Irish PM pushes Trump on Iran - politely
The Straits Times
Irish PM Micheal Martin still had a couple of tense exchanges with Mr Trump. Read more at straitstimes.com.
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WASHINGTON - It wasn’t quite a Zelensky moment. But mild-mannered Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin still had a couple of tense exchanges with US President Donald Trump on March 17.
In the annual Saint Patrick’s Day visit to the Oval Office, Mr Martin begged to differ with Mr Trump on issues from the Iran war to migration to relations with the prime minister of Britain.
“That’s what we want, is a peaceful resolution of conflict. That’s where we come from as a small nation,” Mr Martin told reporters about the Middle East war.
The 65-year-old Taoiseach was under political pressure at home to talk tough to Mr Trump amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.
In 2025, Irish hearts were in mouths as Mr Martin talked trade tensions with Mr Trump just days after the US leader’s infamous White House slanging-match with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The US-Israeli war against Iran, now in its third week, has thrown global aviation into turmoil. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 17 - Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear energy corporation, condemned a strike on the territory of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday and called for de-escalation around the facility. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 17 - Global airlines sounded the alarm on Tuesday over soaring jet fuel prices triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, warning of hundreds of millions of extra costs, higher fares and cuts to some routes. Read more at straitstimes.com.
LONDON, March 17 - The British government on Tuesday opened an inquiry into how details of a top-secret national security meeting to discuss a U.S. request to use British military bases at the start of the Iran conflict were leaked to a journalist. Read more at straitstimes.com.
BRUSSELS, March 17 - Ukraine accepted the European Union's offer of technical support and funding to restore oil flows through the damaged Druzhba pipeline on Tuesday but also signalled any resumption of Russian crude deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia was still weeks away. Read more at straitstimes.com.
WASHINGTON, March 17 - President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States had been informed by most of its NATO allies that they did not want to get involved with the country's military operation in Iran, a move he described as a \"very foolish mistake\". Read more at straitstimes.com.
ROME, March 17 - Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has turned to an unlikely platform in her push for a 'yes' vote in next week's justice referendum, joining an irreverent podcast hosted by a popular rapper in a bid to reach younger voters. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The seized tankers, Asphalt Star, Al Jafzia and Stellar Ruby, are currently docked off Mumbai. Read more at straitstimes.com.
PARIS, March 17 - President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday France would never take part in operations to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, pushing back on comments by U.S. President Donald Trump that Paris was willing to help. Read more at straitstimes.com.
ANKARA, March 17 - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reiterated that Turkey is ready to host the next round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, during a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, Turkey's foreign ministry said. Read more at straitstimes.com.
BERLIN, March 17 - More than 36,000 Palestinians in the West Bank were forcibly displaced over a year by Israeli settlement expansion and associated violence, the U.N. human rights office said on Tuesday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Hungary was blocking a loan to Ukraine over the pipeline outage, which was caused by a Russian attack. Read more at straitstimes.com.
SARAJEVO, March 17 - Slovenia's prime minister on Tuesday accused \"foreign services\" of interfering in Sunday's election after a report alleged officials from Israeli private spy firm Black Cube visited the country in December and met the main opposition contender. Read more at straitstimes.com.