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Manganese, a key ingredient for the steel market, is also seeing growth in demand from the electric vehicle battery sector, particularly when it comes to high-purity manganese chemical products.

Manganese investors are often interested to hear which countries produce the most of the metal. After all, if a nation is producing a lot of manganese, many companies are likely operating there, and investment opportunities may thus be available.

However, what investors sometimes fail to consider is manganese reserves, or how much economically mineable manganese a country holds, and which companies are working to bring those reserves into production.

Here’s an overview of the five countries with the highest manganese reserves. Data for this list of manganese reserves by country comes from the US Geological Survey’s 2025 report on manganese.

1. South Africa

Manganese reserves: 560 million metric tons

At 560 million metric tons, South Africa holds the highest manganese reserves in the world by a long shot. The nation is also the world’s top producer of the metal, with 2024 output of 7.4 million metric tons.

South32 (ASX:S32,LSE:S32,OTC Pink:SHTLF) is a major presence in the South African manganese space. Its South Africa Manganese operation is located in the manganese-rich Kalahari Basin and consists of the open-pit Mamatwan mine, the underground Wessels mine and the Metalloys manganese alloy smelter.

Another ASX-listed manganese miner, Jupiter Mines (ASX:JMS,OTC Pink:JMXXF) is also operating in the area at its Tshipi Borwa mine, considered the largest manganese mine in country and one of the largest in the world.

2. China

Manganese reserves: 280 million metric tons

The country with the next highest manganese reserves is China at 280 million metric tons of manganese. The Asian nation is also the sixth largest producer of manganese ore, the largest producer of refined manganese and the largest consumer of the metal. Unsurprisingly, China’s economy and government regulations have an outsized impact on the global manganese market.

There have been several significant manganese discoveries in China over the last decade. In late 2023, new manganese deposits were discovered in the southeast province of Jiangxi during government-led exploration work, and manganese deposits were discovered in the southwest province of Guizhou in 2017. More recently, in March 2025, Chinese government geologists confirmed an inferred resource estimate of 6.07 million tons of manganese ore in the Maowanli manganese project in the Sichuan province.

Looking further down the value added chain, Australian miner Firebird Metals (ASX:FRB,OTC Pink:FRBMF) has partnered with a subsidiary of China National Chemical Engineering Co. (SHA:601117) to build a high-purity manganese sulphate plant in China, which has entered pilot production. Firebird has an ore supply agreement in place with Eramet (EPA:ERA) for manganese ore to feed the plant, and it could potentially be supplied by Firebird’s Oakover manganese project in Australia in the future.

3. Brazil

Manganese reserves: 270 million metric tons

Brazil hosts a total of 270 million metric tons of manganese reserves as of 2024. The country produced 590,000 metric tons of the metal in 2024, making it the seventh-largest manganese-producing country.

Buritirama Mining, a subsidiary of Grupo Buritipar, is Brazil’s leading producer of the metal. The company invested US$200 million in 2023 to expand operations at its Para state mine.

Major miner Vale (NYSE:VALE), previously the largest manganese miner in the country, offloaded its Brazilian manganese and iron ore assets to J&F Investimentos in 2022. Going forward, J&F has said it plans to invest more than US$1 billion in increasing the iron ore and manganese output from the mines it purchased from Vale.

4. Australia

Manganese reserves: 110 million metric tons

At 110 million metric tons, Australia holds the fourth highest manganese reserves in the world. The nation is also the world’s third largest producer of the metal. In 2024, Australia’s manganese output came in at 2.8 million metric tons.

Australia’s largest manganese ore producer is Groote Eylandt, a 60/40 joint venture between South32 and Anglo American (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:AAUKF), in the nation’s Northern Territory. In mid-March 2024, operations at Groote Eylandt were negatively impacted by Tropical Cyclone Meghan — the second strongest cyclone to hit the area in the past two decades.

The storm damaged critical infrastructure at the site, including a haulage bridge between the mine and processing facilities, as well as the wharf from which manganese ore is shipped. South32 is currently conducting engineering studies to determine a schedule and capital costs to make the repairs needed to restore operations at Groote Eylandt.

As of mid-April 2025, South32 had completed construction at the wharf and expected to start export sales again in May.

5. Gabon

Manganese reserves: 61 million metric tons

Gabon hosts the fifth largest manganese reserves in the world at 61 million metric tons; however, the Central African nation is the second largest producer of the metal with an output of 4.6 million metric tons in 2024.

Gabon is also the largest source of US manganese imports at 63 percent in 2024 compared to 23 percent from South Africa.

Eramet’s Moanda mine is a centerstone of the country’s manganese mining sector and it is based on one of the world’s richest manganese deposits. Eramet is the world’s second largest miner of high-grade manganese ore and operates the mine through its subsidiary COMILOG. In response to an oversupplied market, Eramet temporarily paused production at Moanda in the fourth quarter of 2024, but it has since recommenced.

Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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World

Gaza Freedom Flotilla says ship has issued SOS, after alleged drone attack off the coast of Malta

A Gaza “freedom flotilla” says one of its vessels is on fire and has issued an SOS, after what it claimed was a drone attack off the coast of Malta in international waters.

Acar said the ship had “sent out SOS calls to the surrounding countries, including Malta” and that a “small boat” from Southern Cyprus had been sent. She added she had been able to contact crew members after the SOS signal was sent out.

Video the coalition posted on its X account appeared to show a fire burning on a ship, as well as smoke. The sound of two loud explosions can also be heard in a separate video clip.

“Our vessel is 17 kilometers off the shores of Malta right now in international waters, and they have been subjected to a drone attack twice,” said Acar, adding that the generators at the front of the vessel were the apparent target.

“This boat, however, is not providing electricity that is needed on the vessel right now,” she said, saying the coalition was not able to contact the burning vessel.

“We have 30 international human rights activists on that vessel at this very moment on a vessel that is sinking,” said Acar.

The flotilla did not accuse any party of being behind the claimed drone attack.

Marine traffic websites list the ship Conscience as flying under Palau flag and show it was located off the eastern coast of Malta on Friday morning.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition describes itself on its website as an international network of pro-Palestinian activists working to end Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave by taking direct, non-violent action.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

Politics

DOJ sues four blue states over ‘unconstitutional’ climate laws threatening US energy security

The Justice Department (DOJ) has filed lawsuits against four Democrat-led states: Hawaii, Michigan, New York and Vermont, over what it calls unconstitutional climate policies that threaten U.S. energy independence and national security.

The move follows President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14260, Protecting American Energy from State Overreach, directing federal action against state laws that burden domestic energy development.

‘These burdensome and ideologically motivated laws and lawsuits threaten American energy independence and our country’s economic and national security,’ said Attorney General Pam Bondi.

‘The Department of Justice is working to ‘Unleash American Energy’ by stopping these illegitimate impediments to the production of affordable, reliable energy that Americans deserve.’

The DOJ filed complaints Tuesday against New York and Vermont over newly passed ‘climate superfund’ laws, which would impose strict liability on fossil fuel companies for alleged contributions to climate change.

New York’s law alone seeks $75 billion in damages from energy firms. According to the DOJ, these laws are preempted by the federal Clean Air Act, violate the Constitution, and infringe on federal foreign affairs powers.

‘These state laws assess penalties on businesses for global activities that Congress has not authorized states to regulate,’ the DOJ argued in its filings.

Separate lawsuits were filed Monday against Hawaii and Michigan to block those states from suing fossil fuel companies in state court over past climate harms. The DOJ argues that those states’ litigation would place unconstitutional burdens on energy producers.

‘When states seek to regulate energy beyond their constitutional or statutory authority, they harm the country’s ability to produce energy and they aid our adversaries,’ said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson.

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World

Prosecutors in Thailand drop royal defamation case against US scholar

State prosecutors in Thailand announced Thursday that they don’t intend to press charges against an American academic arrested for royal defamation, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The arrest last month of Paul Chambers, a political science lecturer at Naresuan University in the northern province of Phitsanulok, had drawn concern from the academic community, especially from Asian studies scholars around the world, as well as the US government

The decision not to prosecute the 58-year-old Oklahoma native doesn’t immediately clear him of the charge of insulting the monarchy— also known as “lèse majesté” — or a related charge of violating the Computer Crime Act, which covers online activities.

The announcement said that the Phitsanulok provincial prosecutor will request the provincial court to drop the charges and forward the case file and nonprosecution order to the commissioner of Provincial Police Region 6, covering Phitsanulok, who may review and contest the decision.

Chambers, a 58-year-old Oklahoma native with a doctorate in political science from Northern Illinois University, was arrested in early April on a complaint made by the northern regional office of the army’s Internal Security Operations Command.

He has studied the power and influence of the Thai military, which plays a major role in politics. It has staged 13 coups since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, most recently 11 years ago.

The army’s Internal Security Operations Command told a parliamentary inquiry that it filed the complaint based on a Facebook post that translated words from a website operated by ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, a think tank in Singapore, about a webinar on Thai politics that included Chambers as a participant.

Chambers’ supporters said that the blurb for the webinar, which was cited in his charge sheet as evidence, wasn’t written by him.

He had been jailed in April for two nights after reporting himself to the Phitsanulok police, and then granted release on bail, with several conditions, including wearing an ankle monitor. A court on Tuesday allowed him to take off the device.

Chambers’ visa was revoked at the time of his arrest on the basis of an immigration law barring entry to foreigners who are deemed likely to engage in activities contrary to public order or good morals, prostitution, people smuggling and drug trafficking. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the revocation will stand.

“This case reinforces our longstanding concerns about the use of lèse majesté laws in Thailand,” a US State Department statement said after Chambers’ arrest. ”We continue to urge Thai authorities to respect freedom of expression and to ensure that laws are not used to stifle permitted expression.”

Thailand’s lèse majesté law calls for three to 15 years imprisonment for anyone who defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir apparent or the regent. Critics say it’s among the harshest such laws anywhere and also has been used to punish critics of the government and the military.

The monarchy has long been considered a pillar of Thai society and criticizing it used to be strictly taboo. Conservative Thais, especially in the military and courts, still consider it untouchable.

However, public debate on the topic has grown louder in the past decade, particularly among young people, and student-led pro-democracy protests starting in 2020 began openly criticizing the institution.

That led to vigorous prosecutions under the previously little-used law. The legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights has said that since early 2020, more than 270 people — many of them student activists — have been charged with violating the law.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

Investing

Greenvale to Commence Alpha Test Program 7

Greenvale Energy (GRV:AU) has announced Greenvale to Commence Alpha Test Program 7

Download the PDF here.

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Investing

International Lithium Announces Upsize and Extension of Private Placement

International Lithium Corp. (TSXV: ILC) (OTCQB: ILHMF) (FSE: IAH) (the ‘Company’ or ‘ILC’) is pleased to announce that it is increasing the size of its non-brokered private placement financing (the ‘Offering’) from $600,000 to $855,000 and extending the closing of the Offering to May 30, 2025. The Offering was originally announced on February 5, 2025. The upsized Offering is comprised of up to 57,000,000 common shares of the Company at a price of $0.015 per share for gross proceeds of up to $855,000.

On March 31, 2025, the Company closed the first tranche the Offering and issued 23,666,666 common shares at $0.015 per share for proceeds of $355,000. The proposed payments from the first tranche proceeds included $183,600 to pay the outstanding fees to non-arm’s length creditors.

Proceeds of the private placement will be used primarily for general working capital purposes. The payments to persons conducting Investor Relations Activities shall not exceed 10% of the proceeds.

Closing of the Offering is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date under applicable Canadian securities laws.

It is anticipated that some directors and insiders will participate in the future tranches of the Offering. The issue of shares (to the extent subscribed for by insiders) constitute ‘related party transactions’ pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (‘MI 61-101’), as the subscribers include directors of the Company. The Company is exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation or minority shareholder approval in connection with the shares in reliance on the exemptions contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively, as the fair market value of the shares does not exceed 25% of the Company’s market capitalization.

About International Lithium Corp.

While the world’s politicians are currently divided on the future of the energy market’s historic dependence on oil and gas and on ‘Net Zero’, there seems a clear and unstoppable momentum towards electric vehicles and electric battery storage. We have also seen the clear and increasingly urgent wish by the USA and Canada and other major economies to safeguard their supplies of critical metals and to become more self-sufficient. Our Canadian projects, which contain lithium, rubidium and copper, are strategic in that respect.

Our key mission in the next decade is to make money for our shareholders from lithium and other battery metals and rare metals while at the same time playing our part in creating a greener, cleaner planet and less polluted cities. This includes optimizing the value of our existing projects in Canada as well as finding, exploring and developing projects that have the potential to become world class deposits. We have announced separately that we regard Zimbabwe as an important strategic target market for ILC, and that we have applied for and hope to receive EPOs there. We hope to be able to make announcements over the next few weeks and months.

The Company’s interests in various projects now consists of the following, and in addition the Company continues to seek other opportunities:

Name	Metal	Location	Area (Hectares)	Current Ownership Percentage	Future Ownership percentage if options exercised or work carried out	Operator or JV Partner
Raleigh Lake	Lithium Rubidium	Ontario	32,900	100%	100%	ILC
Firesteel	Copper Cobalt	Ontario	6,600	90%	90%	ILC
Wolf Ridge	Lithium	Ontario	5,700	0%	100%	ILC
Mavis Lake	Lithium	Ontario	2,600	0%	0% (carries an extra earn-in payment of CAD$ 0.7 million if resource targets met)	Critical Resources Ltd ( ASX: CRR)
Avalonia*	Lithium	Ireland	29,200	0%	2.0% Net Smelter Royalty	Ganfeng Lithium
Forgan/ Lucky Lakes	Lithium	Ontario		0%	1.5% Net Smelter Royalty	Ultra Lithium Inc. ( TSXV: ULT)
*Sale not completed yet

The Company’s primary strategic focus at this point is on the Raleigh Lake lithium and rubidium project and the Firesteel copper project in Canada and on obtaining EPOs and mineral claims in Zimbabwe.

The Raleigh Lake Project now consists of 32,900 hectares (329 square kilometres) of mineral claims in Ontario and is ILC’s most significant project in Canada. Drilling has so far been on less than 1,000 hectares of our claims. A Preliminary Economic Assessment( PEA) was published for ILC’s lithium at Raleigh Lake in December 2023, with detailed economic analysis of ILC’s separate rubidium resource still to come. Raleigh Lake is 100% owned by ILC, is not subject to any encumbrances, and is royalty free. The project has excellent access to roads, rail and utilities.

A continuing goal has been to remain a well-funded company to turn our aspirations into reality, and following the disposal of the Mariana project in Argentina in 2021, the Mavis Lake project in Canada in January 2022, and the Avalonia project in 2024 (sale not completed yet), ILC has achieved sufficient inward cashflow to be able to make progress with its exploration projects.

With the increasing demand for high tech rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles and electrical storage as well as portable electronics, lithium has been designated ‘the new oil’ and is a key part of a green energy sustainable economy. By positioning itself with projects with significant resource potential and with solid strategic partners, ILC aims to be one of the lithium and rare metals resource developers of choice for investors and to continue to build value for its shareholders in the ’20s, the decade of battery metals.

On behalf of the Company,

John Wisbey
Chairman and CEO

www.internationallithium.ca

For further information concerning this news release please contact +1 604-449-6520

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release or other releases contain certain ‘forward-looking information’ within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information or forward-looking statements in this or other news releases may include: the timing of completion of the Offering and the amounts to be raised, effect of results of anticipated production rates, the timing and/or anticipated results of drilling on the Raleigh Lake or Firesteel or Wolf Ridge projects, the expectation of resource estimates, preliminary economic assessments, feasibility studies, lithium or rubidium or copper recoveries, modeling of capital and operating costs, results of studies utilizing various technologies at the company’s projects, budgeted expenditures and planned exploration work on the Company’s projects, increased value of shareholder investments, the potential from the company’s third party earn-out or royalty arrangements, and assumptions about ethical behaviour by our joint venture partners or third party operators of projects. Such forward-looking information is based on assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those discussed in the sections entitled ‘Risks’ and ‘Forward-Looking Statements’ in the interim and annual Management’s Discussion and Analysis which are available at www.sedar.com. While management believes that the assumptions made are reasonable, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking information. Forward-looking information herein, and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on expectations, estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the time of such statements, are subject to significant business, economic, legislative, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These estimates and assumptions may prove to be incorrect and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions change.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/250515

News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia

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Business

Amazon is stepping up to fill a gap in Hollywood’s movie slate

Tech is saving Hollywood — though not in the way you might think.

Back in 2022, e-commerce giant and relative upstart movie studio Amazon promised to spend around $1 billion each year on theatrical releases, a figure that would fund between 12 and 15 films annually. Today, it appears ready to deliver.

Earlier this month, the company, which operates the streaming platform Prime Video and recently acquired MGM studios, took the stage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas to tout its line-up of movies made just for the big screen.

Amazon’s inaugural presentation at the annual convention of Cinema United — previously known as the National Association of Theatre Owners — wowed exhibitors, marketers and media in attendance with flashy trailers and first-look footage from upcoming films like “Project Hail Mary,” “After the Hunt” and “Verity.”

It also brought some star power with the likes of Ryan Gosling, Andrew Garfield, Julia Roberts, Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman and Michael B. Jordan set to headline these cinematic releases.

“I thought the presentation was incredible,” said Brock Bagby, president and chief content, programming and development officer at B&B Theatres. “For their first year out, they pulled out all the stops.”

While the studio won’t have a full slate of more than a dozen films until 2026, it has steadily invested in theatrical content over the last few years. Amazon had one wide release, a film that played in more than 2,000 theaters, in 2023 and five in 2024. This year Amazon has only four wide releases on the calendar so far, but the company is slated to have 14 in 2026 and 16 in 2027.

This surge of theatrical content is just what the domestic box office needs. While blockbuster franchise films have been abundant in the wake of the pandemic, the overall number of wide releases has shrunk over the last decade. Even before Covid and dual Hollywood labor strikes slowed production down, Hollywood was making fewer and fewer movies each year, according to data from Comscore.

Mid-budget movies — often in the drama, comedy and romantic comedy genres — began disappearing in the mid-2010s as studios sought to invest in bigger budget franchise flicks that could result in higher profits. The comparatively lower-budget films have since been predominantly redirected to streaming platforms in an effort to stock these services with more affordable content.

Analysts project that the domestic box office has lost around $1 billion each year in total ticket sales as a result of that shift.

At the same time that studios were altering their film slates, movie houses were merging. The most recent union between the Walt Disney Company and 20th Century Fox, first announced in 2017 and finalized in early 2019, resulted in the loss of between 10 and 15 film releases annually, according to data from Comscore.

In 2015, 20th Century Fox released 17 films. After its acquisition, the pandemic and the strikes, it has released fewer than a half dozen titles each year.

“With consolidation in the past of some of the studios, the output numbers have decreased over the past few years, and with fewer releases there is less potential for box office and concession sales,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “More importantly movie theaters need new films to draw customers into their auditoriums.”

Amazon’s commitment to theatrical, alongside the emergence of smaller studios like Neon and A24, should help to close the gap left by 20th Century Fox’s acquisition.

“They’ve filled the gap that we’re missing from Fox, which is so exciting, and it looks like a similar slate to Fox, where there’s a few big titles, but a lot of that mid-range,” Bagby said.

What industry experts have discovered is that the strength of the box office doesn’t just rely on the success of franchise films — superhero flicks, big-budget action fare and the like — but also on the sheer volume and diversity of content.

There is a direct correlation between the number of theatrical releases and the strength of the overall box office. During the pandemic, the decline in box office ticket sales largely tracked nearly in lock step with the percentage decline in film releases.

“The number of movies being released continues to trend in the right direction,” said Michael O’Leary, CEO of Cinema United. “When considering wide releases at 2,000 or more locations, we saw 94 last year, but we expect at least 110 in 2025. Beyond that, distributors have secured release dates as far out as 2028 for movies with plenty of commercial potential.”

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Politics

HHS halts work at high-risk infectious disease lab following repeated safety violations

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) implemented a pause on research at one of the nation’s most highly secure research labs, following repeated safety incidents that a source familiar told Fox News Digital have been occurring since the Biden administration.

An HHS official confirmed the pause at Fort Detrick’s Integrated Research Facility, which conducts risky research on deadly infectious diseases like SARS-COV-2 and the Ebola virus, began Tuesday at 5 p.m.

The facility, which is one of only a handful across North America, is part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and is located at the U.S. Army base Fort Detrick, outside Washington, D.C. The research there studies treatment and prevention of deadly, ‘high-consequence’ diseases such as Lassa Fever and Eastern equine encephalitis.

According to the HHS official who was willing to speak on the matter under the condition of anonymity, the pause stemmed from a lover’s spat between researchers at the facility, which resulted in one of the individuals poking holes in the other’s personal protective equipment (PPE). That individual has since been fired, the official indicated.

The HHS official added that the incident is just the latest example of safety incidents at the high-risk laboratory, which they blamed on a poor safety culture at the lab enabled by the previous Biden administration.

‘NIH and HHS take the safety of our facilities and research very seriously,’ HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said. ‘As soon as we found out about this incident, we took immediate action to issue the safety pause until we can correct the safety culture at this facility.’

The latest incident, according to HHS, was preceded by a separate incident that occurred as recently as November.

The facility’s director, Connie Schmaljohn, was placed on administrative leave following the incident. The HHS official familiar with the matter indicated Schmaljohn did not report the incident up the chain of command immediately, causing a delay in remedying the matter.

During this temporary pause, all research at the facility will come to a halt and access will be limited to essential personnel.

It is unclear how long the pause will remain in effect.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Iran talks in Rome not happening this weekend and were never confirmed, State Department says

The U.S. has not committed to participating in a fourth round of denuclearization talks with Iran this weekend despite reports to the contrary, according to the State Department.

‘The United States was never confirmed to be participating in a fourth round of talks with Iran, which people had believed were Saturday in Rome,’ spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a news conference Thursday. ‘We expect another round of talks will take place in the near future.’

The U.S. participated in talks with Iranian officials once in Rome and twice in Oman. Envoy Steve Witkoff is the lead negotiator for President Donald Trump’s desired deal that stops Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi, whose nation is trying to help broker a deal, posted on X that the talks had been postponed for ‘logistical reasons.’

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said Tehran is still committed to getting to a ‘fair and lasting agreement.’

Iran seeks to have U.S. sanctions lifted, while the Trump team has insisted it will need verifiable proof Iran has stopped enriching uranium to lift any financial penalties.

Trump has threatened to launch strikes on Iran if talks go sideways.

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued an ominous threat to Iran over its backing of the Houthis.

‘Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing,’ Hegseth wrote on X. ‘You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing.’

A U.S. official described last week’s talks as ‘positive and productive.’

‘There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal,’ the official said. ‘We agreed to meet again soon, in Europe, and we thank our Omani partners for facilitating these talks.’

‘This time, the negotiations were much more serious than in the past, and we gradually entered into deeper and more detailed discussions,’ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. ‘We have moved somewhat away from broader, general discussions, though it is not the case that all disagreements have been resolved. Differences still exist both on major issues and on the details.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Trump nominates Waltz for high-level post after ousting him as national security advisor

President Donald Trump tapped former national security advisor Mike Waltz for his administration’s ambassador to the United Nations after Waltz was ousted from the National Security Council office earlier Thursday.

‘I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations,’ Trump posted to Truth Social on Thursday.

‘From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role. In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department. Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN. Thank you for your attention to this matter!’

Waltz posted to X shortly after Trump’s announcement that he was ‘deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation.’

Trump added in his post that Rubio will simultaneously serve as his interim national security advisor after Waltz left the role on Thursday. In 1973, then-President Richard Nixon made a similar move when he named national security advisor Henry Kissinger to also serve as secretary of state, State Department records show.

Waltz and other National Security Council staffers were ousted from their office on Thursday in the most high-profile executive office exits of the second Trump administration. Trump’s announcement on naming Waltz as U.N. ambassador unfolded just hours after the news began circulating.

The former national security advisor had been at the heart of the Signal chat leak debacle that unfolded in March, when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine was inadvertently added to a group chat with high-profile Trump officials such as Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe discussing military strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Speculation had mounted for weeks that Waltz would be removed from his position amid the fallout of the chat leak, though the administration has maintained that no classified material was shared in the group chat and that the president had confidence in his National Security Council team.

Ahead of Trump tapping Waltz for the new administration role, a handful of names had been floated for U.N. ambassador after Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., withdrew her nomination in March, including David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel; Ellie Cohanim, former deputy special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism at the State Department under the first Trump administration; and special presidential envoy Richard Grenell. Grenell said he was a ‘hard no’ on serving in the U.N. ambassador role ahead of Trump’s announcement.

Trump announced Stefanik as his original choice for the role in November 2024, just days after his successful election against former Vice President Kamala Harris. The New York congresswoman, however, pulled her nomination last month as concerns mounted in Trump’s orbit that the GOP’s slim majority in the House would grow smaller in her absence.

Concerns grew ahead of two special House elections in Florida on April 2, which ultimately saw both Republicans victorious, but with significantly slimmer margins than their GOP predecessors in their previous elections.

Stefank told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in March that she bowed out of the confirmation process to serve as U.N. ambassador due to both the GOP’s margin in the House combined with the need for her to help combat Democratic ‘corruption’ in her home state of New York.

‘It was a combination of the New York corruption that we’re seeing under Kathy Hochul, special elections and the House margin,’ Stefanik said on ‘Hannity’ in March. ‘I’ve been in the House. It’s tough to count these votes every day. And we are going to continue to defy the political prognosticators and deliver, deliver victory on behalf of President Trump and, importantly, the voters across this country.’

‘The president knows that. He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people. And as always, I’m committed to delivering results on behalf of my constituents,’ she added.

Trump announced on Truth Social that Stefanik withdrew her nomination to ‘remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength.’

‘With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,’ he added.

During Trump’s first administration, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former diplomat Kelly Craft served as U.N. ambassadors.

Upon taking office, the 47th president made cuts to U.S. involvement with programs under the U.N.’s umbrella, including ending U.S. engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council and banning funding for the U.N. relief agency for Gaza.

‘I’ve always felt that the U.N. has tremendous potential,’ Trump said in February while signing the executive order that made cuts to U.S. involvement with U.N. groups. ‘It’s not being well-run.’

‘A lot of these conflicts that we’re working on should be settled, or at least we should have some help in settling them. But we never seem to get help. That should be the primary purpose of the U.N.,’ Trump continued.

Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

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