Sources have told FT that Iran will offer talks without preconditions.
The British government has called for a negotiated solution to prevent further escalation of conflict in the Middle East following joint strikes by the US and Israel on Iran, emphasizing the safety of UK nationals and the need to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
In a testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, also said that the threats to the US were set to expand collectively from more than 3,000 missiles at present to more than 16,000 missiles by 2035.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has engaged in extensive diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict in West Asia, offering to host talks between the US and Iran and engaging with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Malaysia, the UK, China, and the European Union.
"We have eyes onto the Iranian nuclear programme and we would be aware of any so-called breakout move by the Iranians towards building a nuclear weapon. That has not occurred, but that window of opportunity will close at some point," the White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, told media persons at his daily news conference.
'Much will depend on the position of the United States.' 'It will have to be seen to what extent the US will be more interested in achieving some form of a deal and to what extent Israel will be allowed to continue to carry out both airstrikes and the killing of Iranian officials.'
As days turn into weeks and America loses more planes, as the destruction of trillions of dollars worth military assets piles up, and dead bodies of soldiers return in ever greater numbers in coffins, Trump will have to answer some very difficult questions to save his presidency, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
India is strengthening the naval component of its nuclear triad with Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Tuesday saying that the third indigenous nuclear-powered submarine 'Aridaman' will be commissioned soon and that his force is focusing on boosting its overall combat prowess.
'What we have yet to see on either the US or the Iranian side is willingness to compromise on their ultimate demands and the flexibility to reach an agreement to end the war.
Amid growing international instability, folks all over the world are wondering if there is any country that can be considered a secure refuge, should this conflict expand into a larger war, drawing in many more nations.
The purge in Washington does not pause the war. Strikes continue, Hormuz remains closed, and Brent crude is still dancing around $109 a barrel. For India, the command chaos in the Pentagon is another layer of uncertainty piled on five weeks of conflict that was already straining every buffer Delhi has.
Following a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran, India is calling for restraint and de-escalation to avoid further military confrontation in the Middle East.
The US-Israeli military campaign, dubbed "Operation Epic Fury" by Washington, has entered its third day, with US President Donald Trump stating that operations would continue "until all of our objectives are achieved."
The threat of wars hovers over the negotiations in Oman, but the good part is that Trump called the talks to be 'very good' and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian responded that they 'constitute a step forward', points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Amid escalating tensions with Iran, President Trump is urging nations dependent on Middle Eastern oil to deploy warships to the Strait of Hormuz to safeguard critical global energy supplies.
What we are watching is something different: A fog manufactured and maintained by the people who started the war, so that the question of why it was started never has to be answered, observes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the war in the Middle East.
For weeks, the war skirted the edge of catastrophe without tipping over. Missiles flew, there was much destruction, commanders were assassinated, cities across the Gulf and even in Israel struggled to absorb the shock. But one line held: Energy infrastructure, the arteries of the global economy, remained largely untouched. That is no longer true. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
The United States on Friday said it had eyes and visibility inside Iran's nuclear programme and would know if and when Iran made a breakout move towards acquiring a weapon.
'To suddenly give the impression of taking a position that is hostile to Iran, or, at least, not friendly to Iran, is not a good thing.'
'The next two to three weeks will not be decided in Washington.' 'They will be decided in Tehran, in whatever calculation Iran makes about the costs of continued resistance against the costs of appearing to have yielded.'
Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated a new biotechnology facility and dedicated a national facility for recombinant cells and sensors at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in Thiruvananthapuram, highlighting India's focus on biotechnology and its potential for economic growth.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts that the joint US-Israel campaign against Iran is progressing successfully, highlighting Israel's strengthened position and hinting at new regional alliances.
The Pakistan government has no plans to roll back the country's atomic programme and is committed to maintaining a minimum nuclear deterrence, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Babar Awan said Tuesday. The Pakistan People's Party-led government will not compromise on the country's defence and sovereignty, he said in the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament.
M R Srinivasan focused on the peaceful use of nuclear power at a time when the popular view among the 'hawks' was that India should build a nuclear arsenal as a deterrent.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) said it struck several targets in Tehran, Shiraz and Ahvaz simultaneously over the past 24 hours, targeting sites linked to Iran's ballistic missile programme, air defence systems and military headquarters.
Fight on toward goals that keep receding, or exit with most objectives unmet. Trump is agitated, his poll numbers falling below the Plimsoll line, his base fractured between those who back the war and those who remember that he campaigned on ending them.
Asked about the expectations from the US, Azar said Washington and Israel are "completely in sync". He said he felt that the US would "support" Israel's action.
'If the Trump administration could gain access to the nuclear weapons, they would be satisfied -- at least they could control them.'
On the eve of the most crucial round of talks between Iran and the world powers, the United States has said that Tehran has a choice to make in the coming weeks to address concerns about its military nuclear programme.
Iran is fighting a different war: Older, slower, and in some ways more dangerous. Iran doesn't need to shoot down an F/A-18. It only needs to make the Strait of Hormuz feel dangerous long enough for insurance markets, shipping companies, and oil futures traders to do the rest. Prem Panicker continues his must-read daily blog on the war in the Middle East.
The two-day meet of the 120-nation grouping, which began with the national anthem of Iran followed by the recitation of the verses from the holy Quran, was inaugurated by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the leaders' Summit hall in Northern Tehran.
Israel and the United States had a plan. Iran punched back. And now the Gulf is reeling, the world is beginning to feel the pain and, as on date, no one in Washington or Tel Aviv appears willing to admit that the punch has landed, notes Prem Panicker, continuing his must-read blog on the war in the Middle East.
60 years ago, on January 24, 1966, Dr Homi J Bhabha, the father of India's nuclear programme, died in an air crash on Mont Blanc. The official inquiry said the plane went off course in bad weather, but coincidences, missing evidence, and later unproven claims have kept conspiracy theories alive. A fascinating excerpt from Bakhtiar Dadabhoy's book, Homi J Bhabha: A Life.
Fuel loading at India's first prototype fast-breeder reactor in Kalpakkam is expected to start next week, marking a significant step in the country's nuclear program.
In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Israel launched airstrikes early Friday targeting key nuclear facilities in and around Iran's capital Tehran.
While the final military and intelligence assessment has yet to come, Trump has repeatedly claimed to have "completely and totally obliterated" Tehran's nuclear programme.
2025 had some interesting performances on OTT series and films. Deepa Gahlot picks the Top 10 Male OTT Performances.
CIA director George Tenet personally briefed Musharraf that AQ Khan "was betraying Pakistan's nuclear secrets to at least the Libyans and maybe others," prompting an explosive reaction before Khan was placed under years-long house arrest.
Sustaining 8 per cent-plus growth rates is necessary if we are to reach high-income status by 2047, points out Amitabh Kant.
Pakistan will continue the development of its nuclear and missile programmes, which are the minimum level of deterrence required for the country's defence, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani said on Thursday.Gillani made the remarks during a visit to the Strategic Plans Division, the tri-services body that maintains Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, and the Joint Staff Headquarters at Chaklala in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
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