As the 60-day deadline for the United States and Iran to finalize a deal came and went on Monday, no agreement was announced. Instead, President Donald Trump has intensified his language toward Tehran, and his administration is gearing up for what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has termed a groundbreaking new phase of economic pressure.

“They ought to raise the white flag of surrender,” Trump said in a phone interview with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst on Monday. The President expressed no urgency to finalize a deal and revealed the existence of a direct communication channel with officials from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed in June, the United States and Tehran agreed to negotiate a final deal within 60 days, which could be extended if both sides consented. However, according to a Reuters report on Monday, the provisional agreement quickly unraveled due to a disagreement over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. On July 7, Trump announced the deal was “over,” and subsequently, Tehran acknowledged its suspension.

This lapsed deadline places a critical question at the core of Trump’s Iran policy: Can the United States leverage military and maritime pressure into political gains by financially squeezing Tehran rather than escalating militarily? Prior to the war, the Strait of Hormuz was a crucial passage for around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, making this impasse a significant risk not only to Tehran but also to global energy resources and U.S. fuel prices.

“Watch this space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation of a country,” Bessent told Newsmax on Aug. 13.

In comments provided to News Media on background, a Treasury spokesperson said, “Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash,” arguing that the campaign has constrained Tehran’s ability to generate and move revenue and pushed it further toward shadow-banking networks and cryptocurrency to evade sanctions.

Average Iranian oil loadings had fallen from 1.8 million barrels per day before the war to less than 500,000 barrels per day over the previous month, The Associated Press reported Aug. 11, citing Treasury figures. AP also cited an IMF projection that Iran’s economy would contract 5.4%.

Miad Maleki, a former Treasury sanctions analyst and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told News Media that the pressure is real.

“The numbers are brutal,” Maleki said, citing inflation, the collapsing rial and reduced oil traffic. He described the current campaign as “a maximum pressure campaign on a steroid.”

Reuters reported Monday, citing Iran’s Statistical Centre, that consumer prices in July were 87.9% higher than a year earlier and food prices were up 128%. President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged last week that Iran was selling less oil and collecting less tax revenue from struggling businesses.

Maleki argued that what distinguishes the current campaign from previous rounds of sanctions is the combination of financial restrictions and a physical blockade. “What really started, I would say, as Economic Fury, has now turned into maximum pressure on steroids,” he said, arguing that Tehran is being squeezed not only in its ability to export oil but also in its ability to bring critical goods into the country.

He pointed in particular to Iran’s gasoline deficit and weakening government revenues as vulnerabilities that could become increasingly difficult for the regime to manage. In November 2019, a sharp increase in government-set gasoline prices triggered nationwide demonstrations that rapidly broadened into anti-government protests. Reuters reported at the time that Iranian officials said roughly 200,000 people participated in the unrest, while thousands were arrested.

“The regime is very scared of another 2019,” Maleki said, arguing that Tehran has been reluctant to significantly raise retail fuel prices because of the potential political consequences.

But history also illustrates the limitation of Washington’s strategy: economic pain can bring Iranians into the streets without necessarily forcing the regime itself to concede.

The larger question, Maleki said, is who ultimately absorbs the pain.

Iran’s economic system, he argued, includes powerful foundations and elite networks tied to the IRGC and the supreme leader that were built long before today’s sanctions architecture.

“That elite network has spent about three decades insulating themselves from exactly this kind of pain,” Maleki said. “And historically, the regime always burns the population clock before really having to absorb any of that pressure themselves.”

Maleki said pressure can force “tactical concessions,” but broader concessions depend on whether the financial pain reaches IRGC-linked foundations, oligarchs and regime elites rather than remaining concentrated among ordinary Iranians.

Washington is already near “the ceiling on sanctions with Iran,” he argued, meaning the next phase may depend less on new legal tools than on enforcing existing restrictions against foreign enablers, including Chinese refineries, Hong Kong shell traders, exchange houses, shadow-fleet tankers and cryptocurrency channels.

So far, the pressure has not produced a final deal. Reuters reported Monday that a senior Iranian official threatened military escalation within weeks if Washington does not fully implement the interim agreement.

“The worst is still ahead for the Iranian regime,” Maleki said, arguing that payment-cycle delays mean the full fiscal impact of reduced oil exports may not be felt until the fall.

State Attorney General Tish James is currently entangled in other pursuits, appearing frequently in front of cameras and embroiled in lawsuits against the Trump administration. Meanwhile, she’s overlooked an urgent issue: the West Harlem Development Corp.’s $100 million debacle, marred by squandered resources, missed opportunities, and potential self-dealing.

Back in 2009, Columbia University established the WHDC as a conciliatory gesture to appease local influencers when the university sought state intervention through eminent domain to expand its footprint significantly within the neighborhood.

With tens of millions from the university, this nonprofit was charged with channeling funds into economic development initiatives in Harlem, including a $20 million commitment aimed at creating affordable housing.

However, rather than fulfill its mission, the WHDC transformed into a machine for political favors, dispensing grants to minor arts and youth groups in Harlem, awarding lucrative salaries to insiders with political ties, and — in a puzzling turn of events — reportedly contributing to a plan by the Council on American Islamic Relations for addressing the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and the ensuing hostage situation.

The anticipated economic revitalization and affordable housing never materialized. Instead, the organization became a pipeline for channeling funds and influence through well-connected individuals like current Chair Milton Tingling and Executive Director Zead Ramadan, who also serves on the board of CAIR-New York.

Tingling, a retired judge, was just named to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new Jew-free advisory panel on judicial appointments.

Ramadan is the central figure in a federal lawsuit against the WHDC, brought by its terminated director of housing development, Vincent Morgan, who taped his boss Ramadan’s allegedly racist rants about Dominicans, African-Americans, Zionists and Jewish control of New York City. (Ramadan has denied any wrongdoing.)

The dysfunction at the WHDC is well-known among uptown pols, who won’t go on the record about the noxious organization; Columbia has washed its hands of the whole thing after years of peeping about the waste and abuse.

But where’s crusading AG James, whose duties include policing New York tax-exempt charitable organizations?

She hasn’t been shy about suing groups with whose positions she dislikes, from the NRA to the Catholic Church, but declines to lift even an eyebrow about the scandalous WHDC.

The West Harlem Development Corp. is a poster child for the neglect and deep-rooted waste that defines so much “economic development” in New York, and the “community benefits” blackmail surrounding most large projects.

And that, no doubt, is why Tish James won’t do a thing to liberate the tens of millions still in the WHDC hoard for the actual good of the community.

In a disturbing turn of events, a couple under the influence turned a cruise vacation into chaos, barging into a neighboring cabin to assault a family following a noise complaint, as reported by a Florida sheriff.

According to Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, the ill-fated holiday for Gannon Jacox and his girlfriend, Brooklyn Hicks, was cut short when they found themselves under arrest at Port Canaveral. Ivey provided these details in a Sunday-issued statement.

The duo, allegedly intoxicated, did not take kindly to a polite request from the neighboring family to lower their voices. Hicks, it appears, was particularly irked by this request, Ivey noted.

In a bold move, Hicks reportedly advanced towards the family’s cabin, with Jacox trailing behind. He was capturing the confrontation on his cellphone, allegedly urging her to escalate the situation.

Sheriff Ivey recounted the disturbing moment when “the suspects forced their entry into the victims’ room, which horrifically included a 9-year-old child.” The incident left both crew and passengers in shock.

‘As a fight ensued, Jacox ended up hitting all three people (including the child), and Hicks was just swinging, hoping one would land.’

The boyfriend sustained a severe eye injury that could be seen in his smiling mugshot, while his girlfriend chose the typical blank expression.

The sheriff added that, thankfully, none of the victims were seriously injured.

Jacox and Hicks were booked into the Brevard County Jail on Saturday, according to public records.

Hicks was charged with felony burglary with battery and misdemeanor battery (touch/strike) and was held on a $6,000 bond.

Jacox faces two burglary with assault charges and a child abuse charge without great bodily harm, in addition to misdemeanor battery (touch/strike).

He is being held on a $31,000 bond.

‘So what’s the moral of the story… if you can’t hold your liquor, then you definitely shouldn’t be out in public causing a scene like this and injuring random people, including a child!’ the sheriff said.

Ivey added that if his message was not clear enough, he suggested readers either stay out of Brevard County or avoid breaking the law there.

The sheriff is well known for his posts calling out suspects and criminals for their behavior while warning of the consequences.

‘Hopefully they enjoy their extended stay at their unplanned destination with close-quarter sleeping arrangements, communal showers, no drink packages and, of course, no excursions,’ Ivey said.

‘Of course, on a bright note they will have sandals, but not like the Sandals Resorts, just the ones you wear in the shower!’

‘You know the deal, folks. Break the law in Brevard County and I promise you the lodge will have a reservation with your name on it!’

According to Cruise Hive, four ships were in Port Canaveral on Saturday: Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas, Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Treasure, Mardi Gras and Carnival Freedom.

However, there has been no confirmation of which ship the incident occurred on.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office for comment.

Tensions are escalating between Italy’s right-wing government and Spain’s leftist leaders, centered on issues of immigration and border security.

More than a week ago, Italy’s conservative administration under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni implemented stringent border checks at both air and seaports for travelers coming from Spain who are non-EU citizens. Notably, Italy and Spain lack a direct land border.

In response, Spain’s left-wing government, headed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, introduced similar measures for non-EU visitors arriving from Italy. This policy now mandates that even EU citizens provide identification, leading to travel delays at a peak time when millions, including over 2 million between Italy and Spain alone, are on the move.

The central issue is border security, particularly concerning the five-mile perimeter between Morocco and the Spanish territory of Ceuta. According to the Associated Press, an estimated 72,000 individuals attempted to cross into Ceuta illegally during a surge in late July, before Spain and Morocco fortified the border to curb what the EU deems “irregular migration.”

Emma Schubart of the Henry Jackson Society told News Media that Italy’s border checks and Spain’s reciprocal measures “highlight the Meloni–Sánchez divide: enforcement-first versus a regularization program that drew 1.2 million applications.”

On July 31, Meloni’s government, in what she called an “extraordinary measure,” decided to “temporarily suspend the free movement regime (under the Schengen agreement) in maritime and air connections with Spain, reintroducing border controls,” while also offering “to support every European initiative to assist Spanish institutions as needed to restore full control of the Union’s external borders.” The implementation involved random checks for non-EU travelers.

Even some countries of Europe’s left are taking notice. Meloni teamed up with Denmark’s left-leaning Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to lead a group of 22 European Union leaders, including Hungary’s new prime minister, Péter Magyar, in a letter calling for an “extraordinary” meeting of EU interior ministers to define a “coordinated European response.” The letter placed blame on Spain, noting that “the recent ruling of the Spanish Supreme Court has been used to trigger this attack and abuse (of) our migration and asylum system.” They added that the EU “cannot allow mass crossings, the instrumentalization of migration or other hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible.”

Spain’s Supreme Court issued a July 8 ruling regarding the immediate return of migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to enter Ceuta or Melilla.

Spain’s Sánchez called the letter “politically motivated,” saying the situation in Ceuta was “under control” and that his government had acted in “full compliance with EU law.” On his account, Sánchez posted, “Solidarity and empathy are optional. Respect for European treaties and data is not… It is the time to continue building a strong and united EU,” while noting EU Frontex data that there were 470,600 “irregular entries” via Italy since 2021, compared to Spain’s 234,760.

The Spanish Foreign Ministry said, “Entering Spain irregularly through Ceuta or Melilla does not grant the right to remain in the country, to travel to mainland Spain, or to move freely within Europe.”

Meloni responded on X that Ceuta “once again demonstrated how urgent it is for Europe to respond to illegal immigration.… Defending the external borders of the (European) Union is not the interest of a single Nation. It is a shared responsibility of Europe.”

As soon as the Italian border controls went into effect, Spain responded, with Sánchez’s administration calling the controls “unjust” and “discriminatory towards the Spanish population.” The Spanish warned of “proportionate measures” to defend their interests, reciprocating with their own border controls on Italian travel on Aug. 8.

The Palazzo Chigi, the office of the Italian prime minister, said, “Italy does not accept ultimatums or impositions from abroad regarding national security and border control. Under no circumstances do we intend to review our decision… at least until 15 August… Another wave of migration is expected in Ceuta on that date, as the Spanish authorities themselves have announced.”

Morocco stepped in this past Saturday, Aug. 15, ahead of that attempted rush on the border, with officials saying more than 111 were arrested trying to reach Ceuta via mountain roads in an attempt to avoid checkpoints. Morocco’s Le360 news agency said that the number was closer to 300.

After the arrests, Italian foreign ministry officials told the AGI news agency they were “closely monitoring what is happening in Morocco and reaffirm the necessity of the measures adopted,” with a spokesman telling ANSA, “The checks at the border with Spain remain necessary in light of the latest developments in Morocco.”

Lorenzo Vidino, director of the program on extremism at George Washington University, told News Media that this “tit for tat” between the two countries could continue “for the foreseeable future.” Vidino said EU immigration policies are “complicated” because “there is one policy, but enforcement is by the country,” so politics plays a role. “Country A thinks Country B is not enforcing things correctly, so Country A closes the border to create de facto border controls.” He said a contributing factor to Italy’s decision may be the large Moroccan population in Italy, especially in northern Italy, which could be a draw for illegal immigrants from Morocco.

Vidino added that these types of internal EU border controls are nothing new. “France also reintroduces these ‘routine checks’ from time to time.” Austria continues sporadic checks on land crossings from Slovenia and Hungary and traffic at crossings into Germany can also be miles long due to continued controls there.

And it’s not only outside governments upset with Madrid’s response. Ceuta’s center-right mayor-president, Juan Jesús Vivas, held a press conference Friday, two weeks after the initial incursion, in the city’s Palacio de la Asamblea. He called the situation “unsustainable,” saying “Ceuta cannot endure much longer like this.” Despite Spanish authorities saying only 5,000 migrants remained in the city, Vivas says that number is closer to 9,000, adding, “Each passing day worsens the situation.”

Vivas said he felt “misunderstood and powerless in the face of the lack of legal tools” from Madrid, adding the government is moving too slowly. “I cannot understand that if a part of our territory is invaded… there is no legal mechanism that allows for an expeditious and immediate action for the return of these people who entered this territory illegally and irregularly.”

Maldita.es, an independent Spanish fact-checking platform, reports health officials have confirmed cases of scabies, impetigo and an outbreak of gastroenteritis among the migrants. Other news outlets report at least two cases of tuberculosis, but health officials say those affected were treated in Morocco before they crossed the border, and are not contagious. The National Institute of Health Management, the Spanish body responsible for managing healthcare in Ceuta, told reporters that, as of Aug. 11, there were “no confirmed cases of tuberculosis” originating in Ceuta.

Schubart said the EU should look to the U.S. “The U.S. experience is clear, over 8.7 million Southwest border encounters under weakened enforcement produced record surges and secondary pressures. Without consistent external controls, Schengen’s internal free movement erodes.”

In the early hours of Tuesday, a woman in her thirties lost her life after being stabbed in a Brooklyn park, officials reported.

The incident occurred at Lincoln Terrace–Arthur S. Somers Park, located at the intersection of Rochester Avenue and Eastern Parkway, around 12:41 a.m. The NYPD responded to a call about a conflict in the park, as relayed to The Post.

Upon reaching the site, officers discovered the woman with several stab wounds.

She was promptly transported to Brookdale Hospital in a critical state, where she was later declared deceased.

Authorities have withheld releasing the victim’s name until her family has been informed.

No arrests have been made.

Authorities are seeking a male person of interest who was last seen wearing gray sweatpants and no shirt before fleeing on foot along Rochester Ave.

The investigation remains ongoing.