New Delhi, Apr 24: At least 19 top scientists from the United States and China have reportedly died or gone missing under mysterious circumstances in recent years, raising concerns among experts and authorities.

According to reports, at least 10 American scientists associated with sensitive nuclear and aerospace research have either disappeared or died over the past few years. It has now emerged that nine Chinese scientists engaged in space, defence, and nuclear technology have also perished or gone missing, The Federal, a US-based publication, reported.

In many cases, the incidents have been attributed to accidents, illnesses, or unclear causes. However, taken together, they are drawing increased scrutiny, with some experts questioning whether a broader pattern may be at play.

In the US, those who died or went missing include a nuclear physicist and professor at MIT who was shot dead outside his residence in Massachusetts, a retired Air Force general who went missing from his home in New Mexico, and an aerospace engineer who disappeared while hiking in Los Angeles.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed it is leading efforts to investigate potential links between the missing and deceased scientists. It is working in coordination with the Departments of Energy and Defense, along with state and local law enforcement agencies.

The development follows a statement by the House Oversight Committee, which said it would examine reports related to the cases. According to the Los Angeles Times, the committee has sought information from relevant agencies, including NASA, which oversees the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California—where some of the affected scientists were employed.

NASA said it is “coordinating and cooperating with relevant agencies” regarding the matter.

US lawmakers have expressed concern, with some viewing the incidents as a potential national security issue.

Meanwhile, Chinese scientists who died in recent years include experts in drone technology, space research, and hypersonic systems. Reported causes range from illness and medical conditions to accidents, including a late-night car crash. The scientists were aged between 26 and 68.

Chinese media outlets have also taken note of the trend, describing the deaths as “extremely uncommon.” Some reports have raised concerns about a possible pattern, while speculation and conspiracy theories continue to circulate.

The South China Morning Post reported that a database tracking the deaths of young Chinese scientists has triggered debate, fuelling concerns about a troubling trend within the academic and research community.

Dubai, Apr 24: Tensions in the standoff between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz intensified Friday after US President Donald Trump said he ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” Iranian small boats in the strait, while Iran pushed back on Trump’s claim there was a leadership rift in the Islamic Republic.

“In Iran, there are no hard-liners or moderates’. We are all Iranians and revolutionaries,” Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote in almost identical social media statements.

Since the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the first strike of the war on Feb. 28, it has been unclear who in Iran wields ultimate authority over its collection of civilian figures and powerful generals who appear to be in charge.

Trump also said Thursday evening that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House.

The standoff between the US and Iran has effectively choked off nearly all exports through the Strait of Hormuz, where 20 per cent of the world’s traded oil passes in peacetime, with no end in sight.

Here is the latest:

Iran’s foreign minister talks with Pakistani officials

Iran’s top diplomat has called Pakistani officials over the ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel.

A statement on Friday said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief.

Araghchi’s statement said the men spoke about “regional developments and issues related to the ceasefire,” without elaborating.

Pakistan did not immediately acknowledge the call.

Pakistan has been trying to get American and Iranian officials back to the negotiating table in Islamabad, where they had hoped to have talks earlier this week that didn’t materialise.

EU’s top diplomat notes risk of weaker’ US-Iran deal

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said peace negotiations between the United States and Iran are at risk of forging a “weaker” agreement than one struck a decade ago.

“If the talks are only about the nuclear (issue) and there are no nuclear experts around the table, then we will end up with an agreement that is weaker than the JCPoA was,” Kallas said Friday in Cyprus, referring to a 2015 deal struck during the Obama administration that Trump pulled the US out of in 2018.

Kallas said if negotiators do not table Iran’s “missile programs, their support to proxies, and also hybrid and cyber activities in Europe”, there is a possibility “we will end up with a more dangerous Iran.”

Medical aid convoy departs Turkiye for Iran

A medical aid convoy left Turkiye headed for Iran, an official told Turkiye’s state-run Anadolu news agency on Friday.

The six trucks departed Van in eastern Turkiye to pass through the Gurbulak border crossing, Van Health Director Muhammed Tosun said.

“The materials include medicines and medical supplies,” Tosun said.

“We previously sent three trucks. With today’s trucks, a total of nine trucks of aid materials will have been delivered to our Iranian colleagues to serve their citizens,” he said.

Rome, Apr 24: Italian sports officials say four-time champion Italy is not interested in replacing Iran at the upcoming World Cup following a suggestion to that effect by a Trump administration official.

Iran has not withdrawn from the World Cup, and the team is preparing to play in the U.S. despite the war in the Middle East. FIFA has insisted its group stage games near Los Angeles and in Seattle will go ahead as planned in June.

The Financial Times reported that Paolo Zampolli, the U.S. special envoy for global partnerships, had suggested the swap to President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

In a phone interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Zampolli emphasized that “my request is not a political request.” The ask, which was made to Trump and Infantino on Wednesday, was meant as a contingency plan in case Iran could not participate in the soccer tournament at the last minute.

“I had a dream,” Zampolli told the AP. “My request was for the Italian people and the American-Italian people.”

He said in the FT interview that, with four titles, the Italian national team’s appearance in the World Cup would be justified.

Italian officials pushed back hard at the suggestion, with Sports Minister Andrea Abodi saying Thursday that “first of all, it’s not possible. Secondly, it’s not a good idea.”

Luciano Buonfiglio, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, which oversees all sports in Italy, also dismissed the idea.

“I would feel offended,” Buonfiglio said. “You need to deserve to go to the World Cup.”

Italy’s Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti called the suggested swap “shameful.”

Hours later, Trump was asked at the White House about Iranian soccer players potentially not being allowed into the U.S. for the World Cup. He initially joked, “I don’t think about it too much” before adding, “That’s an interesting question.”

“Let me give that some thought,” Trump added.

He then deferred to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said, “Nothing from the U.S. has told them they can’t come.”

“The problem with Iran would be, not their athletes. It would be some of the other people that they want to bring with them,” Rubio said, suggesting that Iran’s soccer team could bring in people loyal to militant groups disguised as journalists and trainers.

“We may not be able to let them in,” Rubio said of people around the team. “But not the athletes themselves.”

He added that there had been “speculation that Iran may decide not to come, but then Italy could fill their spot,” without adding details.

“If they decide not to come on their own, it’s ’cause they decided not to come,” the secretary of state said of Iranian athletes.

While Iran was among the first teams to qualify for the World Cup, Italy missed out for the third consecutive tournament, resulting in the resignations of its national team coach and soccer federation president.

Zampolli has long been a part of the Trump family orbit, having introduced then-Melania Knauss to Donald Trump at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998. He regularly posts on social media about his meetings with Infantino, calling him the “King of Soccer.” Trump last year appointed him as special representative for global partnerships.

In March, The New York Times reported that Zampolli had reached out to a top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, informing him that the mother of his child was in the country illegally as the two were locked in a custody dispute. She was ultimately deported.

The White House did not return a request for comment. Its World Cup task force, housed under the Department of Homeland Security, said it had no comment. FIFA also would not comment.

The Iranian embassy in Rome denounced Zampolli’s remarks in a comment on X.

“Football belongs to the people, not to politicians,” the embassy said. “Italy earned its soccer prowess on the field, not thanks to political maneuvers. The attempt to exclude Iran from the World Cup shows only the moral bankruptcy’ of the United States, which fears even the presence of 11 young Iranians on the field of play.”

Iran’s status at the World Cup, which starts in June, has been a source of debate and concern since the U.S. and Israel launched military attacks on the country in February.

Trump in March discouraged Iran from participating in the tournament, citing safety concerns.

FIFA has consistently said Iran will stick to the World Cup schedule decided last December, and refused to negotiate any suggestion of moving the team’s games to co-host Mexico.

An Iranian government spokesperson said Wednesday that the men’s national team is preparing for “proud and successful participation” in its World Cup games in the U.S.

Iran earned one of eight guaranteed World Cup places allocated to the Asian Football Confederation. Should Iran pull out, in theory the replacement should be the United Arab Emirates, the highest-ranked Asian team that didn’t qualify.

One possible element of uncertainty is the language of the World Cup tournament rules.

FIFA wrote that it can decide to replace a withdrawn team “with another association,” though without specifying the replacement must come from the same continental confederation.