NPR News: 04-25-2026 9AM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

A U.S. delegation is traveling to Pakistan today for a new round of peace talks with Iran.

The Iranian Foreign Minister is also there, but as NPR's Kat Lahn store reports,

he has no plans to meet with U.S. officials.

U.S. Special envoy Steve Wickoff is traveling to Islamabad,

along with President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Iraqi is also there,

but Iranian officials have made it clear they plan to only meet with Pakistani officials,

not with the U.S.

Iran has dismissed Trump's extension of the ceasefire as, quote,

meaningless, saying the continued U.S. blockade on Iranian ports as a violation of that agreement.

The U.S. is continuing to intercept ships coming to or from Iran,

as Iran is maintaining military control of the straight-of-form moves,

barring most commercial ships from passage.

Most ships in and around the straight are not moving,

an issue that will loom large over the talks in Pakistan.

Kat Lahn's Dwarf and Pair News, Beirut.

The Trump administration is placing economic sanctions on a Chinese oil refinery

and almost 40 other shipping firms involved in transporting Iranian oil.

Reporter Sheree Spam has more from Hong Kong.

The U.S. Treasury Department said on Friday that it sanctioned a major oil refinery in China

because it was helping sustain Iran's oil economy.

The Department is also targeting dozens of other shipping firms and vessels

that it said are part of a clandestine network of tankers working on behalf of Tehran

to bypass international sanctions.

Treasury Secretary Scott Besan said in a statement that any person or vessel

buying and moving Iranian oil, quote, risks exposure to U.S. sanctions.

China has previously said it opposes what it calls illegal unilateral sanctions.

For NPR News, I'm Sheree Spam in Hong Kong.

Some top Democratic lawmakers are asking the U.S. Postal Service to confirm

how it will respond to President Trump's executive order that calls for restricting voting by mail.

NPR Sanzi-Lowong reports five different lawsuits are seeking to block the order.

President Trump is calling for the U.S. Postal Service to maintain lists of eligible voters

and not to deliver mail and bounce to anyone not on those lists.

All suits by Democrats, almost two dozen states and voting rights groups,

argue the Constitution gives power to state legislatures in Congress,

not the President, to set federal election rules.

And U.S. PS has no authority to refuse to deliver bounce to voters because they're not on a list.

The top Democrats on the House Oversight and Administration committees,

Representative Robert Garcia and Joe Morelli are asking U.S. PS to confirm whether

they will try to follow Trump's order.

The mailing agency has not made clear its position,

but the American Postal Workers Union has an ad campaign against the order.

Because I know my vote will count.

Vote by mail.

Be back.

Protect me.

It's banned.

Before we rule on whether to block the President's order as soon as next month,

Hansela Wong and Pierre News.

You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

Wildfires are continuing to burn in South Georgia,

officials say dry conditions and gusty winds are fueling the flames,

making them harder to contain.

Governor Brian Kemp says the fires are under investigation.

We believe that one of the fires started when somebody was welding their gate.

The sparks fell on the ground, started to fire.

They could get it put out and just spread from there.

We believe the other fire was a balloon that landed on a power line.

The fires have destroyed dozens of structures, including 120 homes.

K-POP's biggest group is coming to the U.S. this weekend.

NPR's Isabella Gomez-Armiento reports BTS will kick off the North American leg

of its worldwide tour in Tampa.

BTS's world tour spans more than 70 dates, and within just days of tickets going on sale,

all of the stadium shows in North America, Europe, and the UK sold out.

That's because this isn't just any regular tour.

It's the band's comeback since they went on hiatus nearly four years ago

for mandatory military service in South Korea.

Last month, BTS released the long-awaited album Ari Wrong,

which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

The group for turn is a major milestone for its fervent fanbase,

known as the Army. Bloomberg projects that this tour could rival Taylor Swift's

Ares tour, which is the most successful tour of all time.

Isabella Gomez-Armiento and PR News.

I'm Windsor Johnston and PR News in Washington.

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