The United States says it has carried out two deadly strikes targeting suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the eastern Pacific.

President Donald Trump said on Sunday the U.S. Navy would start blockading the Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes after marathon talks with Iran failed to reach a deal to end the war, jeopardizing ​a fragile two-week ceasefire.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that his negotiating team was leaving Pakistan after not reaching a deal with Iran after 21 hours of negotiations.

Iran’s negotiating team arrived in Islamabad today for peace talks with the United States, even as Tehran insisted on measures it said needed to be addressed first, throwing last-minute doubt over the ​meetings.

A fragile two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran showed further strain on Friday, a day before they are ​to negotiate in Pakistan, as Washington accused Tehran of breaching promises on the Strait of Hormuz and Israel struck Lebanon with attacks that Iran has ‌claimed violate the truce.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps says it will deliver a “regret-inducing response” if Israeli strikes on Lebanon do not stop immediately, according to state media reports.

US President Donald Trump says he is prepared to suspend military action against Iran for two weeks, as part of a proposed ceasefire agreement.

Global tensions have sharply escalated after the United States issued a warning to Iran over access to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

China and Russia have blocked a United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Australia is considering aid options to ensure Pacific nations have access to fuel, as the Middle East war threatens to derail several diesel-dependent island economies.

A landmark study has found that people who vape are at higher risk of cancer than those who do not, casting doubt over whether the habit is safer than smoking.

Australian police shot dead a fugitive gunman who had been on the ​run for seven months after allegedly killing two police personnel in ‌a remote town in Victoria state, Australian media widely reported on Monday.