Republican efforts to impeach Walz, Ellison fail in Minnesota

(The Center Square) — Homelessness is predicted to rise, while policies predicted to lower the homeless numbers only address part of the cause, according to analysts. 

The annual Point-In-Time (PIT) count, conducted by the Continuums of Care for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is a once‑a‑year estimate nationwide of the number of people experiencing homelessness, both sheltered and unsheltered, and provides insight into whether homelessness is on the rise or decline.

“It’s an imperfect measure,” Ryan Orsinger, director of Data Science and Research at Haven for Hope, told The Center Square. “If you get 100 volunteers in San Antonio one year, and you get a count, and then the next year you get 200 volunteers and they’re just all geared up, you could actually have a change in the measurement not based on the number of human beings who are actually experiencing homelessness, just because of measurement variance.” 

Weather, volunteer engagement, and other factors influence the PIT count, leading to fluctuations in data and unreliable results. According to Orsinger, HUD is exploring ways to revamp the PIT count, potentially collecting more counts throughout the year to provide more accurate data. 

The full 2025 PIT count numbers have not yet officially been released, though the 2024 PIT count showed the highest level of homelessness on a single night on record, with 771,480 people recorded homeless. While awaiting the 2025 PIT count national results, some states and districts' results have been released. 

The D.C. metropolitan area PIT count recorded 9,659 people as homeless in January 2025, which is only 1% lower than 2024’s count but still higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the 1% decrease in the region and the PIT count occurring on only one night a year, the decrease is not truly significant. 

“If we’re looking at a 1% difference on people, and there’s a variance of 1%, I’m not going to take that as good news or bad news if it goes up or down, because that's a pretty reasonable measurement error, at least nationally,” Orsinger said. “Once you get above like 5–6% variance, then you’re getting to the real story, especially on a national figure.”

Tens of billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on homelessness programs in hopes of reducing homelessness as a whole, with some programs having significantly more success than others.

On July 24, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order revoking the housing-first policy and labeling homelessness primarily as a public safety and mental health crisis, arguing drug addiction and serious mental illness as the main cause of homelessness, and redirected federal homelessness policy toward law enforcement, involuntary treatment and stricter funding conditions. 

Trump’s executive order was an attempt to address the root causes of homelessness using a treatment-first initiative, in hopes that taxpayer money no longer continues to fund programs deemed ineffective. Still, many homeless advocates and critics expressed displeasure with the executive order and current policy. 

“The Trump administration has done everything in its power to target, attack, and punish people experiencing homelessness, from attempting to slash critical funding for housing to promoting an anti-homeless agenda based on myths and stereotypes,” the National Homelessness Law Center told The Center Square. “Trump’s policies have made homelessness worse, have made more people hungry and sick, and will leave us all less safe.”

Though PIT count numbers are not fully out yet for 2025 or 2026, there is concern among shelters that the current policy will not decrease homelessness numbers any more than previous attempts, since addressing mental health and addiction only addresses two causes. The rise of insurance and housing costs has prevented individuals and families of both older and younger generations from being able to sell, rent or purchase housing. 

Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, addressed property inflation at a panel hosted by The Daily Caller, saying how people were leaving higher inflation areas for cheaper housing in other states and driving up prices in those areas.

“It's a reason not to sell it, and so you got a ton of people who are in houses that they don't need to be in right now,” said Van Duyne. “Rising families want to be able to purchase, so helping them by not having to pay the inflationary costs on that is, actually, it’s just common sense.”

“People have seen rates double, triple, sometimes even more than that, and it's causing our housing prices to be even more severe,” said U.S. Rep. Lindsay Cross, D-Fla.

“We're creating a situation where if you can't insure it, you can't own it, and if you can't own it, you can't live or rent there,” U.S. Sen. Jamaal Bailey, D-N.Y., said. “We're adding to the housing crisis by not staying on top of insurance costs.”

According to HUD, Trump’s executive order to lower the cost of housing ensured the “income needed to buy a home is down four percent and mortgage affordability is at a four-year high” as of the 2026 State of the Union, with “existing home sales increased more than 5% in December 2025.” The executive crackdown on fraud and deportations may also help increase housing availability.

This gradual improvement in affordability may spark hope for some citizens, leading to a potential decline in homelessness, but the shift toward a housing-first policy over a treatment-first policy still raises concern. 

“It misapplies that policy solution if somebody’s issue is just economic in nature,” Orsinger said. “It’s tricky. In both cases, it’s a misapplication of a single intervention to an entire population of people who are different.”

“We used to have massive mental health institutions in this country, just like we used to condition housing on jumping through impossible hoops. We don’t do those things anymore because we learned they didn’t work and that they caused real harm,” the National Homelessness Law Center told The Center Square. “We already know what works to solve homelessness: it’s getting people the housing they can afford and the health care they need.”

HUD said Trump’s executive order to lower housing costs resulted in the “income needed to buy a home is down four percent and mortgage affordability is at a four-year high,” and is providing some relief to housing costs.

“At a time when more and more people are one missed paycheck away from homelessness, politicians must make sure that everybody has a safe place to call home,” the National Homelessness Law Center told The Center Square. “The good news is that there are real ways to do this, things like using empty government-owned buildings to build deeply affordable housing and expand rent control and rental assistance.” 

Terri Behling, director of communications at Haven for Hope, told The Center Square that the true solution to ending homelessness is addressing each individual person where they are, without treating each person as if they all have the same problems, and it takes both public and private partnerships to accomplish this.

“It’s investing in preventative measures, more affordable housing, more shelter services, more resources in general,” Behling said. “I would hope that those who do make policy would look at it as a whole and not just look at one solution, because homelessness, just like health care, is super complex, and so it affects everyone differently.”

Haven for Hope is one example of private and public partnerships working together to meet the needs of struggling individuals where they are, providing an array of programs in what Haven for Hope calls a “one-stop shop,” and successfully helping homeless people get back on their feet. However, funding and coordination for such campuses are not standard.

“This policy of Housing First also defunded shelters across the United States. That’s why you don’t see a Haven in every city,” Orsinger said. “All those federal dollars went somewhere else.”

Not all attempts to create shelter campuses have received support, as seen with the proposed Salt Lake City shelter facility, which the National Homelessness Law Center and other critics protested against. This was not the only attempt at a shelter that has not been successful.

“There was an outfit from Albuquerque who came and they wanted to replicate the idea of a one‑stop shop, but their physical facility is 21 miles outside of town in an old prison,” Orsinger said. “You can’t just shove human beings to the edge of town and expect them to resolve all of their challenges with being displaced in the first place.”

Not all solutions work, but attempts are steps in the right direction. 

“Homelessness can happen to anyone and it doesn’t discriminate,” Behling said. “Understand the complexities, look at the research, and make decisions informed by data and talking to people with lived experience and talking to the providers in the country.”

The next PIT count results are expected between May and July 2026, which are predicted to show an increase in homelessness despite current policy efforts. 

A handful of oil and gas tankers crossed the Hormuz Strait Saturday during a brief reopening, tracking data showed, but others retreated and two were reportedly attacked as Iran closed the route again.

Iran reversed its pledge to reopen the strait to commercial traffic during a ceasefire in the Middle East war in protest at an ongoing US counter-blockade of the route, a crucial passage for commodity shipments.

During the reopening, at least eight oil and gas tankers crossed the strait early Saturday after the Iranian announcement on Friday afternoon, data from tracking firm Kpler indicated.

However tracking platform MarineTraffic showed several other crude oil tankers approached the strait but then turned back near Iran's Larak Island, a checkpoint for vessels seeking to exit the Gulf under Iranian forces' blockade of the passage.

Four French-owned container ships bearing the name of major shipping firm CMA CGM also made U-turns in the strait on Saturday around 1000 GMT after starting to exit, the platform indicated.

Gunboats of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corp fired on a tanker in the strait northeast of Oman, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said in an online statement.

"Tanker and crew are reported safe. Authorities are investigating."

The UKMTO said later that it also received a report of a container ship in the same area "being hit by an unknown projectile which caused damage to some of the containers" but no fire.

Around a fifth of the world's oil and liquified natural gas pass the strait in peacetime but traffic through the route came to a near-standstill after the war erupted on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

- Iran tightens control -

Iran's central military command on Saturday appeared to reverse the decision to reopen the route, saying it would resume "strict management" of the strait because of the continued US naval counter-blockade.

Iranian forces' closure of the strait has trapped hundreds of ships in the Gulf and driven up the price of oil and the costs of shipping goods, with captains avoiding the region for fear of attacks or mines.

At least three of the vessels tracked exiting via the strait on Saturday were listed as being under US sanctions.

MarineTraffic indicated that a cruise ship, the Celestyal Discovery, became the first passenger vessel to transit the strait since the start of the conflict.

It crossed close to the coast of Oman on Friday afternoon after having been docked for about 47 days in the United Arab Emirates.

"Reports indicate the vessel is sailing without passengers," Marine Traffic said in a post on X.

At least two other passenger ships showed up on the tracking platform passing the strait close to Oman on Saturday.

- Shippers wary -

The shipping industry had reacted guardedly to the reopening on Friday.

"The status of mine threats in (Iran's maritime) traffic separation scheme is unclear," Jakob Larsen, chief security officer of major shipping association BIMCO, said in a statement emailed to AFP.

"BIMCO believes shipping companies should consider avoiding the area."

Shipping analysis firm AXSMarine estimated in a note Saturday that there were currently about 108 to 116 million barrels of crude oil held on vessels at sea in the Gulf.

It estimated that load could transit the strait within six to eight days following a full reopening, but shipments would take several weeks to reach key markets in Asia.

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(The Center Square) – Less than 24 hours after Iran and President Donald Trump touted the Strait of Hormuz open, the Islamic Republic has reportedly reversed course, closing the vital waterway.

In addition to closing the waterway early Saturday, at least two commercial ships have reportedly been struck by gunfire while attempting to pass through the strait.

Iran confirmed the closure, saying it would remain closed until the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports is lifted.

When Iran announced the reopening of the strait Friday morning, it credited the ceasefire in Lebanon with Israel, giving no indication they would reverse the deal if the naval blockade remained in effect.

“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route already announced by Ports and Maritime Organization of the Islamic Rep. of Iran,” according to a statement from Iran.

Trump spoke to reporters Friday night while returning to Washington, saying he may not extend the ceasefire with Iran set to expire Wednesday, adding the U.S. may have “to start dropping bombs again.”

The president underscored the U.S. has “been pushed around by Iran for 47 years, but not anymore.”

Earlier on Friday, Trump appeared optimistic the two countries were close to a deal, saying Iran had agreed to give up its “nuclear dust.”

The president indicated that talks in Pakistan may resume over the weekend after Vice President JD Vance failed to produce a deal last weekend. The White House has yet to announce a second round of talks; however, Trump has said he has been in direct contact with Iranian officials.

On Monday, Trump announced a total blockade of Iranian ports in an effort to squeeze the regime economically.

In a second Truth Social post Friday morning, the president confirmed the naval blockade on Iran remains in effect "until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete."

A French soldier was killed and three others wounded in an attack Saturday on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon that appeared to have been carried out by Hezbollah, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

"Everything points to Hezbollah being responsible for this attack," he said on X, urging Lebanese authorities to arrest the perpetrators.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire on Thursday in order to negotiate an end to six weeks of war between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

The fighting in Lebanon -- one of the fronts in the Middle East war -- has seen the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) deployed there repeatedly targeted, by both Israeli and Hezbollah forces.

The peacekeeper killed, identified as staff sergeant Florian Montorio, was caught in an "ambush" as his unit headed to a UNIFIL outpost and he died from a "direct gunshot", France's armed forces minister Catherine Vautrin said on X.

She said the outpost they had been heading to had been "cut off for several days by combat in the area". 

The ambush was carried out "by an armed group at very close range", she said.

Vautrin added that Montorio was "picked up by his comrades under fire" but they were unable to resuscitate him.

- Possible 'war crimes' -

Macron's office said he held calls with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to urge them to "guarantee the security of UNIFIL soldiers".

Aoun condemned the attack and pledged to bring those responsible to justice, while Salam said he had ordered an investigation.

UNIFIL, in an online statement, said the peacekeepers "came under small-arms fire from non-state-actors" as they were "clearing explosive ordnance along a road in the village of Ghanduriyah" to get to the outpost.

"Tragically, one peacekeeper succumbed to his injuries and three others were injured, two of them seriously," it said.

Its initial assessment indicates the incoming fire was "allegedly Hezbollah", it said, adding that it had launched its own investigation into what "may amount to war crimes".

UNIFIL patrols in south Lebanon near the Israeli border where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since last month after the Iran-backed militant group drew Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran.

Three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed last month, with a preliminary UN investigation finding one was killed by Israeli tank fire, while the two others were killed by an improvised explosive device likely planted by Hezbollah.

Other UNIFIL peacekeepers have also been wounded since the war erupted, and in April, Israeli soldiers destroyed surveillance cameras in UNIFIL's headquarters, the peacekeeping body said.

Last week, an Israeli tank twice rammed peacekeeping vehicles, causing damage but no injuries, according to UNIFIL.

United Nations peacekeepers have served as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel for decades, but their mandate concludes at the end of this year.

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Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Saturday "I have no regrets" about symbolically handing over her Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump back in January.

"There is a leader in the world, a head of state in the world who risked the lives of his country's citizens for Venezuela's freedom," she told a news conference in Madrid.

Machado presented her Nobel prize to Trump when she met him in the White House just two weeks after he ordered US forces to attack Caracas and snatch Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Trump, who has long coveted the Nobel Peace Prize, is currently embroiled in the Middle East war he started with his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with airstrikes on Iran at the end of February.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the peace prize, made clear after Machado handed her 2025 Nobel medal to Trump that the actual honour it represents "cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others".

Machado said that Trump's military operation to snatch Maduro, who is currently detained in New York facing US drug charges, "is something we Venezuelans will never forget".

"Consequently," she said, "no, I have no regrets" about gifting her Nobel medal to Trump.

Machado, who was in hiding before leaving Venezuela in December to collect her Nobel prize in Oslo, said she was organising her return to the country in coordination with Washington.

"I am speaking with the US government, and we are working in coordination, with mutual respect and understanding," she said.

She added that she believed that Washington was "key to advancing a democratic transition" in Venezuela.

Venezuela's opposition last week called for presidential elections.

Machado, who has not yet said if she would run in a future poll, was banned from running for president in the 2024 election that resulted with Maduro claiming a reelection victory.

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(The Center Square) - Taxpayer advocates are applauding the Trump administration over its efforts calling for medical price transparency in federal employee health-care plans while health-care industry leaders are pushing back.

The Office of Personnel Management requested comments from industry leaders and health-care experts on transparency within claims data for federal employee health insurance plans.

Trent England, executive director of Save Our States, said the issue is significant for taxpayers because they pay for federal employees health-care benefits. He said the system is opaque and does not provide appropriate access to the most competitive prices in the market.

“Hospitals and other medical providers set their prices, and they benefit from the opacity,” England told The Center Square. “They benefit from the fact that it’s just hard to see.”

England said that open access to claims data could mean the difference between paying $20,000 or $12,000 for the same procedure.

The Trump administration’s pursuit of claims data from insurance companies could have an impact on private health-care insurers as well, England pointed out. He said hospitals across the country are starting to provide upfront cost assessments more often.

“We have to be able to ask the questions about why some things cost so much and other things cost so little,” England said.

Andrew Bremberg, former director of the Domestic Policy Council in the first Trump administration, applauded OPM’s efforts to pursue price transparency for federal worker insurance plans.

“It’s vital that OPM get this claims data so they can detect fraud and fight back against it,” Bremberg told The Center Square.

He said the work in health-care price transparency has been ongoing since the first Trump administration. Bremberg pointed to a recent settlement from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

The insurance provider agreed to pay $100 million in November to resolve claims that it overcharged the plan in order to secure a contract to manage New Jersey’s public employee health plans.

“The health plan was paying out claims using taxpayers’ money, not their money,” Bremberg said. “The taxpayers’ money was paying out claims at a higher amount than what the provider had even billed.”

The insurance company submitted more than 1,000 false claims to the state and used fraudulent records to support them, according to New Jersey prosecutors. Horizon received nearly $500 million across five years under its contract with New Jersey due to misrepresenting claims data and charging higher amounts than it was allowed.

Increasingly, third-party pay systems have become common in health care. These entities manage daily responsibilities for self-insured employer health plans. However, England said these health-care models lead to less transparency in the market.

“Politicians have conned people into thinking health care is too important to be left to the market, and it’s just the opposite,” England said. “Health care is too important to be left to politicians.”

Industry leaders have pushed back against the Trump administration’s pursuit of claims data. Several leaders have argued that widespread publication of claims data could violate patient privacy.

England acknowledged concerns about privacy but pointed out that the federal government is entrusted with large amounts of data already. He urged individuals concerned about data sharing to trust the government.

“They don’t want these questions being asked because it gets very awkward for some of these health-care providers that charge far more than the average prices for some of these procedures,” England said.

While OPM’s actions are strictly targeted to Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits, England said they could have a ripple effect on the private health-care industry.

“This kind of data-driven accountability should be the standard across both public and private health systems and is critical to making evidence-based reforms,” Bremberg said. “We can and must protect patient privacy, but rejecting access to claims data outright would undermine one of the most effective tools available to improve affordability and system integrity.”

No date has been set for the next round of Iran–US peace talks brokered by Pakistan following the failure of an initial round, Iran's deputy foreign minister said on Saturday. 

"Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set a date," Saeed Khatibzadeh told journalists on the sidelines of an annual diplomatic forum in Turkey's southern Antalya province. 

"We hope that as soon as we can finalise that, then we can move on to the next step". 

Khatibzadeh said both sides were currently focused on finalising a framework of understanding before proceeding with further negotiations. 

"We do not want to enter into any negotiation or meeting that is destined to fail and could serve as a pretext for another round of escalation," he said. 

"I can assure you that Iran is very much committed to diplomacy". 

Pakistan's powerful military chief and prime minister concluded separate visits aimed at ending the Iran war, with Field Marshal Asim Munir leaving Tehran and premier Shehbaz Sharif headed home from Turkey.

Munir met Iran's top leadership and peace negotiators during a three-day visit to Tehran, a Pakistani military statement said.

Egypt and Pakistan were working "very hard" as mediators to brig about "a final agreement between the United States and Iran", Egypt's foreign minister told journalists at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. 

Egypt and Turkey has joined diplomatic efforts with Pakistan to help secure a ceasefire in the conflict. 

"We hope to do so (reach an agreement) in the coming days," Badr Abdelatty said, noting that "not only us in the region, but the whole world is suffering from the continuation of this war".

"We are pushing very hard in order to move forward," he said.

- Trump 'tweets a lot'-

Iran dismissed US threats of fresh military action, with the senior Iranian official saying that that Washington's statements were inconsistent.

"The American side tweets a lot, talks a lot. Sometimes confusing, sometimes, you know, contradictory," Khatibzadeh said, referring to US President Donald Trump and his frequent social media posts.

"It is up to the American people to decide whether these statements are consistent and in accordance with international law," he added.

Khatibzadeh said Iran's position was clear and vowed resistance to pressure from Washington.

"What we are going to do is quite clear. We will defend heroically and patriotically (our country) ... as the oldest civilisation on earth," he said.

The deputy minister also rejected US accusations that Iran was threatening freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments, after Iran's military again declared the waterway closed.

"Americans cannot impose their will to do a siege over Iran while Iran, with good intention, is trying to facilitate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz," Khatibzadeh said.

He said Iran had announced safe passage for commercial vessels for the duration of Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, provided there was prior coordination with Iranian maritime authorities.

However, Khatibzadeh accused Washington of attempting to "sabotage" those efforts.

"If ceasefire terms are violated and Americans do not honour their commitments, there will be repercussions for them," he said.

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The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Gunboats fire on tanker -

Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a British maritime security agency reported.

The tanker's captain reported being approached 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman by two gunboats of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC), which without any radio warning "then fired upon the tanker", the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre said in an online statement.

"Tanker and crew are reported safe. Authorities are investigating."

- Supreme leader's warning -

A statement said to have been issued by Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that Tehran's navy was ready to defeat US forces.

In a statement on his Telegram channel, Khamenei -- who has not been seen in public since before the start of the war -- said Iran's "brave navy stands ready to make the enemies taste the bitterness of new defeats".

- No date for talks -

No date has been set for the next round of Iran-US peace talks brokered by Pakistan following the failure of the first one, Iran's deputy foreign minister said.

"Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set the date," Saeed Khatibzadeh told journalists.

"Now we are focusing on finalising the framework of understanding between two sides. We don't want to enter into any negotiation or meeting which is due to failure which can be pretext for another round of escalation," he said.

- 'Trump talks a lot' -

US President Donald Trump "tweets a lot", Khatibzadeh also said, after Washington threatened fresh strikes if no deal was reached with Tehran.

"The American side tweets a lot, talks a lot. Sometimes confusing, sometimes, you know, contradictory," he told journalists.

- Egypt hopeful of peace -

Egypt and Pakistan are working "very hard" as mediators to bring about "a final agreement between the United States and Iran", Egypt's foreign minister said.

"We hope to do so (reach an agreement) in the coming days," Badr Abdelatty said, adding: "We are pushing very hard in order to move forward."

- Hormuz closed again -

Iran's central military command said it would resume "strict management" of the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a decision to unblock the strategic channel as part of negotiations with Washington.

In a statement shared on state television, the headquarters said Washington had broken a promise by continuing its naval blockade of ships sailing to and from Iran's ports.

- Turkey slams Israel -

Turkey's foreign minister accused Israel of using security as a pretext to acquire "more land".

"Israel is not after its own security. Israel is after more land. Security is being used by the Netanyahu government as an excuse to occupy more land," Hakan Fidan told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

- Pakistan war diplomacy -

Pakistan's powerful military chief and prime minister concluded separate visits aimed at ending the Iran war, with Field Marshal Asim Munir leaving Tehran and premier Shehbaz Sharif headed home from Turkey.

Munir met Iran's top leadership and peace negotiators during a three-day visit to Tehran, a Pakistani military statement said.

A second round of talks between the United States and Iran is expected in Islamabad this coming week.

- Iranian airspace partially opened -

Iran partially reopened its airspace to international flights crossing the eastern part of its territory.

"Air routes in the eastern section of the country's airspace are open for international flights transiting through Iran," the country's Civil Aviation Authority said, adding that some airports had also reopened.

- Trump says blockade may 'remain' -

President Donald Trump said late Friday he planned to maintain a US blockade of Iranian ports if a peace deal with Tehran is not reached, adding that he may not extend the ceasefire after its expiration.

A ceasefire between Tehran and Washington is due to expire on Wednesday. 

"Maybe I won't extend it, but the blockade is going to remain," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, when asked if the ceasefire will be extended.

Asked about a potential deal, Trump said, "I think it's going to happen."

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US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday issued a month-long sanctions waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products that are at sea, extending an earlier move to soften surging energy prices.

The license, issued by the Treasury Department, comes two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington would not renew the waiver.

The latest move allows for the purchase of oil and petroleum products that have been loaded onto any vessel as of Friday, through 12:01 am (0401 GMT) on May 16.

It prolongs an earlier easing of sanctions that expired on April 11.

On Wednesday, however, Bessent had told reporters that the United States would not make such an extension for Russian oil -- or Iranian oil.

Both measures aimed to ease global supply shocks from the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Tehran retaliated by effectively closing off the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for energy shipments.

Oil prices have since surged, squeezing countries and especially those dependent on energy exports from the region.

US gasoline prices have jumped as well, putting pressure on households ahead of key midterm elections this year.

But such waivers could complicate efforts to deprive Russia of oil revenue needed for its war on Ukraine.

Senate Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren slammed the decision as "shameful" in a joint statement.

"This decision is shameful and a 180-degree reversal from Secretary Bessent, just two days after he pledged not to extend sanctions relief for Russia," the senators said.

"Make no mistake, Putin has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of President Trump's war against Iran, as Russia saw oil revenues nearly double in March" they added.

This week, after a meeting of Group of Seven finance leaders in Washington, French Finance Minister Roland Lescure stressed that "Russia mustn't be getting benefits from what's happening in Iran."

He added that Ukraine should also not be "collateral damage."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched in 2022, has become the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.

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© Agence France-Presse

Turkey's top diplomat on Saturday accused Israel of creating an international "illusion" and using security concerns as a pretext to seize "more land," in the latest flare‑up in escalating tensions between the two regional powers.

Israel and Turkey have been trading near‑daily diplomatic barbs over a range of regional conflicts, from Israel's war in Gaza to rising tensions linked to Iran.

"Israel is not after its own security. Israel is after more land," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the Mediterranean resort city. 

"Security is being used by the Netanyahu government as an excuse to occupy more land," he added, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking in English at a panel discussion, Fidan said Israel had created an "illusion" internationally by portraying itself as acting purely in its own defence.

"It has become very clear, especially in recent years, that it is more than that," he said.

From Palestinian lands including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and now extending towards Lebanon and Syria, Israel was pursuing "an onward occupation and expansionism in the region," Fidan said.

"I think this has to stop."

"Israel has to know that the only way to live peacefully in the region is to let other countries enjoy their own security, territorial integrity and freedom, and not to use power against them," he added.

Turkey and Israel have frequently been at odds, including over Israel's military campaign in Gaza and differences over Syria's future.

Relations were severely strained in 2010 when Israeli forces raided a flotilla of ships attempting to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, killing nine Turkish activists and one US national. The flotilla was co‑organised by a Turkish aid group.

-'Move back to Russia-Ukraine talks'-

Fidan on Friday met the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt for talks on regional issues, including the Middle East conflict, on the sidelines of the forum.

Asked about the discussions, Fidan said regional countries needed to come together to address shared challenges.

"It is time for all of us to come together in a very mature way and own our problems," he said, again singling out Israel as the only country seeking territorial gains.

Commenting on Turkey's quiet diplomacy over the Russia‑Ukraine war, Fidan said those efforts had been overshadowed by tensions involving Iran.

"That has left the Russia‑Ukraine war on the side," he said.

He added that attention should shift back to Ukraine talks once tensions with Iran eased, warning that the conflict remained open to escalation.

Turkey, which has hosted several rounds of Russia‑Ukraine negotiations, is also hosting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha at separate panels during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

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