Mike Waltz says Gulf allies back Trump’s Iran pressure campaign after regional trip: ‘Zero daylight’

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Gulf allies are backing President Donald Trump’s blockade and economic pressure campaign against Iran, telling Fox News Digital after a trip to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom that regional leaders believe Tehran is feeling the pain.

Waltz spoke to Fox News Digital on Thursday evening shortly after landing back in the United States, as reports of a possible deal with Iran began to emerge. He said the situation was still shifting by the hour, noting that Iran had launched another strike on Bahrain shortly after he left the region.

Waltz, the highest-level U.S. official to visit the region since the war began, said Gulf partners strongly support the administration’s efforts to keep pressure on Iran through both the blockade and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s "Operation Economic Fury."

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"They very much support the blockade," Waltz said, adding that allies shared with him "in a number of ways" how Bessent’s economic campaign is affecting the regime. The pressure campaign, Waltz said, is designed to squeeze Tehran while Trump continues negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

On Friday, an unnamed U.S. official told reporters in a briefing: "We do expect to be signing this agreement with Iran over the next few days. We assess it at 85%, but not 100%. We feel very good about the deal. We are not quite at the finish line, but we are very close"

Waltz said, "The UAE, in particular, believes that you have to keep that pressure and a very credible pressure," he told Fox News Digital. "That’s what the Iranians understand and respond to."

Waltz said leaders in the region validated U.S. assessments that Iran’s economy is deteriorating under the combined weight of sanctions, military pressure and isolation. He said Iran’s currency is "tanking," foreign currency reserves are running out, inflation is continuing to rise and the regime is struggling to pay the military, government employees and police.

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"I think the regime is going to be increasingly desperate," Waltz said, adding that Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Scott Bessent, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would use that pressure "to their advantage."

In the UAE, Waltz met with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and the foreign minister, describing the Emiratis as among the most active regional partners against Iran. "There is zero daylight," Waltz said.

Waltz added the UAE has "both the capability and the will" to act, and said the Emiratis are prepared to take "short-term pain" to achieve the longer-term goal of blocking Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The UAE has been hit hard during the war. Waltz said the country had taken "by far the most missiles, the most drones, the most hits," but had moved quickly to repair damage and restore operations. 

Waltz also pointed to the Abraham Accords as a major factor in the UAE’s posture, saying the country’s growing partnership with Israel has become an "important shift" in the regional alignment against Iran.

Bahrain was another central stop on Waltz’s trip. The country hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and has been directly exposed to Iran’s attacks and threats around the Strait of Hormuz.

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"Until you go and really sit with them, you can’t appreciate what a strong ally they are," Waltz said.

He said U.S. and allied teams in Bahrain are working with global shipping companies, local shipping officials, insurance companies and other maritime actors as the U.S. seeks to keep vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.

Waltz accused Iran of making a "phenomenally bad decision" by attacking its neighbors, including hotels, port facilities and energy infrastructure. During one visit to a petroleum site, he said he saw evidence that Iran had targeted fire suppression systems and first responders before striking storage tanks, in an apparent effort to maximize damage.

"The Iranians were deliberately targeting fire suppression systems," Waltz said. "They were deliberately targeting first responders first."

Despite the strikes, Waltz said allied air defenses have had "over a 90% success rate" in shooting down Iranian missiles and drones, with U.S. forces working "hand in glove" with Gulf partners.

Waltz ended his trip in the United Kingdom, where he said officials have been strong partners at the U.N. Security Council on Iran. He acknowledged "hiccups" and "speed bumps" over basing and access issues, but said many of those concerns had been "smoothed over."

"When we’re working to keep the Iranians isolated diplomatically," Waltz said, "they’ve been very good to work with."

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Expert warns of 'general escalation' of fighting if Houthis resume Red Sea campaign

The U.S. has hit back against threats to now block another Middle East waterway by Iranian terror proxy, the Houthis.

Earlier this week, the group declared a complete ban on Israeli-owned ships using the Red Sea, declaring them to be "legitimate targets".

The Red Sea and the waterway through its narrow Bab-el Mandeb strait, has become the main route for oil to ship out of the Middle East to Asia since the Strait of Hormuz has effectively stopped functioning as the main route of navigation for shipping.

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Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree posted on Monday, "We declare a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, and we consider all enemy movements to be legitimate targets."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a State Department spokesperson struck back: "The escalatory actions of Iran and their Houthi proxies are unacceptable. These dangerous actions only serve to further enflame tensions and further disrupt global supply chains. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz." 

Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital, "The Houthis have indeed risen to the challenge, at least verbally. In common with much ‘Axis of Resistance’ rhetoric at present, the intention appears to be to leverage US political nervousness and market volatility, and to drive a wedge between the Americans and the Israelis."

Fitton-Brown, a former U.K. ambassador to Yemen added, "Provided the allies keep talking to each other, the Israelis respond proportionately, as they have done, and the Iranians continue to provoke President Trump with actions like the downing of the helicopter, these tactics are unlikely to achieve significant success."

"It will be interesting if the Houthis do go all in, and resume their campaign against Red Sea shipping with full intensity," Fitton-Brown said, adding, "This will draw international anger and likely result in Israeli and U.S. strikes on Sanaa and Hodeida. There is potential for a general escalation if this happens, albeit one in which the allies have a clear military advantage."

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Such actions come as reports emerge that Ethiopia, the Red Sea region’s most populous country, is stepping up as a major U.S. ally against Islamic terrorism.

While landlocked, Ethiopia has a population of some 130 million, making it the largest nation in the Horn of Africa. Located near parts of the Red Sea corridor, the country is roughly 60% Christian, according to a recent report by the Association of Religion Data Archives.

And despite it being landlocked, Ethiopian researcher Blen M. Diriba told Fox News Digital that the country acts as a strategic roadblock or "a keystone state" on the Islamist expansionist ‘highway’ that has formed all the way from  Iran to Sudan.

Diriba, executive director of the Horn Review — an Addis Ababa-based research and publication think tank — told Fox News Digital that "Ethiopia, long a frontline U.S. security partner, now sits at the center of an expanding pressure zone where maritime disruption, insurgent violence, terrorist threats, and proxy competition converge."

Diriba added. "Iran’s Bab el-Mandeb threat transforms the Horn of Africa into a militarized frontline, placing Ethiopia at the center of a chokepoint crisis. With Iranian influence radiating through conflict ecosystems in Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia, the region is beginning to resemble a continuous arc of instability stretching from the Arabian Peninsula into East Africa."

"Ethiopia sits at the center of one of the world's most combustible security corridors," Diriba continued. "And in strategic terms, its relevance to the United States is amplified, not diminished, by that reality: From the Red Sea disruptions driven by the Houthis to the persistent insurgency threat of al-Shabab in Somalia, Ethiopia functions as a massive inland security buffer whose stability directly shapes whether these threats expand or are contained."

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But in addition to being pro-U.S., Ethiopia also has relations with Iran.

Fitton-Brown believes to some extent Ethiopia can be accused of playing both sides, as he said Tehran "has helped Ethiopia with its internal conflicts, giving drone support and military aid to the Ethiopian government during the recent Tigray War."

He added, "There is a new memorandum of understanding built upon that basis, with Iran gaining influence in Ethiopia, while Ethiopia receives military, police and intelligence support to counter its domestic ethnic insurgencies."

 However, Diriba said, "Ethiopia’s engagement with Iran is neither affinity nor alignment, it’s strategic awareness: keeping channels open to engage where necessary, cooperate selectively, and strategically manage its relations with a complex regional actor, while firmly anchoring its core partnerships with its emerging and long-standing partners — the United States being on the top of that list."

"Ethiopia has pursued a flexible multi-alignment strategy, Diriba said, "prioritizing its entrenched security partnership with Washington while keeping open channels with Tehran to preserve diplomatic room to maneuver in an increasingly fragmented Horn of Africa–Red Sea order."

Fitton-Brown said relations between the U.S. and Ethiopia "are good, especially in the field of counterterrorism. Both countries use Somaliland to their advantage without having gone so far as to recognize it as an independent state."

Fox News Digital reached out to both the Department of War and the Ethiopian government for comment, but received no response by the time of publication.

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Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to 30 years over North Korea drone flights

A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison Friday in a case that accused him of ordering drone flights over North Korea in an effort to justify his declaration of martial law.

Yoon, 65, was sentenced alongside former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun by the Seoul Central District Court.

The ousted president was previously sentenced to life in prison for leading an insurrection following his declaration of martial law in December 2024.

North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets on three occasions in October 2024.

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Then-Defense Minister Kim initially issued a vague denial before South Korea's Defense Ministry said it could neither confirm nor deny the allegations.

Although tensions between the two Koreas escalated following the incident, the drone flights did not lead to any military clashes.

Prosecutors accused Yoon of attempting to create a crisis with North Korea while plotting an authoritarian power grab aimed at removing political opponents and consolidating control.

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Before declaring martial law, Yoon delivered a televised address accusing liberal lawmakers of sympathizing with North Korea.

Yoon has argued that he possessed the constitutional authority to declare martial law and said the move was intended to draw attention to what he viewed as obstruction by opposition parties.

His attempt to impose martial law lasted roughly six hours before lawmakers voted to overturn it amid mass public protests.

Yoon was arrested in July 2025 and continues to face multiple criminal proceedings.

The insurrection verdict has been appealed by both Yoon and prosecutors, who had sought the death penalty.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Christian leaders hold emergency summit in Jerusalem to confront global rise in antisemitism

JERUSALEM: The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) convened an emergency summit this week amid growing concern over the global rise in antisemitism following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023.

The three-day conference in the Israeli capital comes at a time when social media influencers are consistently pushing antisemitic hate to their millions of followers.

"Attacking the Jews means attacking the very roots of one’s own faith. It means fighting against the people who gave us the Bible. Jesus was Jewish," ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler told Fox News Digital.

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"If you don’t fight antisemitism, you are sawing off the branch you sit on. For the church to survive, we need to connect to our roots, fighting antisemitism needs to be at the forefront of every pastor and every leader around the world," he added.

One of the central themes of the conference is Replacement Theology, a doctrine that holds the Church has replaced the Jewish people in God’s plan.

"The Bible is full of God’s eternal plan which includes the Jewish people. Paul’s statement in Romans 11 that ‘the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable' relates to Israel. This is a doctrine that goes contrary to what the New and Old Testament are teaching and that’s why we need to have this conference," Bühler said.

"One cannot deny the Jewishness of the Bible. The most frequent word in the Bible is the name of God and the second most used name is Israel. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he died in Jerusalem, resurrected in Jerusalem, rose to heaven from Jerusalem and he is coming back to Jerusalem. If you read the Bible it is so easy to see the connection to Israel," he added.

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Israel’s newly appointed Special Envoy to the Christian world, George Deek, addressed the meeting on Wednesday, while Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee are scheduled to attend the summit’s closing event on Thursday at the foreign ministry as keynote speakers.

In a recorded message broadcast at the summit, Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked Christian leaders for mobilizing against antisemitism.

"We are witnessing a very disturbing surge of antisemitism all over the world. This is a major challenge for humanity. This is the age-old, perhaps the oldest plague in humanity, and we have to stand up together — thought leaders and religious leaders — and say, ‘No more,’ and teach people about the sources of this evil and how to counter antisemitism," Herzog said.

"I believe that countering antisemitism requires a combination of three major elements: law enforcement, adjudication and education," he said.

"You, dear leaders, have a huge capability of fighting back, and I bless you. Truly, I bless you as the president of Israel for coming here and fighting back, for coming here and discussing how to fight back," Herzog concluded.

Dr. Andrew J. Nolte, who launched Regent University’s Israel Institute in 2024, said students often repeat antisemitic claims, including the accusation that Jews killed Jesus.

"The answer from a Christian theological perspective is that we all killed Jesus, he died for our sins. There is a theological understanding of the guilt we bear for Jesus’s blood," Nolte told Fox News Digital.

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While Israel has faced recent criticism over treatment of Christians – mostly at the hands of a few extremists – the country is seen as a beacon of freedom of religion in the Middle East.

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, as of December 2025, Israel’s Christian population stood at approximately 184,200 people, representing 1.9% of the country’s total population. The community grew by 0.7% over the previous year.

Arab Christians account for 78.7% of Israel’s Christian population and comprise 6.8% of the country’s overall Arab population.

Most Arab Christians reside in northern Israel. Among non-Arab Christians, 42% live in the Tel Aviv and Central districts, compared to 33.9% in the Northern and Haifa districts.

Nolte said that Christians in Israel hold prominent positions, noting that the provost of the University of Haifa is a Maronite Christian and that Christian communities in the country report relatively high income levels. He also said that, in most cases involving civil rights and religious freedom brought by Christians in Israel, the outcomes have been decided in their favor.

"If you are comparing Israel to any Muslim country in the Middle East, the status of Christians is much higher. As a Christian, you are better off here than anywhere else in the region," he added.

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Christopher Kuehl, founder of Present Witness and co-host of the One New Man podcast, emphasized that biblical illiteracy among younger generations is fueling confusion about Israel.

He opened his remarks at the conference by citing a recent U.S. study on Gen Z’s alignment with biblical teachings and how closely their worldview corresponds with scripture, noting that only about 5% demonstrated strong adherence.

"Israel gets thrown into that ignorance, that biblical ignorance. Social media is what teaches children and Gen Z; they spend eight hours a day on it and go to church once a week for 20 minutes. How does one create a message in 20 minutes that will overcome spending eight hours on social media every day?" Kuehl told Fox News Digital.

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Pastor Matthew Earls joined the summit as part of Eagles’ Wings Ministries’ Israel Christian Nexus program, which focuses on young Christian leaders and gives them the opportunity to experience Israel early in their careers and build a well-rounded perspective.

"We want to teach biblical truth so that the church does not look completely different in the next generation," Earls told Fox News Digital. "The greater mission is one of solidarity with the people of Israel, and of equipping people with talking points in the hope that dialogue can take place and lead to greater understanding, or at least mutual respect for one another’s positions," he said.

Sacha Roytman, CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, told Fox News Digital that Christians and Jews face many of the same challenges in defending their faith, history, and future, adding that those who reject Jews and Zionism also reject the Christian worldview because the two are aligned.

"I’m here to share this message with Christian leaders who go back to their communities empowered with more knowledge, more energy, and different tools to fight this battle," Roytman said.

As part of its research, CAM has examined how social media algorithms amplify antisemitic content and conspiracy theories. "We discovered that the algorithms are trained to deliver engaging content that upsets people and keeps them hooked. Often, it is anti-establishment content and conspiracy theories that fuel antisemitism," Roytman said.

More than 200 theologians, pastors and ministry leaders from over 30 countries are attending in person, alongside approximately 3,000 online participants.

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UK spy powers draw US scrutiny over alleged Apple encryption backdoor demand

U.K. surveillance laws drew scrutiny from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio June 5 amid warnings they could expose communications of officials and American citizens, according to reports.

The concern centered on the U.K.'s use of secret Technical Capability Notices under the Investigatory Powers Act, which critics say could make U.S. companies weaken encryption or create "backdoors" weaken encryption or create "backdoors" while preventing firms from disclosing requests without U.K. government approval.

Critics have argued this could undermine privacy, create vulnerabilities and limit congressional oversight with one former intelligence official warning of a "standing invitation to Beijing."

"We have already seen how this ends," former Department of Defense official Andrew Badger told Fox News Digital.

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"There are legitimate privacy concerns here, and those have been well aired. The less examined issue is national security," Badger said.

"A backdoor compelled by one ally becomes a standing invitation to Beijing, Moscow and Tehran so once one government can quietly compel access, others will demand the same, and a one-off concession hardens into a permanent vulnerability," he warned.

According to the Telegraph, a June 5 letter sent by Jordan to U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, showed the Trump ally had called for a review.

The report said Mahmood's decision had been to deny a U.S. company permission to speak with Congress about an alleged encryption backdoor notice.

Jordan was also said to have warned that a lack of bilateral coordination raised concerns about the "trust and effective partnership between our two countries."

"Five Eyes works because every partner trusts the others not to weaken the systems they all depend on," Badger, co-author of "The Great Heist: China's Epic Campaign to Steal America's Secrets," said.

"If Washington also concludes that U.K. surveillance powers could inadvertently expose Americans and American officials to espionage, it puts real strain on the relationship and makes future cooperation on intelligence and cyber harder to sustain."

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On the encryption issue, Badger noted that mainstream encrypted platforms now function as "de facto infrastructure for sensitive communication well beyond the consumer market."

"Any access point built into them becomes a permanent target. It is not a private key the requesting government gets to keep to itself," he said.

U.S. and British cyber officials have also repeatedly warned that an axis of hostile states — including Russia, China and Iran — poses threats to Western security and infrastructure.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, cyberespionage by groups such as Salt Typhoon, linked to China, has carried out operations targeting sensitive communications.

"China is actively running one of the largest state-backed cyberespionage operations ever uncovered. The Salt Typhoon campaign has targeted hundreds of organizations across roughly 80 countries and, through those intrusions, gained access to sensitive communications and networks used by senior Western officials," Badger warned.

"Chinese state hackers didn't defeat encryption. They walked straight through the lawful-intercept systems telecom providers had built, reaching the communications of senior officials and even information about surveillance targets."

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Reports also surfaced that U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper used a burner phone during a recent trip to Beijing and raising further concerns about state-sponsored espionage.

Badger noted that the episode reflects a broader pattern of Chinese targeting of British democratic institutions, including the "hacking of senior Downing Street officials' phones and an Electoral Commission breach that exposed the data of roughly 40 million voters," he said.

"The telling thing is that no one issues burner phones for a trip to Sweden or Germany," he said.

"The precaution is itself an admission of the threat environment. The working assumption — correctly — is that anything digital taken into China should be treated as potentially compromised."

The systemic vulnerability also highlights a fundamental contradiction in Western diplomatic strategy, according to Badger.

"This case perfectly underscores the contradiction at the heart of the U.K. Labour government's China policy: chasing positive economic relations and expanded trade with Beijing on one hand, while being forced to take elaborate precautions against a state whose core interests remain fundamentally at odds with its own on the other," Badger said.

"You can't simultaneously treat China as a trusted economic partner and a hostile intelligence threat. It's a fundamental contradiction. The need to use burner phones symbolically underscore this."

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U.K. spy powers draw U.S. scrutiny over alleged Apple encryption backdoor demand

U.K. surveillance laws drew scrutiny from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio June 5 amid warnings they could expose communications of officials and American citizens, according to reports.

The concern centered on the U.K.'s use of secret Technical Capability Notices under the Investigatory Powers Act, which critics say could make U.S. companies weaken encryption or create "backdoors" weaken encryption or create "backdoors" while preventing firms from disclosing requests without U.K. government approval.

Critics have argued this could undermine privacy, create vulnerabilities and limit congressional oversight with one former intelligence official warning of a "standing invitation to Beijing."

"We have already seen how this ends," former Department of Defense official Andrew Badger told Fox News Digital.

JD VANCE 'DIRECTLY' CONVINCED UK TO DROP APPLE BACKDOOR DATA DEMAND, PROTECTING AMERICANS' RIGHTS: US OFFICIAL

"There are legitimate privacy concerns here, and those have been well aired. The less examined issue is national security," Badger said.

"A backdoor compelled by one ally becomes a standing invitation to Beijing, Moscow and Tehran so once one government can quietly compel access, others will demand the same, and a one-off concession hardens into a permanent vulnerability," he warned.

According to the Telegraph, a June 5 letter sent by Jordan to U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, showed the Trump ally had called for a review.

The report said Mahmood's decision had been to deny a U.S. company permission to speak with Congress about an alleged encryption backdoor notice.

Jordan was also said to have warned that a lack of bilateral coordination raised concerns about the "trust and effective partnership between our two countries."

"Five Eyes works because every partner trusts the others not to weaken the systems they all depend on," Badger, co-author of "The Great Heist: China's Epic Campaign to Steal America's Secrets," said.

"If Washington also concludes that U.K. surveillance powers could inadvertently expose Americans and American officials to espionage, it puts real strain on the relationship and makes future cooperation on intelligence and cyber harder to sustain."

US SPIES URGED TO REFOCUS EFFORTS ON AMERICA'S BACKYARD, NEW HOUSE INTEL CHAIR SAYS

On the encryption issue, Badger noted that mainstream encrypted platforms now function as "de facto infrastructure for sensitive communication well beyond the consumer market."

"Any access point built into them becomes a permanent target. It is not a private key the requesting government gets to keep to itself," he said.

U.S. and British cyber officials have also repeatedly warned that an axis of hostile states — including Russia, China and Iran — poses threats to Western security and infrastructure.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, cyberespionage by groups such as Salt Typhoon, linked to China, has carried out operations targeting sensitive communications.

"China is actively running one of the largest state-backed cyberespionage operations ever uncovered. The Salt Typhoon campaign has targeted hundreds of organizations across roughly 80 countries and, through those intrusions, gained access to sensitive communications and networks used by senior Western officials," Badger warned.

"Chinese state hackers didn't defeat encryption. They walked straight through the lawful-intercept systems telecom providers had built, reaching the communications of senior officials and even information about surveillance targets."

CHINESE BIOWEAPON SMUGGLING CASE SHOWS US 'TRAINS OUR ENEMIES,' 'LEARNED NOTHING' FROM COVID: SECURITY EXPERT

Reports also surfaced that U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper used a burner phone during a recent trip to Beijing and raising further concerns about state-sponsored espionage.

Badger noted that the episode reflects a broader pattern of Chinese targeting of British democratic institutions, including the "hacking of senior Downing Street officials' phones and an Electoral Commission breach that exposed the data of roughly 40 million voters," he said.

"The telling thing is that no one issues burner phones for a trip to Sweden or Germany," he said.

"The precaution is itself an admission of the threat environment. The working assumption — correctly — is that anything digital taken into China should be treated as potentially compromised."

The systemic vulnerability also highlights a fundamental contradiction in Western diplomatic strategy, according to Badger.

"This case perfectly underscores the contradiction at the heart of the U.K. Labour government's China policy: chasing positive economic relations and expanded trade with Beijing on one hand, while being forced to take elaborate precautions against a state whose core interests remain fundamentally at odds with its own on the other," Badger said.

"You can't simultaneously treat China as a trusted economic partner and a hostile intelligence threat. It's a fundamental contradiction. The need to use burner phones symbolically underscore this."

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Colombian lawmakers seek suspension of Trump foe Gustavo Petro over alleged meddling in upcoming election

Colombian lawmakers are considering a proposal that would temporarily suspend President Gustavo Petro from office amid an investigation into allegations that he improperly intervened in the country's presidential election.

Gloria Arizabaleta, president of Colombia's Commission of Investigation and Accusation, filed a motion Wednesday seeking to suspend Petro from his duties through June 21, according to a document published by the commission.

The proposal stems from an ongoing probe into allegations that Petro engaged in political meddling during the campaign and cites conduct described as "extremely serious or serious."

Petro, whose four-year term is set to expire in August, has been accused of involvement in the presidential campaign of leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda, who represents Petro's Pacto Historico coalition.

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Cepeda is scheduled to face conservative attorney Abelardo De La Espriella in a June 21 runoff election.

The race is being closely watched in Washington because Colombia remains one of the United States' closest security partners in Latin America and a key ally in counternarcotics efforts. The country has long been central to U.S.-backed efforts to combat drug trafficking and organized crime throughout the region.

The suspension proposal faces significant hurdles before it can take effect. Lawmakers and legal experts said the measure would first need approval from all 16 members of the Commission of Investigation and Accusation before advancing to Colombia's Senate for further consideration.

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"President Gustavo Petro has not been suspended; he remains in office," commission member Miguel Silvera Padilla said in a video statement, according to Reuters.

The Commission of Investigation and Accusation, which operates within Colombia's lower house of Congress, is responsible for reviewing complaints and potential criminal or disciplinary charges against high-ranking government officials.

Petro has repeatedly faced scrutiny from political opponents during his presidency, though the latest proposal comes less than two weeks before Colombians head to the polls to choose his successor.

The runoff election between Cepeda and De La Espriella is expected to help determine whether voters continue Petro's leftist political project or shift toward a more conservative approach to security and governance.

Representatives for Petro did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

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