Trump evacuated after shots fired at White House dinner as Israel strikes Lebanon and Iran tensions rise

The US central bank is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged at its policy meeting next week, as energy prices stay high and supply chains snarled due to war in the Middle East.

The Federal Reserve's two-day meeting, starting Tuesday, could be chairman Jerome Powell's last at the helm of the independent institution.

But it takes place against a tricky backdrop. Powell's successor has faced a bumpy road to confirmation, while policymakers battle competing pressures as steeper fuel prices drive inflation and job market worries linger.

Fed officials are set to keep rates steady at a range between 3.50 percent and 3.75 percent, extending their pause since the start of the year.

"We still have a very high level of uncertainty on what's happening in the Middle East," KPMG senior economist Kenneth Kim told AFP, ahead of upcoming peace talks.

Oil and gasoline prices remain elevated even if they have peaked, meaning "there's certainly an energy shock that's still impacting both consumers and businesses," he said.

US President Donald Trump said Saturday a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner would not deter him from the Iran war, although he believed the incident was unlikely linked to the conflict.

"It's not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, I really don't think so, based on what we know," Trump told reporters in a briefing at the White House after the shocking security incident.

Trump had earlier said, however, that "you never know" if it could be linked to the Iran war, and said investigators were working on the motive of the shooter whom he described as a "lone wolf."

The US leader earlier Saturday canceled his envoys' trip to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran, after being unimpressed with Tehran's negotiating position following nearly two months of war.

The shooting suspect accused of storming the Washington media gala attended Saturday by President Donald Trump will be arraigned in the US capital on Monday, the federal prosecutor said.

The suspect - who exchanged gunfire with Secret Service agents but was not shot himself - will appear before a US district judge on Monday.

According to US Attorney Jeanine Piro, the suspect will be charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.

Video footage showed the suspect running toward the White House Correspondents’ Dinner venue in Washington before shots were fired, triggering panic inside the event attended by President Donald Trump and senior US officials. Washington’s mayor said the suspect was carrying guns and knives and is believed to have acted alone.

President Donald Trump said Saturday he believes the suspected shooter who stormed the White House correspondents' dinner was a "lone wolf."

"In my opinion, he was a lone wolf," Trump said, describing the man as a "whack job" and saying he felt there was no reason to believe the attack was connected to the war in Iran.

During a press conference following the shooting at White House corrspondents' dinner, US President Donald Trump was asked whether he is worried about a similar incident happening again.

“I can’t be concerned, I can only get great people,” he said, emphasizing confidence in the security team. “They did the job. In my opinion, a much better job than Butler… tonight, they had everything covered very quickly.”

Trump’s remarks focused on the speed and effectiveness of the response, suggesting improvements compared to past incidents and expressing trust in the personnel responsible for handling the situation.

US President Donald Trump said the Washington hotel hosting Saturday's White House correspondents' dinner - where a would-be assassin exchanged gunfire with security agents - was "not a particularly secure" facility.

"We looked at all of the conditions that took place tonight, and I will say, you know, it's not a particularly secure building," Trump said of the Washington Hilton hotel that has hosted major political events since it opened in 1965.

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that the suspect behind a shooting incident at a media gala in Washington was a "would-be assassin," adding that the man was "armed with multiple weapons."

The man charged past a security checkpoint, Trump told a press briefing at the White House, adding: "One officer was shot but saved by the fact that he was wearing a, obviously, a very good bulletproof vest."

"We looked at all of the conditions that took place tonight, and I will say, you know, it's not a particularly secure building," the US leader added.

US President Donald Trump holds press conference after shooting at White House Correspondents' Dinner.

"Violence must never be the way," Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Saturday night, referring to US counterpart Donald Trump's evacuation from a gala event in Washington after shots were fired.

"It is good that President Trump and his wife are safe following the recent events. We send them our respect. Violence must never be the way," the leftist leader said on X.

US-Israel war with Iran: latest developments

Israel strikes southern Lebanon

Lebanese state media reported a series of new Israeli strikes in at least four different locations in the country's south late Saturday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to attack Hezbollah following alleged ceasefire breaches.

Attacks earlier in the day reportedly killed six people, despite a recently extended ceasefire.

Iran FM back to Pakistan

With US-Iran peace talks called off, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will head back to Pakistan after visiting Oman, state media reported Saturday.

The IRNA news agency, citing Iran's foreign ministry, reported that Araghchi, who had left Islamabad earlier in the day, "is scheduled to visit Pakistan again after completing his trip to Oman and before travelling to Russia".

Pakistan 'committed' to role

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had spoken by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian after US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad were called off.

"Pakistan remains committed to serve as an honest and sincere facilitator - working tirelessly to advance durable peace and lasting stability in the region," Sharif wrote on X.

US 'truly serious'?

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said it remained to be seen whether the United States was "truly serious about diplomacy".

Trump cancels envoys' Pakistan trip

US President Donald Trump ordered his envoys not to travel to Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials on ending the war.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said: "There is tremendous infighting and confusion within their 'leadership.' Nobody knows who is in charge, including them."

Trump said the move did not mean a restart of the war.

German minesweeper

Germany will soon send a minesweeper to the Mediterranean for a possible mission in the Strait of Hormuz after the end of the US-Iran war, a defence ministry spokeswoman told AFP.

US 'quagmire'

The United States "is looking for a face-saving way to escape the war quagmire it has become trapped in", a spokesman for Iran's defence ministry said.

Iran's military also warned it would respond if the US maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, calling it "banditry".

Iran execution

Iran extended its long series of executions carried out during the war with the capital punishment of a man its judiciary said had carried out a "mission" on behalf of Israel's spy agency during mass protests in January.

Kuwait frees journalist

An American-Kuwaiti journalist has been released after being held for weeks in Kuwait during a crackdown on sharing footage of the US-Iran war, a US State Department official said.

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, who has contributed to The New York Times, PBS, and Al Jazeera English, was arrested on March 3 for allegedly spreading false information, harming national security and misusing his mobile phone.

Day 57: Iran sends revised peace plan, Trump calls it insufficient

Day 56: European Union calls for reopening of Strait of Hormuz

Day 55: Trump: US could make a deal with Iran 'right now'

Day 54: Trump extends US-Iran ceasefire

Day 53: Pakistan urges the US and Iran to extend their ceasefire

Day 52: Fighting to resume as ceasefire ends Wednesday: Trump

Day 51: Iran refuses new round of talks, say reports

Day 50: Indian ships reverse course in Strait of Hormuz

Day 49: Trump says Iran agrees to 'never' close Hormuz strait again

Day 48: Trump: Iran agreed to hand over its enriched uranium

Day 47: US optimistic about reaching peace deal with Iran

Day 46: 2 days to US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump thinks so

Day 45: US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks

Day 44: US to begin 'blockade' of Iranian ports on Monday

Day 43: 3-way talks with the US and Iran begin in Pakistan

Day 42: Trump says Iran has 'no cards' as Vance heads for talks

Day 41: Kuwait condemns drone attacks, US warns vs Hormuz toll

Day 40: Trump agrees to suspend attack on Iran by two weeks