Putin pledges to support Iran in talks with US
As we’ve been reporting, Russian president Vladimir Putin today held talks with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in St Petersburg on Monday.
The Russian president told Mr Araghchi that he hoped the Iranian people would weather what he described as a “difficult period” and that peace would soon prevail.
Russia has offered to mediate to try to help restore calm to the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which Moscow has condemned. It has also repeatedly offered to store Iran’s enriched uranium as a way of defusing tensions, an offer the US has not taken up.
“For our part, we will do everything that serves your interests and the interests of all the peoples of the region to ensure that peace is achieved as quickly as possible,” Putin told Araghchi, according to Russian state media.
“Last week I received a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader. I would like to ask you to convey my most sincere thanks for this and to confirm that Russia, like Iran, intends to continue our strategic relationship,” Putin added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi during a meeting at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library (Reuters)
Alex Croft27 April 2026 15:11
Watch: Iranian foreign minister meets Vladimir Putin in Saint PetersburgIranian foreign minister visits Russia for Putin talks
Alex Croft27 April 2026 14:54
Sanctioned $500m superyacht crosses blockaded Strait of Hormuz
A superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov boldly sailed through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, shipping data showed.
Nord – a 142-meter yacht worth over $500 million – left a Dubai marina at around 2pm GMT on Friday, crossed the strait on Saturday morning, and arrived in Muscat early on Sunday, according to data on the MarineTraffic platform.
It is not clear how the multi-deck pleasure vessel gained permission to use the route. Russia and Iran are longstanding allies and have become closer in recent years.
One of the largest yachts in the world, Nord has 20 staterooms, a swimming pool, a helipad and a submarine, according to industry publisher Superyacht Times.
The 465-foot superyacht “Nord”, linked to the sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexey Mordashov in 2022 (file) (Reuters)
James Reynolds27 April 2026 14:41
Strait of Hormuz traffic showing early signs of recovery but analysts say crisis far from over
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is showing early signs of recovery, with 19 vessels crossing on Saturday after days of disruption, but analysts say the traffic hasn’t translated into any real increase in oil and gas actually flowing through the crucial waterway.
The strait, which once carried a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, has been effectively closed since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on 28 February, with just three ships crossing a day at its lowest point, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.
Saturday’s figure marked what Windward called a “sharp rebound” following several days of suppressed movement, although it remains a fraction of the 129 daily transits recorded before the conflict began.
Alex Croft27 April 2026 14:30
Comment: Trump’s indifference to Iran and Russia’s military collaboration is staggering
Trump appears unbothered as Russia embraces Iran in a very public relationship that should enrage the US president, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley:
James Reynolds27 April 2026 14:27
Bahrain revokes citizenship of 69 over ‘support for Iranian attacks’
Bahrain revoked the citizenship of 69 people and their families for “expressing support for Iranian attacks”, the interior ministry said on Monday.
Bahrain has been among Gulf countries that were subject to attacks by Iran in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran that began on February 28.
James Reynolds27 April 2026 14:23
Israel strikes Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley
The Israeli military has carried out an attack on Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, it said in a statement.
“The IDF has begun to strike Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the Beqaa Valley and in additional areas across southern Lebanon,” it said in a statement.
Security sources told Reuters news agency that strikes had hit near the town of Nabi Chit, near Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria.
On Sunday, Israeli strikes killed 14 people and wounded 37 in the south on Sunday, according to the health ministry, making it the deadliest day of the ceasefire.
Alex Croft27 April 2026 14:12
Fighting ramps up in Lebanon amid ceasefire breach accusations
In Lebanon, Israeli strikes killed 14 people and wounded 37 in the south on Sunday, according to the health ministry, as fighting with Hezbollah intensifies.
This made marked the deadliest day since a US-brokered ceasefire was agreed in mid-April.
Iran says it will not hold talks on the wider conflict unless a ceasefire also holds in Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March in pursuit of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which fired across the border in support of Tehran.
Israel and Hezbollah blame each other for violating the truce, which was agreed between Israel and the Lebanese government in Washington and extended last week.
Israeli forces have ordered hundreds of thousands of people out of their villages and have been bulldozing homes where they say Hezbollah fighters operated.
The military warned residents on Sunday to leave seven more towns beyond the occupied buffer zone.
Alex Croft27 April 2026 13:53
Watch: Octopus Energy boss outlines what to expect of energy bill costs amid Strait of Hormuz closureOctopus Energy boss outlines what to expect of energy bill costs amid Strait of Hormuz closure
Alex Croft27 April 2026 13:34
Leading Iranian diplomat warns Tehran has cards to play
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has been leading its delegation in peace talks, has warned that Tehran has plenty more cards to play in its war versus the US.
In a cryptic post on X, Mr Ghalibaf wrote: “They brag about the cards. Let’s see: Supply Cards= Demand Cards.
“Strait of Hormuz (partly played)+Bab el-Mandab (unplayed)+Pipelines(unplayed)= Inv Release (played)+Demand Destruction (partly played)+More Price Adj (to come).”
He appears to be warning that Iran may yet call on Yemen’s Houthis to close Bab el-Mandab, a maritime strait between Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula through which around 12 per cent of global oil shipments pass.
Alex Croft27 April 2026 13:15