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Russia seeks to serve as mediator between US and Iran

A source briefed on the discussions, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Russia had offered to act as an intermediary, but Moscow was not asked to serve in such a role.

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Russia has offered to mediate between the United States and Iran, a source briefed on discussions told Reuters on Tuesday, as the Kremlin vowed to do everything possible to facilitate a peaceful solution to tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, Reuters reported.

Russia’s state-run Zvezda media outlet reported earlier on Tuesday, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to mediate between Tehran and Washington in talks over nuclear weapons.

A source briefed on the discussions, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Russia had offered to act as an intermediary, but Moscow was not asked to serve in such a role.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York declined to comment.

The development comes after U.S. President Donald Trump upended U.S. policy after taking office in January, taking a more conciliatory stance towards Russia that has left Western allies wary as he tries to broker an end to Moscow’s three-year war in Ukraine.

Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that Iran was Russia’s partner and ally and Moscow would continue to develop relations.

“President Putin believes and is convinced that the problem of Iran’s nuclear dossier should be solved solely by peaceful means,” he said. “Of course, Russia, being an Iranian ally, will be doing all what is possible to facilitate the peaceful solution to the problem.”

Trump last month restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran in a bid to stop Tehran from building a nuclear weapon. But he also said he was open to a deal and was willing to talk to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.

“The Trump administration will talk to our adversaries and allies alike, but … from a position of strength to defend our national security,” Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said on Tuesday.

Iran has denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon. However, it is “dramatically” accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% weapons-grade level, the U.N. nuclear watchdog has warned, read the report.

Western states say there is no need to enrich uranium to such a high level under any civilian program and that no other country has done so without producing nuclear bombs. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.

“The United States will not tolerate Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon or their support of terror in the Middle East and around the world,” Hughes said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, conveying “that he anticipates close coordination in addressing the threats posed by Iran and pursuing opportunities for a stable region,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Iran agreed a deal in 2015 with Britain, Germany, France, the U.S., Russia and China – known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – that lifted sanctions on Tehran in return for restrictions on its nuclear program.

Washington quit the agreement in 2018 during Trump’s first term as president, and Iran began moving away from its nuclear-related commitments.

Britain, France and Germany have told the U.N. Security Council that they are ready – if needed – to trigger a so-called “snap back” of all international sanctions on Iran to prevent the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon, Reuters reported.

They will lose the ability to take such action on October 18 next year when the 2015 U.N. resolution on the deal expires. Trump has directed his U.N. envoy to work with allies to snapback international sanctions and restrictions on Iran.

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Eight dead in explosion near Red Fort in India’s New Delhi

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At least eight people were killed in an explosion near the landmark Red Fort in a densely populated district of the Indian capital New Delhi, city police said.

The blast occurred in a car near the Red Fort, but the exact cause was not immediately known, and was being investigated, city police spokesperson Sanjay Tyagi said, Reuters reported.

At least 11 people were injured, TV channels said.

Visuals on local media showed flames and smoke billowing from more than one vehicle in what was described as a congested street located near a metro station in the old part of Delhi.

At least six vehicles and three autorickshaws caught fire, Delhi’s deputy fire chief said, adding that the flames had been doused by firefighting teams.

“We heard a big sound, our windows shook,” one resident who did not give a name, told NDTV.

Police tried to clear crowds that gathered around the site of the incident.

The Red Fort, known in India as the Lal Qila, is a 17th-century, Mughal-era fort located in the old city and visited by tourists through the year.

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Eleven dead, dozens missing after Rohingya migrant boat sinks near Thailand-Malaysia border

Officials said the wooden vessel, carrying an estimated 70 passengers, capsized off the coast of Langkawi late last week.

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At least eleven people have died and dozens more are missing after a boat carrying members of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya community sank near the Thailand-Malaysia maritime border, Malaysian and Thai authorities confirmed on Monday.

Officials said the wooden vessel, carrying an estimated 70 passengers, capsized off the coast of Langkawi late last week. So far, 13 survivors — mostly Rohingya — have been rescued, while the search continues for the remaining passengers.

Thai authorities reported four bodies recovered, including two children, adding to the seven found by Malaysia’s maritime agency. Another boat carrying around 230 people remains unaccounted for, prompting joint air and sea operations between Malaysia and Thailand.

“We have strong coordination with the Thai maritime agency and continue to exchange information closely,” said Romli Mustafa, director of Malaysia’s Maritime Enforcement Agency in Kedah and Perlis. “Air and sea assets are being deployed, and the search operation could continue for up to seven days.”

Preliminary reports indicate that the group departed from Myanmar’s western coast, near the border with Bangladesh, around two weeks ago. Some passengers were later transferred onto smaller boats, including the one that sank, in an apparent attempt to evade maritime patrols.

A desperate exodus

The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group long persecuted in Myanmar, continue to flee violence, discrimination, and poverty in the country’s Rakhine State. More than 1.3 million now live as refugees in Bangladesh’s overcrowded camps, while others undertake dangerous sea crossings in search of safety in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Between January and early November 2025, over 5,100 Rohingya are believed to have attempted sea journeys from Myanmar and Bangladesh, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Nearly 600 people have died or gone missing during that period.

Thailand’s maritime command confirmed that two of the recovered victims were carrying refugee cards identifying them as Rohingya.

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Turkiye issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu over Gaza ‘genocide’

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Türkiye has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several senior Israeli officials on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in connection with Israel’s war in Gaza.

According to a statement released on Friday by the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, arrest warrants have been issued for 37 Israeli officials, including Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. The full list of suspects was not made public.

The statement accuses Israeli leaders of carrying out “systematic acts of genocide and crimes against humanity” since the war began in October 2023. It cites several incidents, including the October 17, 2023 bombing of Gaza’s al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, which killed about 500 people, and the February 29, 2024 destruction of medical equipment by Israeli soldiers. It also references Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the denial of humanitarian access.

The prosecutor’s office further highlighted the bombing of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, built by Türkiye in the Gaza Strip, which was struck by Israeli forces in March.

Israel condemned the move as a “publicity stunt.”

“Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian group Hamas welcomed Türkiye’s announcement, calling it a “commendable step that reflects the sincere commitment of the Turkish people and their leadership to justice, humanity, and solidarity with our oppressed Palestinian nation.”

The development comes nearly a year after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes. Türkiye also joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year.

According to Gaza’s health authorities, Israel’s war on the enclave has so far killed at least 68,875 Palestinians and wounded more than 170,000 since October 2023.

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