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Donald Trump “doesn’t love” a plan offered by the Iranian regime to stop the war and open the Strait of Hormuz while delaying nuclear negotiations.
“He doesn’t love the proposal,” a US official said on Monday, explaining that the President wants a peace plan to address Iran’s nuclear programme.
Earlier on Monday, Trump met with his national security team to discuss the proposal.
The White House confirmed that no decision had yet been made, but multiple US media reports suggested Trump was unhappy with the proposal to decouple the conflict from Iran‘s nuclear programme and leave that issue to be discussed at a later date.
“The president’s red lines with respect to Iran have been made very clear, not just to the American public, but to them as well,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Iranian regime appeared to have the upper hand in the peace talks process, which has stalled after a summit hosted by Pakistan broke down.
“An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible,” he said.
Starmer warns Iran war could put holidays and food shopping habits under threat
Sir Keir Starmer said Britons should not panic over the economic impact of the Iran war but acknowledged people might have to change their shopping habits and holiday plans.
The prime minister, who will lead a meeting of the ministerial Iran crisis committee on Tuesday, said “at the moment” the government was confident about supply chains.
He said the UK was doing “everything we can” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil and gas shipping route which has been effectively closed by Iran since the US-Israeli bombing campaign began.
Sir Keir said the French and the British would lead a “military mission” to provide reassurance to ships passing through the strait, although the initiative, driven by the prime minister and French president Emmanuel Macron, is not expected to begin until hostilities cease.
Read our full report here:
Alex Croft28 April 2026 09:11
Iran war deals devastating blow to malnourished Somalian children
Malnourished children in Somalia, already suffering the twin catastrophes of looming famine and radical cuts in foreign aid, are only suffering more after the US-Israeli war on Iran has led to shortages of lifesaving therapeutic foods.
The country was already suffering such shortages, with clinics now forced to turn away severely malnourished children and ration supplies.
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.
Here are some images of the worsening food crisis in Somalia.
The country is already suffering looming famine and radical cuts in foreign aid (Reuters)
An internally displaced Somali woman feeds her malnourished child at the Daynile hospital amid shortages of lifesaving therapeutic foods (Reuters)
The US-Israeli war on Iran has exacerbated a shipping crisis (Reuters)
Alex Croft28 April 2026 08:55
Russian offers to store Iran’s enriched uranium to defuse tensions fall on deaf ears
Iran has welcomed Russia’s support for diplomacy in the Middle East – but several of its offers have been rejected by the US.
Moscow has repeatedly offered to store Iran’s enriched uranium in its country in order to defuse tensions, a proposal that has been rejected out of hand by Washington.
Russia has offered to mediate to try to help restore calm to the Middle East since the US-Israeli strikes began on 28 February.
But they are unlikely to be called upon, with Pakistan enthusiastically leading mediating efforts as it stands,
Iran foreign minister Abbas Araghchi still praised the strength of ties between the Tehran and Moscow, after meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Monday, saying recent events had demonstrated the depth of their strategic partnership.
Alex Croft28 April 2026 08:35
Watch: Zelensky blames Iran was for stalled weapon supply as Russia continues to attack Ukraine Zelensky blames Iran was for stalled weapon supply as Russia continues to attack Ukraine
James Reynolds28 April 2026 08:27
Recap: Trump ‘unhappy with Iran’s omission of nuclear issue in talks’
Donald Trump is reportedly unhappy with the latest Iranian proposal on resolving the two-month war, dampening hopes for a quick resolution.
Iran’s latest proposal would set aside discussion of Iran’s nuclear program until the war is ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved.
But a US official briefed on Trump’s Monday meeting with advisors told Reuters that the president is unhappy with the proposal, as Washington wants nuclear issues to be addressed from the outset.
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the US “will not negotiate through the press” and has “been clear about our red lines” as the Trump administration looks to end the war against Iran it began in February alongside Israel.
Queen Camilla (C/L), King Charles III (R) and US First Lady Melania Trump (L) listen to US President Donald Trump on Monday (AFP/Getty)
James Reynolds28 April 2026 08:14
IDF seizes ‘hundreds of Hezbollah weapons’ as strikes continue despite ceasefire
The IDF on Tuesday shared images of what it said were seizures of weapons from Hezbollah infrastructure sites.
One image shows what appears to be mines, mortars, helmets and bags strewn out across the floor, next to a picture of late Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah.
Another image shows a haul of AK-style rifle magazines, helmets, bergens and binoculars.
The IDF claimed to have located hundreds of weapons in Hezbollah sites (IDF)
(IDF)
James Reynolds28 April 2026 08:00
BP profits soar as Middle East forces up energy prices
BP saw its profits soar in the first quarter of 2026, amid a surge in oil and gas prices driven by the war in the Middle East.
The British energy giant on Tuesday posted underlying replacement cost profit, a proxy for net profit, of $3.2bn for the first three months of the year, well ahead of the $2.63bn forecast by analysts.
That’s up from $1.54bn in Q4 of 2025 and more than double the $1.38bn reported this time last year.
“Overall, our business continues to run well. This was another quarter of strong operational and financial delivery, and we made further progress towards our 2027 targets,” BP CEO Meg O’Neill said in a statement.
Looking ahead, BP expects a drop in fossil fuel production in the current quarter, in part due to the war.
James Reynolds28 April 2026 07:26
Iran war is latest blow to Somalia’s malnourished children
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has constrained global supplies of energy and fertiliser, with knock-on effects felt worldwide.
Few places have felt that blow stronger than Somalia, where almost half a million children under five are suffering from ‘severe acute malnutrition’ or ‘wasting’, the most life-threatening form of hunger.
The country had already been suffering twin catastrophes of looming famine and radical cuts to foreign aid when the conflict to its east erupted at the end of February.
Health workers in Baidoa and Mogadishu say they have had to stretch out meagre stocks of specialised milk and nutrient-dense peanut-based paste vital to saving these children.
“Since the needs are large and we don’t have a lot of supplies, we have had to keep reducing the amount we give children,” nurse Hassan Yahye Kheyre said.
James Reynolds28 April 2026 07:22
Russian superyacht sailed through Strait of Hormuz despite blockade
A Russian superyacht, Nord, linked to sanctioned billionaire Alexey Mordashov, “sailed through the Strait of Hormuz” despite the ongoing blockade of the key shipping route, according to the BBC.
The 142m vessel, worth “over $500m (£370m)”, travelled from Dubai to Muscat over the weekend and is “one of a few private vessels to transit through the strait in recent months”.
Iran is simultaneously engaged in talks with Russia amid tensions with the US over the waterway.
File. A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, 12 April 2026 (Reuters)
In Moscow, Putin hosted an Iranian delegation, where Araghchi praised the “strategic relationship”, while Putin said the Iranian people were “courageously fighting” for sovereignty.
Mordashov, a close associate of Putin, is not officially recorded as the yacht’s owner. However, registry details show that in 2022, Nord was registered under a company owned by his wife.
Maroosha Muzaffar28 April 2026 07:00
Putin receives message from Iranian Supreme Leader
Russian president Vladimir Putin met Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in St Petersburg after receiving a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei.
“We sincerely hope that, drawing on this courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people will, under the leadership of a new Leader, navigate this difficult period of trials – and peace will come,” he said, according to Iran’s Tasnim News agency.
Putin said Russia will support Iran and do what serves the interests of Iran and regional peace.
Maroosha Muzaffar28 April 2026 06:59