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US President Donald Trump warned of destroying Iran’s oil infrastructure if a peace deal is not reached, escalating tensions that have already pushed global oil prices higher amid fears of wider conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption.

Trump threatens to destroy Iran oil island despite price surge

US President Donald Trump warned of destroying Iran&rsquo;s oil infrastructure if a peace deal is not reached, escalating tensions that have already pushed global oil prices higher amid fears of wider conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption.

US President Donald Trump pushed concerns about surging world prices aside Monday and threatened to destroy Iran's oil wells, power plants and main export terminal if Tehran does not quickly accept a peace deal.
An earlier Trump comment warning of a possible assault by US ground troops to seize Iran's Kharg Island oil facilities had already sent prices higher, but the US leader then doubled down in a combative social media post.
Trump expressed confidence that a negotiated settlement would soon be reached but warned that if it was not -- or if Iran continued to block the Strait of Hormuz to most sea traffic -- US forces would "blow up" Kharg Island and all of Iran's oil wells and electricity generation.
Iran has previously threatened that if its key economic sites face further US and Israeli strikes it will target the energy infrastructure of its oil and gas-rich Arab neighbours on the Gulf, and the month-old war has already inflicted havoc on the global economy and plunged markets into turmoil.
Market experts warned that any US ground operation or wider Iranian retaliation could send oil prices to levels not seen since the July 2008 commodity boom, when the cost of world benchmark crude Brent hit close to $150 per barrel -- and could rise far more.
Brent has already risen in price by nearly 60 percent this month, and the US benchmark WTI by more than half.
"If the US were to launch a ground invasion of Iran, possibly taking the Kharg Island, or if Tehran were to intensify retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure or fully close the Strait, projections of $200 (a barrel) oil will not be an otherworldly supposition anymore," analyst Tamas Varga of PVM Energy said.
As Israel pressed its offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah in south Lebanon -- hitting, an official told AFP, an army checkpoint and killing a Lebanese soldier -- Indonesia confirmed on Monday that one of its peacekeepers was killed after the UN force said a projectile hit one of its positions.
Separately, the Israeli military said one of its soldiers was killed on Sunday in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing to six the number of troops killed since fighting with Hezbollah began this month.
 - Diplomatic efforts -
On the ground there appeared to be no let-up in hostilities. Israel said its air defence batteries responded to "missiles launched from Iran", after earlier announcing it was striking "terror regime military infrastructure across Tehran".
Israel confirmed that in recent days it had hit the Imam Hossein University in Tehran, which it says is used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for advanced weapons research. Tehran has warned it could strike US universities across the Middle East.
On the diplomatic front, Pakistan -- acting as a go-between for Washington and Tehran -- hosted foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in Islamabad on Sunday for talks on the crisis.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said they had discussed how to "bring an early and permanent end to the war."
He said Iran and the United States had expressed "confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks" and that he had spoken to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other foreign ministers who also backed the idea.
Nevertheless, the speaker of Iran's parliament accused Washington of using diplomacy as a smoke screen.
Despite making diplomatic overtures, including proposing a 15-point plan to end the war, the United States has also been sending more military assets into the region, including an amphibious assault ship carrying 3,500 Marines.
 - Sleepless nights -
The weeks of strikes have also taken a heavy toll on ordinary people in Iran.
"I miss a peaceful night's sleep," an artist in Tehran told AFP, saying night-time strikes were "so intense it felt like all of Tehran was shaking".
The war has escalated into a regional conflagration as Tehran retaliates with attacks on Gulf states and virtually seals the critical Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane.
Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz, which previously accounted for a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade and a fifth of liquefied natural gas shipments, to vessels from hostile nations.

Donald Trump warns Iran to engage in talks as Israel claims killing of a key IRGC naval commander, while Pakistan confirms facilitating indirect US-Iran negotiations amid rising Middle East tensions.

Trump says Iran 'better get serious' in Mideast war talks

Donald Trump warns Iran to engage in talks as Israel claims killing of a key IRGC naval commander, while Pakistan confirms facilitating indirect US-Iran negotiations amid rising Middle East tensions.

US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday to engage in talks to end the Middle East war "before it is too late", after Tehran publicly spurned US overtures to resolve the nearly four-week conflict.
Trump's warning came as Israel said it had killed the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' navy, calling him "directly responsible" for throttling the Strait of Hormuz since the war's outbreak.
Hopes for a negotiated end to the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has engulfed much of the region, rose after Washington was said to have put a peace plan to Tehran, only for the Islamic republic to deny the sides were speaking.
But Pakistan confirmed Thursday it was indeed facilitating "US-Iran indirect talks" by relaying messages -- and that a 15-point American plan was being "deliberated upon" by Tehran.
"They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won't be pretty!" Trump warned on social media, saying Iran had been "militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback".
Iran's foreign minister flatly denied Wednesday that "negotiations" had been engaged with Trump's administration -- but did concede messages were being exchanged through "friendly countries".
"We seek an end to the war on our own terms," Abbas Araghchi said on state TV.
Islamabad has been touted as a go-between, given its longstanding ties with both neighbouring Iran and the United States, as well as its network of regional contacts.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said "brotherly countries" Turkey, Egypt and others, were also supporting the process -- while the Gulf Cooperation Council said it wanted to be involved in any talks.
 - Conflict spreads east -
Under near-daily bombardment since February 28, Iran was hit by a new wave of Israeli strikes Thursday -- one of which Israel said had "blown up and eliminated" the Guards' naval commander, Alireza Tangsiri, and several senior officers.
Defence Minister Israel Katz blamed Tangsiri for throttling the vital Hormuz shipping lane -- which Iran is blocking to all but "non-hostile" vessels, with Malaysia for instance saying its tankers were being allowed passage.
Elsewhere, the Israeli army was conducting what it called "wide-scale" strikes targeting Iranian infrastructure.
Local media reported attacks in the central cities of Isfahan and Shiraz, in Bandar Abbas in the south and Tabriz in the northwest -- but also Mashhad and Birjand, towards the Afghan border in an area largely spared until now.
Off the coast from Bandar Abbas on Qeshm -- the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf -- one local resident told AFP via Telegram he hoped the site would not be taken over by the military.
"The suffering of people, the poverty, and the political oppression have been getting worse every year," said 42-year-old Sadeq.
"I don't think war is the solution to these conditions, but ending it won't change much for us either," he said. "Our bigger war is with the Islamic republic."
Iran, in turn, kept up retaliatory attacks on several parts of Israel, where falling shrapnel from intercepted missiles wounded seven people.
And fresh violence flared in the Gulf, with two killed by debris from an Iranian ballistic missile intercepted near Abu Dhabi, and drones fired at both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
 - 'Top person'? -
Iran has targeted Gulf nations it accuses of serving as launchpads for US strikes, including hits on energy sites and other civilian infrastructure that threaten lasting damage to the world economy.
Crude prices had fallen since last week, but the wavering messages on talks saw oil prices jump again Thursday with equities mixed.
Trump has accused Tehran officials of covering up ongoing talks for fear of becoming assassination targets, following the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
The White House has declined to identify the "top person" it is speaking with in Iran -- beyond saying it is not the late leader's son Mojtaba Khamenei, who is believed to be injured and has not been seen since succeeding his father.
 - No Lebanon 'surrender' -
To avenge Khamenei's killing, pro-Iran Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2, drawing Lebanon into the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had "created a genuine security zone" in southern Lebanon, where an Israeli soldier was killed Thursday.
Hezbollah meanwhile launched a new volley of missiles at military sites in central Israel, after its chief Naim Qassem said negotiations with Israel would amount to "surrender".

President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran held “productive conversations” towards ending the three-week Middle East conflict, pausing threatened strikes on Iranian power plants, while oil prices tumbled and global tensions continued.

Trump announces 'very good' US-Iran talks, halts strikes on power plants; Iran denies any negotiations

President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran held &ldquo;productive conversations&rdquo; towards ending the three-week Middle East conflict, pausing threatened strikes on Iranian power plants, while oil prices tumbled and global tensions continued.

President Donald Trump said Monday the United States and Iran had held "very good" talks towards ending the three-week Middle East war, putting threatened US attacks on Iran's power plants on hold in a stunning about-turn.
In a social media post that immediately sent oil prices tumbling, Trump said Washington and Tehran had held "productive conversations" over the last two days towards "a complete and total resolution" of hostilities in the Middle East.
In Iran, media outlets quoted the foreign ministry denying any such talks and suggesting Trump was angling to bring down energy prices sent soaring by the war -- with no mention of his claim on state television's latest news bulletin.
But Trump asserted he had told the Pentagon, on the basis of talks to date, to "postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings."
He said the US-Iranian sides would keep talking "throughout the week."
The bombshell announcement came ahead of a Monday night ultimatum for the Islamic republic to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane -- or see Trump "obliterate" its power plants.
In response, Iran had threatened to deploy naval mines in the Gulf and target power plants across the region -- ramping up its rhetoric after warnings the world faced an energy crisis of historic proportions if the US-Israeli war with Iran drags on.
 - Strikes -
Tehran has retaliated against US-Israeli attacks by throttling traffic through Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of global crude, hitting energy sites and US embassies across the Gulf as well as targets in Israel.
Israel hit Tehran with fresh strikes on Monday, with the latest wave reported by the military minutes after Trump's announcement.
The head of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol warned overnight that, in the event of a protracted war, daily oil losses put the world on track for a crisis worse than the combined impact of both 1970s oil shocks and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Oil prices have been driven above $100 a barrel by the conflict -- and they tumbled sharply after Trump's announcement, while and European stocks rebounded.
International benchmark Brent North Sea crude plunged more than 14 percent to $96.00 per barrel, while the main US oil contract West Texas Intermediate shed more than 14 percent to $84.37 per barrel.
Sign of the conflict's tentacular impact, the world's second economy China had said earlier Monday it was capping domestic fuel cost increases to mitigate the effect of surging oil prices.
 - Lebanon ground campaign -
Weighing in before Trump's post, China's foreign ministry had warned of an "uncontrollable situation" should the war expand further.
Key Iran ally Russia meanwhile called after Trump's announcement for an "immediate cessation of hostilities".
In a call with Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi, Russia's Sergei Lavrov called for "a political settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of all parties involved, above all Iran," the Russian foreign ministry said.
The US president had offered varying timelines and objectives for the war, saying Friday he was considering "winding down" the operation -- only to later threaten Iran's power plants, of which it has more than 90.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has yet to comment on Trump's announcement, has spoken of a long-term campaign against Iran's government, a state sponsor of Hamas, which launched the October 7, 2023 attack triggering the Gaza war.
In Lebanon, Israel has also expanded its ground campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah, warning of "weeks of fighting" there.
The Lebanon violence has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than a million, according to the health ministry.
On Monday Israel's military said it was working to intercept a new salvo of missiles from Iran -- while confirming its own artillery fire had killed an Israeli civilian a day earlier near the Lebanese border.
In Iran, at least 3,230 people have died in the war, including 1,406 civilians, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. AFP is not able to access the sites of strikes nor independently verify tolls in Iran.

US President Donald Trump criticised NATO allies for not assisting in securing the Strait of Hormuz, blaming them for high oil prices amid the US-Israel military actions against Iran.

Trump labels NATO allies 'cowards' over lack of military support against Iran

US President Donald Trump criticised NATO allies for not assisting in securing the Strait of Hormuz, blaming them for high oil prices amid the US-Israel military actions against Iran.

US President Donald Trump on Friday branded NATO allies "cowards" for not heeding his demand for military assistance against Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz shipping route.
Trump has recently veered between saying that Washington needs no help to secure the vital waterway for oil tankers, and then lashing out at other countries for failing to help.
"Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!" Trump posted on his Truth Social network.
"They didn't want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don't want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices.
"So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!"
The 79-year-old Republican, a long-term skeptic of the Western military alliance, has launched a series of diatribes against NATO in recent days.
On Thursday, six major international powers, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan said they were ready to "contribute to appropriate efforts" to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
But they have not formally committed to any mission to work in the crucial waterway -- while other allies such as Germany and Italy have ruled out doing anything before a truce in the Middle East war.
None of the countries Trump has called on to help was consulted before the US-Israeli mission started.
An effective Iranian blockade has paralyzed commercial shipping through the crucial maritime chokepoint, which in peacetime sees a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass through it.
Global oil prices have spiked as a result of the war, which erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, leading Tehran to retaliate with strikes across the Gulf region.

The Trump administration has announced the end of its aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota following widespread protests, political backlash, and the killing of two US citizens.

Trump ends immigration crackdown in Minnesota

The Trump administration has announced the end of its aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota following widespread protests, political backlash, and the killing of two US citizens.

President Donald Trump's pointman on Thursday announced the end of an aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota that triggered large protests and nationwide outrage following the killing of two US citizens.
Thousands of federal agents including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted weeks of sweeping raids and arrests in what the administration claims were targeted missions against criminals.
"I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge operation conclude," Trump official Tom Homan told a briefing outside Minneapolis. "A significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue through the next week."
The operation sparked tense demonstrations in the Minneapolis area, and the fatal separate shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti last month led to a wave of criticism.
Homan raised the prospect that the officers would move to another location but gave no details, and speculation is rife about which city might be targeted next.
"In the next week, we're going to deploy the officers here on detail, back to their home stations or other areas of the country where they are needed. But we're going to continue to enforce immigration law," he said.
Campaigning against illegal immigration helped Trump get elected in 2024, but daily videos from Minnesota of violent masked agents, and multiple reports of people being targeted on flimsy evidence, helped send the president's approval ratings plummeting.
The case of Liam Conejo Ramos, five, who was detained on January 20, also stoked anger.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the ICE operation in his city "had been catastrophic for our neighbors and businesses, and now it's time for a great comeback.
"We will show the same commitment to our immigrant residents," he added.
 - 'Unprecedented federal invasion' -
After killings of Good and Pretti, the Republican president withdrew combative Customs and Border Protection commander Gregory Bovino and replaced him with Homan who sought to engage local Democratic leaders.
Minneapolis is a Democratic-run "sanctuary" city where local police do not cooperate with federal immigration officials.
Resident and banking product manager Molly, 42, told AFP "I don't buy it."
"They pulled the same public relations (stunt) in Los Angeles," she said referring to an immigration crackdown to the Californian city last summer.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the ICE deployment in his state an "unprecedented federal invasion in all aspects of life."
"This is something I don't think any state has ever experienced," he said Thursday, adding that he was "cautiously optimistic" about the withdrawal.
Democrats have called for major reforms to ICE, including ending mobile patrols, prohibiting agents from concealing their faces and requiring warrants.
If political negotiations over ICE fail in Washington, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could face a funding shortfall starting Saturday.
On Thursday Democrats in the Senate blocked a push to fund DHS following an acrimonious four-hour hearing on the immigration crackdown.
Customs and Border Protection and ICE operations could continue using funds approved by Congress last year, but other sub-agencies such as federal disaster organization FEMA could be affected.
Homan said that some officers would stay behind in Minnesota but did not give a figure.
"The Twin Cities, Minnesota in general, are and will continue to be, much safer for the communities here because of what we have accomplished under President Trump's leadership," Homan said at the briefing on the outskirts of Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul.
He said more than 200 people had been arrested during the operation for interfering with federal officers, but gave no estimate for the number of immigration-linked arrests and deportations.
"The lasting impact of these traumas will reverberate for years, but our communities have shown how connected and resilient we are," Liz Digitale Anderson, a community organizer, told AFP.

The Ministry of External Affairs said it would take appropriate action if a reported video of US President Donald Trump’s remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi is found to be authentic.

MEA says it will take ‘appropriate action’ over Trump's viral video making remarks on PM Modi

The Ministry of External Affairs said it would take appropriate action if a reported video of US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi is found to be authentic.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday addressed media queries regarding a video in which U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly said he &ldquo;doesn't want to destroy Modi's political career.&rdquo; The remarks were raised during the MEA&rsquo;s weekly press briefing.
Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that he had not viewed the video being referred to.
&ldquo;I have not seen the video. But if indeed there is such a video, whether it is true or false, we will take appropriate action on it,&rdquo; Jaiswal said when asked about the reported comments.
The clarification follows circulation of a resurfaced clip from Trump&rsquo;s press conference with the Director of the FBI. In the video, Trump is heard praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and referring to their relationship.
&ldquo;He's a great man. Modi is a great man, that he loves Trump. Now, I don't know if the word love, I don't want you to take that any different. I don't want to destroy his political career, but you have to understand, I've watched India for years. My friend has been there now for a long time,&rdquo; Trump had said in the video.
During the briefing, Jaiswal also spoke about India&rsquo;s bilateral relations with Russia, emphasizing the breadth of engagement between the two countries.
&ldquo;Russia-India have ongoing engagement and cooperation across a range of issues - from trade to people-to-people cultural interaction, defence engagement and all those ties. All those aspects of our bilateral relations will continue to grow,&rdquo; he said.
On the India-US interim trade agreement, Jaiswal addressed questions regarding amendments made in a United States factsheet outlining the framework for the deal. He clarified that the joint statement issued earlier remains the basis of understanding between the two sides.
&ldquo;As you are aware, the India-US Joint Statement on the framework for an Interim Agreement on reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade was issued on 7 February 2026. The Joint Statement is the framework and remains the basis of our mutual understanding in the matter. Both sides will now work towards implementing this framework and finalising the Interim Agreement,&rdquo; Jaiswal said.
&ldquo;The amendments in the US fact sheet reflect the shared understandings contained in the Joint Statement,&rdquo; he added.
The clarification comes amid reports pointing to revisions in the US document, which earlier appeared to differ from the statement released by the Indian side.

The US House voted 219-211 to reject President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, with six Republicans joining Democrats in a largely symbolic rebuke of his trade policy.

US House rejects Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods in rare rebuke

The US House voted 219-211 to reject President Donald Trump&rsquo;s tariffs on Canadian goods, with six Republicans joining Democrats in a largely symbolic rebuke of his trade policy.

US House lawmakers voted Wednesday to reject Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods, sweeping aside the president's last-gasp threat of election consequences for Republicans to deliver a rare rebuke on his signature economic policy.
The measure brought by Democrats was approved 219-211, with six Republicans joining the effort.
It remains largely a symbolic move.
The House can consider measures to end the national emergencies Trump declared last year to impose sweeping tariffs on imports from various countries.
But any actions aimed at undoing Trump's tariffs on Canada and other trading partners will still need US Senate passage and the president's signature.
Even if it clears the Senate, it would face a certain veto by Trump, and Congress would unlikely muster the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
Trump sought to inject himself into the action at the last minute, issuing a direct political threat to lawmakers from his own Republican Party as the vote was taking place on the House floor.
"Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
"TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege," he added.
Wednesday's rebuke comes after the expiration of a measure barring any vote on the issue of tariffs in the chamber -- a move that has stifled opposition to Trump's trade policy.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally in Congress, sought to renew this prohibition on Tuesday but was unsuccessful, as three House Republicans voted alongside Democrats to block the move.
Earlier Wednesday, House Republican Don Bacon posted on social media that lawmakers "cannot &amp; should not outsource our responsibilities."
"As an old fashioned Conservative I know tariffs are a tax on American consumers," he added, noting that debates and votes on the issue should occur in the House.
Canada -- like other US trading partners -- has been hit by various waves of Trump's tariffs since he returned to office early last year, tapping emergency economic powers to justify the duties.
Broad exemptions for Canadian goods however have softened the blow.
Trump may have imposed a 35-percent tariff on many Canadian products last year, but he provided lower rates for energy imports and created sweeping exclusions for goods entering under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).
Trump's separate sector-specific tariffs -- especially on autos, steel and aluminum -- have hit Canada hard.
But overall, more than 85 percent of all bilateral trade has remained tariff-free under USMCA terms.
Trump's country-specific tariffs, justified by emergency economic powers, have faced legal challenges too and the Supreme Court is due to rule on their legality in the near future.
While Trump has repeatedly touted tariffs as a positive development for the country, a Pew Research Center survey released this month indicated that 60 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's higher tariffs.

US President Trump met Israeli PM Netanyahu to continue Iran negotiations. Netanyahu stressed Israel's security, while Iran rejected extra demands beyond its nuclear program.

Trump tells Israel's Netanyahu Iran talks must continue

US President Trump met Israeli PM Netanyahu to continue Iran negotiations. Netanyahu stressed Israel's security, while Iran rejected extra demands beyond its nuclear program.

US President Donald Trump told Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Wednesday that talks with Iran must continue, rebuffing the Israeli prime minister's push for a tougher stance against Tehran.
"There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated," Trump said on social media after their three-hour meeting.
"If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be," said Trump, adding a reminder of last year's US strikes against Iran's nuclear program.
Seeking to push for the Islamic republic's ballistic missile program to be included in any deal, Netanyahu had rushed to Washington for his seventh meeting with Trump since the US leader returned to power.
Netanyahu's office said that during the talks with Trump the Israeli premier had "insisted on the security needs of the state of Israel in relation to the negotiations" on Iran.
Trump has hinted at US military action against Iran following Tehran's deadly crackdown on protesters, but at the same time Washington and Tehran restarted talks last week with a meeting in Oman.
Talks had been suspended after the US strikes on Iran's atomic sites during Israel's 12-day war with Iran last July.
 - What does Netanyahu want? -
The White House meeting was held behind closed doors, with Netanyahu slipping in via a side entrance without receiving the traditional honor guard. Trump and Netanyahu were seen shaking hands in a photograph released by the Israeli premier's office.
Netanyahu said as he left for Washington his talks would "first and foremost" be about the Iran negotiations, while adding they would also discuss Gaza and other regional issues.
"I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations," he said in a video statement. Netanyahu's office said he would highlight Iran's missile arsenal.
Israel's concerns came to a head during their unprecedented war last year, during which Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas.
 - What does Trump think? -
While boosting hopes of a nuclear deal, Trump has also been dialing up the threat of possible US military action against Iran.
He warned in an interview with Axios news outlet Tuesday that he was "thinking" of sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region.
"Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time," Trump said. "We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going."
 - What does Iran say? -
So far, Iran has rejected expanding its talks with the United States beyond the issue of its nuclear program, though Washington also wants Tehran's ballistic missile program and its support for regional militant groups on the table.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that Tehran would "not yield to excessive demands" on its nuclear program.
But he insisted his country was not "not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons."
 - 'Board of Peace' and West Bank -
Netanyahu's visit will also include other issues, from Gaza to the West Bank.
He officially signed on as a member of Trump's "Board of Peace" during a meeting earlier Wednesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Israeli PM's office said.
The group was originally meant to oversee the Gaza ceasefire but Trump is now positioning it as a possible rival to the United Nations.
The meeting also came amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from Palestinian owners.

US President Trump calls the US-India trade deal historic, promising increased coal exports and a $500 billion trade framework covering energy, industrial goods, and technology over five years.

US President Trump hails trade deal with India as 'historic'

US President Trump calls the US-India trade deal historic, promising increased coal exports and a $500 billion trade framework covering energy, industrial goods, and technology over five years.

US President Donald Trump has hailed the trade deal with India as &ldquo;historic&rdquo; and said America will increase its coal exports dramatically to the country and to others with which it has trade agreements.
&ldquo;And under our leadership, we're becoming a massive energy exporter. In just the past few months, we've made historic trade deals with Japan, Korea, India and others to increase our coal exports dramatically,&rdquo; Trump said Wednesday during an event titled &lsquo;Champion of Coal&rsquo;.
"We're now exporting coal all over the world, and the quality of our coal is supposed to be...the finest anywhere in the world,&rdquo; he said.
Last week, the US and India announced they have reached a framework for an interim agreement on trade, under which New Delhi will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all American industrial goods, a wide range of food and agricultural products, as well as purchase USD 500 billion of US products over the next five years.
A joint statement issued by the two countries on Friday said they have reached a framework "regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade.&rdquo;
It said that India &ldquo;intends to purchase USD 500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next five years.&rdquo;
It added that the framework reaffirms the countries&rsquo; commitment to the broader US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations, launched by President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2025, which will include additional market access commitments and support more resilient supply chains.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to urge US President Donald Trump to adopt a harder line on Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes during talks in Washington.

Netanyahu to Discuss Expansion of U.S.-Iran Talks with Trump

Netanyahu to Expand Scope of U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to urge US President Donald Trump to adopt a harder line on Iran&rsquo;s nuclear and missile programmes during talks in Washington.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push Donald Trump on Wednesday to take a tougher stance in nuclear talks with Iran, after rushing to Washington to stiffen the US president's resolve.
Trump said on the eve of the hastily arranged White House meeting -- set to begin at 11:00 am local time (1600 GMT)-- that he was weighing sending a second US "armada" to the Middle East to pressure Tehran to reach a nuclear deal.
But Netanyahu, making his sixth visit to the United States since Trump took office, will also be urging the US leader to take a harder line on arch-foe Iran's ballistic missile program.
Tehran, which resumed talks with Washington last week in Oman, warned Monday of "destructive influences" on diplomacy ahead of the Israeli premier's visit.
Netanyahu had been expected to come to Washington for a February 19 meeting of Trump's "Board of Peace" for Gaza, but reportedly brought forward his visit as the US-Iran talks proceeded.
 - What does Trump think? -
Already in town Tuesday night, Netanyahu met with Trump's Middle East envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
They "discussed regional issues, and they provided an update on the first round of negotiations they held with Iran last Friday," according to a statement on the X account for the Israeli prime minister.
While talking up hopes of a nuclear deal, Trump warned in an interview with the Axios news outlet earlier Tuesday that he was "thinking" of sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region.
"Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time," Trump said. "We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going."
Trump, who ordered US strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites during Israel's 12-day war with Iran last June, separately told Fox Business that any deal would have to involve "no nuclear weapons, no missiles."
He added that Iran's leaders "want to make a deal" but "it's got to be a good deal," saying Tehran had been "very dishonest with us over the years."
 - What are Netanyahu's goals? -
Netanyahu said as he left for Washington his talks would "first and foremost" be about the Iran negotiations, while adding that they would also discuss Gaza and other regional issues.
"I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations," he said in a video statement. Netanyahu's office said he would highlight Iran's missile arsenal.
Israel's concerns came to a head during their unprecedented war last year, during which Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas.
So far, Iran has rejected expanding the scope of its talks with the United States beyond the issue of its nuclear program, though Washington also wants Tehran's ballistic missile program and its support for regional militant groups on the table.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, speaking during a visit to Australia, said he hoped the talks would help fight Iran's "empire of evil."
 - What about the West Bank? -
The meeting will also come amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from Palestinian owners.
Israel's security cabinet approved the move ahead of Netanyahu's Washington visit. It's unclear whether Trump will address it.
A US official said on Monday that Trump "does not support Israel annexing the West Bank" and wants stability, while holding off from directly criticizing the Israeli government's moves.
 - How many meetings? -
Wednesday's meeting will be the sixth between the two leaders on US soil since Trump returned to office in January 2025 -- five times at the White House and once at the Republican's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
A seventh meeting took place in Jerusalem in October when Trump announced a ceasefire in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump has again claimed that he prevented a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan last year by using tariffs, a claim consistently denied by India.

India and Pakistan war could have been nuclear, 10 planes were shot down: Trump

US President Donald Trump has again claimed that he prevented a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan last year by using tariffs, a claim consistently denied by India.

US President Donald Trump repeated the claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan last year, which he said could have turned nuclear, through tariffs.
"I settled eight wars. Of the eight wars, at least six were settled because of tariffs. In other words, I said, &lsquo;if you don't settle this war, I'm going to charge you tariffs, because I don't want to see people getting killed,&rdquo; Trump said in an interview to Fox Business Tuesday.
"And they said, &lsquo;Well, what does this have to do?&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;you're going to be charged&rsquo;. Like India and Pakistan. It would have been a nuclear war, in my opinion. They were really going at it, 10 planes were shot down. They were going at it,&rdquo; Trump said.
He added that the Prime Minister of Pakistan said, &lsquo;President Trump saved at least 10 million lives when he got us to stop fighting&rsquo;. Because they were going to go nuclear, (in) my opinion. Without tariffs, that wouldn't happen,&rdquo; Trump said.
Trump has claimed credit for stopping the India-Pakistan conflict for more that 80 times since May 10 last year, when he announced on social media that the two neighbours had agreed to a &ldquo;full and immediate&rdquo; ceasefire after talks mediated by Washington.
India has consistently denied any third-party intervention.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.&nbsp;

The White House has removed “pulses” from the list of American products facing tariff reductions by India in a revised fact sheet on the interim trade deal, also changing India’s commitment to an intention to buy US goods.

White House drops reference to 'certain pulses' in revised fact sheet on trade deal with India

The White House has removed &ldquo;pulses&rdquo; from the list of American products facing tariff reductions by India in a revised fact sheet on the interim trade deal, also changing India&rsquo;s commitment to an intention to buy US goods.

The White House has removed &ldquo;pulses&rdquo; from a list of American products on which it said India will eliminate or reduce tariffs, in a revised fact sheet issued on the interim trade deal.
On Monday, the White House had issued a fact sheet on &lsquo;The United States and India Announce Historic Trade Deal (Interim Agreement),&rsquo; days after India and the US announced in a joint statement the framework for an Interim Agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade.
An initial version of the fact sheet had highlighted key terms of the agreement, including that India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers&rsquo; grains, red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, &ldquo;certain pulses&rdquo;, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.
The fact sheet had also said that India committed to buy more American products and purchase over USD 500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, agricultural, coal, and other products.
The revised fact sheet issued on Tuesday removed the reference regarding pulses and changed the word &ldquo;committed&rdquo; used for India to &ldquo;intends.&rdquo;
&ldquo;India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers&rsquo; grains (DDGs), red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.
&ldquo;India intends to buy more American products and purchase over $500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, coal, and other products,&rdquo; the revised fact sheet said.
The joint statement issued last week on the trade deal had made no mention of &ldquo;pulses&rdquo; in items on which India will eliminate or reduce tariffs for American products.
The joint statement had also maintained that &ldquo;India intends to purchase $500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next five years.&rdquo;

An Iranian man from Bushehr reportedly died by suicide after releasing a video urging US President Donald Trump and Western nations to end diplomatic engagement with Iran, citing violent suppression of protests and widespread human rights abuses.

Iranian man dies by suicide after urging Trump to halt talks with Tehran

An Iranian man from Bushehr reportedly died by suicide after releasing a video urging US President Donald Trump and Western nations to end diplomatic engagement with Iran, citing violent suppression of protests and widespread human rights abuses.

An Iranian man from the southern port city of Bushehr has reportedly died by suicide after publishing a video message in which he urged US President Donald Trump and Western governments to halt diplomatic engagement with Iran&rsquo;s ruling establishment, according to opposition-linked media outlets and regional publications, including Iran International.
The man, identified by Iranian media and activists as Pouria Hamidi, recorded an approximately 10-minute video in English that gained widespread attention over the weekend. In the video, he appealed directly to US leaders, accusing Iranian authorities of violently suppressing recent protests and calling for foreign intervention against the country&rsquo;s leadership.
At the beginning of the recording, Hamidi said, &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re watching this, then I&rsquo;m not around any more,&rdquo; explaining that he was speaking to highlight what he described as a massacre during recent unrest. &ldquo;More than 40,000 people died, killed, massacred. More than Russia and Ukraine and more than Israel and Palestine,&rdquo; he said.
The protests, which took place in January, were reportedly met with heavy force by the clerical regime of Ayatollah Khamenei. Reports suggest that thousands of people, including women and children, were killed during the crackdown.
In his message, Hamidi called on Washington to abandon negotiations with Tehran, arguing that any diplomatic agreement would undermine the victims of the protests. &ldquo;So please,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I beg you, do whatever you can to stop this deal.&rdquo; He added that any agreement would &ldquo;betray all those people who died.&rdquo;
Referring to past statements by the US President, Hamidi said that Trump had encouraged Iranians to protest. &ldquo;Keep protesting, and we did, we trusted him,&rdquo; he said. He also stated that ordinary citizens were unable to confront armed forces and could not defeat the Islamic regime on their own.
&ldquo;America attacking Iran is the only hope we have right now. We can't fight this regime alone. Our people need foreign intervention,&rdquo; he said.
The video included strong criticism of Iran&rsquo;s religious leadership and expressions of support for exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi, whom Hamidi called &ldquo;the best choice to make a transitional government.&rdquo; He also urged opposition groups outside Iran to &ldquo;come together and stop fighting each other.&rdquo;
Describing the emotional toll of the situation, Hamidi said Iranians were living without hope. &ldquo;You don't know how hopeless our people are right now. I mean, I myself, I can't eat. I can't sleep,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I can't even cry about it because it's so laughable to be born in a place like this, to have no future. But I hoped the people of my country would finally have a future after all this.&rdquo;
He said the recording was meant to give meaning to his life and appealed for unity among Iranians. In the final moments of the video, he switched to Persian and said, &ldquo;We people of Iran are lonely people and have nobody, so please support each other. Long live Iran.&rdquo;
According to Iran International, Hamidi took his own life shortly after releasing the video, though the claim has not been independently verified.
The incident comes at a time when Iranian authorities appear to have brought widespread protests under control following a violent crackdown. A Reuters report has estimated that at least 5,000 people were killed during the unrest.

US President Donald Trump urged a modernized nuclear treaty after New START expired, while experts warn it could spark a global arms race and China rejects participation.

Trump urges new nuclear treaty after Russia agreement ends

US President Donald Trump urged a modernized nuclear treaty after New START expired, while experts warn it could spark a global arms race and China rejects participation.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for a brand new nuclear treaty after the last agreement with Russia expired, prompting fears of a new global arms race.
The Trump administration has repeatedly pressed for a new treaty to include China, whose arsenal is growing but still significantly smaller than those of Russia and the United States, but Beijing has publicly rejected the pressure.
Trump had been mostly mum on Russian calls to extend New START, the 2010 treaty that imposed the last restrictions on the two largest nuclear powers after decades of agreements dating from the Cold War.
But hours after it expired, Trump said that the treaty, signed by predecessor Barack Obama and extended by Joe Biden, was "badly negotiated" and "is being grossly violated."
"We should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Asked if Washington and Moscow had agreed to stick to the terms of the expired START treaty while negotiations on a new accord are ongoing, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said: "Not to my knowledge."
Russia had refused inspections under New START as relations deteriorated with the Biden administration.
It said Wednesday that it no longer considered itself bound on the number of nuclear warheads due to the expiration of New START.
Despite the stalemate on New START, Trump has enthusiastically restarted diplomacy with Russia and invited President Vladimir Putin to Alaska last August.
The United States announced Thursday that it was resuming military dialogue with Russia after three-way talks in Abu Dhabi on the Ukraine war.
 - 'Unconstrained nuclear competition' -
Campaigners have warned that the end of the New START treaty could trigger a global arms race, and urged nuclear powers to enter negotiations.
A group of former senior arms control officials from around the world, in a joint statement Thursday, called on the United States and Russia to agree to keep observing New START's limits as a first step.
The end of New START "will reduce nuclear stability and predictability, threaten global security, and increase the risk of a new era of unconstrained nuclear competition," they wrote.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the nuclear treaties between the United States and Russia after more than half a century were at a "grave moment."
"This dissolution of decades of achievement could not come at a worse time -- the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades," Guterres said, after Russian suggestions of using tactical nuclear weapons early in the Ukraine war.
A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity, called for "restraint and responsibility" and said that the US-led military alliance "will continue to take steps necessary" to ensure its defense.
The official condemned "Russia's irresponsible nuclear rhetoric."
 - China rejects pressure -
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that arms control was "impossible" without including China.
China's foreign ministry expressed regret Thursday over New START's demise but said Beijing "will not participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations at this stage."
"China's nuclear capabilities are of a totally different scale as those of the United States and Russia," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference.
Russia and the United States together control more than 80 percent of the world's nuclear warheads.
China's nuclear arsenal is growing faster than any country's, by about 100 new warheads a year since 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China is estimated to have at least 600 nuclear warheads, the institute says -- well below the 1,500 each at which Russia and the United States were capped under New START.
France and Britain, treaty-bound US allies, together have another 100.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, which warns of nuclear risks, agreed that China should engage.
But "there is no indication that Trump or his team have taken the time to propose risk reduction or arms control talks with China since returning to office in 2025," Kimball said.

US President Donald Trump repeated claims that he prevented a war and nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, despite India denying any third-party intervention.

Trump claims again that he stopped war between India, Pakistan

US President Donald Trump repeated claims that he prevented a war and nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, despite India denying any third-party intervention.

US President Donald Trump repeated twice in a single day the claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan last year.
"In one year, I've ended eight raging wars, such as (the war between) Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan," Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday.
Later, in a post on Truth Social, Trump reiterated the claim that he stopped a nuclear war from breaking out between India and Pakistan.
"The United States is the most powerful Country in the World. I completely rebuilt its Military in my First Term, including new and many refurbished nuclear weapons. I also added Space Force and now, continue to rebuild our Military at levels never seen before. We are even adding Battleships, which are 100 times more powerful than the ones that roamed the Seas during World War II -- The Iowa, Missouri, Alabama, and others. I have stopped Nuclear Wars from breaking out across the World between Pakistan and India, Iran and Israel, and Russia and Ukraine," Trump posted.
The US President has claimed over 90 times that he stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan.&nbsp;
He has been making the assertion repeatedly, on various platforms in the US and around the world, since May 10 last year when he announced on social media that India and Pakistan agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire after a "long night" of talks mediated by Washington.&nbsp;
India has consistently denied any third-party intervention.&nbsp;

US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was sprayed with an unknown liquid at a town hall in Minneapolis as tensions over immigration enforcement and recent shootings continued to rise.

US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar attacked in Minneapolis after Trump vows to 'de-escalate'

US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was sprayed with an unknown liquid at a town hall in Minneapolis as tensions over immigration enforcement and recent shootings continued to rise.

As the White House worked to "de-escalate" tensions in Minneapolis Tuesday, a man sprayed Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with a syringe of unknown liquid at a town hall meeting, where she called for curbing the Trump administration's anti-immigration crackdown.
The White House is also evaluating whether the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who gunned down a nurse failed to follow "clear guidance" to "create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors," deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told AFP.
"We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol," Miller said in a statement.
At the town hall Tuesday night, Omar had just spoken about the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and demanded that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem "resign or face impeachment," when a man sprang up from the front row, made a remark and sprayed the lawmaker, as security leapt to grab him.
Omar raised a fist and stepped toward the attacker before returning to the podium to say: "Here's the reality that people like this ugly man don't understand: We are Minnesota strong. And we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw on us."
Omar is a frequent target of President Donald Trump -- who continues to defend Noem despite her oversight of federal immigration agents who shot and killed two US citizens this month, saying Noem would not step down and was doing a "very good job."
But after days of protests following 37-year-old Alex Pretti's death, Trump told Fox News "we're going to de-escalate a little bit," while adding that it was not a "pullback."
Trump also admitted that Gregory Bovino, a hardline Border Patrol commander who is now expected to leave Minneapolis, was "a pretty out-there kind of a guy" whose presence may not have helped the situation, and sent top US border security official Tom Homan to meet with officials in the city.
Trump told reporters that he rejected the "assassin" label used by a top aide to describe the 37-year-old nurse, adding that he wants "a very honorable and honest investigation."
But he criticized Pretti for carrying the licensed firearm that was taken off him before he was shot.
"I don't like that he had a gun, I don't like that he had two fully loaded magazines," the president said.
 - 'Pretty out there' -
After meeting with Homan Tuesday, Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement they discussed the "serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis," and the city "will not enforce federal immigration laws."
Just weeks after federal immigration agents shot and killed US citizen Renee Good in Minneapolis, Pretti's death sparked national outrage and added to a litany of complaints of abusive tactics.
Good, a mother of three, was shot by an agent at point blank range in her car on January 7.
The killings capped months of escalating violence in which masked, unidentified, and heavily armed ICE and border patrol agents have grabbed people they accuse of violations off the streets.
Despite multiple videos showing that Pretti posed no threat, Bovino and Noem initially claimed Pretti had intent to kill federal agents, calling him a "domestic terrorist."
 - 'Incompetent' -
Republican Senator Rand Paul said Tuesday that agents involved in the shooting should be put on administrative leave, later adding that the immigration enforcement leaders would testify before the Congress next month.
Centrist Democratic Senator John Fetterman said "grossly incompetent" Noem should be fired.
The turmoil could even result in a fresh US government shutdown, with Democrats calling for broad reforms to federal immigration operations at DHS and threatening to block approval of it funding, as part of the spending bills that go up for votes in the Senate later this week.
The judicial branch also pushed back on Trump's actions in Minneapolis Tuesday, when a US judge blocked the deportation of a five-year-old boy and his father who were detained last week in another incident that went viral.
Liam Conejo Ramos -- wearing a fluffy blue hat and his school backpack -- was photographed being detained by a federal agent, who school officials said was using the preschool student as "bait" to draw out his family, who are asylum seekers from Ecuador.
At a protest at the Minnesota State Capitol Tuesday, veteran Brian Furgen, 55, told AFP that Americans need immigration and customs enforcement agents who "know how to do the job without harming the community, without killing people, without hurting people, without imprisoning people that are law abiding."
"That's what they are doing here, that's ridiculous."

Officials from Ukraine, the United States and Russia will meet in the UAE for trilateral security talks following “useful” discussions between President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow.

US, Ukrainian and Russian officials to meet in UAE, says Kremlin

Officials from Ukraine, the United States and Russia will meet in the UAE for trilateral security talks following &ldquo;useful&rdquo; discussions between President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow.

Ukrainian, US and Russian officials will hold security talks in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, the Kremlin said, following a meeting of top US negotiators with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on a US-drafted plan to end the Ukraine war.
Diplomatic efforts to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II have gained pace in recent months, though Moscow and Kyiv remain at odds over the key issue of territory in a post-war settlement.
US negotiators, led by envoy Steve Witkoff, talked with the Russian leader in Moscow into the early hours of Friday, according to a Kremlin statement.
Kremlin diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters their discussions had been "useful in every respect".
Witkoff and the US team are next flying to Abu Dhabi, where talks are expected to continue.
A Russian delegation, headed by General Igor Kostyukov, director of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, will also head there "in the coming hours", according to Ushakov.
"It was agreed that the first meeting of a trilateral working group on security issues will take place today in Abu Dhabi," Ushakov added.
"We are genuinely interested in resolving (the conflict) through political and diplomatic means," he said, but added: "Until that happens, Russia will continue to achieve its objectives... on the battlefield."
Witkoff previously said he believed the two sides were "down to one issue", without elaborating.
Video published by the Kremlin showed a smiling Putin shaking hands with Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House advisor Josh Gruenbaum.
The high-stakes meeting came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a draft deal was "nearly, nearly ready" and that he and Trump had agreed on the issue of post-war security guarantees.
He also said the UK and France had already committed to forces on the ground.
Russia, which occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine, is pushing for full control of the country's eastern Donbas region as part of a deal.
But Kyiv has warned that ceding ground will embolden Moscow and says it will not sign a peace deal that fails to deter Russia from launching a renewed assault.
 - Europe 'fragmented' -
The full details of the upcoming talks in the United Arab Emirates have not been released, and it is not clear whether the Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet face-to-face.
Zelensky said these talks would last two days.
Trump repeated on Wednesday his oft-stated belief that Putin and Zelensky were close to a deal.
"I believe they're at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done. And if they don't, they're stupid -- that goes for both of them," he said after delivering a speech at Davos.
Zelensky, at his address in Davos, blasted the EU's lack of "political will" in countering Putin in a fiery address.
"Instead of becoming a truly global power, Europe remains a beautiful but fragmented kaleidoscope of small and middle powers," he said.
Trump's dramatic foreign policy pivots including a recent bid to take over Greenland -- an autonomous Danish territory -- have stirred worries in Europe about whether Washington can be trusted as a reliable security partner.
In his speech, Zelensky criticised Europe for pinning hopes on the United States defending them in case of aggression.
"Europe looks lost trying to convince the US President to change," Zelensky said.
Russian strikes this week have left most of Kyiv without electricity, with residents of 4,000 buildings without heat in sub-zero temperatures.
Russia, which launched its Ukraine offensive in February 2022, says its strikes are aimed at energy infrastructure fuelling Ukraine's "military-industrial complex".
Kyiv says the strikes are a war crime designed to wear down its civilian population into submission.

Venezuelan lawmakers have given initial approval to a bill opening the oil sector to private investors, a major shift from state control that could see US energy majors return amid warming ties with Washington.

Venezuela moves to open up oil sector, a key Trump demand

Venezuelan lawmakers have given initial approval to a bill opening the oil sector to private investors, a major shift from state control that could see US energy majors return amid warming ties with Washington.

Venezuelan lawmakers on Thursday gave their initial backing to plans to throw open the oil sector to private investors, paving the way for the return of US energy majors -- a key demand of President Donald Trump.
Less than three weeks after the US ouster of Nicolas Maduro, MPs endorsed on first reading a bill allowing private companies to independently engage in oil exploration and extraction.
If adopted on a second reading, the bill would roll back decades of state controls over Venezuela's oil sector, which were tightened by Maduro's late mentor, socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez, in the mid-2000s.
The bill has been promoted by Maduro's former deputy, acting president Delcy Rodriguez, who has overseen a lightning-fast thaw in ties with Washington since taking the helm.
On Thursday, Trump called her leadership "very strong" and said the United States is already taking a cut of Venezuela's oil.
"Our country will become richer and that means our taxes will be going down and they will do better -- Venezuela's going to do better than they've ever done," Trump said.
Another change unfolded in Caracas Thursday, with the United States confirming Laura F. Dogu -- a former ambassador to Nicaragua and Honduras -- as the new charge d'affaires to Venezuela.
That was seen as a step toward restoration of full diplomatic ties.
 - Warming relations -
Caracas and Washington severed relations after Maduro's first widely disputed claim to reelection in 2019.
Within days of Maduro's January 3 capture in Caracas, US diplomats travelled to the Venezuelan capital to discuss reopening the embassy.
Trump has boasted that he is working "really well" with Rodriguez, who was vice president and petroleum minister -- a position she still holds -- in Maduro's fiercely anti-US government.
On Wednesday, a senior US official said Rodriguez would soon visit the United States, despite still being under Washington sanctions.
Maduro was toppled after a monthslong US pressure campaign and flown to New York with his wife to face trial on drug trafficking charges.
Rodriguez has appeared ready to comply with Trump's open interest in Venezuela's oil.
"We are in a process of dialogue, of working with the United States, without fear," she said Wednesday.
 - Lost opportunities -
This week she ploughed $300 million from a US-brokered oil sale into propping up the ailing national currency, the bolivar.
The mere anticipation of the injection drove down the price of dollars, the currency in which many Venezuelans conduct their business.
But economists warned that true relief from spiraling prices would require a sustained influx of dollars -- which in turn requires foreign investment.
Venezuela has the world's largest proven reserves of oil but output has fallen from over three million barrels per day in the early 2000s to around 1.2 million today.
The energy reform bill before parliament ends a Chavez-era requirement for private companies to form joint ventures with state-owned oil firm PDVSA, which insisted on holding a majority.
"Having oil underground serves no purpose," parliament speaker Jorge Rodriguez, the interim president's brother, told lawmakers Thursday, urging them to back the reform.
"Every day that passes is a day lost and a day of (oil reserves) that we cannot use."
To win the support of both Venezuelans and Washington, Delcy Rodriguez needs to quickly show improvements in the economy and signal an end to a decade of worsening repression under Maduro.
In the past two weeks, her government has slowly freed dozens of political prisoners from the hundreds behind bars.
On Thursday, authorities released the son-in-law of opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who was serving a 30-year sentence on terrorism charges.
Gonzalez Urrutia, in exile in Spain, is widely considered the rightful winner of Venezuela's 2024 election.
His son-in-law Rafael Tudares was arrested by masked men in January 2025 while heading to school with his two children.
Since Maduro's ouster, Trump has ramped up pressure on another Latin American arch-foe, communist Cuba, a longtime Venezuela ally.
Trump has vowed to cut off all oil supplies to Cuba, which has relied for years on heavily-subsidized Venezuelan oil and cash to remain afloat.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Thursday he spoke by telephone with Rodriguez to express his "support and solidarity."

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned the United States that their forces are on high alert amid nationwide protests, even as President Donald Trump said Washington is keeping military pressure while remaining open to talks.

Iran warns 'finger on trigger' as Trump says Tehran wants talks

Iran&rsquo;s Revolutionary Guards warned the United States that their forces are on high alert amid nationwide protests, even as President Donald Trump said Washington is keeping military pressure while remaining open to talks.

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned Washington Thursday that the force had its "finger on the trigger" in the wake of mass protests, as US President Donald Trump said Tehran still appeared interested in talks.
Trump has repeatedly left open the option of new military action against Iran after Washington backed and joined Israel's 12-day war in June aimed at degrading Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Trump said Thursday a US naval "armada" was heading toward the Gulf, adding: "We're watching Iran."
A fortnight of protests starting in late December shook Iran's clerical leadership under supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the movement has petered out in the face of a crackdown that activists say killed thousands, accompanied by an unprecedented internet blackout.
The prospect of immediate American action against Tehran appears to have receded, with both sides insisting on giving diplomacy a chance.
On his way back from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump told reporters on Air Force One the United States was sending a "massive fleet" toward Iran "just in case."
"I'd rather not see anything happen but we're watching them very closely," he added.
In a standoff marked by seesawing rhetoric, Trump had on Tuesday warned Iran's leaders the United States would "wipe them off the face of this Earth" if there was any attack on his life in response to a strike targeting Khamenei.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a speech Thursday accused the United States and Israel of stoking the protests as a "cowardly revenge... for the defeat in the 12-Day War".
 - 'Legitimate targets' -
Guards commander General Mohammad Pakpour warned Israel and the United States "to avoid any miscalculations, by learning from historical experiences and what they learned in the 12-day imposed war, so that they do not face a more painful and regrettable fate".
"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and dear Iran have their finger on the trigger, more prepared than ever, ready to carry out the orders and measures of the supreme commander-in-chief," he said.
Pakpour's comments came in a written statement quoted by state television marking the national day in Iran to celebrate the Guards, whose mission is to protect the 1979 Islamic revolution from internal and external threats.
Activists accuse the Guards of playing a frontline role in the deadly crackdown on protests.
The group is sanctioned as a terrorist entity by countries including Australia, Canada and the United States, and campaigners have long urged similar moves from the EU and UK.
Another senior military figure, General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi who leads the Iranian joint command headquarters, meanwhile warned that if America attacked, "all US interests, bases and centres of influence" would be "legitimate targets" for Iran's armed forces.
 - Real toll? -
Giving their first official toll from the protests, Iranian authorities on Wednesday said 3,117 people were killed.
The statement from Iran's foundation for martyrs and veterans sought to draw a distinction between "martyrs", members of security forces or innocent bystanders, and what it called US-backed "rioters".
Of its toll of 3,117, it said 2,427 people were "martyrs".
Pezeshkian said Thursday that protest "is the natural right of citizens", but a distinction had to be drawn between protesters "whose hands are stained with the blood of innocent people".
However, rights groups say the heavy toll was caused by security forces firing directly on protesters and that the actual number of dead could be far higher, even more than 20,000.
Efforts to confirm the scale of the toll have been hampered by the national internet shutdown, with monitor Netblocks saying Thursday the blackout had surpassed "two full weeks".
"All the evidence gradually emerging from inside Iran shows that the real number of people killed in the protests is far higher than the official figure," said the director of the Iran Human Rights NGO Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, saying the authorities' toll has "no credibility whatsoever".
Warning that their own current tolls do not reflect the true number of fatalities, IHR says it has verified at least 3,428 killings. Another NGO, US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), has documented 4,902 deaths.
According to HRANA, at least 26,541 people have been arrested. On Thursday alone, state TV announced over 200 more arrests in provinces including Kermanshah in the west and Isfahan in central Iran.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s claim that “Canada lives because of the United States,” asserting Canada’s independence and resilience.

Carney answers Trump: 'Canada doesn't live because of US'

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back against US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s claim that &ldquo;Canada lives because of the United States,&rdquo; asserting Canada&rsquo;s independence and resilience.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hit back Thursday at President Donald Trump's inflammatory claim at the World Economic Forum that "Canada lives because of the United States."
"Canada doesn't live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian," Carney responded in a national address in Quebec City ahead of a new legislative session, even as he acknowledged the "remarkable partnership" between the two nations.
Trump appeared to shoot back later Thursday on his Truth Social platform, withdrawing an invitation for Canada to join the "Board of Peace" -- his self-styled billion-dollar body for resolving global conflict.
A government source told AFP Monday that Canada will not pay to be on the board, although Carney had indicated he would accept an invitation to join.
The rhetorical back-and-forth between the two leaders underscores growing tensions between the allied nations.
Carney's speech on Thursday followed his remarks at the forum of political and financial elites in Davos, Switzerland, where he won a standing ovation for his frank assessment of a "rupture" in the US-led, rules-based global order.
That speech on Tuesday, which made world headlines, was widely viewed as a reference to Trump's disruptive influence on international affairs, although he was not mentioned by name.
Carney told Davos that middle powers like Canada who had prospered through the era of an "American hegemon" needed to realize that a new reality had set in, and that "compliance" would not shelter them from major power aggression.
Trump took umbrage, and taunted Carney during his own speech a day later.
"I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn't so grateful," the US president said on Wednesday.
"Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements."
 - Alliances 'redefined, broken' -
In Carney's speech on Thursday, aimed at a domestic audience, he said that Canada should serve as a model in an era of "democratic decline."
"Canada can't solve all the world's problems, but we can show that another way is possible, that the arc of history isn't destined to be warped towards authoritarianism and exclusion," the prime minister said.
While Carney has not been shy of criticizing Trump since he took office nine months ago, he heads a country that remains heavily reliant on trade with the United States, the destination for more than three quarters of Canadian exports.
Key Canadian sectors like auto, aluminum and steel have been hit hard by Trump's global sectoral tariffs but the impacts of the levies have been muted by the president's broad adherence to an existing North American free trade agreement.
Negotiations on revising that deal are set for the start of this year and Trump has repeatedly insisted the United States doesn't need access to any Canadian products -- which would have sweeping consequences for its northern neighbor.
Trump has also repeatedly threatened to annex Canada, and this week posted an image on social media of a map with Canada -- as well as Greenland and Venezuela - covered by the American flag.
On Thursday, Carney said Canada was not under any "illusions" about the precarious state of global relations.
"The world is more divided. Former alliances are being redefined and, in some cases, broken."
Citing his government's plans to ramp up defense spending, Carney said "we must defend our sovereignty (and) secure our borders."
Canada, he further said, has a mandate "to be a beacon, an example to a world that's at sea."

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