Lula, Trump Discuss 'Board of Peace', Agree to Meet in Washington

(COMBO) In this combination of files pictures created on December 2, 2025, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a press conference at the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para state, Brazil, on November 19, 2025, and US President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on December 2, 2025. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA and Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
(COMBO) In this combination of files pictures created on December 2, 2025, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a press conference at the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para state, Brazil, on November 19, 2025, and US President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on December 2, 2025. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA and Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
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Lula, Trump Discuss 'Board of Peace', Agree to Meet in Washington

(COMBO) In this combination of files pictures created on December 2, 2025, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a press conference at the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para state, Brazil, on November 19, 2025, and US President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on December 2, 2025. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA and Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
(COMBO) In this combination of files pictures created on December 2, 2025, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a press conference at the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para state, Brazil, on November 19, 2025, and US President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on December 2, 2025. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA and Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday asked US President Donald Trump to limit the activities of his "Board of Peace" to Gaza.

The request was made in a phone call in which the leaders agreed to meet in Washington, according to the Brazilian presidency.

Lula, who was invited to join Trump's controversial global conflict resolution organization, proposed that it "be limited to the issue of Gaza and include a seat for Palestine."

Lula also urged the "comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including the expansion of the permanent members of the Security Council."

On Friday, Lula, 80, accused Trump, 79, of trying to create "a new UN where only he is the owner," with his proposed "Board of Peace".

Although originally intended to oversee Gaza's rebuilding, the board's charter does not seem to limit its role to the Palestinian territory and appears to want to rival the United Nations.

Traditional US allies including France and Britain have also expressed doubts.

Lula and Trump have been in contact several times since their first official meeting in October ushered in improved ties after months of animosity between Washington and Brasilia.

As a result, Trump's administration has exempted key Brazilian exports from 40 percent tariffs that had been imposed on Brazil, and lifted sanctions on a top Brazilian judge.

Lula and Trump also discussed the situation in Venezuela, with the Brazilian leader calling for "peace and stability in the region."

Earlier this month, Lula said the US attack on Venezuela to oust president Nicolas Maduro crossed "an unacceptable line".

In a 50 minute call, "the two presidents agreed on a visit by President Lula to Washington."

The presidency said the visit would take place after Lula's trips to India and South Korea in February, and that a date would be set "soon".

The veteran leftist Lula has held phone calls in recent days with Russia's Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.



Military Helicopter Crashes in Southern Türkiye, Killing 4

Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase
Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase
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Military Helicopter Crashes in Southern Türkiye, Killing 4

Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase
Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase

A military helicopter crashed in southern Türkiye on Thursday, killing four personnel, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

The aircraft crashed for unknown reasons in Samankoy, a neighborhood on the southern outskirts of the provincial capital Malatya in the early evening.

“As a result of an accident involving our S-70 helicopter in Malatya, for a reason not yet determined, 4 of our heroic comrades-in-arms aboard the helicopter were martyred,” the ministry said in a social media post.

“We pray that God will have mercy on our martyrs and offer our condolences and prayers for strength to their grieving families, our Turkish Armed Forces, and our noble nation.”

According to The Associated Press, TV images showed the wreckage of the helicopter burning near a cluster of buildings in an otherwise open area of land. The Demiroren News Agency reported that flames had spread to a nearby house but reported no casualties on the ground.

Police, firefighters and medical teams were dispatched to the crash.


Trump Says US Does Not Need Iran Deal

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
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Trump Says US Does Not Need Iran Deal

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

President Donald Trump said on Thursday the US does not need a deal with Iran and directed Vice President JD Vance, who has played a role in efforts to resolve the war, to focus "his complete and total attention" on alleged crime and corruption in Democratic-run cities and states.

Trump's directive came a day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Vance was considering face-to-face peace talks with a hard-line Iranian security official and a week after the vice president blamed the costly war with Iran for Republicans' midterm elections drubbing.

Trump's comments marked a shift in tone after he had suggested ⁠in recent weeks ⁠that Iran would be more willing to strike a deal in the eight-month conflict after the US elections.

"We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!" Trump wrote on social media, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, the critical ⁠shipping route near Iran where the US military has been working to secure safe passage for international shipping.

Trump said he asked Vance to focus instead on a domestic issue the president previously put in his portfolio: leading an effort targeting alleged fraud in Democratic-run cities and states throughout the US.

"Our Budget could be quickly BALANCED with the correction of this large-scale criminal activity. CORRUPTION is in the Democrat Leadership’s blood!" Trump wrote on Thursday.

Vance's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that ⁠Vance was considering ⁠meeting with a senior Iranian security official, a move that would have put Vance at the center of peace negotiations. Reuters has not confirmed the potential talks.

Vance, who is viewed as a leading contender for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, distanced himself from the war last week after Republicans' midterm election rout by Democrats.

The vice president blamed the costs of the Iran war in part for the party's losses. He also said an earlier recommendation to end the war was "sound advice."

Trump responded to Vance's position by defending the war as necessary to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.


Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz

Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz
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Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz

Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz

Four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's military said on Thursday, adding that the vessels had ignored warnings and entered what it considers restricted areas of the strategic waterway.

Tankers are still facing attacks across the strait, despite a rebound in traffic and expectations of a de-escalation in the war between the United States and Iran that have been reflected in falling oil prices.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said two supertankers were disabled by explosions on Wednesday after they ignored ⁠warnings against using what ⁠it said was an "unauthorized route".

Reuters could not immediately verify the Iranian account.

The two vessels "exploded after hitting naval mines", Iranian state media reported, broadcasting what it said was video footage of the incidents.

Iran's army later said two other tankers had hit mines on Thursday afternoon while sailing through the eastern Strait of Hormuz after ignoring ⁠warnings and disabling their radar systems, state TV reported. The tankers entered a restricted area and subsequently caught fire, it reported.

Earlier in the US-Israeli war with Iran, which began in February, the IRGC Navy announced its attacks on tankers. More recently, however, it has instead reported that vessels have caught fire after hitting naval mines while traversing the southern part of the strait, which it has declared an unauthorized route.

In several of those cases, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has said vessels had been struck by unknown projectiles.

The ⁠UKMTO said ⁠in reports on Thursday that a vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile about 14 nautical miles northwest of the UAE emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah on Wednesday while exiting the strait, causing a fire in its engine room.
Firefighting efforts were under way and all crew had been evacuated, it added.

At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, which was the highest monthly tally since the conflict began in late February, according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.