Vance’s comments came hours after President Donald Trump said he had come within an hour of ordering fresh strikes and gave Tehran “two or three days” to reach an agreement.

“A lot of good progress is being made, but we’re just going to keep on working at it, and eventually we’ll either hit a deal or we won’t,” Vance told a briefing at the White House.

Vance — an Iran war-sceptic who led a US delegation to Pakistan in April for talks that failed to produce a deal — said Iran had to accept that it could not have a nuclear weapon.

“We’re in a pretty good spot here — but there’s an option B, and the option B is that we could restart the military campaign,” said the US vice president.

“We’re locked and loaded. We don’t want to go down that pathway, but the president is willing and able to go down that pathway if we have to.”

The warning came with a shaky ceasefire in place since April 8, and after Washington and Tehran exchanged talks proposals through intermediaries in an effort to end the Middle East war, which began with US strikes on February 28.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Gulf leaders had asked him “to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place”.

But Trump added he had instructed the US military to be “prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached”.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X that Trump’s comments meant the US leader was “calling a ‘threat’ a ‘chance for peace’!”

On Tuesday, Iran’s army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia earlier warned the Islamic Republic would “open new fronts against” the United States if it resumes attacks.

He added that Iran’s military had used the ceasefire as an opportunity “to strengthen its combat capabilities”, without elaborating.

After the threat, the United Arab Emirates said a drone attack on its Barakah nuclear power plant on Sunday had originated from Iraqi territory, where Iran backs groups accused of launching attacks on Gulf nations in the Middle East war.

“As part of the ongoing investigation into the blatant attack on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant on May 17, 2026, technical tracking and monitoring confirmed that the three drones… all originated from Iraqi territory,” the Emirati defence ministry said.

A top Emirati official had already suggested Iran or one of its regional proxies was to blame.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told reporters that “more time” was needed for the ongoing Pakistani-mediated efforts to push for Iran-US talks to reach a deal to end the war.

Cable permits

Since the ceasefire took hold on April 8, Tehran and Washington have held a single round of talks, which failed to culminate in a deal.

All the while, Iran has maintained a tight grip over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy conduit, while the United States has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports.

According to Iran’s ISNA news agency, military spokesman Akraminia reiterated that Iran would continue to manage the strait, saying that the US has little option but to “respect the Iranian nation and observe the legitimate rights of the Islamic Republic.”

On Monday, Iran officially announced the formation of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to manage traffic through the strait which it said should be within the boundaries communicated by the Iranian armed forces.

The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, also threatened to put the internet fibre optic cables passing through the waterway under a system of permits.

“Following the imposition of control over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, citing its absolute sovereignty over the bed and subsoil of its territorial sea… could declare that all fibre-optic cables passing through the waterway are subject to permits,” the Guards said in a social media post.

‘Excessive’ conditions

At the same time, Iran’s foreign ministry said it has responded to the latest US proposal which Iranian media had described as “excessive” and offering “no tangible concessions”.

On Sunday, Iran’s Fars news agency said Washington had presented a five-point list, which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.

The US had refused to release “even 25 per cent” of Iran’s assets frozen abroad or pay any reparations for war damage, Fars added.

The report said the US had also made clear it would only cease hostilities when Tehran engages in formal peace negotiations.

Iran however has said it insists on its own demands, including the release of the frozen assets, the lifting of long-standing sanctions on the country and war reparations.

But later, the Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed source close to the Iranian negotiating team, said the United States made one new step forward in the latest text by agreeing to waive oil sanctions while negotiations were underway.

In Tehran’s first comments on ‌the proposal, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran also sought the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen funds and an end to the US7. marine blockade on the country, according to IRNA news agency.

The terms as described in the Iranian reports appeared little changed from Iran’s previous offer, which US President Donald Trump rejected last week as “garbage”.

Trump said on Monday he had paused a planned resumption of attacks ​on Iran after Tehran sent a new peace proposal to Washington, and that there was now a “very good chance” of reaching a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear programme.

Reuters ​could not determine whether preparations had been made for strikes that would mark a renewal of the war Trump started in late ⁠February.

Under pressure to reach an accord that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a key supply route for global supplies of oil and other commodities — Trump has previously expressed hope ​that a deal was close on ending the conflict, and similarly threatened heavy strikes on Iran if Tehran did not reach a deal.

In a social media post, Trump said the ​leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had requested that he hold off on the attack because “a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.”

Speaking to reporters later on Monday, he said the United States would be satisfied if it could reach an agreement with Iran that prevented ​Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of ​them, I would be very happy,” Trump told reporters.

A Pakistani source confirmed that Islamabad, which has conveyed messages between the sides since hosting the only round of peace talks last month, had shared ‌the Iranian ⁠proposal with Washington.

The sides “keep changing their goalposts,” the Pakistani source said, adding: “We don’t have much time.”

MIXED SIGNALS

Although neither side has publicly disclosed any concessions in negotiations that have been stalled for a month, a senior Iranian official suggested on Monday that Washington may be softening some of its demands.

The source said the US had agreed to release a quarter of Iran’s frozen funds — totalling tens of billions of dollars — held in foreign banks. Iran wants all the assets released.

And the source said Washington had shown more flexibility in agreeing to let Iran ​continue some peaceful nuclear activity under the supervision ​of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The US ⁠has not confirmed that it has agreed to anything in the talks.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied a report by Iran’s Tasnim news agency that Washington had agreed to waive oil sanctions on Iran while negotiations were underway.

The US-Israeli bombing killed ​thousands of people in Iran before it was suspended in a ceasefire in early April. Israel has killed thousands more and driven ​hundreds of thousands from ⁠their homes in Lebanon, which it invaded in pursuit of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Iranian strikes on Israel and neighbouring Gulf states have killed dozens of people.

The Iran ceasefire has mostly held, although drones have lately been launched from Iraq towards Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, apparently by Iran and its allies.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they launched the ⁠war to ​curb Iran’s support for regional militias, dismantle its nuclear programme, destroy its missile capabilities, and create conditions for ​Iranians to topple their rulers.

But the war has yet to deprive Iran of its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium or its ability to threaten neighbours with missiles, drones and proxy militias.

The Islamic Republic’s clerical leadership, which had ​faced a mass uprising at the start of the year, withstood the superpower onslaught with no sign of organised opposition.

On Sunday, an unclaimed drone struck an electrical generator near the Arab world’s only nuclear power plant in Barakah in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, triggering a fire but causing no injuries or radiation leak. Two other drones had been intercepted.

Barakah is near the Saudi border, and Qatar, and the strike raised fears of consequences across the Gulf.

“As part of the ongoing investigation into the blatant attack on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant on May 17, 2026, technical tracking and monitoring confirmed that the three drones… all originated from Iraqi territory,” the Emirati defence ministry said.

Authorities intercepted six drones that also came from Iraq and “attempted to target civilian and vital areas” in the past 48 hours, the ministry added.

Iraqi authorities had already condemned the attack on Barakah before Abu Dhabi announced where the drones came from.

Iran has attacked the UAE and other Gulf nations since the US and Israel launched strikes on the country on February 28, targeting US assets but also energy and civilian infrastructure.

Before the April 8 ceasefire came into place, Tehran-backed Iraqi groups intervened in support of Iran and struck US facilities in Iraq and the wider region, including Gulf countries.

Iran-backed groups in Iraq have not claimed any strikes since the truce came into place, though Gulf countries have reported attacks from Iraq.

But the nuclear site had been off limits until Sunday.

The Barakah Nuclear Power Plant is the country’s largest source of electricity and produces around a quarter of national power.

The site had been in Iran’s crosshairs. In March, Iranian media published a list of power plants as potential targets, including Barakah.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia had reported intercepting drones that came from Iraq, while Baghdad said its defence systems had not detected any drones launched from its territory toward the kingdom.

Several states are holding primaries to pick candidates for the November midterm elections, but the standout contest is in Kentucky, where Trump aims to oust seven-term Republican Thomas Massie, one of the president’s most persistent internal critics.

The race is being watched as a measure of whether Trump’s grip on Republican voters remains strong despite war, inflation and sliding national approval ratings — and whether there is still room in the party for lawmakers willing to break with him.

Massie has angered Trump by opposing US military action in Iran and Venezuela, criticizing aid to Israel, resisting parts of the president’s agenda and helping push for the release of files related to multimillionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump has endorsed Ed Gallrein, a farmer and retired Navy SEAL, in what US media have described as the most expensive House primary in American history, with more than $32 million in ad spending – much of it from pro-Israeli groups opposed to Massie.

The president has spent months attacking the avowedly libertarian 55-year-old former engineer and inventor, labelling him a disloyal “moron,” a “nut job” and a “major sleazebag.”

“Dealing with him is just horrible. I don’t think he’s a Republican… He’s not a libertarian,” Trump told reporters after polls opened.

“Sometimes they say he’s really a Dumb-ocrat. He votes against us all the time,” added the president, who has recently taken to insulting Democrats with his alternative pronunciation.

Pro-Trump voting record

Massie — who has voted with Trump around 90 per cent of the time so far in the president’s second term — has cast the race as a test of independence inside the Republican Party.

“I’m not running against President Trump. Most of the people voting for me support President Trump like I do,” Massie told Fox News as Trump was speaking.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unusual appearance in Massie’s district on Monday to campaign for Gallrein.

It is against the law for federal employees to engage in partisan political activity while on duty, but Hegseth’s office said he was acting in a personal capacity and that no taxpayer funds would be used.

Trump later revealed that the Pentagon chief’s time out from his official duties came just hours before the United States was expecting to launch a new military assault on Iran, although hostilities were ultimately postponed.

The Kentucky showdown comes after Trump allies routed state lawmakers in Indiana who resisted his redistricting demands, and after Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy — who voted to convict Trump following his impeachment over the 2021 US Capitol riot — failed to make a runoff over the weekend.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Georgia voters are choosing candidates in Senate and gubernatorial primaries, but the state’s supreme court races may provide the clearest bellwether in the key swing state.

Democrats are trying to unseat two incumbent justices in contests that have drawn endorsements from Barack Obama and other party heavyweights. No incumbent Georgia Supreme Court justice has lost reelection in more than a century.

The billionaire property magnate appeared in his element as he took reporters to see the construction work, barely audible above the sounds of hammering, sawing and clanging.

“This is a gift to the United States of America,” said Trump, standing by yellow railings on the edge of a cavernous concrete basement space.

“This is all my money and donors’ money. This is tax free.”

But Democrats have bitterly opposed a proposed $1 billion security allocation of taxpayer money tied to Trump’s ballroom, and are using the issue to attack Republicans ahead of crucial midterm elections in November.

Trump went into detail about what he said were the security aspects of the ballroom project, saying six storeys below ground would house military installations, research facilities and even a hospital.

“The ballroom becomes a shield that will totally protect what’s going on downstairs,” 79-year-old Trump said.

He added that drones would “bounce” off the roof of the ballroom and said it would be a good site for snipers.

The property developer in Trump was also in full display, as he talked about how one facade of the ballroom was styled after ancient Greece, and another after Rome.

Trump has repeatedly said the ballroom — whose cost has doubled from an initial estimate of $200 million — is being met by private donors, including his wealthy supporters and a slew of corporations.

But critics say the taxpayer will be hit and the project, as well as a slew of other refurbishments to the capital, Washington, is tone deaf at a time when the Iran war has caused the cost of living to spike.

Trump bluntly said last week that “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation” when it comes to the Iran war, insisting that preventing Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon was his priority.

But his opponents are using the comment to paint him as out of touch with the midterm elections, which will decide who controls the US Congress, less than six months away.

Talking to Pakistan’s visiting Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Araghchi said Washington has repeatedly sought to force Iran to negotiate away its right to peaceful nuclear energy and defensive capabilities, while simultaneously maintaining economic, political, and military pressure on Tehran.

He cited past US breaches of commitments, including its 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement and alignment with Israel during recent acts of aggression against Iran.

Despite deep mistrust, the Iranian leadership engaged in diplomacy “to break the cycle arising from unprovoked aggression” and out of a sense of responsibility, Araghchi added.

The foreign minister emphasised that while Iran remains committed to diplomacy, it will continue to strengthen its preparedness to defend its national security and interests.

He also called on the international community to hold the aggressors accountable for their actions, including the deaths of 170 students and teachers in Minab during the early stages of the latest attacks.

For his part, Interior Minister Naqvi described his discussions with Iranian officials, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf, as “constructive and useful.”

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to expanding bilateral ties with Iran and expressed hope that the country’s diplomatic efforts would contribute to regional peace and stability.

Trump set up the Board of Peace to oversee his ambitious plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza and rebuild the shattered territory. Trump has said it would also tackle other conflicts.

The UN Security Council has recognised the board, though many major powers ​have not joined Washington’s main Middle Eastern allies and some middling and smaller states in signing up.

Reuters reported in April that the ​board had only received a small fraction of the $17 billion pledged by members for Gaza, preventing the president ⁠from moving ahead with his plan.

The board denied that report, saying in a statement it was an “execution-focused organisation that calls capital as needed” ​and that there “are no funding constraints.” The money is meant to pay for reconstruction and fund the activities of a new US-backed transitional Gaza ​government.

Appeal for quicker disbursement

In a May 15 report to the United Nations Security Council, viewed by Reuters on Tuesday, the board said that “the gap between commitment and disbursement must be closed with urgency”.

It added: “Funds committed but not yet disbursed represent the difference between a framework that exists on paper and one that delivers on ​the ground for the people of Gaza.”

The board called on countries that signed up for Trump’s board and others to make contributions without ​delay, and urged “those Member States that have made pledges to accelerate disbursement processes.”

The report did not say how much money it had received or how big ‌the gap ⁠was, though it said that the amount pledged remained $17 billion. The Board of Peace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are among the states to have pledged funds to the board. Others include Morocco, Uzbekistan and Kuwait.

Gaza’s reconstruction after more than two and a half years of Israeli bombardment is expected to cost more than $70 billion. It is a key ​element of Trump’s plan for Gaza’s ​future, but it has been ⁠held up as the plan has appeared to stall.

In its report, the board said that 85% of Gaza buildings and infrastructure had been destroyed ​and that an estimated ⁠70 million tonnes of rubble would need to be cleared.

Reuters reported on May 15 that the US was considering asking Israel to give some tax money it is withholding from the Palestinian Authority to the Board of Peace to fund reconstruction.

Many states are hesitant to finance Gaza’s reconstruction through Trump’s board ⁠over transparency ​and oversight concerns and would rather fund efforts through traditional institutions like the United ​Nations, European and Asian officials say.

Under the board’s charter, member states would be limited to three-year terms unless they pay $1 billion each to fund the board’s activities and earn ​permanent membership. It is unclear whether any state has paid the fee.

San Diego Police Chief ‌Scott Wahl said local law enforcement and the FBI were investigating the attack on the largest mosque in San Diego County as a hate crime.

However, no precise motive or precipitating incident for the gun violence has been publicly suggested by authorities.

All of the children attending a day school at the mosque complex were accounted for and safe after the shooting, which erupted at about 11.40am PDT, officials said.

At an evening news conference, Wahl disclosed that the ​mother of one of the two suspects had called police about two hours before the shooting to report that her son, whom she described as suicidal, had run away from ​home, taking three guns she owned and her vehicle.

Two teens dressed in camouflage

According to the chief, the mother said her son was with a ⁠companion and the two were dressed in camouflage.

Police initiated efforts to track down the youths and were dispatching patrols to a nearby shopping mall and the son’s high school as a precaution ​when calls came in reporting the mosque shooting.

The chief declined to disclose the contents of a note he said was found by the runaway’s mother.

Prior to the shooting, police were not made aware of ​any “specific threat” to the mosque or any religious centre, school, shopping area, or any other place, Wahl said.

Police instead were confronting a case of “generalised hate rhetoric and hate speech,” which, together with reports of a runaway teenager with multiple weapons wearing camouflage, triggered a much bigger threat assessment.“

The attack came the week before the major Muslim holiday of Eid Al Azha and the annual Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia.

“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before,” Taha Hassane, the imam and director of the Islamic Centre, told reporters.

“It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship.”

Scores ​of law enforcement officers called to the scene encountered the bodies of the three men affiliated with the mosque, shot dead.

Officials credited the slain security guard as likely having helped prevent further bloodshed.

A short time later, ‌police discovered the ⁠bodies of two teenage males, aged 17 and 18, in a vehicle in the middle of a street, dead from apparently self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Police originally put the age of the older youth at 19.

Details remain sketchy

Wahl said 50 to 100 police officers from across the San Diego area immediately responded to the first “active shooter” call and within four minutes had converged on the mosque, located in the residential-commercial Clairemont district of California’s second-most populous city.

Footage from local television stations showed dozens of patrol cars on a highway bridge, police in tactical gear armed with rifles perched on the roof of the ​mosque near its dome, and armed officers on ​the ground making their way through the ⁠complex.

Wahl said no shots were fired by law enforcement during the episode.

At about the time they were responding to the attack, shots were also fired at a landscaper a couple of blocks away, and investigators are treating the incidents as connected.

The landscaper was not injured, Wahl said, adding that the ​man was wearing a helmet that may have deflected a bullet.

Five hours after the shooting, the police chief said investigators were still piecing together ​details of what may have ⁠ignited the violence and how it transpired.

The Islamic Centre is the largest mosque in San Diego County and houses the Bright Horizon Academy, a school providing Islamic education.

Although random gun violence has become a common occurrence in public places across the United States, Muslim and Jewish communities have grown particularly apprehensive since US and Israeli forces launched air strikes on Iran on February 28, and Iran responded with its own air attacks ⁠on Israel and ​several Gulf states, sparking an intensifying war across the region.

In March, a 41-year-old Lebanese-born US citizen killed himself after ​crashing his truck into the largest Jewish temple in Michigan, opening fire on security guards and causing an explosion with fireworks.

The synagogue near Detroit, like the San Diego mosque, housed a day school.

The confirmation of Putin’s trip came just hours after Trump wrapped up his visit on Friday, the first to China by a US president in nearly a decade and one aimed at stabilising their turbulent relations.

Putin and Xi are set to discuss how to strengthen Russia and China’s strategic partnership and “exchange views on key international and regional issues”, according to a Kremlin statement.

Their ties have deepened since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with Putin visiting Beijing every year since as his country is cut off diplomatically on the world stage.

However, their relationship is far from equal, with Moscow heavily dependent economically on Beijing, the main buyer of sanctioned Russian oil.

Among topics Xi and Putin could discuss is the construction of the major “Power of Siberia 2” natural gas pipeline from Russia to China through Mongolia — a land alternative to crude imported by sea from the Middle East — which Moscow is keen to get underway.

Setting a warm tone for the visit, Xi and Putin exchanged “congratulatory letters” on Sunday to mark 30 years of their countries’ strategic partnership.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun lauded “the enduring friendship between China and Russia” on Tuesday.

And in a video message to the Chinese people released on Tuesday, Putin said relations have reached “a truly unprecedented level”, and that “trade between Russia and China continues to grow”.

“The close strategic relationship between Russia and China plays a major, stabilising role globally. Without allying against anyone, we seek peace and universal prosperity,” Putin said, without mentioning any third country.

The two leaders are also expected to sign a joint declaration after their talks.

‘Dear, old friends’

Xi welcomed Putin with open arms as an “old friend” when he last visited Beijing in September 2025 – language the Chinese leader did not extend to Trump last week.

Putin, who in turn called Xi his “dear friend”, will be keen to show the world that their relations are unaffected by Trump’s visit.

While Putin’s visit is not expected to receive the same pomp as Trump’s, “the Xi-Putin relationship does not require that kind of performative reassurance”, said Patricia Kim from the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Both sides view ties as “structurally stronger and more stable” than those between China and the United States, she said.

Beijing has regularly called for talks to end the war in Ukraine but has never condemned Russia for sending in troops, presenting itself instead as a neutral party.

Trump and Xi discussed Ukraine last week, but the US president left China without a breakthrough.

“Xi will almost certainly brief Putin on his summit with Trump,” Kim said.

The lack of clear outcomes from the Xi-Trump meeting, though, “likely reassures Moscow that Xi did not strike any understanding with Trump that would materially undercut Russian interests”.

Appetite for oil

Putin will be hoping for China to deepen its commitment to Moscow, after Trump told Fox News during his visit that Beijing had agreed to buy US oil to feed its “insatiable” appetite for energy.

With Russia reliant on sales to China to sustain its war effort, “Putin does not want to lose that support”, Asia Society’s Lyle Morris told AFP.

“Putin will likely be keen to hear from Xi about China’s next step in the Middle East,” Morris said, after “Trump signalled clearly that he hopes Beijing will play a leading role”.

When it comes to the US-Israeli war on Iran, though, China and Russia may have different priorities.

“(China) relies on the freedom of the world’s major waterways to sustain its economic activities, and would prefer that the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz end sooner rather than later,” James Char of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University told AFP.

On the other hand, Moscow has “been benefitting economically from the fighting in Iran due to the relaxation of sanctions against Russian energy supplies, so it may have a different view”, he said.

Russia’s top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, said after meeting Xi in April that Russia could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages as the Middle East war hits global supplies.

“Expanded energy ties may feature prominently at the meeting (as) Beijing seeks more Russian energy,” said Joseph Webster from the Atlantic Council.

“From Moscow’s perspective, shipping more oil east may be more attractive in the wake of Ukraine’s relentless campaign targeting Russian energy infrastructure.”

The move came after Iran said its latest peace proposal to the United States over the US-Israeli-led war​that started February 28 involves ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, the exit ​of US forces from areas close to Iran, and reparations for destruction caused ⁠by the conflict.

The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Iran-based Amin Exchange, also known as ​Ebrahimi and Associates Partnership Company, which it said has a widespread network of front companies spanning ​multiple jurisdictions, including in the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, and Hong Kong.

The US also blocked 19 vessels it said were involved in shipping Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals to foreign customers.

The Treasury Department said Iranian exchange houses ​facilitate billions of dollars in foreign currency transactions a year, enabling the government to evade ​sanctions and access the international financial system. It said the front companies oversee hundreds of millions of dollars ‌in transactions ⁠on behalf of Iranian banks.

“Iran’s shadow banking system facilitates the illicit transfer of funding for terrorist purposes,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a release. “As Treasury systematically dismantles Tehran’s shadow banking system and shadow fleet under Economic Fury, financial institutions must be alert to how the regime ​manipulates the international financial ​system to wreak havoc.”

The ⁠Office of Foreign Assets Control also designated the following, which it said were front companies assisting Amin Exchange:

• China-based Ningbo Jiarui Trading Co., ​Ltd.;

• Hong Kong-based Starshine Petrochemical Corporation Limited;

• Hong Kong-based Vigorous Trading Limited;

• ​UAE-based Alieen ⁠Goods Wholesalers LLC;

• UAE-based Bold Trading FZE;

• UAE-based Materium Group FZE;

• Hong Kong-based Bestfortuna Company Limited; and

• Hong Kong-based Cheng Pan Co., Limited.

The sanctions block US assets of those designated and prevent Americans ⁠from doing ​business with them.

The US also designated vessels for transporting ​Iranian-origin oil, petroleum products and petrochemicals, including the Barbados-flagged liquefied petroleum gas tanker Great Sail, the Palau-flagged products tanker ​Ocean Wave, and the Panama-flagged chemical/oil tanker Swift Falcon.

The new deaths bring to 131 the fatalities associated with the outbreak in eastern DRC. There have been 516 suspected cases and 33 confirmed cases in Congo, according to a daily bulletin published by health authorities, and two confirmed cases in neighbouring Uganda.

WHO Director-General ​Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus a public health emergency of ​international concern on Saturday. It has alarmed experts because it was able to spread for weeks undetected across ⁠a densely populated part of Congo.

Butembo, a city of hundreds of thousands of people in Congo’s North Kivu province, recorded its ​first two confirmed cases on Monday, Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director of Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), told Reuters.

Americans to be evacuated to Germany

Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals and causes symptoms that can include high fever, vomiting and internal and external bleeding. According to the WHO, the average fatality rate from Ebola is around 50%, varying from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.

“I’m deeply ​concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” Tedros told members of the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Tuesday, ​citing the number of cases being reported in urban areas and among healthcare workers.

One American tested positive for Ebola as part of their work in ‌Congo, ⁠the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday.

The individual, identified as Dr Peter Stafford by his Christian mission organisation, and six other Americans who were exposed to the virus are being moved to Germany for care and monitoring, the CDC said.

The US State Department said it had mobilised an initial $13 million in foreign assistance for immediate response efforts to the outbreak.

Experts try to develop treatments and vaccines

Unlike with ​the more common Zaire strain ⁠of Ebola, there are no approved virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain.

The US is working to develop a monoclonal antibody therapy as a potential treatment, the CDC said on Monday.

A panel ​of experts led by the WHO will also meet on Tuesday to discuss if there ​are any vaccine ⁠options to help tackle the outbreak.

The US officially left the WHO in January in a move President Donald Trump said was motivated by the organisation’s poor management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An outbreak of the Zaire strain from 2018-2020 in Ituri and North Kivu provinces was the ⁠second deadliest ​on record, killing nearly 2,300 people. The international response then was complicated ​by widespread armed violence in eastern Congo that continues today.

One Ebola case has been confirmed in North Kivu province’s capital, Goma, which was seized by M23 rebels ​last year.

The demonstrators said the international community should not ignore the situation in Kashmir despite India’s diplomatic outreach and global engagements.

Chanting slogans outside the parliament building, protesters claimed that honours and diplomatic ceremonies could not overshadow alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and against minorities in India.

The rally criticised Modi’s policies and accused his government of intensifying pressure on Muslims and other minority communities under its Hindutva-driven agenda.

Speakers at the protest said Kashmir remained a major human rights issue involving millions of people whose political voices had been suppressed for decades.

They urged Norway and the wider international community to move beyond symbolic diplomacy and address what they called the realities of militarisation, detentions and restrictions in the disputed region.

Protesters said Kashmiris had not surrendered their identity or demands for self-determination despite years of political pressure and security crackdowns.

They added that the movement for dignity and political rights in Kashmir would continue to resonate internationally.

At a rally ‌in Kentucky, Hegseth endorsed Republican candidate Ed Gallrein and criticised incumbent Representative Thomas Massie, who has been at odds with Trump over major legislation and led the drive to release government files on the convicted sex ​offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Too often, Thomas Massie has acted like ⁠his job is to stand apart from the movement that President Trump leads instead of ​strengthening it,” Hegseth said.

It is highly unusual for defence secretaries to appear at political events, especially ​during wartime, as the US military is meant to be apolitical.

However, Hegseth has challenged norms since taking the job last year by leading Christian prayer services at the Pentagon, comparing news reporters to enemies of Jesus, and seeking to ​sanction a Democratic senator who had urged service members to reject unlawful orders.

Hegseth, addressing “all the ​lawyers” listening, said he was attending the event in Kentucky in a personal capacity — an important distinction given ‌legal restrictions ⁠on political activities of federal employees.

The Pentagon said Hegseth was not violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from using their official capacity to affect elections.

“No taxpayer dollars will be used to facilitate his visit. His participation has been thoroughly vetted and cleared by lawyers,” Sean Parnell, ​the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, ​said in a ⁠statement.

At the event, Hegseth said Gallrein would support Trump’s agenda and condemned Massie as an obstructionist.

“When the movement needs unity, especially at the biggest ​moment, Massie’s willing to vote with Democrats,” he said.

Massie, in an appearance ​Sunday on ⁠ABC’s This Week, said he gets a fundraising boost each time Trump mentions him on social media and speculated that the president is “desperate” to get rid of him.

Trump has pursued a retribution campaign against Republicans ⁠who ​have crossed him.

Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who earned ​Trump’s ire for voting to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial in 2021, lost his bid for re-election on ​Saturday after Trump endorsed a rival.

The maker of popular colourful watches has stirred debate — and seen some punches ​thrown — with a product launch of its Royal Pop pocket watch collection with Audemars Piguet, which forced it to close some ‌stores and limit queues.

In Milan, shoppers outside a Swatch store ended up in a scuffle, video verified by Reuters showed, to get their hands on the Pop Art style watches blending the retro look of Swatch and elements of the far pricier Audemars Piguet.

Marketing experts and analysts said that, fisticuffs aside, the ploy could pay off for Swatch, which is facing investor ​pressure over its strategy.

“From a marketing perspective, this is absolute gold for Swatch,” said Roman Pavlyuchenko, assistant professor of marketing at the University of ​Bath in England, adding the furore could create a “halo effect” for the brand.

Other companies have done similar in the ⁠past, sometimes with some controversy.

Nike and Adidas trainer launches have led to police being deployed, while in 2019, US fast food chain Popeyes launched a ​fried chicken sandwich so coveted that it led to violent confrontation and a fatal stabbing.

Despite that incident, the sandwiches drove a 38% increase in Popeyes’ fourth-quarter ​same-store sales in 2019, and Apex Marketing Group estimated Popeyes got $65 million in free media exposure as a result of the so-called “Chicken Sandwich Wars”.

Similarly, a cult-like craze for Labubu monster-elf plush toys last year prompted distributor Pop Mart to pause all in-store sales in Britain.

Still, the Beijing-based company said its 2025 revenue rose 185% from a year earlier.

“I mean, ​how many Labubus are there, right? And everyone’s trying to collect them,” said Simon Lazarus, head of PR and content at online luxury watch platform ​Chrono Hunter, adding that Swatch-Audemars Piguet were creating a viral moment.

“It’s whether they take that as a positive or a negative… but it allows people to have a little ‌piece of ⁠Audemars Piguet.”

The Royal Bank of Canada estimated that Swatch’s Royal Pop sales could give a 3% uplift to revenue this year, though UBS said this wouldn’t offset its broader structural challenges.

‘Making social media explode’

A Swatch spokesperson said the Royal Pop collaboration “is literally making social media explode”.

“Challenges arose on launch day because the queues of interested customers were exceptionally long, and the organisation of some shopping malls was not sufficient to handle this level of turnout,” the spokesperson said.

Guido van ​Garderen, senior marketing professor at the ​London School of Economics, said there ⁠was an element of herd mentality and people didn’t want to miss out on the 335-pound ($449) watches — expensive but far cheaper than an Audemars Piguet.

“We know from behavioural science that it is difficult to walk away from a queue,” ​he said.

Swatch posted on Sunday asking people to “not rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product” ​and reassured them ⁠that the watches would be on sale for months.

The “drop culture” of releasing limited-edition products in small quantities emerged as a retail strategy for underground streetwear and sneaker brands in the 1990s.

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have subsequently come along and amplified trends and encouraged rapid rushes for collectables.

Swatch had marketed the tie-up — linking its ⁠pop culture with ​Audemars Piguet’s 150-year history — as rule-breaking and “positive provocation”.

Audemars Piguet hailed how it could reach ​younger generations, while admitting that it divided opinion.

“That is exactly where relevance is reborn: when watchmaking provokes discussion, curiosity, desire, and even disagreement,” CEO Ilaria Resta wrote on LinkedIn before the launch.

Early payroll data from the tax office — often revised sharply around the start of the tax year in April - showed a heavy fall of 100,000 in the month from March, and estimates for the previous four months were lowered.

The unemployment rate — a high-profile gauge of the economy, albeit derived from a survey ​that is being overhauled — ticked up to 5% for the first quarter, from 4.9% in the three months to February, potentially adding to ​the headaches of embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The Office for National Statistics said the April drop in payrolls was the biggest since ⁠May 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, though it stressed the figures were likely to be revised.

Work and pensions minister Pat McFadden pointed to ​an increase in the number of people in work from a year earlier but said: “We know the conflict in the Middle East is casting a shadow ​on the labour market.”

James Smith, an ING economist, said the payroll figures, along with slower wage growth, meant his forecast that the BoE will raise rates in June now looked like a close call.

“All of these question the need for Bank of England rate hikes,” Smith said, adding the economy looked less susceptible to demands for higher wages or ​companies pushing up prices than after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which also caused an energy price shock.

Investors trimmed their bets on BoE rate hikes ​over the remainder of 2026, with about two quarter-point increases priced in, compared with a roughly 50-50 possibility of a third hike priced in on Monday.

Allan Monks, an economist ‌with JP ⁠Morgan, said additional signs of job market weakness would probably dampen the BoE’s appetite for a quick rate rise.

Inflation data on Wednesday would be key for assessing whether stubborn inflation pressures are weakening, he said.

Job market is feeling the strain

The ONS said lower-paying sectors such as hospitality and retail saw some of the largest falls in payroll numbers and vacancies in the most recent data and over the last year.

Employers have complained that higher payroll taxes and a government ​reform to give workers more rights have ​made hiring more expensive for ⁠them.

“The latest figures point to a labour market feeling the strain,” said Jack Kennedy, senior economist at jobs platform Indeed, adding the fast pace of growth in the economy in early 2026 would be hit by the worries about the Iran war.

“A volatile ​domestic political backdrop adds uncertainty that businesses could do without,” he said.

Starmer looks set to be challenged as leader of the ​governing Labour Party, raising questions

about policy ⁠just as the Iran war is also hitting the economy.

Surveys of businesses in April showed firms were concerned about the economic outlook and inflationary pressures caused by the conflict, and they planned to cut hiring.

Tuesday’s data showed vacancies fell to 705,000 in the three months to April, the lowest number since the three months to ⁠February 2021.

Growth ​in wages, excluding bonuses, stood at 3.4% in the first three months of 2026 compared ​with the same period last year, the slowest increase since 2020.

Adjusting for inflation, average weekly earnings excluding bonuses grew by only 0.3% annually in the three months to March.

The number of employed people ​rose by 148,000 in the first quarter, with the growth entirely due to rising numbers of self-employed.

By targeting Russian air defences and ​logistics dozens of kilometres behind front lines, Ukraine is disrupting Russia’s battlefield advances and opening the way for long-range strikes on Russian oil and military facilities, said two Ukrainian commanders, two ‌drone specialists and three military analysts.

Ukrainian officials say more resources have been poured into “middle strikes”, typically ranging between 30km and 180 km behind front lines.

This has enabled Ukraine to strike Russian radars, short- and medium-range air defences, communications infrastructure, logistics and large military vehicles at “operational depth”, the sources said.

Long-range attack drones can now slip through defences more easily to hit Russian oil facilities far behind front lines, said Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.

“The role of middle strikes is currently decisive,” Brovdi told Reuters in ​a voice message, referring to strikes of up to 2,000 km.

Defence analysts say such attacks alone cannot turn the tide against Russia but that they are having an important impact and the dynamics of the ​war may be shifting.

In the last few months, Ukrainian long-range drone attacks have caused the most extensive damage to Russian oil infrastructure since Moscow’s 2022 invasion.

Last month, Russia reduced oil ⁠output because of drone attacks on ports and refineries, and crude oil supplies via Russia’s only remaining oil pipeline to Europe were halted, Reuters reported.

The attacks have lifted morale in Ukraine after a winter of Russian attacks on ​its power network and Russia’s rate of battlefield advances is at its slowest since 2023.

Scaling up

President Volodymyr Zelensky said this month the number of Ukrainian “middle strikes” had doubled compared to March, and quadrupled since February.

“Kusto”, a field commander in the 7th ​battalion of Brovdi’s 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade, said Ukraine’s middle-strike capabilities had grown significantly since the autumn.

“We have scaled up, increased the number of crews, and expanded the number of systems in use.

There is also greater diversity in the available platforms,“ he told Reuters in written remarks.

Kusto said his unit focused mainly on targets up to 100 km from the line of contact.

He said Russian radar installations and air-defence systems such as the Buk, Tor and Pantsir were the highest-value targets. Other primary targets were large ​vehicles and logistics.

“The aircraft (drone) itself typically flies about 150 kilometres from the launch point and then begins searching for targets in the designated area,” he said.

Kusto said the most frequently used “middle-strike” drones used by his unit were the ​domestically produced Chaklun V, followed by the B-2.

Brovdi said manual control, rather than coordinate-based guidance, allowed for better precision, and that no more than three drones were typically spent for each confirmed destruction of a target.

His forces have destroyed at least 129 air-defence ‌systems this ⁠year in Russian-occupied areas, he said. Reuters could not verify that figure independently.

Ukraine has carried out multiple strikes on oil facilities in the Russian Black Sea port city of Tuapse, and Brovdi said on Friday his forces had struck the Ryazan oil refinery, one of Russia’s largest.

Ukrainian attacks have also forced the suspension of operations at NORSI, Russia’s fourth-largest oil refinery, and in Perm, about 1,500 km from the Russia-Ukraine border.

Stretching out logistics

The deep strikes have enabled more mid-range attacks by forcing Russia to disperse air defences away from front lines, said Justin Bronk, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London (RUSI).

That allows Ukrainian forces to target assets beyond the range of artillery or remotely operated ​First-Person View drones, such as ammunition and fuel depots, command ​points, supply vehicles and other mid-range drone teams.

In ⁠April, Ukrainian forces conducted over 160 medium strikes at a range of 120-150 km, the Defence Ministry said.

Such attacks hamper Russian battlefield operations by stretching the distance between frontline troops and their supporting forces, said Illia Mashyna, commander of Ukraine’s 431st Separate Unmanned Aircraft Systems Battalion “Brodiahy”.

“The farther you pull back, the more you complicate logistics,” said Mashyna, underlining the importance ​of careful planning and consistent coordination to have an effect.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said Russia’s battlefield advances had slowed since October, partly because ​of mid-range strikes but also due ⁠to local fortifications and terrain, particularly in the Donbas region.

Russian forces have also faced communications problems since tech billionaire Elon Musk cracked down on their use of the Starlink satellite internet service.

Innovating out of necessity

RUSI’s Bronk said Kyiv’s rapid development of its mid-range capability reflected a gap it had needed to fill, with Russia pressuring Ukraine’s outmanned and outgunned forces and also successfully using middle strikes.

Frequent battlefield use has driven rapid innovation as Ukraine tries to strengthen its own defence production and rely less ⁠on foreign supplies.

Communication ​between producers and frontline users means feedback is incorporated into drone systems within days, Kusto said.

A technical engineer in the same unit as ​Kusto, with the call sign “Symbol”, said some manufacturers now deliver platforms that are almost fully combat-ready, requiring no further programming.

“Previously, middle strike was more of a one-off capability,” he said in written comments. “Now it’s a systematic part of operations.”

Emil Kastehelmi, of the Finland-based Black Bird conflict analysis ​group, said mid-range attacks may not turn the tide against Russia but represent a challenge to which Russian forces must adapt.

“And I don’t think we’ve seen the pinnacle of it yet,” he said.

China and Russia have cast Putin’s two-day trip this week — his ‌25th visit to China — as further evidence of their “all-weather” partnership, even as the West urges Beijing to pressure Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine.

While China presents itself as a peace mediator in the conflict and a neutral party, Putin says China and Russia support each other’s “core interests” as he pursues additional energy deals with the world’s second-largest economy in the face of Western sanctions.

“The Xi-Putin summit will telegraph to the world that the China-Russia strategic partnership ​remains the cornerstone of both countries’ foreign policies and that any attempt by the US to drive a wedge between them is destined to fail,” said Ian Storey, principal ​fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

The visit follows Trump’s trip last week, which generated positive optics but few major commercial agreements.

Xi described ⁠Sino-US ties as a relationship of “strategic stability,” challenging the “strategic competition” framework associated with former US President Joe Biden.

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By hosting foreign leaders, China is seeking to strengthen its image as a pillar of ​global stability, in contrast to US struggles to end the war in Ukraine and contain a separate conflict with Iran that has disrupted global energy flows.

Beijing seeks to reassure

During state visits, Beijing tries to reassure ​Western trading partners, including the U.S., about its rise as an economic and technological power while downplaying risks in their ties.

The White House said after Trump’s China visit that a consensus had been reached on issues that will enhance “stability” for global businesses and consumers.

At the same time, China’s engagement with countries such as Russia also reinforces its message that its diplomacy is consistent and not swayed by the actions of strategic partners, despite Western pressure.

“It’s unrealistic to ​expect Xi to put pressure on Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Xi doesn’t wield that kind of influence over Putin, and in any case, the Chinese understand how a defeat ​for Russia in Ukraine would weaken Putin’s political standing,“ said Storey.

“As such, Beijing will continue to provide Moscow with diplomatic cover at the UN, economic assistance and dual-use technologies for Russia’s armed forces,” he said.

China ‌says it has ⁠never provided lethal weapons to either side of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and that it strictly controls exports of dual-use items.

“During the visit, the two heads of state will exchange views on cooperation across all areas of bilateral relations, as well as on international and regional issues of mutual concern,” Guo Jiakun, spokesperson at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a regular news conference on Monday.

Power of Siberia 2 pipeline

During Putin’s last visit in September 2025, Russia and China agreed to build the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, but have yet to agree on pricing.

Energy supply shortages linked to conflict in Iran ​may back Russia’s case for the pipeline as ​a long-term gas source.

Beijing is expected, ⁠however, to stick to its diversification strategy by discussing supply deals with both Turkmenistan and Russia, said a Beijing-based industry expert.

China could agree on a broad deal with Russia covering annual supply volumes and terms such as supply flexibility and seasonality, while leaving pricing open-ended, said the person, who declined to ​be named due to the sensitivity of the topic.

Price negotiations could take years.

Xi in 2014 announced a fourth pipeline linking Turkmenistan’s giant Galkynysh ​gas field to northwest ⁠China, but the project has yet to be finalised due to pricing disputes and complexity involving Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, through which the pipeline transits.

China remains the largest buyer of Russian oil, including pipeline supplies and sea-borne shipments.

Despite Western sanctions on Russia’s oil exports, Chinese independent refiners are regular customers, with transactions settled largely in Chinese yuan. State oil refiners also recently resumed purchases following a brief US. sanction waiver.

Russia agreed in ⁠2025 to supply an ​additional 2.5 million metric tons of oil per year to China via Kazakhstan.

“In principle, we have reached a high ​degree of consensus regarding the taking of a serious — indeed, very substantial — step forward in our cooperation within the oil and gas sectors,” Putin told reporters on May 9.

“If we succeed in finalising them and bringing them to a conclusion ​during the visit, I will be very pleased.”

The ​closest vessel to Gaza, Sirius, was ​145 nautical miles away, the group ⁠said.

Israel’s foreign ministry had said on X ​on Monday that it “will not allow any ​breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza”.

Speaking in Ankara late on Monday, Turkish President Tayyip ​Erdogan condemned the intervention against the “voyagers ​of hope” in the flotilla and called on ‌the ⁠international community to act against Israel’s actions.

Ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail for a third time on ​Thursday from ​southern Turkiye, ⁠after earlier attempts to deliver aid to Gaza were intercepted by Israel in international waters.

The group said ​there ⁠were 426 people taking part in the 54-vessel flotilla from 39 countries.

Israel’s foreign ministry ⁠has ​called on “all participants in ​this provocation to change course and turn back immediately”.

The ruling by the Madhya Pradesh High Court ended Muslim prayers at the Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar.

The dispute concerns Bhojshala, an 11th-century monument claimed by Hindus as a temple, while Muslims regard the adjacent Kamal Maula structure as a mosque where prayers have historically been offered.

On Sunday, saffron flags were raised at the site, and Hindu worshippers gathered for rituals amid heavy police presence, while activists installed a temporary idol of the deities.

The court’s decision relied on a 2022 survey by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and dismissed petitions from the Muslim community.

Hindu parties hailed the verdict as historic, while Muslim leaders vowed to challenge it in the Supreme Court, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

“This is an erroneous judgment and a violation of established law,” said Ashhar Warsi, a lawyer representing the Muslim side.

Critics point out that the ruling mirrors the 2019 Supreme Court decision on the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, which has encouraged similar claims across India, including the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Eidgah in Mathura.

Historian Audrey Truschke described the trend as “part of entrenched Islamophobia” within Hindu nationalist politics, arguing it threatens Muslim religious freedom.

For many Muslims in Dhar, the ruling is deeply personal. “Until last Friday, our mosque was ours; today it is not,” Rafiq said.

Supporters of the ruling, including local Hindu groups, framed it as restoring the dignity of the deities and “Hindu civilisation,” drawing inspiration from the Babri Mosque verdict.

Gopal Sharma, convener of a local Hindu organisation, told Al Jazeera: “The confidence since the Babri Mosque demolition is now leading us to establish the Hindu order in the country.”

The Bhojshala case highlights the rising tension between India’s secular laws and the rising influence of the Hindutva movement, as historical claims over religious sites increasingly shape modern politics.

The deployment, the full scale of which is reported here for the first time, was confirmed by three security officials and two government sources, all of whom described it as a substantial, combat-capable force intended to support Saudi Arabia’s military if the kingdom comes under attack.

Pakistan’s military ​and foreign office and Saudi Arabia’s government media office did not respond to requests for comment on the deployment.

The full terms of ​the defence agreement, signed last year, are confidential, but both sides have said it requires Pakistan and Saudi Arabia ⁠to come to each other’s defence in the event of an attack.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has previously implied that it places Saudi Arabia ​under Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella.

According to the sources, Pakistan has deployed a full squadron of around 16 aircraft, mostly JF-17 fighters made jointly with China, which were ​sent to Saudi Arabia in early April.

Two of the security officials said Pakistan had also sent two squadrons of drones.

All five sources said the deployment includes around 8,000 troops, with a pledge to send more if needed, as well as a Chinese HQ-9 air defence system.

The equipment is operated by Pakistani personnel and financed by Saudi Arabia, ​they said.

Thousands of troops

The military and air force personnel deployed during the Iran conflict will primarily have an advisory and training role, according to ​two of the security officials, who said they had seen exchanges between the two countries and documents on the military assets’ deployment.

The deployment adds to thousands of ‌Pakistani troops ⁠with a combat role that were already stationed in the kingdom under previous agreements, all three security officials said.

One of the government sources, who has seen the text of the confidential defence pact, said it provides for the possibility of up to 80,000 Pakistani troops being deployed to Saudi Arabia, to help secure the kingdom’s borders alongside Saudi forces.

Two of the security officials said the agreement also involved the deployment of Pakistani warships.

Reuters was not ​able to determine whether any had ​reached Saudi Arabia.

The scale and composition ⁠of the deployment — combat aircraft, air defences and thousands of troops — mean Pakistan has sent far more than a symbolic or advisory mission, the sources said.

Reuters previously reported that Pakistan had sent jets to Saudi Arabia.

This took place before Islamabad emerged as the war’s principal mediator, helping to broker a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran that has held for the past six weeks.

Islamabad hosted the only round of US-Iranian peace talks so far, and had planned further rounds, which the sides called off.

Pakistan has long provided military support to Saudi Arabia, including training and advisory deployments, while Riyadh has repeatedly stepped in to support Islamabad financially during periods of economic stress.

The principal Citizenship Rules, originally notified on February 25, 2009 and last amended on March 11, 2024, have been updated with a new clause inserted in Schedule IC.

Under the revised provision, applicants must declare whether they possess a valid or expired passport issued by Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh.

Applicants are required to either confirm that they do not hold such a passport or provide full details, including passport number, date and place of issue, and expiry date if applicable.

The amendment further states that individuals holding such passports must surrender them to the concerned authorities within 15 days of approval of their citizenship application.

Officials said the change is intended to streamline documentation and improve procedural clarity in citizenship applications involving applicants from these countries.

The sales were reported by the Times newspaper to equate to 20% of the ​estate, which is one of Britain’s biggest landowners with a ​portfolio that includes large swathes of land as well ⁠as commercial and residential properties.

“The Duchy should exist to make ​a positive impact, particularly in the communities where we can make ​the biggest difference,” said Will Bax, Chief Executive of the Duchy of Cornwall.

“That ambition requires significant investment and, in some cases, means rebalancing what we ​own to be as impactful as possible to our ​communities, now and in the future.”

Bax said the money would be “largely funded by ‌reinvesting ⁠capital from across the Duchy, alongside development income, partnerships and some borrowing.”

William, who received a private income of more than 20 million pounds from the Duchy last year, and his father King ​Charles, have in ​recent years faced ⁠criticism over the way their estates have been managed.

Aides say William has been looking closely ​at the management of the Duchy since inheriting it ​in 2022.

In ⁠2024, a Sunday Times report and separate TV documentary accused Charles and his heir William of making millions from the country’s health ⁠service, ​army and schools from charges imposed by ​their respective estates.

The Duchy subsequently reduced rents significantly for several charity and ​community tenants.

After Iran sent the US a new peace proposal, Trump said he had instructed the US military that “we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow, but have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”

No such attack had previously been announced, and Reuters could not determine whether preparations had ​been made for strikes that would mark a renewal of the war Trump started in late February.

Under pressure to reach an accord that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump has ​previously expressed hope that a deal was close on ending the war, and similarly threatened heavy strikes on Iran if Tehran does not reach a deal.

In ⁠his post, he said the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had requested that he hold off on the attack because “a Deal will be made, which will be very ​acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.”

He did not offer details of the agreement being discussed.

Speaking to reporters later, he said the United ​States would be satisfied if it could reach an agreement with Iran that prevents Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I would be very happy,” Trump told reporters gathered for an unrelated announcement.

Trump’s post on calling off an attack came after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran’s views had been “conveyed to ​the American side through Pakistan”, but gave no details.

A Pakistani source confirmed that Islamabad, which has conveyed messages between the sides in the war in the Middle East since hosting the only round of peace ​talks last month, had shared the latest proposal with Washington.

But the source suggested progress had been difficult.

The sides “keep changing their goalposts,” the Pakistani source said, adding: “We don’t have much time.”

Iran remains defiant

Iran remained defiant in statements issued ‌on state media ⁠after Trump’s announcement, warning the US and its allies against making any further “strategic mistakes or miscalculations” in attacking Iran, while contending the Iranian armed forces were “more prepared and stronger than in the past.”

Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam Al Anbiya, said Iran’s armed forces are “ready to pull the trigger” in the event of any renewed US attack, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

“Any renewed aggression and invasion … will be responded to quickly, decisively, powerfully, and extensively,” the commander of Khatam Al Anbiya, Ali Abdollahi, was quoted as saying.

The Iranian peace proposal, as described by a senior Iranian source, appeared similar in many respects to Iran’s previous offer, ​which Trump rejected last week as “garbage”.

It would focus ​first on securing an end to the war, ⁠reopening the Strait of Hormuz — a major oil supply route that Iran has effectively blockaded — and lifting maritime sanctions.

Apparent softening by Washington

In an apparent softening of Washington’s stance, the senior Iranian source said on Monday that the United States had agreed to release a quarter of Iran’s frozen funds — totalling tens of ​billions of dollars — held in foreign banks. Iran wants all the assets released.

The Iranian source also said Washington had shown more flexibility in agreeing ​to let Iran continue some ⁠peaceful nuclear activity under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The US has not confirmed that it has agreed to anything in the talks.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency separately quoted an unidentified source as saying the US had agreed to waive oil sanctions on Iran while negotiations were underway.

Iranian officials did not immediately comment on Tasnim’s report, which a US official, who declined to be named, said was false.

A fragile ceasefire is in ⁠place after six ​weeks of war that followed US-Israeli air strikes on Iran, although drones have been launched from Iraq towards Gulf countries, including ​Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, apparently by Iran and its allies.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Monday condemning a drone attack on Sunday, in which Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted three drones that entered the country from Iraqi airspace.

In an interview hours after the late-morning shooting at the Islamic Centre of San Diego, Shanah recalled hearing a barrage of gunshots coming from outside the walls of ​the complex, which also houses an Islamic day school.

Shanah said he and his classmates were quickly ushered into ​a closet where they crowded together, trembling in fear as 12 to 16 more shots ⁠rang out.

At some point after the shooting ceased, they heard members of a police SWAT team shouting from ​outside the classroom, “‘OK, open up,’ then they opened the door,” the boy recounted.

As they were escorted out of the building ​by police officers, “we saw a bunch of bad stuff, people lying down and yeah, bad stuff,” Shanah said, using a phrase that he acknowledged meant that he was referring to the victims’ bodies.

“My legs were shaking, and my hands and my head were hurting a lot. ​I felt like a rock,” he said.

Police said three men affiliated with the Islamic Centre, including a security guard ​credited by authorities with preventing greater bloodshed, were shot dead outside the mosque by two teen suspects, who later took their own ‌lives ⁠several blocks away.

Both of Shanah’s parents permitted their son, a US-born relative of a Reuters employee, to be interviewed by name for this article, and to recount the experience in his own words.

Emerging from his hiding place after the gunfire ended, Shanah said he witnessed police kick in the door of an adjacent classroom, apparently as SWAT teams advanced ​room to room through the ​building.

“They told us to put ⁠our hands up and form a big line,” the boy said, adding that he saw a group of younger students forming another line to be evacuated, before he and ​his classmates were ushered through the complex to the exterior.

The gunmen never entered the ​interior of the ⁠mosque complex, and all of the students of the school, known as the Bright Horizon Academy, were accounted for and safe, authorities said afterwards.

The gun violence that shook the Islamic Centre and the close-knit surrounding community surely came as a particular ⁠shock to ​Shanah’s mother, who fled Gaza for the United States in 2006, the ​year of months-long clashes between the Israeli army and Palestinian militants in the seaside enclave. His father emigrated from Jordan to the US in 2015.

Erdogan gave the toll in a broadcast statement and asked for “God’s mercy” on those killed, but provided no further details about the incident, which occurred near the city of Mersin.

The Anadolu state news agency and the Sabah daily said the suspect being sought was a 37-year-old man who reportedly shot dead his ex-wife before heading out on a murderous spree.

The DHA and IHA news agencies said the man opened fire in a restaurant, killing its owner and an employee, before fleeing and shooting dead two other men — one of them a shepherd watching his animals near the restaurant, and the other a truck driver.

The shooting occurred near Tarsus, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Mersin, prompting a widespread police manhunt involving helicopters to locate the shooter.

“He came in without a word… We thought he was getting his telephone out, but he brought out a pistol, IHA quoted a restaurant employee, Mehmet Han Topal, who was wounded in the leg.

“I got down. He fired at me,” he said.

The violence came a month after two shooting attacks by teenagers rocked Turkey.

In the first incident, 16 people were injured, while the second attack claimed 10 lives, most of them young schoolchildren.

According to a Turkish NGO, there are tens of millions of firearms held by citizens, most of them without permits.

“We plan to actually grow our market share… in a marketplace ​that is almost fracturing in terms of the number of competitors,” Jim Baumbick, Ford’s European president, told ​Reuters. “We need to stand out in a crowd.”

Five of Ford’s new models will be ⁠passenger cars, including a small electric car and a small electric SUV that will be built at ​a Renault plant in northern France using the French automaker’s technology, and three SUVs that will come as hybrids ​as well as fully electric models.

The No. 2 US automaker also criticised Europe’s push towards electric vehicles, saying “CO2 targets must reflect actual consumer demand” and that legislation should support plug-in hybrids and extended-range electric vehicles instead of just fully electric cars.

Restructuring in Europe after market share shrank

As it restructures in Europe, Ford has closed its Saarlouis plant in Germany ​and is shedding jobs at its factory in Cologne.

Just a decade ago, Ford was Europe’s No. 4 automaker, selling more than 1 ‌million ⁠cars across the continent, according to data from industry lobby group ACEA.

Last year, the company sold just over 426,000 cars and fell to eighth place behind Mercedes-Benz.

Ford is trying to revive its fortunes when Chinese automakers, including BYD and Chery, are expanding into Europe with rapidly growing sales.

As Ford managed sales growth of 0.1% in ​Europe last year, BYD’s sales ​grew almost 270%.

In the ⁠commercial vehicle sector, Ford has remained one of Europe’s biggest brands - though Stellantis sells more through a combination of several brands.

The company said on Monday it will ​immediately launch sales of its Ranger Super Duty pickup truck in Europe for ​use in emergency ⁠services, forestry, mining and the military.

Some automakers with spare capacity have turned their attention to the booming defence sector.

Ford said in a separate blog post on Monday that several governments in Europe and North America had engaged with ⁠it on ​the issue.

“By using commercial, off-the-shelf solutions from Ford, governments can access ​world-class technology at a fraction of  the time and cost,” the automaker said in the post.

Ford said it will also launch sales later ​this year of a fully electric transit van designed for urban areas.

Saab, a top ally of Maduro’s, was deported by Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez over the weekend to the US in a move that ​she said was “justified by national interests.”

The deportation signalled a new level of ​coordination between the Trump administration and Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president.

Saab, the ⁠55-year-old former Venezuelan minister of industry, conspired to bribe Venezuelan officials and transferred money ​through US bank accounts to enrich himself, prosecutors alleged.

He made his initial court ​appearance on Monday afternoon in a Miami federal court.

The charges come as the administration of President Donald Trump prepares to try Maduro, who was captured by US special forces in Caracas earlier this ​year.

Saab could provide US authorities with information to strengthen their criminal case against Maduro, Reuters ​previously reported.

In the court filings, prosecutors describe a sprawling scheme that began in 2015 in which ‌Saab ⁠and others used fake companies, shipping records and invoices to pilfer hundreds of millions of dollars earmarked to buy food for Venezuelans.

Starting in 2019, Saab and his alleged co-conspirators used their access to the Venezuelan government, which was struggling to pay foreign ​debts amid US economic ​sanctions, to sell ⁠billions of dollars of oil under pretences, prosecutors wrote, alleging that money from those sales was also transferred through US ​bank accounts.

“These charges are a direct result of the DEA’s continued ​commitment to ⁠dismantle the corrupt networks operating throughout Venezuela,” said US Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrance Cole.

This is not the first time US authorities have held Saab on bribery charges. In ⁠2020, he ​was detained in Cape Verde and then taken ​to the US.

President Joe Biden later granted him clemency in 2023 in exchange for the release of Americans ​detained in Venezuela.

A growing concern among policymakers is not whether a deal is near, but how long tensions can persist before a miscalculation by Washington or Tehran triggers renewed conflict.

Calls for a fresh strike are growing louder in the US ‌and Israel, with some officials arguing that increased pressure could weaken Tehran’s leverage and force Iran back to the negotiating table.

“There is one major problem with this theory: We have already tested it, repeatedly, and Iran did not capitulate,” said Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher on Iran at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and former head of the Iran branch in Israeli Defence Intelligence.

“We’re in a war of attrition with the prospect of a new US-Israeli attack growing by the day,” said one regional official.

Iranian officials told Reuters concessions on their missile programme, nuclear capabilities or control of the Strait are not policy tools but ideological pillars ​of the Islamic Republic’s survival — giving them up is not compromise, it is surrender.

That explains, Citrinowicz said, why even prolonged military confrontation has failed to shift Tehran from its red lines, and why further escalation is unlikely to succeed.

Rounds of indirect talks mediated ​by Pakistan have produced no breakthrough. The gaps remain vast.

Time as leverage

The United States wants Iran to halt uranium enrichment for 20 years and ship out its stockpiles ⁠to the US.

Iran wants an end to strikes, security guarantees, war reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over Hormuz — terms Washington has rejected.

Iran’s foreign ministry did not reply to a request for comment.

The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment ​on the issues raised in this article.

President Donald Trump has warned Tehran that the “clock is ticking,” saying they “better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.“

He threatened that if Tehran fails to reach a deal with Washington, it will face “a very bad ​time.”

Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group said neither side has shown willingness to make “the painful concessions” needed for a deal.

“Both believe time is on their side and they have the upper hand, and that perception is precisely what is making a deal impossible.”

The result is a war of endurance centred on one of the world’s most critical waterways.

Before the war, the Strait carried roughly 25% of global oil trade and 20% of liquefied natural gas. Now, with the Strait nearly closed, the economic fallout is growing, disrupting supplies.

Former State Department Iran official Alan Eyre, who took part in past US-Iran talks, said an agreement may be ​out of reach.

“These two sides will never reach a deal. Trump doesn’t want to just win, he wants to humiliate Iran and be seen as having crushed Iran.”

Tehran sees its stockpile of enriched uranium and control of Hormuz as core strategic assets essential to survival.

“Iran is therefore ​determined to use these assets to guarantee its interests,” a senior Iranian official said, adding capitulation is not an option.

“We fight, we die, but we don’t accept humiliation. Surrender is fundamentally incompatible with Iran’s identity.”

Pressure on Iran’s economy

A second Iranian official argued Tehran has already won — not ‌by defeating Washington ⁠militarily, but by refusing to submit.

Weeks of US and Israeli strikes failed to break Iran’s will, reinforcing its view that its nuclear stockpile and control of Hormuz remain the core of its deterrence.

Surrendering them would dismantle that balance. “Trump wants to declare victory, but Iran won’t give it to him. Can the world economy withstand the pressure? That’s the question Trump owes the world an answer to,” he added.

More strikes would not change Iran’s calculus, only accelerate escalation, he said, adding that Iran will not abandon enrichment or bow to ultimatums without compromise from Washington.

Yet behind the defiant posture, Iranian sources close to the establishment describe a more conflicted reality: Tehran does not want a prolonged “no war, no peace” scenario as inflation rises, unemployment worsens and strikes on key industries bleed an already battered economy.

Instead, they said, Iran is seeking a ​preliminary deal to end the war — reopening Hormuz under Iranian oversight ​in exchange for lifting the US blockade, before tackling harder ⁠issues such as sanctions relief and nuclear restrictions.

The US says ending the war must be deferred to later talks.

On the nuclear issue, Iranian sources say Tehran could dilute its stockpile of 440 kg of highly enriched uranium or send part of it abroad, preferably to Russia, arguing it could reclaim it if Washington violates any agreement. Washington has refused.

Iran is also pushing for a shorter halt to enrichment ​than Washington’s 20-year demand and full access to $30 billion in frozen assets, but Washington has only agreed to free a quarter of those assets under a timetable, the sources added.

Talks only option, says analyst

Tehran ⁠is seeking a new governance mechanism over Hormuz, rejecting a return to the pre-war status quo, while the US insists on unconditional reopening — no tolls, no veto — a gap that may prove harder to bridge than the nuclear issue itself.

Aaron David Miller, a former US official and Middle East negotiator, says control of Hormuz will be the key measure of success or failure for Washington.

How this ends could define Trump’s foreign policy, he added, with the US leader acutely sensitive to the risk of being seen as having lost.

Reopening the waterway without a political settlement, Miller added, would ⁠require “a prolonged American ​occupation with ground forces of Iranian territory”.

There is no military solution to Hormuz other than the costly one that Trump may be unwilling to undertake, argued Vaez, leaving ​negotiations as the only viable path.

Despite operational gains of the US-Israeli campaign, the strikes have failed to deliver a strategic knockout, Citrinowicz said.

“We didn’t topple the regime — we have a more radicalised one. We didn’t end Iran’s missile capacity. And they still have the uranium.”

Citrinowicz said overestimating pressure and underestimating Tehran’s resilience carries its own danger.

“It ​raises the risk that Washington once again enters a confrontation expecting coercion to produce capitulation, and discovers, too late, that the regime was prepared to absorb far more pain than anticipated,” he said.

Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict which the US and Israel launched on February 28, but they have held only a single round of talks despite a fragile ceasefire.

“As we announced yesterday, our concerns were conveyed to the American side,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news briefing, adding that exchanges were “continuing through the Pakistani mediator”.

Baqaei defended Iran’s demands, including the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and the lifting of long-standing sanctions.

“The points raised are Iranian demands that have been firmly defended by the Iranian negotiating team in every round of negotiations,” he said.

He also defended an Iranian stipulation that the US pay war reparations, describing the conflict as “illegal and baseless”.

Strait of Hormuz

On the possibility of another military confrontation, Baqaei said Iran was “fully prepared for any eventuality”.

On Sunday, Iran’s Fars news agency said Washington had presented a five-point list, which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.

The US had refused to release “even 25 per cent” of Iran’s frozen assets or pay any reparations for war damage, Fars said.

The report said the US had also made clear it would only cease hostilities when Tehran engages in formal peace negotiations.

Iran’s Mehr news agency said “the United States, offering no tangible concessions, wants to obtain concessions that it failed to obtain during the war, which will lead to an impasse in the negotiations”.

In an earlier proposal, which was sent last week, Iran had called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Israel’s campaign in Lebanon, as well as a halt to a US naval blockade on Iranian ports in place since April 13.

It also called for the lifting of all US sanctions on Iran and the release of its assets frozen abroad.

On Monday, Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed source close to the Iranian negotiating team, said “contrary to previous texts, the Americans agreed in a new text to waive oil sanctions during the negotiation period.”

Fars said that the Iranian proposal had emphasised that Tehran would continue to manage the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy conduit which Iran has largely kept closed since the start of the war.

On Monday, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced the formation of a new body to manage the strait.

On its official X account, the Supreme National Security Council shared a post from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) saying it would provide “real-time updates” on operations and developments in the strait.

The PGSA account later said in a post that it was “the legal and official representative authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran responsible for managing transit through the Strait of Hormuz”.

It added that “navigation within the designated jurisdictional area of the Strait of Hormuz” required “full coordination” with the authority and that passage without authorisation would be considered illegal.

Earlier this month, Iranian English-speaking broadcaster Press TV said it constituted a “system to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz” and that ships passing through the strait were to be sent instructions by email.

Kurdistan area

Separately on Monday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their forces had struck groups linked to the United States and Israel in the western Iranian province of Kurdistan, near the border with Iraq.

In a statement carried by the ISNA news agency, the Guards said groups from “northern Iraq and acting on behalf of the US and the Zionist regime were attempting to smuggle a large shipment of American weapons and ammunition” into Iran.

They said the groups were hit in the Iranian city of Baneh in the Kurdistan region.