Afghanistan has underscored the importance of water diplomacy and regional cooperation during a ministerial forum held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.

The country’s Deputy Minister for Water at the Ministry of Water and Energy participated in the “Water Week” forum, where he called for stronger collaboration among regional partners in managing shared water resources.

Speaking at the event, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman Omar Akhundzada emphasized the need for equitable water distribution between Afghanistan and Central Asian nations. He also highlighted the importance of enhancing water diplomacy and adopting modern technologies to improve water management systems.

Akhundzada further stressed the urgency of joint regional efforts to tackle the effects of climate change and prevent environmental degradation along the Amu Darya River. He reaffirmed Afghanistan’s commitment to respecting the water rights of neighboring countries while strengthening its domestic water infrastructure.

On the sidelines of the forum, Akhundzada met with Shavkat Khamrayev to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation in water management between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

Afghanistan’s participation in the forum is seen as a significant step toward boosting its engagement in regional and international water discussions, potentially paving the way for deeper cooperation across Central Asia.

Russia sought to blackmail the United States by offering to stop sharing military intelligence with Iran if, in return, Washington ​would cut off Ukraine from its intelligence data, President ‌Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.

Zelenskiy, who said on Monday that Ukraine’s military intelligence has “irrefutable” evidence that Russia is continuing to provide intelligence to Iran, ​told Reuters he had seen the data but provided ​no further details, Reuters reported.

Speaking in his presidential compound in Kyiv, Zelenskiy ⁠said that some Iranian drones, used to attack U.S. military ​assets and its allies during the war in the Middle East, ​contained Russian components.

“I have reports from our intelligence services showing that Russia is doing this and saying: ‘I will not pass on intelligence to Iran if ​America stops passing intelligence to Ukraine.’ Isn’t that blackmail? Absolutely,” ​Zelenskiy said.

He did not say who, according to the reports, Russia was addressing ‌the ⁠comments to. Russia has denied assisting Iran in its month-old conflict with the United States and Israel – a denial that Washington said earlier this month that it had also received directly from ​Moscow when the issue ​was discussed.

Ukraine, ⁠which has faced sustained attacks by Iranian-designed Shahed drones since Russia launched its invasion in 2022, is ​helping several Gulf states – including Saudi Arabia, the United ​Arab ⁠Emirates, and Qatar – to counter drone attacks on their territory, the president said.

Zelenskiy said he hoped that Ukraine would be able to ⁠reach long-term ​deals with some Gulf countries that ​would raise funds for the production of Ukrainian drone interceptors or receiving much-needed air-defence ​missiles, read the report.

President Donald Trump will hit Iran harder if Tehran fails to accept that ​the country has been “defeated militarily,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said ‌on Wednesday.

“President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again,” Leavitt told reporters in a press briefing.

“If Iran fails to accept the reality ​of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have ​been defeated militarily, and will continue to be, President Trump will ⁠ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” she ​said.

As the joint U.S.-Israeli war on Iran entered its fourth week, there have ​been efforts by multiple countries such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt to mediate.

Iran is still reviewing a U.S. proposal to end the war, despite an initial response that was negative, ​a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, indicating that Tehran had so ​far stopped short of rejecting it outright.

Talks with Iran were still under way, Leavitt said. “Talks ‌continue. ⁠They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be,” she added.

Citing unnamed sources, media outlets on Tuesday reported that Washington sent Tehran a 15-point plan on ending the war. Leavitt said on Wednesday that elements of ​the reports were not ​fully accurate, but ⁠she did not provide specifics.

“The White House never confirmed that full plan. There are elements of truth to it, but some ​of the stories I read were not entirely factual, so ​I am ⁠not going to negotiate on behalf of the president here at the podium,” Leavitt said.

Global equity markets regained some ground while oil prices dipped on Wednesday after the ⁠reports ​about the plan, with investors hoping for an end ​to a war that has disrupted global energy supplies and raised inflation concerns.