Tokyo snubs Washington: Japan pulls plug on 2+2 security talks with US; defence budget demand sparks row

Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba (left) and US President Donald Trump (PTI) Japan has cancelled a high-level meeting with its closest ally United States, after the Trump administration abruptly demanded Tokyo to spend more on defence, reported The Financial Times on Friday.US secretary of state Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth were expected to meet […]

‘No talks until Israeli aggression stops’: Iran rejects nuclear dialogue with US after Trump sets deadline; Europe pushes to revive diplomacy

Iran has firmly ruled out any negotiations over its nuclear programme while under attack by Israel, rejecting repeated outreach efforts from the United States, after President Donald Trump gave a two-week deadline for possible dialogue.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday that talks with Washington were off the table “until Israeli aggression stops.”“Americans want […]

Middle East crisis: Putin proposes peace talks between Iran and Israel; Trump tells him to focus on Ukraine first

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to mediate between Iran and Israel amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.He claimed that Moscow’s longstanding ties with both countries make it uniquely positioned to help broker peace.Speaking at a meeting with senior editors from global news agencies at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said Russia […]

‘Two big nuclear powers avoided war’: Donald Trump on meeting with Asim Munir; says trade talks on with India, Pakistan

US President Donald Trump has revealed the reason behind his meeting with Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir, saying, “I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it.”“Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it,” Trump told reporters […]

Trump-Putin phone call: US President says he & Vladimir agreed Israel-Iran conflict ‘should end’; Putin pushes for post-June 22 Ukraine talks

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed during a phone call that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran “should end.” The hour-long call, which Trump said was initiated by Putin to wish him a “very nice” 79th birthday greeting, also touched on Russia’s war in Ukraine […]

‘Talks with US meaningless’: Iran rules out nuclear talks; Tehran blames US for backing Israel

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L), and US president Donal Trump (R) (AP photos) Iran has said that talks with the United States on its nuclear programme are now “meaningless” after what it described as Israel’s largest military strike against its territory. Tehran accused Washington of backing the Israeli attack.Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil […]

‘Everybody hates Russia but loves Germany and Japan’: Donald Trump reflects on World War II in talks with Macron and Putin; calls it ‘a strange world’

US President Donald Trump US President Donald Trump took a reflective turn on Thursday, steering a conversation back in time to the days of World War II. In remarks that blended history with surprise, Trump recounted recent conversations with French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin—both of which circled back to one of […]

‘Keeping Americans safe’: Why US is pulling staff from the Middle East as nuclear talks with Iran stall

The United States is reducing its diplomatic and military footprint in parts of the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran, as nuclear negotiations appear to stall and regional instability looms. The State Department on Wednesday ordered the departure of all nonessential staff from the US Embassy in Baghdad, citing a commitment “to keeping Americans […]

Lee, Xi hold phone talks: China urges South Korea to deepen ties, uphold multilateralism; says ‘stable relationship aligns with trend of times’

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left), and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung (AP) Chinese President Xi Jinping in a phone call with new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday urged to collaborate with Beijing to defend multilateralism, and to uphold free trade, said state media. According to Xinhua, Xi called on Lee urging Beijing and […]

Feud on pause? Aides of Elon Musk and Donald Trump hold talks; but ‘relationship remains uncertain’: Report

Elon Musk and Donald Trump (File photo) The fragile peace, following the social media conflict between US President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk held steady, as their aides engaged in talks on Friday, according to two White House officials cited by Politico.However, one of the officials addressed Trump’s Truth Social hiatus with Musk […]