The US and Iran both claimed victory after reaching a fragile ceasefire, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries.

The US president said he was suspending his threats if Iran agreed to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway.

Tehran has already proposed a 10-point plan that provided ‘a workable basis on which to negotiate’, but the agreement is already hitting roadblocks.

Iran also appears to have closed the Strait of Hormuz, after US leaders claimed it had been reopened as part of the ceasefire.

Key issues for both nations remain unresolved, including the scope of the truce, Iran’s rights to nuclear enrichment and ballistic missiles, as well as access to the Strait of Hormuz.

Dr Katayoun Shahandeh, of SOAS, University of London, told Metro the ceasefire is more fragile than it is secure.

‘It may hold in the very short term because all sides have reasons to pause, but it is not yet a stable settlement,’ she said.

Why did Israel attack Lebanon, and is it a breach of the ceasefire?

The elephant in the room is the continued Israeli strikes into Lebanon.

Israel has intensified attacks in Lebanon, killing at least 182 people in the highest single-day death toll in the Israel-Hezbollah war, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

‘There seem to be conflicting messages over whether Lebanon is covered, which is exactly the kind of ambiguity that can unravel a deal fast. There is also a growing divergence between U.S. and Israeli objectives,’ Dr Shahandeh said.

Washington has declared the ceasefire as a ‘victory’, Dr Shahandeh said, but Israel’s current posture points towards a continued military campaign, rather than a diplomatic resolution.

‘There is a real fear that this is not peace so much as a pause, as it is a chance for Washington and its allies to regroup and, if talks fail, strike harder. That may not be the stated intention, but it is one plausible reading of a ceasefire whose terms remain contested and whose basic points of agreement still seem very far apart,’ she said.

‘Already, it does not look as though all sides are fully adhering to it.’

What happens if the ceasefire conditions are broken?

If the ceasefire is broken, Trump would have a few options – but would likely begin with escalation in strikes and potentially putting US troops on the ground in Iran.

‘Trump has said U.S. military ships and aircraft will remain around Iran and that if Tehran does not comply, the “shootin’ starts” again,’ Dr Shahandeh explained.

‘The most likely U.S. response would be renewed strikes, more coercive pressure over Hormuz, and an attempt to force Iran into harsher terms from a position of overwhelming military superiority. But that would deepen the bind he is already in: walking away risks looking weak, while escalating further risks a more unpopular and expensive war.’

Dr Bamo Nouri, senior lecturer in International Relations at the University of West London, told Metro: ‘If it breaks, Trump has already signalled a return to coercive escalation – maintaining US forces in the region, increasing military pressure, and potentially authorising further strikes to restore deterrence.

Iran’s options if the ceasefire is broken are different. Despite sustaining heavy damage, the country has retained power over the Strait of Hormuz and could easily resume missile and drone attacks and pressure on global shipping.

As for Israel, the option is to continue its air strikes in both Iran and Lebanon if it believes the ceasefire to be broken.

‘Israel, for its part, is likely to be the least patient actor, having already signalled readiness to resume high-intensity operations if it judges the ceasefire to be constraining its strategic objectives,’ Dr Nouri said.

Despite agreeing to suspend its bombing campaign in Iran, the US and Israel differ on their positions as to whether the ceasefire stretches to Lebanon, where Israel argues it is striking Iranian-backed Hezbollah groups.

‘Israel agreed to suspend its bombing campaign on Iran, but that U.S. and Israeli positions differ sharply from Iran’s (and Pakistan who brokered the deal) over whether Lebanon is part of the ceasefire framework.

‘That means Israel could become the most immediate trigger for collapse if it continues treating other theatres as separate while Iran treats them as linked,’ Dr Shahandeh said.

What happens next?

It’s hard to say. Iran, Israel and the United States are not operating from a shared understanding of what’s been agreed in the ceasefire agreement.

Dr Nouri explained: ‘The US frames it around limiting Iran’s nuclear activity and securing maritime stability in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran insists on its enrichment rights and links the deal to broader regional conditions, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.’

In order for the ceasefire to hold, the three countries must quickly clarify terms to stop any misunderstandings.

‘Without a quickly accepted framework, this ceasefire becomes a short-lived bargaining interval rather than a stable resolution, with all sides already preparing for renewed escalation,’ Dr Nouri said.

Dr Shahandeh believes three things need to happen for the ceasefire to hold.

‘The parties need clear written terms, not just public declarations: what is covered geographically, what counts as a violation, and who verifies compliance,’ she said.

‘Second, there has to be a practical de-escalation mechanism around Hormuz, because Reuters reports there is still little sign that the Strait is operating normally, and Iran is still asserting control there.

‘Third, the ceasefire must become a political process, not just a pause in bombing. The ceasefire can hold, but only as a bridge to a more detailed agreement. If it remains vague, it is unlikely to last.’

A pro-Iranian group has published personal emails and pictures of the head of the FBI after hacking into his accounts.

Hundreds of documents, pictures and a CV of Kash Patel have been shared by the Handala Hack Team, which has links to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.

The group wrote: ‘Kash Patel, the current head of the FBI, who once saw his name displayed with pride on the agency’s headquarters, will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims.

‘The so-called ‘impenetrable’ systems of the FBI were brought to their knees within hours by our team.’

Many of the hacked records shared were from more than a decade ago.

Leaked photos included one of Mr Patel smoking a cigar in his mouth and another of the FBI boss standing next to a vintage sports car.

Handala, which presents as a pro-Palestinian hacking group, is thought to be one of several fronts used by the Iranian regime to conduct cyber attacks.

Earlier this month the same group claimed to have hacked into Stryker, a Michigan-based medical services provider and had deleted a large number of its files.

More than 300 emails send and received by Mr Patel from a Gmail account were shared, dating from 2010 to 2019.

It comes amid a rise in cyber-related operations from Iran-backed organisations.

On Thursday Handala claimed to have targeted employees working in the Middle East for defence firm Lockheed Martin.

The company said it was aware of the reports and had put systems in place ‘to mitigate cyber threats to our business’.

The FBI confirmed that the details taken were ‘historical in nature’ and that no governmental information had been disclosed.

It said in a statement: ‘The FBI is aware of malicious actors targeting Director Patel‘s personal email information, and we have taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks associated with this activity.

‘The information in question is historical in nature and involves no government information.’

Gil Messing, chief of staff at Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point, said the leaking of Mr Patel’s personal details was designed to make US officials feel ‘vulnerable’.

Iranian groups were ‘firing whatever they have’, he said.

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Donald Trump will hit Iran ‘harder than they have ever been hit before’ unless Tehran accepts it has been ‘defeated militarily’, the White House has warned.

The president’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Trump ‘does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell’, adding: ‘Iran should not miscalculate again.’

Earlier, Iran dismissed an American 15-point plan to end the war and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries.

Iran’s English-language state television broadcaster quoted an anonymous official as saying Tehran will end the conflict ‘when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met’.

Talks with Iran were still underway, Leavitt said.

‘Talks continue. They are productive, as the President said on Monday, and they continue to be,’ she told reporters.

But she added: ‘If Iran fails to accept the reality of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily, and will continue to be, President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before.’

Leavitt declined to identify which Iranian or Iranians the administration is negotiating with.

The press secretary also declined to comment on a 15-point ceasefire plan put forward by the United States that was rejected by Iran.

She cautioned the White House press pack about ‘reporting about speculative points or speculative plans from anonymous sources’.

‘The White House never confirmed that full plan,’ Leavitt said, adding that ‘there are elements of truth to it, but some of the stories I read were not entirely factual’.

Publicly, Iranian officials poured withering scorn on the prospect ‌of any negotiations with the Trump administration. 

But an apparent delay in providing a formal response to Pakistan, which delivered a 15-point proposal on behalf of Washington, appeared to signal that at least some figures in Tehran may be considering it.

Global equity markets regained some ground while oil prices dipped on Wednesday after reports that Washington ​had sent the proposal to Iran, with investors hoping for an end to a war that has disrupted global energy supplies and risks fuelling inflation.

The Pentagon is meanwhile planning to send thousands of airborne troops to the Gulf to give Trump more options to order a ground assault, sources have told Reuters.

They would add to two contingents of Marines already on their way. The first Marine unit, aboard a huge amphibious assault ship, could arrive around the end of the month.

Iran could open a new front at the mouth of the Red Sea if attacks are carried out on its territory, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency ​cited an unnamed military source as saying on ​Wednesday.

The source said that Iran has ⁠the capability to pose a ‘credible threat’ in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which lies between Yemen and Djibouti.

Iran’s parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said his country would attack an unnamed neighbouring country if it cooperated with efforts by ‘the enemies’ to occupy one of its islands.

Since the start of what the ​US calls ‘Operation Epic Fury’, Iran has attacked countries that host US bases and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for a fifth ​of the world’s oil and ⁠liquefied natural gas.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned that the ‘world is staring down the barrel of a wider war’ in the region.

‘It is time to stop climbing the escalation ladder – and start climbing the diplomatic ladder,’ he said at the UN headquarters in New York.

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Military experts have warned that Iran could soon have the capability to strike European capitals, after it launched long-range missiles at a key UK-US military base thousands of miles away.

Last night, Tehran launched two ballistic missiles towards the strategically important base on Diego Garcia, a jointly owned base in the Chagos Islands 2,360 miles from Iran.

Neither missile hit its target in the attack, which was condemned by the Ministry of defence as ‘reckless’ and a ‘threat to British interests and British allies’.

One is believed to have malfunctioned during flight, while the other was intercepted by an American warship before impact.

The attempted strike suggests advances in range that could eventually bring parts of Europe within reach.

The Daily Mail reported that Iran could have used intermediate range ballistic missiles or a space launch vehicle to boost range.

Steve Prest, a retired Royal Navy commodore, told the Daily Mail: ‘Ballistic missiles are space rockets. They launch, they go really high up and they come down really fast. If you’ve got a space program, you’ve got a ballistic missile program.’

The attack on Diego Garcia happened a week after Israeli forces carried out a strike on Iran’s primary space research facility in Tehran, amid concerns it was being used to develop technology capable of targeting satellites in orbit.

Foreign affairs analyst Nawaf Al-Thani said missile threat is ‘no longer confined to the Gulf, Israel or parts of South Asia’, and key European capitals such as Paris would be in the included range. London is in the ‘edge of vulnerability’.

He said in a post on X: ‘For years, the accepted ceiling was around 2,000 kilometres. A ballistic missile reaching Diego Garcia suggests something in the neighbourhood of 4,000 kilometres, which pushes it out of the medium-range category and into the intermediate-range class (IRBM). That is a strategic leap.

‘If confirmed, Diego Garcia was not just a target. It was a message.’

The strike comes just days after an Iranian missile hit a military base in the United Arab Emirates, which is home to US, UK and Australian troops.

Explosions were heard near the military base, which is used by Western nations as a transit hub within the region.

Meanwhile, Iran has said it will continue to stop shipping traffic from US and allied ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which is used to transport a fifth of the world’s oil supplies.

Brits were encouraged on Friday to work from home and use air fryers instead of ovens to lessen demand for energy.

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Iran fired missiles towards the UK’s Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, US officials have said.

Two intermediate-range ballistic missiles were fired at Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands but neither hit, the Wall Street Journal and the semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr reported.

One of the missiles was shot down by a US warship, while the other failed in flight, the newspaper said, citing multiple officials.

Ministers gave the US permission to strike Iranian missile sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz from UK bases including Diego Garcia on Friday afternoon.

Iran reacted angrily, with foreign minister Abbas Araghchi claiming it will ‘exercise its right to self-defence’.

Posting on X, he said: ‘Vast majority of the British People do not want any part in the Israel-US war of choice on Iran.

Ignoring his own People, Mr Starmer is putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran.

‘Iran will exercise its right to self-defence.’

Where is Diego Garcia military base?

Diego Garcia is around 2,360 miles away from Iran and home to an airbase capable of accommodating long-range US bombers.

The UK has agreed to cede sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius and lease back the base.

Diego Garcia is strategically valuable to the US, and has been used as a launchpad for operations in the Middle East for years.

It has a large airfield, major fuel storage facilities, radar installations and a deep-water port.

UK ‘should have acted a lot faster’

US President Donald Trump said the UK ‘should have acted a lot faster’ in giving the US permission.

He has already piled pressure on Nato allies, calling them ‘cowards’ for refusing to offer warships to reopen the Strait.

The Government had previously granted the US permission only for ‘defensive’ action.

When that decision was made, RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was hit by an Iranian drone.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described Sir Keir’s latest move as the ‘mother of all U-turns’ in a post on X.

The Liberal Democrats and the Green Party said granting further permission for the US to use British bases must first have a parliamentary vote.

The Prime Minister will hold a Cobra meeting next week to discuss plans to help households with the cost of living caused by the war, it is understood.

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Donald Trump has been accused of backtracking and contradicting his own statements regarding the war in Iran.

Speaking at a press conference later yesterday, Trump slammed the UK for its response to the war, calling it ‘very disappointing’.

Trump has also asked France, China, Japan, South Korea and Britain to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

But the President’s own remarks have seemed to contradict himself, telling reporters: ‘Really, I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory – because it is their territory.’

Less than an hour later, he said: ‘They should come, and they should help us protect it. You could make the case that maybe we shouldn’t even be there at all, because we don’t need it.

‘We have a lot of oil. We’re the number one producer anywhere in the world times two.’

Seemingly referencing NATO, Trump added, ‘If we need help, they won’t be there for us. I’ve known that for a long period of time.’

Again, moments later, he said: ‘We have some who are enthusiastic. They’re coming.’

Speaking to reporters, Trump also said ‘we want them to come and help us with the Strait (of Hormuz)’.

Later, he clarified: ‘My attitude is we don’t need anybody. We have the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far – we don’t need them.’

Varying lengths of the Iran War

At the beginning of the war, Trump said he thought the strikes in Iran would be ‘four weeks or so’.

Days later, he said the war was ‘very complete, pretty much’ – before, on the same day, saying the war wouldn’t end that week, but would ‘very soon’.

On why the US attacked Iran

In an address made shortly after attacks began, Trump said: ‘Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.

‘They can never have a nuclear weapon. That is why in Operation Midnight Hammer last June, we obliterated the regime’s nuclear program — at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — after that attack, we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons.’

Days later, Trump said he ‘knew Iran was going to attack’, claiming that if the US didn’t fight, Iran would attack first.

The strike at an Iranian girl’s school

After a strike on an Iranian school killed 175 children in late February, there was confusion as to whether Iran, the US or Israel was behind it.

US Central Command has acknowledged using Tomahawk missiles in this war and even released a photo of the USS Spruance, part of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group located within range of the school, firing a Tomahawk missile on February 28.

When asked by a reporter whether the US was responsible for the blast, which killed mostly children, Trump responded, without providing evidence: ‘No, in my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran.’

He added: ‘I will certainly, whatever the report shows, be willing to live with that report.’

After a report found that the US struck the school, Trump said: ‘I don’t know about it.’

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A former senior aide to Donald Trump has told Metro that the President is in a ‘vulnerable position’ with his war in Iran – and doesn’t know how to get out of it.

Since the US launched joint strikes in Iran with Israel more than two weeks ago, the oil industry has been thrown into chaos, neighbouring countries have been struck with missiles, and 13 US soldiers have been killed.

At the time, Trump said his reasons for the strikes on February 28 were he believed Iran was going to attack the US first – something that his own officials have since told Congress that there was no intelligence suggesting this.

Trump also said he hoped to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, something Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has also said, adding: ‘We didn’t start this war… but under President Trump, we’re finishing it.’

When the conflict began, only 41% of Americans approved of the intervention – far lower than support for any other US conflict in decades.

Now, John Robert Bolton, Trump’s former national security advisor from 2018 to 2019, told Metro that there is a strong case for regime change in Iran, but Trump hasn’t made this clear to the American public – something which could come back to haunt him.

He said: ‘You’ve always got to be prudent, but when a country is seeking weapons of mass destruction—chemical, biological, or nuclear—and engaging in international terrorism while repressing its own people, it is a problem,’ he warned.

‘If you wait too long to deal with it, as we did with North Korea, it becomes a bigger problem. It goes to what Churchill said regarding appeasement: “This just confirms the unteachability of mankind.”

‘You go through this over and over again; you don’t strike when it’s easy, you wait until it’s too late, and then you pay the price.’

Trump’s biggest mistake in Iran

Having served under Trump for two years in his first administration, former US ambassador to the United Nations Bolton said the President needed to convince America why going after Iran would be to their benefit – but so far, he hasn’t.

‘Trump didn’t make it clear to the public, to Congress, or to the Allies. It’s not too late, but it’s getting close,’ he said.

‘By failing to make the case, he has put himself in a vulnerable position. He knows he’s in a difficult place, and he doesn’t know how to get out of it,’ Bolton added.

This is a ‘war of choice’

Ambassador Bolton told Metro that while Iran was not considered an ‘imminent threat’, its nuclear programme was getting ‘too close for comfort’.

‘People say this is a “war of choice.” It is. It’s a preventive war to prevent the need to do something else in much more dangerous circumstances,’ he explained.

Referring to the US’ Iraq War in 2003, he added: ‘By the late 1990s, Saddam didn’t have centrifuges spinning, but he had kept together approximately 3,000 scientists and technicians who could rebuild the program.

‘That was the point: they have the knowledge. Iran may not have centrifuges spinning today, but they know how to put them back together.’

When a country is ‘seeking weapons of mass destruction and engaging in international terrorism while suppressing its own people’, it’s a problem, he added.

‘The lesson to us is: don’t be so patient. If a proliferator has enough patience and gets nuclear weapons, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to take its program out without grave risk,’ Bolton said.

‘If the US had attacked Iran 20 years ago, it would have spared the region ‘a lot of pain and suffering’.

Trump needs to work with the opposition in Iran

The opposition movement in Iran is extremely widespread, but not organised, Ambassador Bolton points out.

Still, working with dissidents inside the country could prove vital for Trump’s goals of regime change in the country.

‘Dissatisfaction with the regime has never been higher. It is weaker than at any point since it took power in 1979,’ Ambassador Bolton argued.

‘People age 30 and under—who make up two-thirds of the population—know they could have a different life. They can see it across the Gulf; they can see it on the internet when the government lets the internet operate.’

After the 2022 murder of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman in Iran who was beaten and killed by police because she refused to wear the hijab, anti-government protests surged.

The murder of Amini prompted the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ movement, which Bolton said is significant, because: ‘Once you challenge the Ayatollahs’ legitimacy, in effect, you are challenging the state.’ 

Knock-on effects cripple the Middle East

Gulf states are still suffering from missile and drone attacks after Tehran threatened to widen its campaign as the war in the Middle East entered its third week.

Iranian strikes have killed at least a dozen civilians in Gulf states, most of them migrant workers.

Yesterday, President Trump said he hoped allies would send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbours during the war, but it has said it was targeting US assets, even as hits or attempts were reported on civilian ones such as airports and oil fields.

As global anxiety soars over oil prices and supplies, Trump said on Saturday that he hopes China, France, Japan, the UK, South Korea and others send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz ‘open and safe’.

But Iran’s joint military command has reiterated its threat to attack US-linked ‘oil, economic and energy infrastructures’ in the region if the Islamic Republic’s oil infrastructure is hit.

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As the crisis in the Middle East escalates, so do anxieties around the situation.

The US and Israel have launched airstrikes in Iran, and the conflict is spilling over into neighbouring countries, with missiles fired at a British airbase in Cyprus.

For those caught up in the violence and attacks, it’s unimaginable – and for those looking on from afar, the feelings of fear and helplessness can be overwhelming.

For children, who have less of an idea of what is going on, this can be even more terrifying.

Hearing words like ‘bombing’ and ‘World War Three’ without a full understanding of what’s going on is worrying for us all, and it doesn’t escape our little ones.

‘Children are like sponges; they’re absorbing everything,’ explains hypnotherapist, psychotherapist and mentor, Tania Taylor.

‘Whether it’s on the news, someone talking to the shop checkout lady, parents chatting in the playground, or a TikTok video, much of what they are hearing, especially once at school, is out of your control.

‘And sometimes, external factors (for example, Kevin in the playground telling everyone that World War Three is starting and we’re all going to die) can provoke more of a fear response.’

Even very young children may be more aware of what war is than we might even realise.

‘Many children have been exposed to adults or older siblings playing war-type computer games or watching YouTube influencers play such games on their own or a friend’s mobile phone or tablet,’ Tania says.

‘So, words like “bombing” may not be as unfamiliar to our children as we might assume.’

Therefore, it’s worth considering your language around younger children. 

But how is best to explain what’s going on to the children in your life? And how can you go about reassuring any anxieties (while also managing your own)?

How to approach the subject

As parents and carers, we can feel like what we should be doing is giving them all of the facts and keeping them informed. But this approach can sometimes leave children feeling overwhelmed, Tania explains.

‘Children tend to be really good at spontaneous questioning. If they want to know something, they’ll ask,’ she says.

But if they do ask, or you feel that they need some explanation or reassurance, it’s important to think about how you’re feeling first.

Tania recommends: ‘First of all, you need to consider your own state of mind in relation to what is going on and how much information you would personally like to give your child.

‘This is important as even if you are led by your child’s questioning, you begin with at least some self-awareness of how you are feeling and where you want to go with it. 

‘If you are particularly anxious about it all, it may be that you choose to wait until a time when you’re feeling less anxious to talk about it. Or perhaps having a discussion with another important adult in your child’s life, who can talk to your child instead, like a teacher or grandparent.’ 

Tania suggests that you may want to start with a non-specific question, like ‘have you learned about wars at school?’, and then listen to your child’s response.

‘What you’re doing here is enabling your child an opportunity to talk about something which they may not realise they can talk about,’ she notes.

‘If your child isn’t interested, they’ll tell you so, and there’s no need to push the conversation. If they go on to hear something at school, they’ll know you know about it, and be more likely to approach you with any questions.’

It’s always a good idea to let children know that, if they have any questions, they can ask you.

What can parents do and say to explain but not frighten?

Talking about the distance between the UK and ongoing events can be helpful, suggests Tania.

‘As much as we don’t want to normalise war, it is something that has been happening at varying points across the globe for the whole of your child’s life,’ she explains.

‘Knowing this can help to reassure your child that the chance they will be directly impacted is quite minimal.

‘Although they may want to talk to you about the people who are directly impacted. Keep language age-appropriate and be led by your child.

‘Taking action, such as getting in touch with a charity organisation that may accept shoebox-type gifts, is a really good way of showing your child that although this is happening far away, there are still small actions we can take to give our support.’

Active listening

Tania also recommends a technique called ‘active listening’, which you can use if your child is interested and wants to know more.

‘What you are doing here is paying full attention to your child during the whole conversation, ignoring distractions, and putting all your focus on listening to your child’s words,’ she tells us.

‘Listen to what they’re asking, and don’t give more information than they are asking for. We humans have a habit of oversharing, which is a situation when that’s not necessarily helpful.’

And if you don’t know all the answers to their questions, don’t be afraid to say you don’t know.

Tania adds: ‘Perhaps you can spend time searching for information together, or maybe you feel more comfortable saying you’ll find out and let them know later on.’

Burger King fans have been left feeling like they’re living in an episode of Black Mirror, after learning about a new technology the chain is currently testing.

Restaurant Brands International, the owner of Burger King, confirmed this week that it’s trialling an OpenAI-powered chatbot inside headsets across 500 restaurants in the US, with a plan to later roll it out nationwide.

The AI chatbot, known as ‘Patty’, can talk to employees through the headsets, and is intended to be a ‘coaching tool’, according to Thibault Roux, Burger King’s chief digital officer in the US and Canada.

Patty will combine data across several aspects of the business, including drive-thru conversations, stock levels, and kitchen equipment. Staff will be able to ask the chatbot questions, such as how to make burgers and for instructions on cleaning equipment like the milkshake machine. 

It is also being trained to ‘measure friendliness’ by recognising certain words such as ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘welcome to Burger King’ and the chain is said to be looking into ‘capturing the tone of conversations’ too, according to The Verge. 

Other functions include the ability to alert employees to issues, such as a drinks machine being low on Coca-Cola, and flagging issues that customers have reported, such as messy toilets.

And as Patty is Integrated with Burger King’s cloud-based point-of-sale system, it can completely remove a product that’s not available from all digital menus and kiosks within 15 minutes, to avoid customer disappointment. 

Roux claims the technology is something Burger King is ‘tinkering with’ but acknowledges it’s a ‘risky bet’, as it’s not something ‘every guest is ready for’.

And he’s certainly not wrong.

On social media there’s been quite a lot of backlash to the trial already, with Facebook users branding it ‘dystopian’, comparing it to something out of a ‘Black Mirror’ episode, and claiming it’s made them feel as if they are ‘living in hell’.

Following this, Burger King has reiterated that Patty is intended as a ‘coaching tool’ and not a way for the company to ‘track or evaluate staff saying specific words or phrases’.

A spokesperson for the company told The Grocer: ‘BK Assistant is a coaching and operational support tool built to help our restaurant teams manage complexity and stay focused on delivering a great guest experience.

‘It’s not about scoring individuals or enforcing scripts. It’s about reinforcing great hospitality and giving managers helpful, real-time insights so they can recognise their teams more effectively.’

It has not yet been confirmed whether Burger King UK could start utilising this technology. Metro has contacted the fast food chain for further comment. 

The killing of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader, ‘El Mencho’ has sparked unrest, fires and chaos across tourist hotspots in Mexico.

‘El Mencho’, whose real name is Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, was killed in the western state of Jalisco.

His death triggered unrest and hours of roadblocks, with vehicles set ablaze across the state, including in the tourist hot spots of Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta.

Videos circulating on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the tourist city in Jalisco, and people sprinting through the airport of the state’s capital in panic.

Burning vehicles and setting up roadblocks are commonly used by cartels to block military operations.

El Mencho was wounded during an operation to capture him in Tapalpa but died while being flown to Mexico City for treatment, the Defence Department said.

The chaos which unfolded in the aftermath of his death, however, prompted major airlines, including Air Canada, to suspend flights to Puerto Vallarta and urge customers not to go to the airport.

What is the Jalisco New Generation Cartel?

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, is one of the most powerful and fastest-growing criminal organisations in Mexico and was born in 2009.

The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military – including on helicopters – and is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines.

In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital’s police force and now federal security secretary.

The DEA considers the cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico’s most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 US states.

It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the US market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines.

Who is ‘El Mencho’?

Oseguera Cervantes has been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities since the 1990s.

He was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin in the US District Court for the Northern District of California in 1994 and served nearly three years in prison.

Following his release from custody, Oseguera Cervantes returned to Mexico and reengaged in drug trafficking activity.

Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted several times in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

What have Mexico and the US said?

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, like her predecessor, has criticised the ‘kingpin’ strategy of previous administrations that took out cartel leaders only to trigger explosions of violence as cartels fractured.

But since US President Donald Trump took office a year ago, she has been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.

Earlier today, it was revealed that US intelligence helped aid Mexico in the raid that killed El Mencho. It comes just a year after the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organisation.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: ‘President Trump has been very clear — the United States will ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved.’

The US State Department warned US citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states to remain in safe places because of the ongoing security operations.

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