Top Gulf official offers glimmer of hope on Trump-Iran nuclear talks as threat of war hangs over region

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A senior United Arab Emirates official says he is cautiously optimistic about negotiations between the United States and Iran, citing progress through Qatari mediation over the past days, even as fears of renewed military confrontation continue to grip the Middle East.

"We see some progress. … We hope that both sides will be able to reach a point where they will start building trust and engaging in a way to avoid the war, to find a political solution. … I am a little bit optimistic, but I don't exclude the other option," Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, chairman of the Defense, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee of the UAE's Federal National Council, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.

His remarks came as Reuters reported on Nov. 5 that Iran had submitted a new nuclear proposal to Washington through Qatar. Tehran, however, continued to insist that the U.S. meet seven conditions before negotiations could proceed, including sanctions relief and an end to the American naval blockade.

IS THIS TRUMP’S LAST ‘LAST CHANCE’? CEASELESS STRING OF BROKEN CEASEFIRES FUELS DOUBT OVER IRAN DEAL

President Donald Trump has not ruled out further military operations, while Iran has threatened broader retaliation if fighting resumes.

For the UAE, which endured thousands of Iranian missile and drone attacks earlier this year, the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough offers hope. But its leaders are making clear that hope cannot replace preparedness.

"We plan for the worst. We hope for the best. … We always make sure that we are ready to deal with all the challenges or the threats," Al Nuaimi said.

That combination of optimism and caution was evident during Fox News Digital's reporting trip across the Emirates, where daily life appeared remarkably normal despite the uncertainty surrounding the country.

On an evening in downtown Dubai, restaurant terraces were packed, tourists filled the streets and crowds gathered around a fountain show set to music that moved between Arabic songs and Western pop hits.

Businesses were operating, international visitors were arriving and the city continued to project an image of prosperity and openness.

IRAN’S STRAIT OF HORMUZ SCHEME COULD DERAIL ONE GULF NATION’S BRIGHT FUTURE

The contrast was just as striking in Abu Dhabi, where Fox News Digital attended the opening of ADIPEC 2026, one of the world's largest energy conferences, against the backdrop of continuing tensions with Iran and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz.

Days before the conference, ExxonMobil and Chevron executives had canceled their planned appearances because of security concerns, Reuters reported on Oct. 29.

Yet inside the exhibition halls, delegates from around the world gathered to discuss investment, announce partnerships and explore technological solutions to the energy crisis.

It was a demonstration of the UAE's determination to keep its economy moving while preparing for a security environment that has changed dramatically.

TRUMP ADMIN THREATENS IRAN WITH 'CONSEQUENCES' AS ALLIES CONVENE AMID THREATS OF POST-ELECTION ESCALATION

The UAE has already paid a significant price for its proximity to the conflict.

More than 3,000 Iranian missiles and drones targeted the Emirates during the war, according to figures cited by The Associated Press on Nov. 2. The attacks caused casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.Although no new Iranian attacks had targeted the UAE since May, the threat of renewed confrontation has kept the country on alert.

Al Nuaimi emphasized that while the UAE considers itself a nation committed to peace, it will not hesitate to protect its population.

"Every nation, when it is attacked, [has] the right to defend their people, their sovereignty, their nation," he said.

But he also drew a clear distinction between the Iranian regime and the Iranian people, who are repressed by the regime. "The Iranian people deserve to be respected, accepted. They have great values, great civilization, and they are our neighbor."

MIDDLE EAST TAKES CENTER STAGE AT UN AS REGIONAL LEADERS CONFRONT IRAN WAR, GAZA AND HOUTHI THREAT

Despite the confrontation with Iran, Al Nuaimi rejected the suggestion that the UAE's relationship with Washington should be judged primarily through the current conflict or any particular U.S. administration.

"We don't see our relationship with the United States through these conflicts, through security and defense. No, it's a partnership. It's a strategic partnership. It is a sustainable partnership. … Our main partnership is with the United States as a nation, with the American people."

He emphasized that the relationship extends across education, medicine, technology, energy and investment, and is intended to endure political changes in Washington.

"We don't look at the United States through a certain administration. Our engagement and partnership with the United States ... [is] with the nation. It's with the people. ... We have the flexibility and the ability to [adapt] and engage with any administration."

The comments come at a sensitive time for Gulf governments, whose security relationships with Washington have become more consequential as Iran threatens regional infrastructure and international shipping.

At ADIPEC's opening ceremony on Nov. 2, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE's minister of industry and advanced technology and chief executive of state-owned energy giant ADNOC, emphasized that the country's ability to withstand the crisis was the result of years of preparation. "We did not write our resilience playbook during this disruption. We wrote it years before," Al Jaber told the audience.

The message was consistent with what officials and analysts repeatedly emphasized during Fox News Digital's visit: the UAE intends to remain a reliable international partner despite the possibility of another regional escalation.

GULF COUNTRIES STRONGLY CONDEMN IRAN'S DRONE ATTACK ON BAHRAIN AS RISING TENSIONS THREATEN MOU

In a separate exclusive interview with Fox News Digital in Dubai, Mohammed Baharoon, director general of the Emirati research center B'huth, argued that the confrontation with Iran has fundamentally expanded the meaning of national security.

"Our resilience now becomes our deterrence," Baharoon said.

The UAE's security strategy, he explained, involves far more than intercepting missiles and drones. It also means ensuring reliable energy supplies, food security, functioning infrastructure and the ability to maintain international commerce during a crisis.

For Baharoon, the conflict cannot be understood as a single confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

He described three interconnected wars: the initial American-Israeli campaign against Iran, Tehran's subsequent attacks on Gulf states and Iran's disruption of international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The second war was Iran's attack on the GCC, because that attack was also unprovoked," Baharoon said, referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council.

He described the disruption of shipping as a separate confrontation with the global economy, arguing that the consequences extend to countries far removed from the Middle East.

Despite his criticism of Tehran, Baharoon rejected the idea that Iran should permanently be treated as an enemy. Its population, economic potential and geographical importance, he argued, could make it an important contributor to regional prosperity if its leadership shifted away from confrontation.

For the UAE, the challenge now is to prepare for the possibility of another confrontation without abandoning the diplomatic and economic relationships it has spent decades building. The crowded streets of Dubai and busy exhibition halls of Abu Dhabi reflect a country determined to move forward, even as the threat of war remains close. Whether the latest negotiations with Iran lead to a breakthrough or another round of fighting, the Emirates is betting that its resilience will allow it to weather the next crisis without losing sight of the future it is trying to build.

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Oil-rich UAE makes massive AI bet as Sam Altman unveils ambitious plan to transform energy industry

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — At the opening of the world's largest energy conference in Abu Dhabi, artificial intelligence took center stage alongside oil and gas as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined senior UAE officials for the announcement of a major partnership aimed at bringing advanced AI into the energy industry.

The opening ceremony of ADIPEC 2026, attended by Fox News Digital, brought together senior government officials and energy industry leaders at a time when the war involving Iran and disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz have placed extraordinary pressure on global energy supplies.

But amid discussions about oil production, shipping routes and energy security, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s minister of industry and advanced technology and chief executive of state-owned energy giant ADNOC, delivered a different challenge to the technology industry.

OIL SQUEEZE TIGHTENS AS IRAN-BACKED ATTACKS CRIPPLE HORMUZ ESCAPE ROUTES

"From the moment ChatGPT was born, the world has asked what energy can do for AI. And now, together, we will find out what AI can do for energy," Al Jaber told the audience, introducing a partnership between ADNOC, OpenAI and Abu Dhabi-based technology company G42.

The announcement marked a significant step in the UAE’s ambition to become a global center for artificial intelligence, using its energy resources, financial strength and growing partnerships with American technology companies to help shape the industry’s future.

Yet the question of what AI can actually deliver for the energy industry goes beyond the technology announcements.

THE AI REVOLUTION WILL GO WHEREVER THERE'S ELECTRICITY — AND CHINA KNOWS IT

Speaking exclusively to Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the conference, Dr. Angela Wilkinson, secretary general and CEO of the World Energy Council, said the most encouraging element of the presentations by Altman and Al Jaber was their focus on the role of people.

"That it isn’t about AI taking decisions for humanity, it’s about AI enabling people to make better decisions," Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson argued that the growing relationship between energy and AI should be understood not simply as a way to automate industrial processes, but as an opportunity to expand human capabilities.

"I think what really cheered me up most is the recognition that it’s a people-centric conversation on both sides of the equation," she said.

ONE OF AMERICA'S OLDEST MANUFACTURERS SAYS AI IS CREATING JOBS — NOT REPLACING THEM

Amos Hochstein, a managing partner at TWG Global and a former senior adviser to President Joe Biden, welcomed the potential benefits of the new OpenAI-UAE partnership but warned that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence must be balanced against its financial and societal costs.

Speaking to Fox News Digital at ADIPEC, Hochstein said, "The energy sector is going to be one of the big beneficiaries of AI coming into the sector." But he cautioned that the U.S. must remain a leader in advanced AI while ensuring Americans are not left paying the price for its expansion, calling on the Trump administration to work more closely with industry and other sectors of society to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks.

The ADNOC partnership is intended to connect advanced AI systems across the company’s operations, from oilfield development and reservoir management to refining, logistics and commercial trading.

According to ADNOC, one of the initial applications will bring together decades of information from thousands of oil wells, multiple reservoirs and hundreds of facilities, with the goal of completing complex development plans in hours rather than months.

The company says the technology could improve operational efficiency, lower costs and help energy producers respond more quickly to changing market conditions. Those projected improvements have not yet been independently demonstrated.

For the UAE, the initiative represents something larger than a single agreement.

AI ISN’T JUST A PROBLEM, IT’S A SOLUTION. SOME PEOPLE ARE ALREADY MAKING THE MOST OF IT

The country is already a partner in the planned Stargate UAE project, a major computing infrastructure initiative involving American technology companies. The project is part of Abu Dhabi’s broader effort to establish itself as an international AI hub.

In a separate interview with Fox News Digital in Dubai, Mohammed Baharoon, director general of the research center B’huth, described the country’s technological ambitions as an evolution from exporting barrels of oil to exporting digital computing capacity.

Baharoon said the rise of AI could produce an economic transformation comparable to previous industrial revolutions, creating new industries and opportunities even as existing professions are disrupted.

But he cautioned that governments are struggling to keep pace with the technology’s development.

"We will need to bring in the concepts of regulation at the point of development, not after the development has happened," Baharoon told Fox News Digital.

He argued that governments and technology companies need to begin addressing potential dangers while systems are being created, rather than waiting until they have already entered widespread use.

THE BIGGEST THREAT IN AMERICA'S RACE WITH CHINA ISN'T BEIJING, TECH EXECUTIVE WARNS

The question of human control was also central to Altman’s remarks at ADIPEC.

During a panel, Altman argued that AI should remain a tool serving people rather than replacing human decision-making.

The OpenAI chief also acknowledged a fundamental challenge facing his own industry: the enormous amount of energy required to power increasingly capable AI systems.

Asked to identify his biggest challenge, Altman answered with a single word: "Energy."

The exchange illustrated the complicated relationship between two industries that are becoming increasingly dependent on each other.

AI companies need vast quantities of electricity to operate data centers, while energy producers are increasingly looking to AI to improve efficiency, optimize production and identify vulnerabilities before they disrupt supplies.

AI BOOM: DEMAND FOR DATA CENTERS DRIVES INNOVATION BY ENERGY, TECH INDUSTRIES TO PRODUCE NEW POWER SOURCES

The stakes are particularly high in the Gulf, where the war involving Iran and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have forced energy producers to reconsider how they protect infrastructure and ensure supplies reach international markets.

In his opening address, Al Jaber warned that nearly a billion barrels had been drawn from global oil inventories since the disruption of Hormuz, illustrating how quickly geopolitical instability can affect global energy supplies.

The ADNOC chief presented artificial intelligence as one element of a broader effort to strengthen operational resilience, arguing that companies must develop systems capable of anticipating problems rather than simply responding after disruptions occur.

ONE OF THE WORLD'S HOTTEST INDUSTRIES IS SPARKING A BLUE-COLLAR JOBS BOOM

Altman, meanwhile, praised the UAE’s commitment to adopting AI across government and industry, describing it as the world’s most forward-looking country in embracing the technology.

For Abu Dhabi, the emerging partnership between its traditional energy industry and the world’s leading AI companies offers an opportunity to extend its economic influence beyond oil exports.

But whether these investments ultimately deliver the promised improvements in productivity, energy security and technological innovation remains to be seen.

As the discussions at ADIPEC demonstrated, the question is no longer simply how much energy the AI revolution will require, but whether artificial intelligence can help solve some of the very energy challenges its growth is creating.

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Protests erupt across France after left-wing groups call for mobilization

France deployed 70,000 police officers Thursday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets for nationwide strikes and protests after left-wing groups called for a mobilization.

In Paris, the Eiffel Tower was closed; in Lyon, French riot police fired tear gas and charged a group of protesters; and near Toulouse, a high school was set on fire, according to Reuters.

"We need to turn up in big numbers on the streets today," the news agency quoted the head of the left-wing CGT union Sophie Binet as saying.

The demonstrations come after France was rocked by violent protests in October, which outgoing French President Emmanuel Macron blamed on "ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic."

FRANCE'S MACRON BLAMES PROTESTS ON 'ULTRA-LEFT GROUPS WHOSE AIM IS TO BRING DOWN THE REPUBLIC'

An official close to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that by early Thursday, around 270,000 people had joined the union action in 180 rallies outside the capital.

About a third of France’s high schools were closed or unable to operate, some because of student blockades and others because teachers were on strike, The Associated Press reported.

Nuñez said the 70,000 police officers being deployed are backed by armored vehicles, drones and helicopters.

Authorities in the western region of Brittany also said "masked individuals" tried to block roads in Rennes, while some committed "serious acts of violence," including throwing steel balls at police.

AMERICANS WARNED OF VIOLENT PROTESTS AS MAJOR TOURIST DESTINATION FACES SHUTDOWN THREAT

France’s main unions warned that the country is on the brink of recession and that layoff plans are multiplying.

"Fuel, food products, rent, gas, electricity... everything’s going up except wages and pensions," they said in a joint statement, according to The Associated Press.

The U.S. Embassy had issued an urgent security alert for Americans in France ahead of the demonstrations, warning travelers to brace for severe disruptions, sudden curfews and the potential for violence.

The rallies come as the campaign to succeed Macron as president next May heats up, with political parties seeking to capitalize on the movement.

Macron is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term, while far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is the favorite to win, the AP reported.

Fox News Digital's Kelly McGreal and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Multiple flights in Europe diverted because of bomb threats

Multiple planes across Europe were diverted and forced to make emergency landings Thursday because of bomb threats that have turned out to be unfounded.

At least 11 planes, originating from cities including Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan and Warsaw, have been affected. The source of the threats was not immediately clear.

These incidents came after several flights in Europe received similar warnings on Tuesday that the U.K. government described as "malicious hoax threats."

"Upon receiving a threat regarding the placement of an improvised explosive device on board 4 aircraft heading to Prague, we are preparing with colleagues from Prague Airport for their landing. We assess the relevance of the threats as low," Czech Police wrote on X, before adding that inspections of the planes yielded "negative results."

The threats come at a time when European officials have been blaming Russia and Iran for "hybrid attacks" and acts of sabotage, which both Moscow and Tehran deny, Reuters reported.

RUSSIA'S SHADOW WAR IS PUTTING EUROPE ON EDGE AS GERMANY CONFRONTS A GROWING THREAT

Earlier, a flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in western France because of a bomb threat, according to French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office. That flight landed safely at the base in Evreux in Normandy, with all 151 passengers and six crew members disembarking, the office said.

A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed at its destination, where inspections found no hazardous or suspicious items, the airline said.

A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest landed safely in Bucharest following a bomb threat, according to airport spokesperson Teo Postelnicu.

FRENCH SUPERMARKETS FACE MILLIONS IN LOSSES AFTER CYBERATTACK HITS REFRIGERATORS NATIONWIDE

Finnair said that Flight 1761 from Helsinki to Rome was targeted by a bomb threat, but nothing was found after it landed in the Italian capital.

Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, had to make emergency landings because of bomb threats on board.

Two of the flights — one from Copenhagen, Denmark, and the other from Madrid — landed safely at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport, airport officials told reporters. The third Sofia-bound flight, from London’s Stansted Airport to Sofia, had been diverted and landed safely at the airport in Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city, Plovdiv Airport CEO Krassimir Peshev said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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US Marine dies in training incident at Japan military base, officials say

A U.S. Marine died Tuesday after an incident during training at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, military officials said.

The incident happened in Okinawa, on a Marine Corps base near the northeastern coast of Okinawa Prefecture.

The Marine, whose identity has not been released by the military, was with the 3rd Marine Division.

ALLEGED KILLING BY MARINE PROMPTS US MILITARY TO RESTRICT OFF-BASE LIBERTY IN OKINAWA

"It is with heavy hearts that 3rd Marine Division announces the death of a Marine following a training incident at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, on Nov. 3, 2026," the 3rd Marine Division said in a statement to ABC News.

"We express our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of our Marine," the statement continued.

The Marine's death remains under investigation, the 3rd Marine Division said.

The Marine's identity is expected to be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin has been notified, Lt. Tyler Thomas, a spokesperson for the III Marine Expeditionary Force, told the outlet.

Military officials have not said whether the Marine died at Camp Schwab or after being transported to a hospital. Thomas also declined to tell ABC News whether anyone else was injured.

FOX News Digital has reached out to the 3rd Marine Division.

MARINE MISSING FROM USS ANCHORAGE NOW FOCUS OF RECOVERY MISSION OFF CALIFORNIA COAST

Roughly 50,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Japan, with most based on Okinawa. The island remained under U.S. control from the end of World War II until 1972.

Currently, nearly 80,000 Americans live on Okinawa, including about 30,000 active-duty service members from all four military branches, with the Marine Corps accounting for the largest presence there.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Canadian mother and daughter dead after suspected grizzly bear attack on hiking trail

A Canadian woman and her daughter were killed in a suspected grizzly bear attack over the weekend while hiking on a trail near their home, according to authorities.

Jennifer Balcarras, 48, an art therapist, and her daughter, Selah Reed, 20, went missing Saturday after going for a walk on the Snooka West Trail, just minutes from their home in Bella Coola, British Columbia.

Loved ones grew concerned when Balcarras failed to show up for a scheduled online meet-up on Saturday, her brother, Matt Balcarras, told The Vancouver Sun.

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO NOT GETTING MAULED BY A BEAR WHILE HIKING OR CAMPING THIS SUMMER

After failing to reach the pair, relatives asked the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for a welfare check on Sunday morning.

Authorities discovered Balcarras' vehicle parked at the trailhead. Her body was recovered Monday, and search teams found Reed's body on Tuesday.

GRIZZLY BEAR MAULS HIKER, DRAGS HIM DOZENS OF FEET ON GLACIER NATIONAL PARK TRAIL

"There was evidence to suggest a bear may have been involved," Jeff Tyre, an inspector with the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service, said in a video update posted to social media.

Tyre noted that officers were actively working to "locate and capture any bears involved" and said it was not immediately clear if more than one animal was responsible.

HIDDEN DANGER AT POPULAR US NATIONAL PARK FORCES TRAIL CLOSURES AS BEAR SIGHTINGS CLIMB

"Any captured bear will be assessed," conservation officials added in a statement. "If it is determined to have been involved in the attack, it will be dispatched in accordance with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines to protect public safety."

Matt Balcarras expressed shock over the location of the attack, emphasizing that his sister and niece were experienced in the region.

"They were not naive city folks," he said. "They were strong women living the life."

The tragic encounter came less than a year after a grizzly bear injured 11 people, including fourth- and fifth-grade students, during a school field trip near Bella Coola.

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Bukele warns Haitian gang leaders that his forces will 'finish' them as he did in El Salvador

After crushing powerful criminal gangs in El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele has turned his attention to the Caribbean nation of Haiti, deploying 2,000 troops after four Salvadoran military aviation technicians disappeared following an Oct.18 ambush near Port-au-Prince.

"We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too," Bukele wrote in a message on X directed at Haiti's criminal groups. Bukele stressed that the operation's objective was not to invade Haiti or conduct a long-term occupation, but to recover the four missing Salvadorans alive.

The disappearance has become a national priority for Bukele, who has warned Haitian gang leaders that El Salvador is prepared to use overwhelming force if the men are not returned alive.

FLORIDA JURY CONVICTS 4 MEN WHO PLOTTED ASSASSINATION OF HAITI'S PRESIDENT FROM SOUTH FLORIDA HUB

The aviation technicians were assigned to a medical unit as part of the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti when their armored vehicle was attacked in Croix-des-Bouquets. Haiti’s National Police announced Tuesday, more than two weeks after the attack, that it had found the charred remains of the vehicle in the Santo neighborhood of Croix-des-Bouquets. Police said, however, they found no sign of the missing men. 

El Salvador says the men were abducted, the Haitian government says the soldiers are missing, and one gang leader says they are dead.

In a post on X Tuesday, directed at the "Haitian people" and written in Haitian creole, Bukele recalled the 1806 assassination of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who proclaimed Haiti’s independence from France in 1804 and who many regard as the founder of Haiti. 

"Dessalines liberated Haiti, but some people who were by his side betrayed him and killed him," Bukele said. "Those traitors still exist in Haiti."

SUSPECTS IN HAITIAN PRESIDENT'S ASSASSINATION TRANSFERRED TO MIAMI, ACCUSED OF FUNDING PLOT WITH COVID FRAUD

Bukele also reposted video of a helicopter engagement in Croix-des-Bouquets. 

"Gangs were attacking GSF soldiers from Chad," he wrote. "We arrived quickly and repelled the attackers with our attack helicopters."

Bukele has the backing of President Donald Trump, who, when asked by reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Halloween, confirmed speaking with the Salvadoran president. 

"He said that he has a big problem with Haiti," Trump said. "They killed some of his people. I said, 'You're running your country. You have to do what you have to do.'"

Unlike previous foreign interventions, Bukele's deployment has the backing of Haiti's transitional government. 

"The international force is not here to replace the state," Haitian Prime Minister Didier Fils-Aimé said Tuesday in his first remarks about the deployment. "They're here to support us."

Fils-Aimé added that Bukele "understands our fight. … He came to stand on the side of the Haitian people."

‘DONROE’ DOCTRINE AND CONSERVATIVE VICTORIES SQUEEZE CARTELS IN LATIN AMERICA

The operation has drawn criticism from human-rights advocates and gang leaders who warn that a military escalation could worsen civilian suffering. The U.N. says at least 5,700 people have been killed or injured due to the gang violence in Haiti since Jan. 1 as security forces struggle to contain the violence. 

The U.N. has also indicated that El Salvador’s deployment is separate from the GSF and has warned El Salvador must follow applicable international law.

One of those gang leaders is Wilson Joseph, known as "Lanmò Sanjou," leader of the powerful 400 Mawozo gang. He accused rival gang Chen Mechan of carrying out the ambush and claimed the Salvadorans are dead, he told The Associated Press. 

Joseph also sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres asking the U.N. for mediation and warning Bukele's "vengeful remarks, expectations, and threats … will lead to an escalation of violence and a logic of reprisals, of which the Haitian people would be the first victims."

EXCLUSIVE: HAITIAN ILLEGAL ALIEN GANG MEMBER WHO WENT VIRAL YELLING ‘BIDEN FOREVER’ DURING ICE ARREST DEPORTED

Joseph was indicted by the U.S. in 2022 on hostage-taking charges related to the 2021 kidnapping of 17 missionaries, including 16 Americans, and remains the subject of a reward of up to $1 million for his arrest.

Bukele dismissed such appeals, accusing gang leaders of attempting to use civilians and international concerns about human rights as a shield to preserve their power and avoid accountability. Bukele has said that negotiations have only prolonged the crisis that has devastated Haiti for years.

After years as one of the world's most violent countries, dominated by powerful gangs including MS-13, El Salvador launched an unprecedented crackdown in 2022 under a state of emergency. Authorities carried out tens of thousands of arrests, ultimately detaining more than 90,000 suspected gang members. 

Supporters credit the strategy with driving homicide rates to historic lows and restoring public safety. Critics accuse Bukele's government of human-rights abuses, arbitrary detentions and erosion of due-process protections.

The question now is whether that model can be exported to Haiti, where gangs control large portions of Port-au-Prince and wield influence over key transportation routes and neighborhoods. Despite years of international intervention, security conditions have continued to deteriorate. 

The GSF has struggled with manpower shortages and operational limitations, operating below its Security Council-approved intended strength, leaving Haiti's government unable to reassert full control over much of the capital.

"We can help you defeat them, but we are not your enemies," Bukele wrote on Tuesday. "We must stand up, take back control of our communities, and put under our control those who are making us endure all this pain, all this suffering. We are right there beside you… Haiti will be free."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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