Name: Wagner mercenaries enter Russia: video shows armed men on streets of Rostov
Uploaded: 2023-06-24T13:17:53.000+05:30
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Description: Wagner mercenaries enter Russia: video shows armed men on streets of Rostov

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo, said lasting peace in Ukraine and West Asia can only be achieved through dialogue and diplomacy, not military action alone.

PM Modi calls for peaceful resolution of conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St&oslash;re in Oslo, said lasting peace in Ukraine and West Asia can only be achieved through dialogue and diplomacy, not military action alone.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for a resolution of the West Asia crisis and the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, asserting that military action alone cannot achieve lasting peace.
Modi made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store that focused on boosting the overall trajectory of bilateral relations.
"India and Norway, both, believe in a rules-based order, dialogue, and diplomacy. We agree that no issue can be resolved through military conflict alone," Modi said in his televised statement to the media.
"Be it Ukraine or West Asia, we will continue to support every effort for the early end of the conflict and for peace," he said.
Modi met Store hours after he landed in Oslo from Sweden as part of his four-nation European tour.
In his remarks, the prime minister also underlined the need for reform of the global institutions.
"We also agree on this point that reforming global institutions is essential for addressing the growing global challenges."
"And eradicating terrorism in every form from its roots is our shared commitment," he noted.
Modi also complimented Norway for its support to India following last year's Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
"I was supposed to visit Norway last year, but had to postpone that trip due to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. During that difficult time, Norway stood firmly with India against terrorism, demonstrating true friendship," he said.
"Today, as I visit Norway, I express my heartfelt gratitude for that solidarity," he said.
Modi also hailed Norway's decision to join the India-led Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.
"As two major maritime nations, we will work together to strengthen cooperation in the marine economy, maritime security, and capacity building," he said.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for crucial talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with trade disputes, Iran, Taiwan and business deals high on the agenda.

Trump arrives in China for superpower summit with Xi Jinping

US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for crucial talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with trade disputes, Iran, Taiwan and business deals high on the agenda.

US President Donald Trump landed in Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping aimed at easing deep tensions between the rival superpowers.
Giving a fist pump, Trump descended the steps of Air Force One after touching down at Beijing Capital International Airport, kicking off the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade.
Right behind him were Tesla boss Elon Musk and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang -- potent symbols of the business deals that Trump hopes to sign between the world's biggest economies.
Trump was greeted with a bunch of flowers and then walked along the red carpet, which was lined with 300 Chinese youth in white uniforms chanting "welcome" and waving small Chinese and US flags in unison.
While en route to Beijing, Trump said on social media he would "be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic".
Nvidia's Huang was a surprise late addition to the trip, joining the plane at a stopover in Alaska. China is currently banned under US national security rules from buying the cutting-edge AI chips that the company produces.
But Iran, trade and Taiwan loom over the highly anticipated meeting, which Trump had already delayed from March because of the war the United States and Israel started in the Middle East.
 - China 'welcomes' Trump visit -
Visiting China for the first time since 2017 during his previous term, Trump is expected to receive a lavish welcome from Chinese authorities.
Trump and Xi will hold talks at 10:00 am (0200 GMT) on Thursday in Beijing's opulent Great Hall of the People.
The US president will also visit the historic Temple of Heaven, a world heritage site where China's emperors once prayed for good harvest.
The leaders will then enjoy a state banquet in the evening.
On Friday, they are set to have tea and a working lunch before Trump heads home.
As he departed the White House, Trump said he expected a "long talk" with Xi about the joint US-Israeli war with Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China.
But he also downplayed disagreements, telling reporters that "I don't think we need any help with Iran" from China and that Xi had been "relatively good" on the topic.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Wednesday it "welcomes" Trump's visit and that "China stands ready to work with the United States... to expand cooperation and manage differences".
Yet Beijing is growing impatient for peace, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi urging his Pakistani counterpart on Tuesday to step up mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.
 - 'Big deal' -
The long-simmering trade war between the two countries will also be top of the agenda, after Trump's sweeping tariffs last year triggered tit-for-tat levies that exceeded 100 percent.
Trump and Xi are set to discuss extending a one-year tariff truce, which the two leaders reached during their last meeting in South Korea in October, although a deal is far from certain.
China's controls on rare earth and agriculture exports are also expected to be on the menu.
The tense buildup to the summit was already visible on the streets of Beijing, with police monitoring major intersections and checking the ID cards of passengers on the metro, AFP journalists saw.
"It's definitely a big deal," said Wen Wen, a 24-year-old woman travelling from the eastern city of Nanjing, when asked by AFP about Trump's visit.
Trump has repeatedly touted a strong personal relationship with Xi, which he insisted on Monday would prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy claimed by Beijing.
While Trump said on Monday he would speak to Xi about US arms sales to Taiwan, the move marks a departure from historic US insistence that it will not consult Beijing on its support to the island.
His trip will be closely scrutinised by Taiwan and Asian allies for any sign of weakening US support.

US President Donald Trump orders military action against Iranian boats amid escalating Strait of Hormuz crisis, tanker seizures and global trade disruptions.

Trump orders US military to 'shoot and kill' Iranian small boats choking Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump orders military action against Iranian boats amid escalating Strait of Hormuz crisis, tanker seizures and global trade disruptions.

President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy on Thursday to destroy any Iranian boat caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, putting more pressure on a fraying ceasefire as disruption from the Gulf stand-off battered the world economy.
Trump's announcement came after the US fleet boarded a vessel in the Indian Ocean that was transporting oil from Iran and after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had banked its first proceeds from the tolls it exacts on shipping through the strait.
With plans for renewed peace talks in Pakistan hanging in the balance, more fuel-hungry airlines cancelled flights, oil prices climbed higher once again and the keenly-watched S&amp;P Global PMI index showed eurozone business activity shrinking for the first time in 16 months.
"I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be... that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz," Trump posted.
Iran vowed it would keep the strait closed to all but a trickle of approved vessels for as long as the US Navy blockades its ports, brushing off demands from Trump to both reopen Hormuz and surrender its enriched uranium.
The US responded to Iran's action by imposing its own blockade of Iranian ports, and on Thursday the Pentagon announced on social media that US forces had "carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean".
The post included footage of US military personnel rappelling from helicopters onto the deck of a large tanker.
The statement said the US would "continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate".
 - 'Not possible' -
While strikes around the region have mostly ceased since the two-week-old truce began, there has been no letup in the confrontation over Hormuz, with both sides seeking economic leverage -- only for Trump to announce an indefinite ceasefire to create space for more talks.
"A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade," said Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran's delegation at a first round of talks in Pakistan.
"Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire."
Ghalibaf's deputy, Hamidreza Hajibabaei, said Iran received its first revenue from tolls it is imposing on ships seeking to cross Hormuz, a route that in peacetime accounts for a fifth of the world's oil and gas flows, and other vital commodities.
Analysts said Tehran, in particular its hardline leaders associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), believes that Iran's blockade gives it sufficient economic leverage to force Washington to back down on its main demands in peace talks.
And some, such as Danny Citrinowicz of the Tel-Aviv Institute for National Security Studies, criticised Israel and the US for misreading the Iranian government's position.
"Tehran has consistently demonstrated a willingness to absorb economic pain while holding firm on what it views as core national interests. There is little reason to believe this time will be different," he said in a social media post.
"Rather than moving toward concession, Iran is positioning itself to escalate."
A brief from the Soufan Center think tank said Iran's hardliners "argue that a prolonged elevation of global energy prices and mounting global shortages of some goods will increasingly pressure Trump to accede to Iran's positions, end the war, and eventually withdraw US forces from the region.
"Trump and his team calculate the opposite -- that the US blockade of Iran's seaborne trade, which carries all of its oil exports, will quickly cripple Iran's economy and force Iran to accept US demands."
 - Peace talks -
On Wednesday, Trump told the New York Post that talks could resume in Pakistan within two to three days, even though Iran has not confirmed participation and Vice President JD Vance put his travel to Islamabad on hold on Tuesday.
In the Pakistani capital, blanket security remained in place for the fourth straight day in anticipation of possible talks, with transport disrupted and the city's government quarter and adjacent commercial centre all but shut down.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday said they forced two ships to the Iranian shore from the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military's Central Command said, prior to Thursday's announcement, that its forces blockading Iran's ports had so far "directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port".
After agreeing the ceasefire with Iran, the United States helped broker a truce between Israel and Lebanon, including Hezbollah.
Despite the declared truce, Israeli strikes killed five more people on Wednesday, Lebanese media said.
Israel and Lebanon will hold a second round of talks in Washington on Thursday, during which Beirut will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire during the meeting, according to a Lebanese official.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,450 people since the start of the war, according to Lebanese authorities.

The US defends Donald Trump after backlash over a repost, reiterating his view of India as a great country and valued partner.

India is a great country: Trump after controversial social media repost

The US defends Donald Trump after backlash over a repost, reiterating his view of India as a great country and valued partner.

The US on Thursday sought to control the damage done by a controversial social media repost by US President Donald Trump, putting out a message that the American leader believes India is a "great" country led by a "good friend of mine".
The President has said "India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top", the spokesperson of the US embassy said.
The spokesperson's statement came in response to queries from the Indian media about the controversy created by Trump reposting on social media comments by radio show host Michael Savage that referred to India, China and some other countries as "hellholes".
The spokesperson did not specify where and when Trump made the remarks that India is a great country.
Savage had made the comments in the context of a case in the US supreme court challenging birthright citizenship.
When asked about about the controversy, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "We have seen some reports. That is where I leave it."&nbsp;

Donald Trump alleged that Iran repeatedly violated the ceasefire as fresh talks in Pakistan faced uncertainty. With JD Vance set to lead a US delegation, tensions remain high amid stalled diplomacy and fears of renewed conflict.

Trump says Iran violated truce as doubt surrounds peace talks

Donald Trump alleged that Iran repeatedly violated the ceasefire as fresh talks in Pakistan faced uncertainty. With JD Vance set to lead a US delegation, tensions remain high amid stalled diplomacy and fears of renewed conflict.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Iran of having repeatedly violated a temporary truce due to expire soon, with new peace talks mired in doubt after Tehran said it had not yet sent a delegation.
The US leader also touted Washington's strong negotiating position, even as uncertainty grew over a push to stop open conflict from resuming, with the two-week ceasefire set to end by Wednesday.
"Iran has Violated the Cease Fire numerous times!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating.
A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance was expected to leave soon for Islamabad, which earlier this month hosted a first round of talks that ended without a deal.
Since those marathon talks Trump has announced a blockade of Iranian ports, while Tehran has closed the Strait of Hormuz again, refusing to send officials for a new round of negotiations that were initially expected on Monday.
"So far, no delegation from Iran has departed for Islamabad, Pakistan," Iranian state TV said on Tuesday, dismissing reports suggesting otherwise.
Both sides have accused the other of ceasefire breaches, with the US leader saying Iran fired on ships in the crucial trade route it has choked, and Tehran calling the US blockade and its seizure of a ship violations as well.
Despite Tehran so far shunning new talks, Trump expressed confidence he could secure an agreement that favored Washington.
"We're going to end up with a great deal. I think they have no choice... We're in a very, very strong negotiating position," Trump told broadcaster CNBC on Tuesday.
"Iran can get themselves on a very good footing if they make a deal."
Pakistan, meanwhile, continued its down-to-the wire mediation efforts to get both sides to its capital.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged the warring parties "to consider extending the ceasefire and to give dialogue and diplomacy a chance," according to a Pakistani foreign ministry statement.
Iranian officials, however, say they feel the Trump administration has not acted in good faith in negotiations and has refused to back down from what they called excessive demands.
Its parliament speaker said the country would not accept talks "under the shadow of threats" from the US leader, and would "show new cards on the battlefield" if the conflict resumed.
 - 'Bombs start' -
Residents in the Iranian capital who spoke to Paris-based AFP journalists say life has only got worse despite the truce, squeezed by the government and the war's impact.
"This cursed ceasefire has broken us. There is no light at the end of the tunnel," said Saghar, 39.
"The situation is terrible. I don't know anyone around me who is doing well."
The truce theoretically ends overnight Tuesday, though in comments to Bloomberg, Trump said the end was a day later, on Wednesday evening Washington time, and that it was "highly unlikely" he would extend it.
Trump told PBS News that Iran was "supposed to be there" at the talks in Pakistan.
He warned that if the ceasefire expired "then lots of bombs start going off."
He also said the US blockade of Iran's ports would not end until there was a deal.
The US Defense Department said Tuesday that its forces intercepted and boarded a "stateless sanctioned" vessel as part of Washington's efforts against networks that provide support to Iran.
AFP has identified the vessel as one affiliated with Iranian activity.
Experts said Iran's noncommittal public stance was part of a bid to put pressure on Washington.
"The current standoff between the United States and Iran is no longer a clash of capabilities but rather a struggle of political endurance and bargaining leverage," Daniel Byman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote in a commentary.
Despite the ongoing uncertainty, oil prices fell on Tuesday while stocks rose on lingering hopes for a deal to end the conflict.
 - Tight security -
In Islamabad, heavily armed police and soldiers on Tuesday secured the city's government quarter, which was virtually shut down.
That included the Serena hotel, which hosted the last round of negotiations and where guests had been asked to vacate the premises in recent days.
The rest of the city also saw a beefed-up police presence, with offices, businesses and schools braced for shutdown orders.
In another arena in the war, Israel and Lebanon, which have no diplomatic relations, will hold fresh talks in Washington on Thursday, a State Department official told AFP.
A separate 10-day ceasefire was agreed between the two nations on Friday and included Hezbollah, whose rocket fire in support of Iran drew Lebanon into the wider Middle East conflict.
Sporadic violence has continued and Israel's military warned civilians against returning to dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, claiming Hezbollah's activities were violating the truce.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,387 people since the start of the war, a Lebanese government body said in its latest toll.

Uncertainty looms over the Middle East as Iran hesitates to resume US peace negotiations in Pakistan. Mutual accusations of ceasefire violations and the renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz have triggered a sharp jump in global oil prices.

Iran says 'no decision' yet on joining new round of US peace talks

Uncertainty looms over the Middle East as Iran hesitates to resume US peace negotiations in Pakistan. Mutual accusations of ceasefire violations and the renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz have triggered a sharp jump in global oil prices.

Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States on Monday, casting uncertainty on a push to stop the Middle East war from resuming.
US President Donald Trump said he was sending negotiators to Pakistan for talks on ending the war that engulfed the region and rattled global markets, while repeating threats to attack Iran's infrastructure if it did not make a deal.
After initial talks in Islamabad ended without a deal earlier this month, both sides have accused the other of breaching a temporary truce that is now in its final days.
"We have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday.
"The US is carrying out behaviours that do not in any way indicate seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process," he added, calling an ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports and its recent seizure of a ship "clear violations of the ceasefire".
Trump has similarly accused Tehran of violating the truce -- set to lapse overnight Tuesday -- by firing on ships in the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route, which Iran has all but shut.
The accusations have thrown into fresh doubt the bid to end the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran the morning of February 28, killing the country's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Oil prices jumped sharply on Monday over fears hostilities could resume in the weeks-long war, after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again following a brief reopening over the weekend.
The pessimism in the markets was mirrored in Tehran, despite the capital reopening its main airports on Monday.
"Let's see what happens by Tuesday. The only thing that the 50 days of war has shown is that no one cares about the Iranian people," said one 30-year-old doctor on condition of anonymity.
Saghar, 39, said there was little hope for Iranians squeezed by the government and the war's impact.
"The economy is horrible. They detain people for nothing," she said, declining to give her family name.
 - Security tight -
In spite of the uncertainty surrounding the talks in Pakistan, security has been visibly stepped up in the capital Islamabad.
Authorities announced road closures and traffic restrictions across the city, as well as in neighbouring Rawalpindi.
The US president said his negotiators, whom he did not name, would arrive in Islamabad on Monday, though as of the evening local time, there had still been no announcement of their departure.
A White House official said Vice President JD Vance would lead the delegation after Trump said he would not, citing security concerns.
He would be joined by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the official said.
Trump has been under pressure to find an off-ramp since Tehran moved to choke off the Strait of Hormuz.
But the naval blockade to cut off Iran's oil revenues and the seizure of the cargo ship allegedly trying to evade it have drawn renewed threats from Tehran instead of pressuring them back to the negotiating table.
The ISNA news agency cited a spokesperson for Iran's central command centre as warning that the military "will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy", while Tasnim reported Tehran had sent drones in the direction of US military ships.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards for their part warned that any attempt to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without permission "will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted".
Chinese President Xi Jinping told Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call on Monday that "normal traffic" through the vital conduit for oil and gas shipments "should be maintained", state media said.
 - Sticking points -
Iran's foreign ministry said delays in implementing a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting militant group Hezbollah, were also a violation of the Middle East truce.
A separate ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon took effect on Friday and included Hezbollah, whose rocket fire in support of Iran drew Lebanon into the war.
Israel's military on Monday warned Lebanese civilians against returning to dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, claiming Hezbollah's activities were violating the agreement.
Nonetheless, thousands of displaced residents have begun making their way back to southern Lebanon since the truce began.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that the military would use "full force" against any threats in Lebanon, even during the ceasefire.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told AFP on Monday his group would work to break the "Yellow Line" that Israel has established in southern Lebanon, even as he said it wanted "the ceasefire to continue".
Another major issue in the US-Iran negotiations has been Tehran's stockpile of enriched uranium, which Trump said on Friday it had agreed to hand over.
But Iran's foreign ministry has said the stockpile, thought to be buried from US bombing in last June's 12-day war, was "not going to be transferred anywhere".
Baqaei said on Monday that the issue was not discussed with US negotiators.
"It was never raised as an option for us," he said.

The United States announced a blockade of Iranian ports, warning of further military action if Tehran fails to reach an agreement, as tensions escalate following stalled peace talks.

US to blockade Iran ports 'as long as it takes': Pentagon chief

The United States announced a blockade of Iranian ports, warning of further military action if Tehran fails to reach an agreement, as tensions escalate following stalled peace talks.

The United States will blockade Iranian ports for "as long as it takes," US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday, threatening renewed strikes if Tehran does not make a deal.
"If Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy," Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon.
US forces began blockading Iranian ports at 1400 GMT on Monday after peace talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement the previous day.
General Dan Caine, the top US military officer, said the blockade "applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports."
"If you do not comply with this blockade, we will use force," Caine said alongside Hegseth.
"So far, 13 ships have made the wise choice of turning around," Caine added.
Hegseth meanwhile said Iranian forces are attempting to dig out equipment buried during the more than five weeks of US-Israeli strikes against the Islamic republic.
Addressing Iranian leaders directly, he said: "We know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to. While you are digging out -- which is exactly what you're doing, digging out of bombed out and devastated facilities -- we are only getting stronger."
"You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them -- you have no defense industry, no ability to replenish your offensive or defensive capabilities," Hegseth said.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, said Washington is using the ceasefire to rearm and adjust.
"We're rearming, we're retooling, and we're adjusting our tactics, techniques and procedures. There's no military in the world that adjusts like we do, and that's exactly what we're doing right now during the ceasefire," Cooper said.

Israel continues its offensive against Hezbollah despite global concern, with over 200 killed in Lebanon as Iran warns the fragile US-Iran truce is under threat and tensions escalate ahead of planned talks.

Israel vows to fight on as Iran warns ceasefire talks at risk

Israel continues its offensive against Hezbollah despite global concern, with over 200 killed in Lebanon as Iran warns the fragile US-Iran truce is under threat and tensions escalate ahead of planned talks.

Israel vowed to continue its campaign against Hezbollah on Thursday, dismissing mounting international concern that its strikes on Lebanon threaten a fragile US-Iran truce that could lead to peace negotiations.
At least 203 people were killed and 1,000 wounded in airstrikes on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said, while Hezbollah said it was engaged in close quarters combat against Israeli forces on the ground on Thursday in the south Lebanon town of Bint Jbeil.
Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned Tehran sees Lebanon as an "inseparable part of the ceasefire" and President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel's strikes rendered "meaningless" talks with US envoys planned for the end of the week in Pakistan.
President Donald Trump claimed victory in the Middle East war after agreeing a two-week truce to allow talks between US and Iranian negotiators to end a conflict that has already killed thousands and plunged the global economy into turmoil -- but both Israel and the US insist the fighting in Lebanon is not covered by the ceasefire.
"We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, in a social media post. "Our message is clear: anyone who acts against Israeli civilians, we will strike them. We will continue to hit Hezbollah wherever necessary."
Tehran's ambassador to Pakistan, meanwhile, deleted a social media post saying an Iranian delegation would arrive in Pakistan on Thursday.
An official at the Iranian embassy in Islamabad told AFP the post was removed "because of some issues" and refused to say whether the delegation was still expected.
 - 'Running left and right' -
Amid fears that the fragile truce could break down in the Gulf, there were international calls for the ceasefire to encompass Lebanon.
"Israeli actions are putting the US-Iran ceasefire under severe strain. The Iran truce should extend to Lebanon," the European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said.
France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the strikes as "unacceptable", while his British counterpart Yvette Cooper called for the ceasefire to include Lebanon.
The Lebanese prime minister's office said Thursday would be "a national day of mourning for the martyrs and wounded of the Israeli attacks that targeted hundreds of innocent, defenceless civilians".
UN rights chief Volker Turk called the scale of killing in Lebanon "horrific", after strikes across the capital Beirut that came without warning triggered horror and panic.
"People started running left and right, and smoke was billowing," said Ali Younes, who was waiting for his wife near Corniche Al-Mazraa, one of the areas targeted.
Hezbollah said it had fired rockets towards Israel in response to what it called a violation of the truce.
US Vice President JD Vance backed Israel in saying Lebanon was excluded from the truce, days before he was due to lead talks with Tehran in Pakistan.
"If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart... over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that's ultimately their choice," he said.
 - High-stakes talks -
Separately, the head of Iran's nuclear energy agency, Mohammad Eslami, dismissed Washington's suggestions that the truce deal would halt Tehran's nuclear programme.
"The claims and demands of our enemies to restrict Iran's enrichment programme are merely wishes that will be buried," he said.
The bellicose rhetoric came ahead of high-stakes talks in Pakistan expected on Friday or Saturday.
A key point of contention remains the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil as well as vast quantities of natural gas and fertiliser pass in peacetime.
Iran announced alternative routes on Thursday for ships travelling through the strait, citing the risk of sea mines.
But it was unclear if Tehran was in practice allowing vessels to pass through the strait, following reports on Wednesday suggesting it was shut -- something the White House called "completely unacceptable".

US President Donald Trump says Iran will not enrich uranium under a potential deal, adding that both countries may cooperate to remove nuclear material, even as differences over sanctions and enrichment persist.

Trump says 'no enrichment' of uranium in Iran

US President Donald Trump says Iran will not enrich uranium under a potential deal, adding that both countries may cooperate to remove nuclear material, even as differences over sanctions and enrichment persist.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday there will be no enrichment of uranium by Iran, and that the countries will work together to "dig up and remove" nuclear material buried by US strikes last year.
"The United States will work closely with Iran, which we have determined has gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform hours after he proclaimed a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East war.
"There will be no enrichment of Uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear 'Dust,'" he added, apparently referring to the aftermath of US strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities last year.
The statement marked the latest announcement by Trump after he backed off a threat to inflct devastating strikes on Iran -- which he has accused for years of seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The deal for a two-week ceasefire includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil and a fulcrum of the nearly six-week-long war.
In June 2025, US forces struck three nuclear sites in Iran -- Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan -- with powerful bunker-busting bombs dropped from B-2 stealth bombers.
Trump at the time claimed the operation "obliterated" Iran's nuclear capability and set back its nuclear program by decades.
But the exact extent of the damage is unknown. Prior to last year's strikes, Iran was enriching uranium to 60 percent, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
That is far higher than necessary for civilian reactor levels, and close to the 90 percent required to build a nuclear weapon.
While Western powers and Israel have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, Tehran denies it.
Trump also said that as part of engagement with Tehran, "we are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran."
But he warned against anyone supplying military weapons to Iran, threatening 50-percent US tariffs, "effective immediately," on countries that do so.
According to Iranian state media, the plan proposed by Tehran calls for the lifting of sanctions that are stifling the country's economy, and stipulates that the United States accept Iran's uranium enrichment, a demand at deep odds with Washington's stated position.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invites US and Iranian delegations to Islamabad for talks aimed at securing a lasting agreement, as Pakistan plays a key mediating role following a fragile ceasefire.

Pakistan to host US-Iran ceasefire talks on Friday

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invites US and Iranian delegations to Islamabad for talks aimed at securing a lasting agreement, as Pakistan plays a key mediating role following a fragile ceasefire.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that Islamabad would host delegations from the United States and Iran later this week following their ceasefire announcement.
"I... extend deepest gratitude to the leadership of both the countries and invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes," he said in a post on X.
Pakistan, which has forged a close relationship with US President Donald Trump and is sensitive to developments in neighbouring Iran, has emerged as a channel for messaging between Tehran and Washington in recent weeks.
"We earnestly hope, that the 'Islamabad Talks' succeed in achieving sustainable peace and wish to share more good news in coming days," Sharif said.
Both Tehran and Washington said they had agreed to a two-week ceasefire barely an hour before Trump's deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire.
The war began when Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran that killed its supreme leader on February 28, sparking retaliatory attacks from Tehran on Gulf nations and Israel.
Lebanon has also been drawn into the conflict after Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel, which has since carried out strikes, including on the capital, and launched a ground operation in the south of the country.
Sharif said the ceasefire applied "everywhere" including Lebanon, though Israel later said it would not stop its aerial and ground operations there against Hezbollah militants.
The temporary ceasefire came after a down-to-the-wire bid by Pakistan and other mediators to avert Trump's threat to destroy all power plants and bridges across Iran, a move that legal experts said could constitute a war crime.
Turkey and Egypt had also been helping mediate in recent days. China helped get Iran to the negotiating table, Trump told AFP on Wednesday.
Sharif, in a separate X post, said China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar had all provided "support towards reaching the ceasefire and giving peaceful diplomatic efforts a chance".
The Pakistani leader also thanked Arab Gulf nations for their "commitment to peace and stability in the region".
Despite trading missile fire with Iran two years ago and holding an at-times rocky relationship with the United States, Pakistan currently shares warm ties with both countries.
That helped boost its moderating credentials, burnished by its strong bonds with heavyweight regional players, including Saudi Arabia and Beijing.
Pakistan is home to the world's second-biggest Shia Muslim population after Iran -- with which it shares a 900-kilometre (560-mile) border -- and represents some Iranian diplomatic interests in Washington where Tehran has no embassy.

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Wagner mercenaries enter Russia: video shows armed men on streets of Rostov

Russian independent TV station Dozhd (Rain) has published videos of armed men on the streets of Rostov

After the chief of the Wagner mercenary group claimed control of a key military headquarters in the south, unverified videos by an independent Russian TV station published two videos of unidentified armed men lying on the ground outside of the Southern Military District headquarters in the Russian city of Rostov on June 24. The news outlet said the videos were provided by a reader, according to The Kyiv Independent.&nbsp;

All 22 Indian crew members aboard MT Jalveer were safely evacuated after the tanker came under attack off Oman. The incident marks the third US strike on a merchant vessel carrying Indian sailors in four days.

All 22 crew members evacuated after third vessel with Indians on board was attacked off Oman

All 22 Indian crew members aboard MT Jalveer were safely evacuated after the tanker came under attack off Oman. The incident marks the third US strike on a merchant vessel carrying Indian sailors in four days.

Crew members of a tanker carrying 22 Indians were evacuated on Thursday after the vessel came under attack off an Oman port, Indian officials said.
This was the third instance of a merchant ship with Indian crew members coming under attack from the US military off the Oman coast in the last four days.
A Palau-flagged oil tanker carrying 24 Indian seafarers was disabled by US forces on Monday. All crew members of the vessel MT Marivex were safely rescued.
On Wednesday, the US struck another Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello, killing three out of the 24 Indian sailors on board.
Following Wednesday&rsquo;s incident, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned US Charge d'Affaires Jason Meeks and he was handed a diplomatic note of protest.
The third incident took place on Thursday.
The Indian Embassy in Muscat said in a post on X: &ldquo;The rescue operation with the support of the Omani authorities has been successfully completed and all the 22 Indian crew members have been evacuated ashore. The Mission is coordinating with the Omani authorities on further actions.&rdquo;
The MEA later confirmed that the ship had come under attack.
"These attacks came from the US Navy that is stationed there," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press briefing in New Delhi while responding to a question on the incidents involving the vessels.
"We attach high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafaring community,&rdquo; Jaiswal said.
The US Central Command said in a statement that it disabled the Guinea-Bissau-flagged MT Jalveer for allegedly violating its blockade against Iran by attempting to transport Iranian oil.
It said a US aircraft struck the vessel's engine room after the crew "repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces".
The MEA said two of the vessels involved in the incidents this week were operating under US sanctions, while one was in the non-compliant category.
India has described the attacks on commercial vessels as "deeply worrisome" and it has strongly taken up the matter with the US.
The US military imposed a blockade on Iranian ports after Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which around 20 per cent of global energy supplies are transported in normal times.

US President Donald Trump warned of powerful strikes against Iran and threatened control over its oil infrastructure as military exchanges between the two countries intensified across the Middle East.

Trump says US will hit Iran 'very hard,' threatens to take 'total control' of its oil industry

US President Donald Trump warned of powerful strikes against Iran and threatened control over its oil infrastructure as military exchanges between the two countries intensified across the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to launch major strikes on Iran and seize control of its oil and gas industries as continuing attacks between the warring countries pushed the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war.
Trump said in a social media post that the US would hit Iran &ldquo;VERY HARD TONIGHT&rdquo; and would &ldquo;assume total control&rdquo; of Iran's oil and gas industries, including the key Kharg Island oil terminal, in the &ldquo;not too distant future.&rdquo; Trump compared his plans for Iran to how the US assumed control of Venezuela's oil sector after capturing then-president Nicol&aacute;s Maduro in January.
The post come after the US and Iran traded strikes for a second straight day. The American attack, which lasted into Thursday morning in Iran, appeared more intense and widespread than the day before.
Iran released little information on the extent of the damage and said it fired back at Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, as it had a day before.
Trump's threats on Thursday, while stark, represented his latest verbal escalation in the Iran war. In April, he warned Iran that &ldquo;a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again&rdquo; if it didn't agree to his terms, before extending a ceasefire in the war.
Kharg Island &mdash; located on the other side of the Persian Gulf from US bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia &mdash; is the beating heart of Iran's oil industry, through which 90 per cent of its exports pass. It is important because Iran's coastline is mostly too shallow for tanker ships to dock.
American troops would be vulnerable on Kharg Island because of its close proximity &mdash; about 33 kilometres (21 miles) &mdash; to the Iranian mainland, from which missiles, drones and artillery could be fired.
US military fires on another merchant ship trying to run blockade
The US military continued to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports, saying Thursday it fired missiles to disable a tanker attempting to transport Iranian oil. An Indian official said a US strike on a different merchant ship earlier this week killed three Indian sailors.
It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have rattled the Middle East. The first involved attacks between Iran and Israel, followed by the two rounds of fire between the US and Iran, which hit countries in the region that host American bases.
The new exchange of fire came as efforts to negotiate an end to the war appeared stuck, with US President Donald Trump warning that Tehran would &ldquo;pay the price&rdquo; for stalled negotiations. Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the US attacks had &ldquo;effectively rendered the ceasefire ... meaningless,&rdquo; without saying it was abandoning it.
Central to the negotiations is Iran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.
Iran announced Thursday that the strait was closed &mdash; but it was unclear what that meant since it has severely restricted traffic through the waterway since early in the war and only a trickle of ships have gotten through. The US military's Central Command disputed the claim &mdash; and Trump said Wednesday that the US has undertaken a secret mission in recent weeks to sneak ships through the passage.
The two sides also remain at odds over Iran's nuclear programme, which Tehran insists is peaceful but which the US and Israel fear could be used to build an atomic weapon due to its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The US and Israel said a major reason they went to war on February 28 was to ensure that Iran would never be able to do that.
Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting in Lebanon between its ally Hezbollah and Israel. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing his goal of destroying the militant group.
US strikes Iran and Iran fires back at Gulf states
Central Command said its latest round of airstrikes came &ldquo;in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression&rdquo; and targeted &ldquo;Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defence sites.&rdquo;
It did not elaborate on the damage done by the strikes, which it said ended just before sunrise Thursday in Iran.
Explosions from the strikes echoed around Iran's capital, as well as the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard later said sites hit included a manufacturing complex, a military barracks and a local Guard base outside of Tehran.
Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours because of the attack, but did not elaborate on any damage.
Jordan said it intercepted 20 Iranian missiles fired toward an area that is home to a base hosting US troops, though no one was hurt.
Bahrain's Interior Ministry said an 11-year-old girl was hurt and cars and homes were damaged by debris from interceptions responding to the Iranian attack.
Meanwhile, Israel warned residents in the country's north to seek shelter after the detection of suspected incoming fire from Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group.
Trump says the US is sneaking oil through the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's ability to control the Strait of Hormuz has proved a strong bargaining chip since the narrow waterway's effective closure has severely disrupted the global economy.
Trump said Wednesday that the US military has undertaken a mission since last month to sneak oil shipments past Iran's forces in the strait, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment.
Trump said as a result more than 100 million barrels of oil have evaded Iran's chokehold.
There was no immediate confirmation of that figure, which equals roughly five days of oil shipments through the waterway before the war began.
But the seas remain dangerous for mariners.
The US military's Central Command said Thursday that it struck a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker attempting to evade the American blockade with a shipment of Iranian oil.
It said Hellfire missiles were launched to disable the M/T Jalveer late Wednesday after the ship's crew failed to obey US orders.
It's the ninth merchant vessel the US military says it has disabled since imposing the blockade in mid-April in waters off Iran.
Two of those ships came under US fire earlier this week.

Iran announced the end of its latest military operation against Israel after renewed missile exchanges but warned of a harsher response if hostilities continue. Diplomatic efforts remain underway.

Iran halts Israel operation after first post-truce clash

Iran announced the end of its latest military operation against Israel after renewed missile exchanges but warned of a harsher response if hostilities continue. Diplomatic efforts remain underway.

Iran on Monday said it was ending its latest military operation against Israel after the first exchanges of fire between the foes since a shaky ceasefire began, but warned it could inflict a more "crushing" response.
US President Donald Trump earlier on Monday told both Iran and key ally Israel to stop fighting, against the background of reports of an increasingly testy relationship between the US leader and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel overnight and Israel responded by targeting military sites in the Islamic republic, sparking fears the escalation could usher in a new full-scale conflict after the April 8 truce.
"Israel and Iran must immediately stop 'shooting.' President DONALD J. TRUMP," the US leader wrote on his Truth Social network.
Minutes later, he added in a new post that "final negotiations" towards peace were proceeding "subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way."
Iran's military command then said it was halting the operation against Israel after delivering a "painful response".
But it warned "that should acts of aggression and hostility continue, including in southern Lebanon, much more severe and crushing measures than before will follow".
Shortly after, Israel's army intercepted three projectiles fired from Lebanon, according to an AFP journalist near their shared border, with the military confirming the munitions had targeted its forces operating in Lebanon's south.
"Some of the projectiles were intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory, and an additional projectile fell near IDF soldiers. No injuries were reported," the military said.
Tehran's earlier strikes followed attacks by Israel against targets of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Iran had repeatedly warned it would strike Israel if the Lebanese capital was targeted.
 - 'People frustrated' -
On Monday in Tehran, there was little sign of any return to war, with cafe terraces packed.
Traffic seemed lighter than usual for a weekday, suggesting that some people had stayed home and there were also many more people queuing at gas stations.
Maryam, 41, an accountant in Tehran, described "a sense of uncertainty and confusion."
"You don't know if there's going to be a war, nor do you know if the peace agreement will last. Nothing is clear. People are frustrated," she said.
Residents of Tel Aviv meanwhile went to shelters as sirens went off.
"I hope it will be short, but you can never know. Last time we thought it will be short and then it was a month, so I don't know," said Jonathan Ariel, 30.
Oil prices surged more than five percent on worries that war could break out again, with hopes now punctured of a rapid end to the standoff that has seen shipping limited through the key Strait of Hormuz trade bottleneck.
The strikes also came at a critical moment with diplomatic efforts to end the conflict involving mediator Pakistan on a knife-edge.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei warned at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP that diplomacy was continuing but risked being "affected" by the escalation.
As he was speaking at the foreign ministry, a huge explosion shook the building, followed by repeated explosions believed to be from air defence systems, the AFP reporter said.
Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Tehran to deliver what he said was a "special letter" to Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to Iranian state television.
He has since travelled back to Pakistan, an official Pakistani source said on Monday.
Iranian President Masoud Pezehskian wrote on X that Tehran was still "at the negotiating table".
 - 'Prepared for long-term war' -
No casualties have been reported in either Israel or Iran after the exchange of fire.
The Israeli military said it struck and dismantled Iranian defence systems deployed across several areas in the country. Iran fired nearly 30 missiles towards Israel since Sunday night, an Israeli military official said.
An AFP correspondent also saw a missile fall in agricultural land in the area of Najha, in the countryside of the Syrian capital Damascus, causing a fire around the impact site but no reported human casualties.
"Material damage is minor, but the psychological impact is significant. The area is home to children, farm caretakers, livestock and solar power installations," said Fadil Ataya, a local farmer.
A military source told the Tasnim news agency that "Iran is prepared for a long-term war with the Zionist regime and for strikes against US interests" in the region.
It also remains unclear who is leading decision-making in Tehran with Mojtaba Khamenei, said to have been wounded in a US-Israeli strike, yet to appear in public after taking over from his father Ali Khamenei who was killed on the first day of the war on February 28.
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas called on both sides to "sit down to a negotiation table and agree", adding that "the region does not need an escalation."

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines, killing at least 35 people, injuring over 130, and triggering tsunami warnings before authorities lifted the alerts.

Major quake off Philippines kills at least 35, dozen still missing

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines, killing at least 35 people, injuring over 130, and triggering tsunami warnings before authorities lifted the alerts.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake in the southern Philippines on Monday killed at least 35 people, according to provincial authorities, after toppling buildings and sparking tsunami warnings across the region.
National disaster authorities said at least a dozen people were still missing, while 134 had sustained injuries.
Philippine authorities urged people in affected coastal regions to move to higher ground after the offshore quake hit south of General Santos, a city of about 720,000, where the death toll was now 12, according to the tally at a local command centre.
A series of powerful aftershocks rocked the area from about two hours after the first quake, according to the United States Geological Survey, with the largest measuring magnitude 6.5.
As night descended, AFP journalists watched as rescue workers in General Santos used their hands to dig through the rubble of a popular grocery store chain in a desperate bid to reach two employees buried beneath.
Morphy Angcad, a 35-year-old security guard, told AFP he was not ready to accept that his sister, one of the two, was dead.
"We received a call this morning telling us that she was one of the trapped there," he said, adding he had refused a hotel room so he could stand watch.
"I don't want to leave this site until I see the body of my sister&hellip; (but) I'm hoping against hope that she is still alive."
Dioslinda Deluvio told AFP her son Joey, the other employee, had come to visit her just weeks earlier, asking: "Ma, what is your plan for your life? Are you OK?"
"All I can do is cry now, imagining the good things he did in the world," she said.
A few kilometres away, others were preparing to spend the night on a sidewalk.
"I'll be sleeping here outside even if it's uncomfortable, because I'm scared there will be an aftershock," 34-year-old sales clerk Johnson Alerta told AFP.
"I feel safer here."
 - 'So many lives' -
Rene Punzalan, disaster chief for hard-hit Sarangani province, told AFP 14 people had died in Glan municipality alone when a landslide buried their homes at the foot of a mountain.
"The landslide happened immediately after the earthquake, so many lives were lost," he said, adding that some areas had yet to report if they had sustained casualties.
"The greatest challenge is communication. The power was cut, so it's hard to get updates," Punzalan said.
Videos posted to social media and verified by AFP showed a shopping centre with a Jollibee fast food restaurant reduced to rubble in General Santos, while a school building that officials said was unoccupied crumpled in another.
In another video verified by AFP, young schoolchildren could be seen screaming in the arms of their teachers as the quake violently swayed them back and forth on the ground.
 - 'Move to higher ground' -
Sarangani's Punzalan told AFP that more than 2,000 people evacuated due to a morning tsunami warning were now awaiting a green light to return to their homes.
"(Authorities) are still assessing the situation now if it will be OK to send them home," he said.
A notice from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had said tsunami waves were possible along the coasts of the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea.
But by mid-afternoon, the Philippines and other countries had cancelled their warnings.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who suspended classes across Mindanao island on what was to have been the first day of school, had called on residents in coastal areas to evacuate immediately.
"Move to higher ground now. Do not wait," he said. "Your life is more important than anything left behind."
Earthquakes are a near-daily occurrence in the Philippines, which is situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
Eastern Mindanao was rocked by a pair of earthquakes of 7.4 and 6.7 magnitude in October that killed at least eight people.
These followed a magnitude 6.9 quake days earlier that killed 76 people in Cebu province in central Philippines.

The US has proposed a 12.5% tariff on imports from India and 53 other countries over concerns related to forced labour-linked imports. The move comes as India and the US continue negotiations on an interim bilateral trade agreement.

US proposes 12.5% tariffs on India, others on concerns over forced labour; India remains engaged in talks

The US has proposed a 12.5% tariff on imports from India and 53 other countries over concerns related to forced labour-linked imports. The move comes as India and the US continue negotiations on an interim bilateral trade agreement.

The US has proposed to impose 12.5 per cent tariffs on 54 countries, including India, for allegedly failing to prohibit the import of goods produced with forced labour, even as officials from New Delhi and Washington are currently holding three-day talks to finalise the first tranche of the bilateral trade agreement.
The talks that started on Tuesday are being held in New Delhi.
Reacting to the proposed 12.5 per cent tariff, the Indian commerce ministry said New Delhi is engaged with the US on the two Section 301 investigations - over concerns related to forced labour and excess industrial capacity.
The country is also "parallelly" engaged with the US for finalisation of an interim trade agreement, a framework for which was announced through a joint statement on February 7.
The US Trade Representative (USTR) has proposed the additional duty following investigations launched in March against 60 countries under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 over concerns related to forced labour.
The measure remains a proposal and has not yet been finalised, the USTR said, adding that interested parties can submit requests to appear at hearings and summaries of testimony by June 22.
The USTR is scheduled to hold hearings on July 7.
"India remains engaged with the US on the matter as a part of Section 301 proceedings. India is also parallelly engaged with the US for finalisation of a framework agreement as was announced on 2nd February 2026 and in accordance with the joint statement released on 7th February 2026," the commerce ministry said.
The USTR has proposed duties on all goods barring a few. A special mechanism has also been proposed for textile and apparel products that could allow a certain volume of imports from selected economies to enter the US at lower tariff rates.
The 12.5 per cent duty has been proposed on 54 countries including Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, China, India, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, the UAE, the UK, and Vietnam.
A 10 per cent additional import duty has been proposed on six nations - Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico, and Pakistan.
The USTR statement said that it has determined that the acts, policies, and practices of these 60 economies related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour are unreasonable and burden or restrict US commerce, and are thus actionable under the provision.
"The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labour is unacceptable. This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field, US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer said in a statement.
"We will no longer tolerate this disparity," he said.
Interested parties can submit requests to appear at hearings and summaries of testimony by June 22, 2026, while written comments are due by July 6 on the proposed action.
The USTR is scheduled to hold hearings on July 7. A final decision is expected potentially before the expiry of the temporary Section 122 tariffs (10 per cent) on July 24.
Greer said though some trading partners have taken initial steps to prevent the importation of forced labour goods, including through USMCA (US-Mexico-Canada Agreement) and commitments in Agreements on Reciprocal Trade, "each of our trading partners must do more to ensure that trade does not perversely encourage and entrench forced labour globally".
In its submissions to the USTR on the probe, India has denied the allegations under the forced labour clause and asked the US to end the investigations, saying such matters should be addressed within the framework of ongoing bilateral trade negotiations.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched two separate Section 301 investigations on March 11 and 12, 2026, covering 60 economies over concerns related to forced labour and excess industrial capacity.
The USTR on June 2 issued its findings in the forced labour investigation.
 NEW DELHI TALKS The USTR proposal comes amid the three-day talks underway in Delhi to finalise the first tranche of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between the two countries.
The US team is led by its chief negotiator Brendan Lynch. India's chief negotiator is Darpan Jain, an additional secretary in the Department of Commerce.
On February 7, India and the US issued a joint statement finalising the contours or framework of the first phase of the BTA or an interim trade deal.
According to the framework, the US agreed to reduce tariffs on India to 18 per cent from 50 per cent. It removed the 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods for buying Russian oil and was to cut the remaining 25 per cent to 18 per cent under the pact.
But, on February 20 this year, the US Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump's sweeping reciprocal tariffs, which were imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Following that, the US President announced the imposition of 10 per cent tariffs on all countries for 150 days, starting February 24.
As the US Supreme Court has ruled against President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, the US administration now has the option of using the Section 301 investigation mechanism to impose new tariffs.
The US was the second-largest trading partner of India in 2025-26.
India's outbound shipments to the US grew marginally 0.92 per cent to USD 87.3 billion during the last fiscal year, while imports increased 15.95 per cent to USD 52.9 billion.
The trade surplus declined to USD 34.4 billion in 2025-26 from USD 40.89 billion in 2024-25. 
EXPERT VIEW Commenting on the proposed duty, think tank GTRI said the tariffs go beyond the scope of Sec 301, and India should challenge the probe's ambit.
The 12.5 per cent tariff exceeds the USA's WTO (World Trade Organisation) commitment as they exceed bound duties.
Under WTO rules, members maintain two types of tariffs -- applied tariffs and bound tariffs.
Applied tariffs are the actual customs duties levied on imports at a given time, while bound tariffs represent the maximum tariff rates a country has committed not to exceed under its WTO obligations.
Raising tariffs beyond the bound rate violates WTO commitments.
"The current investigation exceeds the scope of Section 301, which deals with market-access barriers faced by the US firms in the country being investigated and not what it imports and from where", the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said.
It added that the investigation is not based on allegations that Indian exports are produced using forced labour. Rather, the USTR action focuses on whether countries prohibit imports made with forced labour in third countries, it said.
GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava said India must argue that the US is attempting to impose its preferred import-control framework on other countries through unilateral trade measures, which is outside the scope of section 301.

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