Iran’s foreign minister has mocked Donald Trump’s claim that he is winning the war in the Middle East during a visit to the Kremlin.
Speaking to Russian media, Abbas Araghchi denied the US president’s statements, asking: ‘So then why did he ask for negotiations? Clearly, Iran is standing up to the largest superpower in the world, and they have not achieved a single one of their objectives.
‘That is why he is asking for negotiations, and we are now considering this option.’
Araghchi added that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has offered the Kremlin’s support in ending the war.
Abbas Araghchi decried the US’ approach to negotiations, saying: ‘The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands.’
It comes after the White House said that Iran‘s ceasefire proposal is ‘better’ than expected, raising hopes that the US and Iran may soon bring the ongoing war in the Middle East to a close.
Two months after the US and Israel began their offensive against Iran, peace talks to end the Middle East war and fully reopen the vital strait have so far proven inconclusive since a ceasefire came into force.
Yesterday, US president Donald Trump met with top officials to discuss Iran’s proposal, in which it spelled out its red lines in negotiations, including on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to Fox News last night, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed they were ‘better than what we thought they were going to submit’, but questioned whether they were genuine.
‘We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point,’ he said.
Iran FM mocks Trump at Kremlin meeting
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has openly mocked Donald Trump’s claims that he is winning the war in the Middle East.
He asked: ‘So then why did he ask for negotiations? Clearly, Iran is standing up to the largest superpower in the world, and they have not achieved a single one of their objectives.
‘That is why he is asking for negotiations, and we are now considering this option.’
Rubio: Iran’s ceasefire proposal better than expected
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, told Fox News last night that Iran’s ceasefire proposals were ‘better than what we thought they were going to submit.’
However, he questioned whether they were genuine.
Tehran earlier passed ‘written messages’ to Washington via Pakistan, spelling out its red lines in negotiations, including on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.
Breaking:Iran ‘ready to share weapons with China and Russia’
Iran’s deputy defence minister said that his nation is ready to share its defensive weapons capabilities with ‘independent countries, especially members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).’
Reza Talaei-Nik made the bold statement at a meeting of the SCO, made up of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan and Belarus.
IDF fires at ‘suspicious aerial target’
The IDF this morning said it has activated air defences to take down a ‘suspicious aerial target.’
It was spotted in southern Lebanon, where Israel’s military have launched an incursion.
Lebanese media, meanwhile, has reported new Israeli attacks through the morning.
IDF soldiers were reportedly firing heavy machine guns in Bint Jbeil and launched three strikes on Zawtar Al Sharqiya, both of which are in southern Lebanon.
Iran’s embassy in London urges expats to become ‘martyrs’
Tehran’s embassy in London is urging Iranian expats to ‘sacrifice their lives for the homeland’ and move back to the Middle East.
Diplomats at the embassy asked ‘all brave and noble children of Iran’ living in the UK to sign up to the war effort programme ‘for the people’s defence of the land.’
It added: ‘Let us all willingly give our lives. It is better than giving the country to the enemy.’
WATCH: Putin pledges support in talks with Iran’s foreign minister
Oil giant BP says profits have more than DOUBLED amid Iran war
Oil giant BP has admitted that soaring oil prices caused by the war in the Middle East have resulted in profits more than doubling.
It said in its financial results for the first three months of the year that underlying profits hit $3.198bn (£2.366bn).
This is significantly higher than the doubling to $2.7bn (£1.99bn) that analysts had expected.
Putin ally’s superyacht storms through Hormuz despite blockade
A superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire and Putin ally Alexey Mordashov sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, new shipping data has revealed.
Nord – a 465-foot yacht worth over $500million (£369million) – left a Dubai marina at around 2pm on Friday, crossed the strait on Saturday morning, and arrived in Muscat early on Sunday.
This makes it one of very few vessels to transit the blockaded shipping lane at the heart of the US-Iran conflict.
It is not clear how the multi-deck pleasure vessel gained permission to use the route. Since February, Iran has severely restricted traffic through the strait, which typically handles around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
Starmer to lead committee talks on economic fallout of Iran war
Sir Keir Starmer will lead talks on the economic fallout of the Iran crisis amid renewed calls from dozens of nations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The Prime Minister will convene the meeting of the Middle East Response Committee with ministers and representatives from the Bank of England on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing economic impact of the war.
Ministers are expected to gather in one of the Cabinet Office briefing rooms.
The Government previously warned that the economic impact could last for eight months after the war’s end.
Middle East crisis is major blow for starving Somali children
For Somalia’s malnourished children, already suffering the twin catastrophes of looming famine and radical cuts in foreign aid, the US-Israeli war on Iran means more than soaring petrol pump prices; it is a matter of life and death.
Shortages of lifesaving therapeutic foods exacerbated by shipping disruptions are forcing clinics to turn away severely malnourished children and ration supplies, Reuters reporting shows.
Almost half a million children under 5 suffer from ‘severe acute malnutrition’ or ‘wasting’, the most life-threatening form of hunger, and the delays are worsening the effect of the aid reductions.
Good morning, and welcome to the Daily Mail’s coverage of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East
Key Updates
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Iran FM mocks Trump at Kremlin meeting
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Rubio: Iran’s ceasefire proposal better than expected
