伯、土耳其和卡塔尔的外长，以及巴基斯坦陆军参谋长通话，呼吁他们劝阻美国继续对伊朗发动袭击。

阿拉格齐在每一次对话中都反复传达一个信息：伊朗已做好报复准备，但外交解决方案仍是避免中东局势进一步升级的最佳途径。

另一方面，美国总统特朗普在福克斯新闻台星期三傍晚播出的访谈中再次积极评价美伊谈判，称与伊朗的谈判进展“看来相当顺利”，但他没有具体说明谈判内容。

特朗普与赫格塞斯否认因缺弹药起冲突

《华盛顿邮报》同日引述消息报道，特朗普与战争部长赫格塞斯上星期六（7月31日）起冲突，导火线是战争弹药短缺。赫格塞斯是攻打伊朗的主要推手之一，他说服特朗普，让他相信战事会速战速决，但如今却持续五月有余，战争耗损巨大，而且霍尔木兹海峡问题胶着，特朗普对赫格塞斯的信心已削弱。

不过，白宫和五角大楼都反驳指这是假新闻。特朗普在社交媒体上否认美国弹药短缺，称美国的弹药还多得是。他也警告，将惩罚散播谣言的人。

热浪冲击 意大利首次对全部监测城市发红色预警

2026年8月6日 23:39 / 联合早报

意大利持续高温对农业的影响尤为明显。8月6日，意大利西北部库内奥附近的贝内瓦吉耶纳乡村一处向日葵田毁于高温。 （法新社）

由于高温天气持续，意大利采取了前所未有的措施，把卫生部纳入高温监测的全国27座主要城市的预警提升至最高等级的红色预警状态。这是意大利首次对全部监测城市发布高温红色预警。

路透社报道，意大利虽然习惯了炎热的夏季，但卫生部发布的红色预警范围从南部西西里岛的巴勒莫（Palermo）一直延伸到北部山区博尔扎诺（Bolzano）。此类警告表明，持续高温可能引发严重的公共卫生危机，对全体居民的健康构成严重威胁。

在意大利西北部的热那亚市（Genoa），65岁及以上的老年人可以在本月一天中最热的时段免费参观博物馆和图书馆避暑。罗马将空调影院免费放映活动的期限延长了10天，至8月14日。

新华社引述意大利气象部门说，本轮高温天气仍将持续至少10天，部分地区最高气温将达到40摄氏度。意大利卫生部发布的预警信息显示，除意大利北部城市博尔扎诺外，其他主要城市预计7日仍将处于红色预警状态。

安莎社的报道说，意大利正处于今年夏季以来的第四轮大范围热浪。持续高温已造成多人死亡。高温叠加干旱和野火对经济活动造成冲击，农业受到的影响尤为明显。

世界自然基金会5日发布的一份报告显示，今年夏季以来，意大利野火的过火面积已达约7万公顷。

The Odds: The Dem Purge

10:01 AM EDT, Thu August 6, 2026 / CNN

By Ainsley Ehlers, CNN

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The Odds: The Dem Purge

A record number of Democratic incumbents are losing their primaries, fueled by a desire for systematic change by voters. CNN News Central’s John Berman and CNN Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten explore if prediction markets are expecting this anti-incumbent wave to grow and what it means for the future of the party.

3:02 • Source: CNN

DOGE’s “wall of receipts” riddled with inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims, congressional watchdog says

2026-08-06 11:56 AM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The Department of Government Efficiency’s infamous “Wall of Receipts” listing billions of dollars DOGE said it saved was riddled with inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims, a congressional watchdog found.

A Government Accountability Office report released Thursday confirmed previous reporting from CBS News and other news outlets that found the DOGE team’s updating”Wall of Receipts” overstated how much it was saving taxpayers by billions of dollars. As of July 7, 2026, GAO found that $110 billion in savings DOGE claimed from slashing federal contracts, leases and grants displayed savings estimates that were incorrect or lacked supporting evidence.

For instance, GAO found that 108 of the 264 leases DOGE said it terminated were already in the process of being eliminated before DOGE was established by President Trump in January 2025.

In another case, GAO said DOGE reported it saved $1.7 billion by identifying a Pentagon Defense Health Agency IT contract to terminate, but it never followed through on either terminating or slashing the funding. The GAO probe, requested by Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Gary Peters, covered contracts, grants and leases DOGE listed from Jan. 20, 2025, through July 7, 2026.

DOGE was launched by Elon Musk soon after President Trump took office, and he oversaw and heavily influenced DOGE in its early months. In late May, he left government to return to his companies. Many of the itemized so-called savings were posted to DOGE’s account on Musk’s social media platform X, which has 4.7 million followers.

“Everyone supports rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, but DOGE was a slapdash and deceptive effort that misled the American people while doing real damage to the government’s ability to serve them,” Peters said in a statement Thursday. “Elon Musk and the Trump administration claimed billions of dollars in savings it could not substantiate, took credit for work already underway, and refused to show its work, all while putting Americans’ sensitive data at risk and hollowing out critical agencies.”

The congressional watchdog noted that information like the Wall of Receipts “can have significant value,” but went on to say that it would be more useful to policymakers and the public if DOGE provided more information about how it calculated savings and disclosed data limitations.

GAO criticized DOGE for lack of transparency and its failure to use its own stated methodology in calculations of the “majority of savings associated with the contracts reported as terminated.”

“For grants, DOGE did not provide sufficient information to verify the method used to calculate 96 percent of DOGE-reported savings,” GAO said.

“While the Wall of Receipts includes some information about the data and sources underlying reported savings, it does not sufficiently disclose limitations affecting data quality,” GAO said. It recommended DOGE “prominently” display data quality issues and limitations on the Wall of Receipts.

CBS News previously identified other issues with DOGE’s reporting, as well.DOGE stopped publishing details of canceled U.S. Agency for International Development contracts due to what was described as “legal reasons.”

And a CBS News review of three of the largest cuts DOGE claimed by August 2025 indicated the savings from those contracts were less than 3% of what DOGE said they were.

DOGE concluded its operations on July 4, although the Trump administration has long said agency heads would work to save taxpayers money.

GAO said DOGE “did not respond to GAO’s request for information or interviews.”

Daniel Ruetenik contributed to this report.

DOGE shuts down after controversial run
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/elon-musks-doge-shuts-down/

热浪冲击 意大利首次对全部监测城市发红色预警

2026年8月6日 23:39 / 联合早报

意大利持续高温对农业的影响尤为明显。8月6日，意大利西北部库内奥附近的贝内瓦吉耶纳乡村一处向日葵田毁于高温。 （法新社）

由于高温天气持续，意大利采取了前所未有的措施，把卫生部纳入高温监测的全国27座主要城市的预警提升至最高等级的红色预警状态。这是意大利首次对全部监测城市发布高温红色预警。

路透社报道，意大利虽然习惯了炎热的夏季，但卫生部发布的红色预警范围从南部西西里岛的巴勒莫一直延伸到北部山区博尔扎诺。此类警告表明，持续高温可能引发严重的公共卫生危机，对全体居民的健康构成严重威胁。

在意大利西北部的热那亚市，65岁及以上的老年人可以在本月一天中最热的时段免费参观博物馆和图书馆避暑。罗马将空调影院免费放映活动的期限延长了10天，至8月14日。

新华社引述意大利气象部门说，本轮高温天气仍将持续至少10天，部分地区最高气温将达到40摄氏度。意大利卫生部发布的预警信息显示，除意大利北部城市博尔扎诺外，其他主要城市预计7日仍将处于红色预警状态。

安莎社的报道说，意大利正处于今年夏季以来的第四轮大范围热浪。持续高温已造成多人死亡。高温叠加干旱和野火对经济活动造成冲击，农业受到的影响尤为明显。

世界自然基金会5日发布的一份报告显示，今年夏季以来，意大利野火的过火面积已达约7万公顷。

Gen Keane questions whether Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar can be trusted in Iran talks

The retired general called the mediators ‘compromised’ and alleged Riyadh denied US access to airspace and an air base

August 6, 2026 6:00am EDT / Fox News

By Efrat Lachter Fox News

Gen Jack Keane warns Pakistanian and Qatari mediators in Iran peace talks are ‘compromised’

Fox News senior strategic analyst Ret. Gen. Jack Keane discusses President Donald Trump’s cancellation of Iran strikes, the state of Middle East peace talks and more on ‘America’s Newsroom.’

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Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane questioned whether Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia can be trusted to help shape negotiations with Iran, accusing the regional partners of steering President Donald Trump away from military pressure while leaving the United States and Israel to bear the risks of confronting Tehran.

Keane, a Fox News senior strategic analyst and former Army vice chief of staff, said during a Monday appearance on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” that Pakistan and Qatar were “compromised” as mediators because, in his view, they favor Iran over the United States.

“It is well known in the Middle East region, by our intelligence services, by all the players, that the Pakistanis and the Qataris are compromised because they favor Iran at the expense of the United States,” Keane said. “This is historical. This is not new.”

NUCLEAR EXPERTS URGE TRUMP NOT TO LET IRAN STEER TALKS AWAY FROM REGIME’S ATOMIC THREAT

Vice President JD Vance (center) walks with Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir (left), and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials on April 11, 2026, in Islamabad.(Jacquelyn Martin – Pool/Getty Images)

Keane’s criticism contrasts with Trump’s public praise for Islamabad.

Trump said April 26 during a phone interview with Fox News that he had “great respect for Pakistan” because its officials had “been terrific” and “really tried” to advance negotiations with Iran. He added that Pakistan would remain involved in the process.

While speaking to reporters after the G7 summit in France on June 18, Trump also credited Pakistan and Qatar with helping advance the negotiations that produced the U.S.–Iran memorandum of understanding.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly also defended the administration’s regional partners, telling Fox News Digital that, “President Trump has great relationships with leaders from Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and he appreciates the involvement of all of our regional partners who are assisting with negotiations.”

“If Iran cannot agree to a good deal with the United States, the fault will lie squarely with the regime, who will suffer the consequences,” Kelly added.

Mediators were preparing a second memorandum focused exclusively on the Strait of Hormuz, Wednesday reports indicated, potentially separating the immediate maritime crisis from the broader dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities.

Keane, a former four-star general, argued that their involvement may have contributed to Washington misunderstanding Iran’s intentions.

“And yet they’re mediators,” Keane said. “So their influence here, I think, had played a part in misleading the United States in terms of Iran’s real intentions.”

TRUMP SAYS SAUDI NUCLEAR AGREEMENT WON’T MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT ABRAHAM ACCORDS: ‘THEY HAVE TO BE A MEMBER’

Foreign workers look at a tall plume of black smoke ascends following an explosion in the Fujairah industrial zone on March 3, 2026. Iran’s strikes on Gulf neighbors since February 28, following the U.S.-Israeli attack, forced the UAE to shut its airspace, blindsiding travelers who thought they were headed to one of the region’s safest holiday destinations.(Fadel Senna / AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan and Qatar have played formal roles in the diplomatic process.

A June 22 joint statement from the two countries said they were mediating talks between the United States and Iran under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. The framework established working groups on nuclear issues, sanctions, monitoring and dispute resolution, as well as a mechanism intended to prevent incidents involving commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan declined to comment on Keane’s criticism. The Saudi and Qatari embassies in Washington did not respond by the time of publication.

Raza Rumi, editor-at-large of Pakistan’s The Friday Times, disputed Keane’s characterization, arguing that Islamabad’s working relationship with Tehran does not make it a compromised mediator.

IS THIS TRUMP’S LAST ‘LAST CHANCE’? CEASELESS STRING OF BROKEN CEASEFIRES FUELS DOUBT OVER IRAN DEAL

“Successful mediators are often those that enjoy channels of communication with all sides,” Rumi told Fox News Digital, saying Pakistan’s approach is shaped more by geography, security and economic concerns than ideological alignment with Iran.

He noted that Pakistan shares a long border with Iran and wants to prevent further instability, while also maintaining longstanding ties with the United States and close partnerships with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Rumi also pointed to the exchange of strikes between Pakistan and Iran in January 2024 as evidence that relations between the neighbors are not uniformly close.

An oil tanker is on fire in the sea of Oman, Thursday, June 13, 2019. Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were reportedly attacked on Thursday, an assault that left one ablaze and adrift as sailors were evacuated from both vessels and the U.S. Navy rushed to assist amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.(AP Photo/ISNA)

“The suggestion that Pakistan somehow caused Washington to misunderstand Tehran’s intentions is difficult to substantiate,” Rumi said. “It would be a considerable stretch to attribute any American misreading of Iran’s intentions to Pakistani mediation.”

Keane directed even sharper criticism at Saudi Arabia, saying that Riyadh denied the United States access to Saudi airspace and a U.S. air base during preparations for a possible operation to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He also claimed Saudi officials had repeatedly persuaded Trump not to resume major military operations against Iran.

“The fact of the matter is, the Saudis are not willing to sacrifice to rid the Middle East region of Iran’s aggression,” Keane said, describing the potential costs as casualties and damage to Saudi oil infrastructure.

“They’re willing for us to make that sacrifice, for sure,” he added. “They’re willing for Israel to make that sacrifice, for sure.”

His remarks highlighted a broader debate over whether Saudi caution represents an unwillingness to confront Tehran or a strategic effort to prevent an open-ended regional war.

GULF COUNTRIES STRONGLY CONDEMN IRAN’S DRONE ATTACK ON BAHRAIN AS RISING TENSIONS THREATEN MOU

Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical analyst, rejected the suggestion that Riyadh is unwilling to confront Iran, saying the Kingdom distinguishes between credible deterrence and military action without clear objectives.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical analyst, rejected the suggestion that Riyadh is unwilling to confront Iran, saying the Kingdom distinguishes between credible deterrence and military action without clear objectives.

“Saudi Arabia supports confronting Iranian aggression, but not an open-ended regional war without clear objectives or an endgame,” Al-Ansari told Fox News Digital.

“Riyadh favors diplomacy backed by credible deterrence, but any agreement must be enforceable and verifiable, addressing Iran’s nuclear program, its proxies, and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.

A Gulf affairs analyst who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue offered a different assessment, saying Saudi leaders fear that a wider confrontation would expose the Kingdom’s critical infrastructure to Iranian retaliation.

“Saudi Arabia believes it should appease Iran because it is deeply concerned about the consequences of a broader confrontation,” the analyst said. “Riyadh fears the damage Iran could inflict on the Kingdom’s infrastructure and has therefore favored restraint and negotiations over a decisive military campaign.”

The analyst described a widening divide among Gulf states, arguing that Saudi Arabia and Qatar favor accommodation while the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait support stronger pressure on Iran.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank and former National Security Council official, said during a separate Fox News appearance Wednesday, that Washington continues to depend on Saudi infrastructure even as disagreements persist over military strategy.

“When we talk about the Gulf states, we talk about Saudi Arabia and General Keane’s comments, remember, we also are relying on Saudi Arabia with their overland pipelines to keep us in the game here,” Goldberg said. “The fact that they’re at maximum capacity moving through the Red Sea also allows us to continue the strangulation strategy.”

TRUMP WARNS IRAN FIGHTING ISN’T OVER AS HE VOWS US WILL ‘WIN’ AS TALKS FADE

President Donald Trump attends a business forum at Qasr Al Watan during the final stop of his Gulf visit, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 16, 2025.(Amr Alfiky/Reuters)

The debate comes as the United States and Iran continue negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.

Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia all have been involved in the diplomatic effort, while reports Wednesday indicated that mediators were working on an interim arrangement that could establish separate shipping routes through Iranian and Omani waters as broader nuclear negotiations continue.

The central question is whether those negotiations can produce an enforceable agreement or merely allow Tehran to preserve its leverage over the waterway.

Keane said he remained doubtful that Iran was prepared to surrender meaningful control.

“They are not going to give up the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “They think it’s a strategic asset.”

He predicted Iran would seek to retain some degree of control over the waterway and warned that reaching an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program would be even more difficult.

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Iran sent an unprecedented “whole-regime” team to the U.S. deal talks which signals one priority, a counterterrorism expert said.(URS FLUEELER/Pool via REUTERS)

“My gut feeling here is no,” Keane said when asked whether Iran was prepared to reach and implement a substantive agreement. “The president is not going to make a bad deal here.”