5h ago<\/p>\n
US approves $151m arms sale to Israel<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Drones hit oil sites and airports in Iraq<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Second UK repatriation flight lands at Gatwick<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Israel launches new attack wave on Tehran as blasts heard in Tel Aviv<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n The day so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n Macron condemns Israeli strike on UN site in southern Lebanon<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n European countries \u2018legitimate targets\u2019 if they join US and Israel, says Iran\u2019s deputy FM<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n Putin spoke with Iranian president and ‘agreed to continue contacts’, says Kremlin<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Iran’s UN envoy says 1,332 Iranian civilians killed in war, and accuses US and Israel of war crimes<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Trump says US defence manufacturers agree to ‘quadruple production’ of weapons<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Iran military says strait of Hormuz remains open, but any US or Israeli ship will be targeted<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Qatar says it has intercepted nine Iranian drones<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n Iran campaign may take four to six weeks, says White House<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n Macron expresses \u2018full solidarity\u2019 with Iraqi PM<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n Russia providing Iran intelligence to target US forces – reports<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n UN chief warns conflict ‘could spiral beyond anyone’s control’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n Today so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n US Central Command: Iran targeted civilian neighbourhoods in Bahrain<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 16h ago<\/p>\n Iraqi prime minister discusses ‘unified positions’ with president of Kurdistan region<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 16h ago<\/p>\n UN: Forced displacement in Lebanon could be violating international law<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n Trump: US is moving ‘thousands’ of people out of Middle East countries<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n US investigators believe strike on Iranian girls\u2019 school probably carried out by US forces<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n Lebanon health officials say 217 killed in Israeli attacks<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n US-Israeli strikes against Iran ‘extraordinary mistake’, says Spanish PM<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n Explosions near Erbil airport in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq- report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s deputy prime minister suggests that the UK could take part in strikes<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s president says \u2018some countries\u2019 have begun mediation efforts to end war<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n Trump: No deal with Iran except ‘unconditional surrender’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n Video: IDF footage claims to show air strikes on Khamenei\u2019s underground bunker<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n Lebanon drawn into war ‘it did not seek or choose’, says PM<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n Summary of developments so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 20h ago<\/p>\n Video: Pastors pray for Trump and US success in Iran war<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 20h ago<\/p>\n Mediation talks should be aimed at US and Israel, says Iranian president<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 21h ago<\/p>\n IDF claims 50 jets bombed Khamenei’s underground bunker ‘still being used by Iranian officials’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 21h ago<\/p>\n ‘Plenty of oil’ in markets despite Middle East turmoil, says IEA chief<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 21h ago<\/p>\n Israel official says bombing campaign in Iran going ‘much better than expected’ – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 22h ago<\/p>\n ‘We were humiliated’: Israel’s attacks on Beirut cause mass displacement crisis<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 22h ago<\/p>\n Azerbaijan withdraws diplomats from Iran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 22h ago<\/p>\n US probe of Iran school strike must ‘happen very quickly’, says UN rights chief<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 23h ago<\/p>\n Sri Lankan president calls for peace as Iranian sailors seek refuge on island<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 24h ago<\/p>\n Four people in UK arrested on suspicion of spying on Jewish community for Iran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Majority of Spaniards against US-Israeli attacks on Iran – poll<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Israel announces new phase in Iran conflict as US warns strikes will ‘surge dramatically’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Summary<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Sri Lanka takes control of an Iranian vessel off its coast after US sunk an Iranian warship<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Iranian leadership council meets ahead of selecting new supreme leader, state media says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Israel carried out 26 airstrikes on Beirut, IDF says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Philippines mulls shorter weeks, less air-con as fuel costs bite<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Two Japanaese nationals detained in Iran, Japan calls for release<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Evacuated British nationals return to UK, as crisis continues to disrupt flights<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Trump responds to Iranian claims that ground invasion would be ‘big disaster’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Gulf states intercept missiles amid reports of regional discontent<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Explosions in Tehran, as Israel launches more strikes<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Hezbollah warns Israeli residents to evacuate near border<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Ukraine to help US and allies counter Iranian drones<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Opening summary<\/p>\n <\/a>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n We\u2019re closing this blog now but you can continue to follow our live coverage of the Middle East crisis on a new live blog here<\/a>, including a fresh rundown on the latest key events.<\/p>\n Thanks for following along.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>US approves $151m arms sale to Israel<\/p>\n The US state department has approved the sale of $151.8m worth of munitions to Israel<\/a> on Friday amid the escalating Middle East war.<\/p>\n The sale of 12,000 requested 1,000-pound (470km) bomb bodies was approved by the state department\u2019s bureau of political-military affairs, according to a press release on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe proposed sale will improve Israel\u2019s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats,\u201d the bureau said in a statement cited by AFP.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.42 EST<\/p>\n Donald Trump<\/a> has announced he will go to Dover air force base in Delaware on Saturday with his wife, Melania, and members of his cabinet \u201cto pay our highest respect to our great warriors who are returning home for the last time\u201d.<\/p>\n The president has expressed little regret for the deaths of six US service members this week in the war with Iran he launched last Saturday from his beach club. On Wednesday, he told a Time magazine reporter<\/a>, \u201csome people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war,\u201d Trump said<\/a> when he announced the start of the US-Israeli attack on Iran last Saturday.<\/p>\n In a video statement released by the White House on Sunday, Trump sent his \u201cimmense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen\u201d, before adding, \u201cand, sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That\u2019s the way it is. Likely be more.\u201d<\/p>\n What the Pentagon calls the \u201cdignified transfer\u201d of remains at the air force base, scheduled for Saturday<\/a>, is a ritual in honour of US troops killed during their military service.<\/p>\n The six members of the US army reserve, who worked in logistics, died on Sunday when a drone strike hit a command centre in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.26 EST<\/p>\n Australians stranded in Qatar will soon be able to bus to Saudi Arabia as the Australian government works to bring citizens home safely from the Middle East.<\/p>\n With Qatari airspace closed, bus transfers from Doha to Riyadh would become available, the assistant immigration minister said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve made a safety assessment that the opportunity for people to return home is much better in Riyadh, because there\u2019s larger openings of airspace,\u201d Matt Thistlethwaite said on Saturday.<\/p>\n Australian Associated Press also reported him as saying that once in the Saudi Arabian city, travellers would need to secure seats on commercial flights back to Australia. The Australian foreign affairs department would provide \u201cbasic\u201d accommodation support.<\/p>\n Thistlethwaite said bus transits out of Kuwait were also being considered as the government explored \u201call options\u201d to return thousands of stranded Australians, including government-commissioned repatriation flights.<\/p>\n Passengers on a flight from Dubai arrive at Sydney international airport in Sydney on Friday. Photograph: Sarah Wilson\/EPA<\/p>\n The comments follow claims by exhausted Australians returning from the Middle East that airlines had been of more help to them than the government.<\/p>\n The first flight to Australia from Abu Dhabi landed in Sydney on Friday morning with only a third of its seats filled.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.56 EST<\/p>\n Drones hit oil sites and airports in Iraq<\/p>\n Drones struck airports and oil facilities in Iraq on Friday, and US-led forces shot down several over the Kurdish city of Erbil after a warning of possible attacks on hotels.<\/p>\n New strikes blamed on Iran<\/a> hit Iranian Kurdish opposition group targets in the northern Kurdistan region, after reports that militants might attempt to cross into Iran.<\/p>\n Agence France also reports that late on Friday, Baghdad international airport \u2013 which houses a military base and a US diplomatic facility \u2013 \u201ccame under a series of attacks\u201d with drones and missiles, a security official said. Another security source confirmed there was a drone attack followed by a fire at the airport.<\/p>\n Hours earlier, Iraqi authorities said rockets targeted the facility from the Abu Ghraib area near Baghdad.<\/p>\n In the southern province of Basra, an oil facility housing foreign energy companies came under attack twice, with a security official saying late on Friday that \u201ctwo drones were shot down over the Burjesia oil complex but a third got through\u201d and hit the site.<\/p>\n Reuters quoted security sources as saying fire broke out in offices and warehouses belonging to US firms Halliburton and KBR after the Basra attacks.<\/p>\n Smoke rises after a drone attack set fire to warehouses belonging to US firms Halliburton and KBR at a compound housing foreign oil company employees, according to security sources, in Basra, Iraq, on Saturday. Photograph: Mohammed Aty\/Reuters<\/p>\n Earlier, the facility was struck along with another oil field as well as Basra\u2019s airport, a security source said.<\/p>\n In the northern autonomous Kurdistan region \u2013 which hosts US troops \u2013 explosions sounded on Friday near the airport in Erbil, the capital.<\/p>\n \u201cThe international coalition forces downed four explosive-laden drones over Erbil,\u201d Kurdish security forces said.<\/p>\n A view of the Erbil Arjaan hotel in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, where four drones were reportedly intercepted by international coalition forces. Photograph: Ozan K\u00f6se\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.44 EST<\/p>\n Second UK repatriation flight lands at Gatwick<\/p>\n A second British government-chartered flight from the Middle East has landed at Gatwick airport in England.<\/p>\n The Titan Airways repatriation flight that landed at 12.30am on Saturday had departed from Muscat international airport in Oman at 5.33pm before a short layover in Cairo on Friday, PA Media is reporting.<\/p>\n The latest evacuees join about 6,500 Britons who have returned from the United Arab Emirates since widespread conflict began in the region a week ago.<\/p>\n More than 160,000 British nationals have registered their presence in the Middle East with the UK government.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.22 EST<\/p>\n We\u2019ve got some photos of the huge American bomber aircraft that has landed in Britain<\/a> after the US warned of a \u201csurge\u201d in strikes on Iran.<\/p>\n The B-1 Lancer has a wingspan of 137 foot (42 metres), weighs 86 tonnes and is the fastest bomber in the US air force, according to Boeing, with speeds of more than 900mph (1,450km\/h).<\/p>\n The B-1 Lancer arrived at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday evening after the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, granted permission to strike defensively against Iran\u2019s missile facilities from UK bases.<\/p>\n The Rockwell B-1 Lancer used by the US air force arrives at RAF Fairford. Photograph: Andrew Matthews\/PA<\/p>\n The bomber \u2013 nicknamed \u201cthe Bone\u201d \u2013 is capable of carrying 24 cruise missiles and up to 34 tonnes of weapons and equipment.<\/p>\n British foreign secretary David Lammy has suggested RAF jets could legally strike Iranian missile sites being used to attack UK interests in the Middle East.<\/p>\n The supersonic B-1 Lancer at RAF Fairford. Photograph: Andrew Matthews\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.24 EST<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s ambassador to the UN has condemned US interference after Donald Trump insisted he should be involved in selecting the successor to slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n \u201cThe selection of Iran\u2019s leadership will take place strictly in accordance with our constitutional procedures and solely by the will of the Iranian people, without any foreign interference,\u201d Amir Saeid Iravani told reporters in New York on Friday, quoted by AFP.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Saudi Arabia has intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched towards Prince Sultan air base, the country\u2019s defence ministry has posted on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n The base in located in Al Kharj, south-east of the Saudi capital, Riyadh.<\/p>\n The ministry said a little earlier<\/a> that there had been an attempted attack on the Shaybah oil field and that it had intercepted six drones in the Empty Quarter desert.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.51 EST<\/p>\n Israel launches new attack wave on Tehran as blasts heard in Tel Aviv<\/p>\n As Israel\u2019s military said on Saturday it had launched fresh \u201cbroad-scale\u201d strikes<\/a> on targets in Tehran, Iran\u2019s state broadcaster said there had been an explosion in the capital\u2019s west.<\/p>\n The Israeli military said earlier that another round of Iranian missile launches were detected heading towards Israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n A series of blasts were heard in Tel Aviv after the launches.<\/p>\n The Israeli emergency services, Magen David Adom, reportedly said it received no reports of casualties after the barrage.<\/p>\n The military said people were free to leave their shelters \u201cin all areas\u201d of the country.<\/p>\n Smoke rising in Tehran after an explosion on Friday. Photograph: ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.29 EST<\/p>\n The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), a humanitarian organization, said it estimates about 300,000 people have already been displaced in \u201cless than 100 hours\u201d since Israel launched a wave of airstrikes and evacuation orders in South Lebanon<\/a>, Beirut, and other regions.<\/p>\n \u201cFamilies who had barely begun rebuilding their lives are now forced to flee once again,\u201d said Maureen Philippon, country director for NRC in Lebanon. \u201cPeople left their homes in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Once again, civilians are paying the highest price. If implemented, the latest evacuation orders from Israel<\/a> could yet produce a humanitarian crisis unlike anything we have seen in over two years.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n After reports that Russia was sharing intelligence with Iran<\/a> about US targets in the region, defense secretary Pete Hegseth said the US is \u201ctracking everything\u201d and factoring it into battle plans.<\/p>\n \u201cThe American people can rest assured their commander in chief is well aware of who\u2019s talking to who,\u201d Hegseth said in an interview with CBS\u2019 \u201c60 Minutes\u201d. \u201cAnd anything that shouldn\u2019t be happening, whether it\u2019s in public or back-channeled, is being confronted and confronted strongly.\u201d<\/p>\n Similar to earlier remarks from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Hegseth also downplayed the possibility that Russia\u2019s help to Iran could be putting Americans in harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re putting the other guys in danger, and that\u2019s our job. So we\u2019re not concerned about that,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the only ones that need to be worried right now are Iranians that think they\u2019re gonna live.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry, accused the United States and Israel<\/a> of carrying out an \u201cunprovoked act of aggression\u201d against Iran.<\/p>\n In a post<\/a> directed at United Nations secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, Baghaei said: \u201cLet\u2019s call a spade a spade. This is not \u2018the fighting\u2019; this is an \u2018unprovoked act of aggression\u2019 launched by two nuclear armed regimes against Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are concerned about \u2018grave risk to the global economy\u2019; what about the innocent civilians, including 175 little angels slaughtered in the City of Minab, and many more killed and maimed across Iran<\/a> during the past 7 days of American\/Israeli criminal acts?!,\u201d Baghaei added.<\/p>\n He\u2019s responding to a post made by Guterres earlier on Friday that expresses concern over civilians and the global economy, and calls for diplomatic negotiations to take place.<\/p>\n \u201cThe stakes could not be higher,\u201d Guterres said in a post on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The Israeli military said it has begun a \u201cbroad-scale\u201d wave of strikes in Tehran, per the AP.<\/p>\n The report came minutes after the Israeli military said it was working to intercept missiles launched from Iran<\/a> toward Israel early on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>The day so far<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s deputy foreign minister warned European nations that they will become legitimate targets if they become involved in the US and Israel\u2019s war on Tehran. If any country \u201cjoins America and Israel in the aggression against Iran<\/a>, they will be also legitimate targets for Iran\u2019s retaliation,\u201d Majid Takht-Ravanchi told France 24. He said Iranian officials had been \u201cnegotiating in good faith\u201d with the US before Washington decided to attack with Israel on Saturday. \u201cWe do not trust the Americans. Not only did they betray us, but they betrayed diplomacy.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s UN ambassador said that at least 1,332 Iranian civilians have been killed so far in the US-Israeli war on Tehran, with thousands more injured, and accused the US and Israel of war crimes. Amir Saeid Iravani told reporters at the UN\u2019s headquarters in New York that the US and Israel \u201chave demonstrated that they recognise no red line in committing their crimes\u201d. He accused the two countries of \u201cindiscriminate\u201d attacks that were \u201cdeliberately\u201d targeting \u201cdensely populated\u201d civilian areas and infrastructure, including schools<\/a>, medical<\/a>, recreational and sports<\/a> facilities. \u201cThese acts constitute clear war crimes and crimes against humanity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the US military campaign against Iran may take as long as four to six weeks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, adding that the US is \u201cwell on its way\u201d toward controlling Iranian airspace. It comes as Trump met with leading US weapons manufacturers at the White House and said they had agreed to \u201cquadruple Production of \u2018Exquisite Class\u2019 Weaponry\u201d.<\/p>\n Leavitt added that the US would consider Iran in a state of \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d once Donald Trump determines the country no longer \u201cposes a threat\u201d to the United States. Trump said on Friday that only Tehran\u2019s \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d<\/a> will bring an end to the joint US-Israeli offensive launched seven days ago.<\/p>\n The Russian and Iranian presidents, Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian, held a phone call<\/a> today in which they agreed to continue contacts, the Kremlin said. It comes amid reports<\/a> that Moscow has been providing Tehran with the locations of US military assets, including warships and aircraft, in the region. The White House earlier declined to confirm those reports.<\/p>\n The UN secretary-general called on nations to \u201cstop the fighting and get to serious diplomatic negotiations\u201d, warning that the situation \u201ccould spiral beyond anyone\u2019s control\u201d. \u201cThe stakes could not be higher,\u201d Ant\u00f3nio Guterres wrote in a post<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Iranian military told Iranian state tv that Tehran does not plan to close the strait of Hormuz, but will target any ship belonging to Israel or the United States. It comes as the US-Israeli war on Iran has driven the oil price past $90 a barrel to its highest weekly gains since the Covid-19 pandemic six years ago, threatening a fresh rise in global inflation.<\/p>\n French president Emmanuel Macron condemned an Israeli strike that directly hit a UN site in Lebanon earlier today, critically injuring two Ghanaian soldiers<\/a> serving with the UN\u2019s peacekeeping mission there.<\/p>\n Qatar\u2019s defence ministry said that the country\u2019s air defence systems were \u201csubjected to waves of attacks\u201d from Iranian drones on Friday, starting at dawn and continuing until evening. It said that of the 10 drones that were launched towards Qatar, nine were intercepted while the tenth hit an uninhabited area, causing no injuries.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.26 EST<\/p>\n Macron condemns Israeli strike on UN site in southern Lebanon<\/p>\n French president Emmanuel Macron has held phone conversations with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, amid growing fears that the US-Israeli war on Iran is fast expanding to other parts of the Middle East.<\/p>\n In a post on X, Macron said:<\/p>\n double quotation markFrance is working with its partners to prevent the conflict from spreading further in the region. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and Lebanon must be respected, as must the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country in the region. The ongoing acts of destabilization must leave no room for terrorism. France will ensure that this is the case.<\/p>\n Macron also condemned an Israeli strike that directly hit a United Nations site in Lebanon earlier today, critically injuring two Ghanaian soldiers<\/a> serving with the UN\u2019s peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n double quotation markAs the United Nations force in Lebanon plays a fundamental role in achieving stability in southern Lebanon, I strongly condemn the unacceptable attack today that targeted members of its unit. France will remain committed there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>European countries \u2018legitimate targets\u2019 if they join US and Israel, says Iran\u2019s deputy FM<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s deputy foreign minister earlier warned European nations that they will become legitimate targets if they become involved in the US and Israel\u2019s war on Tehran.<\/p>\n If any country \u201cjoins America and Israel in the aggression against Iran<\/a>, they will be also legitimate targets for Iran\u2019s retaliation,\u201d Majid Takht-Ravanchi told France 24.<\/p>\n He said Iranian officials had been \u201cnegotiating in good faith\u201d with the US before Washington decided to attack with Israel on Saturday.<\/p>\n double quotation markWe do not trust the Americans. Not only did they betray us, but they betrayed diplomacy.<\/p>\n He described Tehran\u2019s latest moves as defensive, saying that \u201cthis war was imposed on us\u201d by the US and Israel.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Putin spoke with Iranian president and ‘agreed to continue contacts’, says Kremlin<\/p>\n We now have more on that phone call between Iran\u2019s president Masoud Pezeshkian and Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n The Russian president expressed his condolences for the deaths of Iran\u2019s supreme leader, other government officials and civilians around the country, the Kremlin said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.<\/p>\n Putin also reiterated Russia\u2019s stance that the hostilities must end immediately, and that a diplomatic resolution must be found.<\/p>\n Pezeshkian, meanwhile, expressed gratitude for Russia\u2019s support, and provided a detailed report of Iran\u2019s developments.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was agreed that contacts with the Iranian side will continue via various channels,\u201d the Kremlin said.<\/p>\n Vladimir Putin in a meeting at the Kremlin on Friday. Photograph: Gavriil Grigorov\/AP<\/p>\n It comes amid reports that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence to target US forces in the region (see my earlier post<\/a>).<\/p>\n![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Robert_Mackey.png\")
Robert Mackey<\/p>\n