Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at canceled U.S. strikes on Iran, the resignation of British Defense Minister John Healey, and mass protests in Albania against a proposed luxury resort.
TACO Thursday
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled on Thursday that a deal to end the Iran war could be announced shortly, canceling planned strikes mere hours after foreshadowing them. But with the White House’s history of saying that an agreement is imminent only for Tehran to deny Trump’s claims, it remains unclear just how close Washington actually is to securing a deal.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at canceled U.S. strikes on Iran, the resignation of British Defense Minister John Healey, and mass protests in Albania against a proposed luxury resort.
TACO Thursday
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled on Thursday that a deal to end the Iran war could be announced shortly, canceling planned strikes mere hours after foreshadowing them. But with the White House’s history of saying that an agreement is imminent only for Tehran to deny Trump’s claims, it remains unclear just how close Washington actually is to securing a deal.
At 8:22 a.m. EDT, Trump wrote on Truth Social that at “some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets.” Kharg Island is a small, strategically important island in the Persian Gulf through which 90 percent of Iran’s crude exports flow. The U.S. president compared looming action against the island on Thursday to the U.S. military’s operations in Venezuela, and he vowed to launch another round of “VERY HARD” strikes on Iran later that night.
But just five hours later, at 1:28 p.m., Trump reversed course (or, TACOed). “Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” Trump posted.
Trump said that final points “in both concept and great detail” have been approved by all parties—including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey—and that the timing and place of the deal’s signing would be announced shortly.
Trump did not say what is in the supposed deal, though he stated that the U.S. naval blockade on Iran will remain “in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized.” Trump has repeatedly demanded that Iran curb its nuclear capabilities and pledge never to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran has maintained that it has the right to enrich uranium.
Iranian media reported on Thursday that according to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, a large part of the negotiating text has been finalized, but the “Americans have changed their positions.” Baghaei added that the “situation in the Strait of Hormuz is more insecure due to the actions of the United States.” In a separate post, the commander of Iran’s military headquarters had warned that a new U.S. attack would trigger a “response harsher than before” that would make the war “broader and more widespread.”
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X on Thursday that although Israel is not party to the agreement, the prime minister “expressed his appreciation for President Trump’s commitment that the final agreement at the conclusion of the negotiations will include the removal of the enriched material, the dismantling of the enrichment infrastructure, the limitation of missile production, and the cessation of Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region.”
Tensions between the warring countries worsened this week, when Trump accused Iranian forces on Tuesday of attacking a U.S. Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz the day before. Despite Tehran insisting that the downing was not deliberate, Trump ordered so-called “self-defense” strikes on “Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites.”
On Wednesday, he ordered additional attacks, this time citing what he viewed as Iran’s intransigence in negotiations. “They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!” Trump wrote.
“The unhinged U.S. president imagines that bombs can get him out of the quagmire he himself created,” Iranian military advisor Mohsen Rezaei wrote on X on Thursday, just two hours before Trump posted his threat on Kharg Island. “Washington must choose between accepting Iran’s terms and losing the last shred of its credibility in the world.”
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What We’re Following
Surprise resignation. British Defense Minister John Healey resigned on Thursday after accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of inadequately investing in the country’s military. “I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe,” Healey wrote in a letter to the prime minister, adding that Starmer’s actions leave the country “well short” of what is needed for protection.
Healey announced his resignation just days after Starmer released his Defense Investment Plan, which will only increase military spending to 2.68 percent of GDP by 2030. This figure falls far below the 3 percent target that Healey had previously discussed with Starmer. And it comes after Starmer suggested last week that “there could be an attack by Russia on NATO as soon as 2030.”
In a letter responding to Healey, Starmer defended his Defense Investment Plan, writing that it “will provide the resources our military needs to keep us safe and the clarity the British defence industry needs to plan.” He added, “I am determined to rebuild our country after years of being buffeted by crises. I am sorry that you will not be part of that work going forward.”
Healey’s surprise resignation delivered yet another blow to Downing Street at a time when public confidence in Starmer’s leadership is plummeting. Since local elections last month saw major upsets for the ruling Labour Party, lawmakers have called for Starmer to step down, arguing that his presence risks Labour losing its foothold amid rising far-right popularity.
Starmer appointed parliamentarian Dan Jarvis on Thursday to be the country’s next defense secretary.
Luxury resort protests. Thousands of people gathered in Albania’s capital on Wednesday in the largest protest yet against the development of a luxury resort. Demonstrators denounced the project’s proposed locations, citing biodiversity concerns, as well as a lack of transparency surrounding the proposal’s foreign investors, which include Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The entire development project is estimated to cost around $5.7 billion.
Two real estate projects are in contention: a luxury resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan and a tourism complex in a protected coastal area of Zvernec. Earlier this month, fences erected for these projects sparked violent clashes between protesters and security forces, triggering the suspension of several police officers.
Critics have also accused Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama of favoring Affinity Partners, Kushner’s investment firm, to try to curry favor with the White House. Rama has denied these allegations and remains committed to the project, telling Reuters on Monday that “it’s going to be a beautiful project, and we’re going to do it, and we’re going to be proud to contribute to Europe.” Yet calls for Rama to resign could risk Tirana’s European Union ambitions, as the European Commission warns that growing opposition could threaten Albania’s membership bid.
Social media ban. Canada introduced legislation on Wednesday to bar children under age 16 from having social media accounts. “We are failing our children. Enough is enough,” Canadian Culture Minister Marc Miller said, calling for “basic protection” to prevent children from accessing harmful content. This would include media that promotes self-harm, incites violence, and displays nonconsensual intimate images, among other content.
If passed, the Safe Social Media Act would create a tech regulatory commission, require social media platforms to enforce age verification, and impose crisis intervention protocols on artificial intelligence chatbots. Young people would still be allowed to access sites that Ottawa determines meet the country’s safety standards.
Canada is just the latest in a slew of governments to discuss age-based bans. In December, Australia became the first nation to bar children under age 16 from having social media accounts, with restrictions impacting Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, and Kick. Since then, countries from Indonesia to Brazil have also passed age-based requirements.
Odds and Ends
More than a century after construction began, the central spire of Spain’s iconic Sagrada Familia is finally complete. Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at the basilica on Wednesday to commemorate the architectural achievement. “We are all the living stones of this edifice,” Leo said from the basilica’s altar, comparing the 144-year building project to Christians’ lifelong spiritual journey. At 566 feet tall, the central Tower of Jesus Christ now makes Sagrada Familia the world’s tallest church.
