https://www.scmp.com/rss/523055/feed Jared Kushner: The son-in-law and Senior Advisor to US President Donald Trump, married to Ivanka Trump. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Following high-level mediation efforts in Islamabad over the weekend, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Monday. The diplomatic surge comes as US President Donald Trump convened his senior national security team to evaluate a fresh Iranian peace proposal, delivered via Pakistan, aimed at ending the months-long Middle East crisis and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The White House confirmed the proposal called... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351617/trump-weighs-irans-red-lines-tehrans-top-diplomat-engages-russias-putin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351617/trump-weighs-irans-red-lines-tehrans-top-diplomat-engages-russias-putin?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:18:25 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad again on Sunday, just hours after US President Donald Trump told his special envoys not to go to Pakistan for ceasefire talks. Araghchi had left Pakistan’s capital on Saturday night after meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Pakistan has been trying to get US and Iranian officials back to the negotiating table after Trump last week announced that a two-week... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351442/trump-cancels-envoys-trip-pakistan-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351442/trump-cancels-envoys-trip-pakistan-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 17:16:19 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou In a prelude to a possible second round of peace talks in Pakistan, Iran ramped up its rhetoric against the United States on Saturday, warning of retaliation if the US kept up its shipping blockade. Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the operational centre of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces, warned of a “severe reaction” if the US continued its “naval blockade, maritime piracy and robbery in the region”. Iran’s defence ministry also said that much of the country’s missile strength... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351431/trapped-gulf-ship-crews-run-low-food-water-and-mental-health-reserves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351431/trapped-gulf-ship-crews-run-low-food-water-and-mental-health-reserves?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 12:13:04 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Mark Magnier,Holly Chik Khushboo Razdan,Mark Magnier,Holly Chik US President Donald Trump is sending special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks with “representatives from the Iranian delegation” this weekend, the White House confirmed on Friday. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Trump-friendly Fox News that the “America first” president will be “dispatching” the duo “tomorrow morning to engage in direct talks” and “hear the Iranians out”. Though she did not mention who would be representing Tehran, Pakistan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351355/irans-foreign-minister-expected-pakistan-raising-hopes-talks-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351355/irans-foreign-minister-expected-pakistan-raising-hopes-talks-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:39:19 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Yemen’s Tehran-aligned Houthi movement has threatened to besiege a second key Middle East waterway as Iran launched drone attacks against US Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend after a diplomatic effort to end the war appeared to collapse. A closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, would effectively sever Saudi Arabia’s only remaining oil export route. The kingdom has been shipping up to 7 million barrels of crude per day through the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350671/iran-war-escalates-houthis-threaten-sever-saudi-oil-exports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350671/iran-war-escalates-houthis-threaten-sever-saudi-oil-exports?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 03:42:32 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Israel’s ambassador to Japan and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre have condemned a Japanese political commentator over remarks he made on a morning news programme that were widely criticised as suggesting Jared Kushner should not be involved in negotiations with Iran because he is Jewish. Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, joined Vice-President J.D. Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff in Islamabad over the weekend for talks aimed at ending the war between the US, Israel and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350037/israel-envoy-protests-japanese-tv-commentators-remarks-about-kushners-jewish-identity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350037/israel-envoy-protests-japanese-tv-commentators-remarks-about-kushners-jewish-identity?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:56:24 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan,Khushboo Razdan,Fan Chen Cao Jiaxuan,Khushboo Razdan,Fan Chen US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad stretched into the early hours of Sunday as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz sparked duelling claims from Washington and Tehran, underscoring the fragile balance between diplomacy and military escalation. A senior White House official confirmed the talks were still ongoing, with efforts to resolve the conflict extending over 15 hours. Earlier, the Iranian government said on social media that negotiations would continue despite persistent differences. As... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349706/us-iran-direct-talks-hours-away-first-strikes-began-6-weeks-ago?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349706/us-iran-direct-talks-hours-away-first-strikes-began-6-weeks-ago?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 03:46:05 +0000 Yuanyue Dang,Dewey Sim Yuanyue Dang,Dewey Sim US President Donald Trump on Friday pressed Iran to meet US demands, as Vice-President J.D. Vance travelled to Pakistan to lead high-stakes negotiations seen as a key effort to end the more than month-long Middle East conflict. The talks between the US and Iran, taking place during the agreed two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, are expected to begin on Saturday morning in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Clouding the talks were Iranian demands, namely a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3349714/us-presses-iran-talks-gear-pakistan-under-fragile-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3349714/us-presses-iran-talks-gear-pakistan-under-fragile-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 20:24:00 +0000 Shi Jiangtao,Fan Chen,Cao Jiaxuan Shi Jiangtao,Fan Chen,Cao Jiaxuan The Islamabad talks scheduled to begin on Saturday will represent the first direct US-Iran negotiations since the Pentagon launched Operation Epic Fury six weeks ago. Vice-President J.D. Vance will lead the US team, which will include Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to the White House. The Iranian delegation is expected to be led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Observers... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349683/who-are-araghchi-and-ghalibaf-iranian-duo-set-lead-us-ceasefire-talks-islamabad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349683/who-are-araghchi-and-ghalibaf-iranian-duo-set-lead-us-ceasefire-talks-islamabad?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:04:16 +0000 Orange Wang,Alyssa Chen,Khushboo Razdan Orange Wang,Alyssa Chen,Khushboo Razdan US Vice-President J.D. Vance has boarded Air Force Two en route to Islamabad, according to the White House. Vance, who will lead the US delegation in talks with Iran in the Pakistani capital on Saturday, struck an upbeat tone on the prospects. “We’re looking forward to negotiation. I think it’s going to be positive,” he told reporters before boarding on Friday morning (US Eastern Time). “As the President of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349583/time-running-out-vance-leads-us-delegation-islamabad-iran-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349583/time-running-out-vance-leads-us-delegation-islamabad-iran-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 02:00:57 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russian ⁠President Vladimir Putin’s special ⁠envoy Kirill Dmitriev is currently in the United States and is meeting members of US President Donald Trump’s administration for ‌discussions on a peace deal for Ukraine and US-Russia economic cooperation, sources with knowledge of the visit said on Thursday. The visit comes before the US decision on ⁠whether to extend sanctions relief on Russian oil, ‌which expires on April 11 and could also be on the agenda. The ‌United States issued a 30-day waiver... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349572/russian-special-envoy-us-meet-trump-administration-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349572/russian-special-envoy-us-meet-trump-administration-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 20:00:23 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including strikes that hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire. Iran’s defiance came as Israel launched air strikes on Tehran and as the United States deployed paratroopers and more Marines to the region. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview on state TV that his government has not engaged in talks to end the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347913/iran-rejects-us-ceasefire-plan-issues-own-demands-strikes-land-across-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347913/iran-rejects-us-ceasefire-plan-issues-own-demands-strikes-land-across-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 18:50:01 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong Hong Kong stocks rebounded on Tuesday on signs of a de-escalation of the US-Israel war against Iran after President Donald Trump said he would delay any attacks on the Gulf nation’s energy facilities. The Hang Seng Index surged 2.8 per cent to 25,063.71 at the close. The Hang Seng Tech Index gained 2.5 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index climbed 1.3 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index advanced 1.8 per cent. Biotech firm Wuxi AppTec rallied 11 per cent to HK$113.60 after its net... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3347649/hong-kong-stocks-rebound-hopes-us-iran-deal-tensions-ease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3347649/hong-kong-stocks-rebound-hopes-us-iran-deal-tensions-ease?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 02:00:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian and US delegations concluded a second day of talks in Florida on finding ways to end the four-year war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. Russian representatives were not present at the talks, which opened in Florida on ‌Saturday. They were originally expected to attend the negotiations, which were expected to take place in Abu Dhabi. The US team is led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. “It is clear that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3347513/ukraine-and-us-teams-conclude-talks-zelensky-says-new-prisoner-exchange-possible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3347513/ukraine-and-us-teams-conclude-talks-zelensky-says-new-prisoner-exchange-possible?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:11:33 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo A suspected CIA-funded publication in Asia recently asked where all the Chinese wolf warriors have gone. It was referring to those supposedly rude envoys who harangued the governments of their host countries and foreign ministry spokespeople who confronted foreign reporters at news conferences. Well, Beijing reined them in long ago. But US President Donald Trump has unleashed his own. Open hostility towards host countries and their peoples seems to be a job requirement in Washington for a US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3345151/under-trump-us-has-unleashed-its-own-wolf-warriors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3345151/under-trump-us-has-unleashed-its-own-wolf-warriors?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press With Saturday’s military operation against Iran, US President Donald Trump showed a dramatic evolution in risk tolerance, adjusting in just a matter of months how far he was willing to go in using American military might to confront Tehran’s clerical rule. Guardrails were tossed aside, as Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered up a battle plan that included targeted strikes on Iran’s leadership, including the 86-year-old Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose death... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345003/trump-was-once-not-keen-regime-change-iran-then-he-lost-patience?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345003/trump-was-once-not-keen-regime-change-iran-then-he-lost-patience?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 01:30:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump voiced frustration on Friday with Iran’s stance in nuclear negotiations but said he had not yet decided whether to carry out a threatened attack, as US staff were authorised to leave Israel due to heightened risks. Trump has ordered the biggest military build-up in decades in the Middle East, with the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, approaching the coast of Israel, as he demands Iran agree to sweeping concessions on concerns starting with its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344925/us-tells-some-embassy-staff-leave-israel-iran-war-clouds-gather?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344925/us-tells-some-embassy-staff-leave-israel-iran-war-clouds-gather?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 13:31:47 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump put his son-in-law Jared Kushner and long-time friend Steve Witkoff in charge of resolving the war in Ukraine and a stand-off with Iran. On Thursday, they juggled those momentous issues within hours of each other. Dispatched to Geneva, Switzerland, Kushner and Witkoff met Iranian officials at the Omani ambassador’s residence in a bid to seal a deal over Tehran’s nuclear programme and avoid what could be a massive strike by US and Israeli forces. Hours later, they... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344820/trump-puts-fate-worlds-top-conflicts-hands-2-men?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344820/trump-puts-fate-worlds-top-conflicts-hands-2-men?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 04:25:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran and the United States held hours of indirect negotiations on Thursday over Tehran’s nuclear programme but walked away without a deal, leaving the danger of another Mideast war on the table as the US has gathered a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the region. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks in Geneva, said there had been “significant progress in the negotiation” without elaborating. But just before the talks ended, Iranian state television reported... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344787/us-and-iran-wrap-indirect-nuclear-talks-american-forces-mass-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344787/us-and-iran-wrap-indirect-nuclear-talks-american-forces-mass-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 19:49:28 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Less than six weeks ahead of a likely summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, preparations are inadequate, bilateral contacts anaemic and outcomes diminished, according to analysts and former government officials familiar with planning. The shortfall reflected in part Trump’s reluctance to delegate, disdain for process and focus on quick wins, banking instead on personal magnetism and his “gut” as summit organising principles, they said. The planning deficit also... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344769/trump-xi-summit-preparations-falter-planning-gaps-unsettle-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344769/trump-xi-summit-preparations-falter-planning-gaps-unsettle-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he and US President Donald Trump agreed that the next session of trilateral talks in March on a war settlement should lead to a meeting of the countries’ leaders. Zelensky, speaking after a phone conversation with Trump, said the three-sided talks with Russia and the United States would take place early next month. US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also took part in the ‌phone call. “We expect this meeting to create an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344656/zelensky-speaks-trump-says-talks-should-lead-leaders-meeting-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344656/zelensky-speaks-trump-says-talks-should-lead-leaders-meeting-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:44:30 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press France will summon US ambassador Charles Kushner to protest against comments by the Trump administration over the death of a far-right activist, the foreign affairs minister said. Jean-Noel Barrot was reacting to a statement by the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau, which posted on social media that “reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all”. Deranque, a far-right activist, died of brain... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344278/france-will-summon-us-envoy-charles-kushner-over-comments-activists-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344278/france-will-summon-us-envoy-charles-kushner-over-comments-activists-death?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 17:47:48 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The US military is stationing a vast array of forces in the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, fighter jets and refuelling tankers, giving US President Donald Trump the option for a major attack against Iran as he pressures the country to strike a deal over its nuclear programme. The deployment is unlike anything the US has done since 2003, when it amassed forces ahead of the invasion of Iraq. It dwarfs the military build-up that Trump ordered off the coast of Venezuela in the weeks... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344049/trump-appears-set-iran-10-day-deadline-us-deploys-vast-middle-east-force?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344049/trump-appears-set-iran-10-day-deadline-us-deploys-vast-middle-east-force?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 18:36:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said US President Donald Trump was exerting ⁠undue pressure on him in ⁠trying to secure a resolution to ⁠the nearly four-year-old war pitting Kyiv against Moscow. Zelensky, in an interview with US website Axios published on Tuesday, also said any plan requiring Ukraine to give up territory that Russia had not captured in the eastern Donbas region would be rejected by Ukrainians ‌if put to a referendum. Axios quoted Zelensky as saying it was “not fair” that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343864/zelensky-says-trumps-peace-demands-focused-only-ukraine-not-fair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343864/zelensky-says-trumps-peace-demands-focused-only-ukraine-not-fair?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 02:44:22 +0000 Reuters Reuters Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia met for the first of two days of US-mediated peace talks in Geneva on Tuesday, with US President Donald Trump pressing Kyiv to act fast to reach a deal. Trump is urging Moscow and Kyiv to reach a deal to end Europe’s biggest war since 1945, though Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has complained that his country is facing the greatest pressure to make concessions. Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov said ahead of the talks that the two sides would... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343847/ukraine-and-russia-meet-geneva-trump-piles-new-pressure-kyiv?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343847/ukraine-and-russia-meet-geneva-trump-piles-new-pressure-kyiv?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 18:30:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Associated Press Agence France-Presse,Associated Press Iran fired live missiles towards the Strait of Hormuz while its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that the US warship deployed in the Gulf could be sunk, amid nuclear talks between the two countries. “We constantly hear that they [the US] have sent a warship towards Iran. A warship is certainly a dangerous weapon, but even more dangerous is the weapon capable of sinking it,” Khamenei said in a speech on Tuesday. The US and Iran held their second round of talks about Iran’s nuclear... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343836/iran-fires-missiles-khamenei-threatens-sink-us-warship-nuclear-talks-start?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343836/iran-fires-missiles-khamenei-threatens-sink-us-warship-nuclear-talks-start?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:38:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran’s top diplomat has arrived in Geneva ahead of a second round of negotiations with the United States, Iranian state television said on Monday, as Washington keeps up pressure on the Islamic republic. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation are in the Swiss city after the first round of indirect talks took place in Oman last week. Oman would mediate Tuesday’s talks in Geneva, the IRNA state-run news agency reported on its Telegram channel on Sunday. Similar talks last year broke... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343656/irans-top-diplomat-attend-indirect-talks-us-geneva-state-news-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343656/irans-top-diplomat-attend-indirect-talks-us-geneva-state-news-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 22:20:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Switzerland said on Saturday that Oman would host talks between the United States and Iran in Geneva next week, with Washington pushing Tehran to make a deal to limit its nuclear programme. “Switzerland stands ready at all times to offer its good offices to facilitate dialogue between the United States and Iran,” a Swiss foreign ministry spokesman said. On February 6, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks in Oman with US envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343601/us-iran-talks-be-held-geneva-next-week-hosted-oman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343601/us-iran-talks-be-held-geneva-next-week-hosted-oman?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 18:10:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday ruled out Tehran ever giving up uranium enrichment in its negotiations with Washington, insisting it will not be intimidated by the threat of war with the United States. The minister, Abbas Araghchi, told a forum in Tehran that Iran had little trust in Washington and even doubted that the US side was taking renewed negotiations seriously. “Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up, even if a war is imposed on us? Because no... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342826/iran-defies-trump-and-us-pressure-over-uranium-enrichment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342826/iran-defies-trump-and-us-pressure-over-uranium-enrichment?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 09:53:51 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman over Tehran’s nuclear programme on Friday, months after America bombed Iran’s uranium enrichment sites and just weeks following nationwide protests that convulsed the Islamic Republic. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the talks as “a very good start” even as the parties met Oman’s top diplomat at different times at a palace on the outskirts of the country’s capital, Muscat. Both Araghchi and the Omanis described the talks... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342722/oman-mediates-iran-us-nuclear-talks-amid-tensions-and-trumps-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342722/oman-mediates-iran-us-nuclear-talks-amid-tensions-and-trumps-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:17:59 +0000 Agencies Agencies Iran’s state-run Press TV ‌said on Thursday that “one ‍of the country’s most advanced long-range ballistic missile Khorramshahr 4” ⁠has been deployed at one of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace underground missile cities. The Khorramshahr 4 has a ‍range of 2,000km (1,240 miles) and is ‌capable of carrying a 1,500kg warhead, it added. Tehran has also announced a significant change in its military policy following the 12-day war with Israel last June, moving to a first-strike from a previously... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342575/iran-media-says-projectile-deployed-revolutionary-guards-underground-missile-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342575/iran-media-says-projectile-deployed-revolutionary-guards-underground-missile-city?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 23:49:41 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian and Russian officials wrapped up a “productive” first day of ‌new US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi, Kyiv’s lead negotiator said on Wednesday, as fighting in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II raged on. The ‍two-day trilateral meetings come after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had exploited a US-backed energy truce last week to stockpile munitions, attacking Ukraine with a record number of ballistic missiles on Tuesday. “The work was substantive and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342428/ukraine-and-russia-wrap-productive-first-day-us-backed-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342428/ukraine-and-russia-wrap-productive-first-day-us-backed-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 17:24:41 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nuclear talks between the United States and Iran will be held in Oman on Friday, Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency reported Wednesday. The meeting comes as a possible confrontation looms, with US President Donald Trump building up forces in the Middle East Trump has warned that “bad things” would probably happen if a deal could not be reached, ratcheting up pressure on the Islamic Republic in a stand-off that has led to mutual threats of air strikes and stirred fears of escalation into a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342377/us-and-iran-now-eyeing-oman-nuclear-talks-tensions-run-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342377/us-and-iran-now-eyeing-oman-nuclear-talks-tensions-run-high?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 09:17:35 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han TikTok and its Chinese parent ByteDance announced on Thursday the official creation of a new US venture – TikTok USDS Joint Venture – to operate the short video app used by 200 million Americans. The deal, the culmination of years of legal and political uncertainty, is part of the effort to comply with a 2024 US law that aimed to push ByteDance to divest TikTok to address national security concerns over the app’s links to Beijing. Without a divestment, the app would have faced a nationwide... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3341074/who-are-owners-new-tiktok-us-entity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3341074/who-are-owners-new-tiktok-us-entity?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:02:59 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement in Ukraine with US President Donald Trump’s envoys during marathon overnight talks, and the Kremlin insisted that the territorial issue needs to be resolved to reach a peace deal. The Kremlin meeting, which lasted past 3am on Friday, came hours after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky sharply criticised his European allies on Thursday for what he cast as their slow and fragmented response to Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340936/putin-meets-us-envoys-midnight-talks-ukraine-settlement-hinges-key-issue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340936/putin-meets-us-envoys-midnight-talks-ukraine-settlement-hinges-key-issue?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 04:45:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday blasted the EU’s lack of “political will” in countering Russian leader Vladimir Putin, during a fiery address criticising some of Kyiv’s top allies at the World Economic Forum. The speech to the Davos elite came minutes after Zelensky had met with US President Donald Trump, a conversation which he said brought agreement about what post-war US security guarantees for Ukraine would look like. Zelensky did not say what the security guarantees... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340905/ukraines-zelensky-says-fragmented-europe-looks-lost-facing-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340905/ukraines-zelensky-says-fragmented-europe-looks-lost-facing-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:59:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said his message to Russian leader Vladimir Putin was that the war in Ukraine has to end, ‍after what he said were “good” talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos on Thursday. US and Ukrainian officials have spent weeks in frenetic shuttle diplomacy as Kyiv faces pressure from Trump to secure peace in the nearly four-year-old war, despite few signs Moscow wants to stop fighting. After a meeting with the Ukrainian leader that lasted around an hour,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340899/trump-sends-message-putin-war-has-end-after-good-meeting-zelensky?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340899/trump-sends-message-putin-war-has-end-after-good-meeting-zelensky?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:03:48 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Thursday inaugurated his “Board of Peace” to lead efforts at maintaining a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas, insisting that “everyone wants to be a part” of the body that could eventually rival the United Nations – despite many US allies opting not to participate. In a speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump sought to create momentum for a project to map out a future for the war-torn Gaza Strip that has been overshadowed this week, first by his threats to seize... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340873/world-trump-launches-his-board-peace-some-see-rivalling-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340873/world-trump-launches-his-board-peace-some-see-rivalling-un?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:43:33 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US envoy Steve Witkoff said he and Jared Kushner will travel to Russia on Thursday for talks with President Vladimir Putin on the latest proposals for a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine. “The Russians have invited us to come and that’s a significant statement from them,” Witkoff said in an interview with Bloomberg Television at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. “Jared and I will leave Thursday night and arrive in Moscow late at night.” US President Donald Trump remains “focused... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340726/us-envoy-witkoff-meet-putin-moscow-pivotal-peace-talks-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340726/us-envoy-witkoff-meet-putin-moscow-pivotal-peace-talks-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 12:33:44 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump could still lead his proposed Board of Peace after he leaves the White House, a US official has said. The chairmanship would be Trump’s to hold until he resigns it, the official said on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity. A future US president could choose to appoint or designate the official US representative to the board, the official added. The possibility of a chair-for-life status for Trump was the latest wrinkle in the creation of the signature diplomatic... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340634/trump-could-lead-his-board-peace-life-after-leaving-white-house-us-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340634/trump-could-lead-his-board-peace-life-after-leaving-white-house-us-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 03:45:36 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukraine’s top negotiator Rustem Umerov said ‍on Sunday that talks with US officials on a resolution of the nearly four-year-old war with Russia would continue at the World Economic Forum opening this week in the Swiss resort of Davos. Umerov, writing on Telegram, said two days of talks in Florida with a US team ⁠including envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, had focused on security guarantees and a post-war recovery plan for Ukraine. He gave no indication... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340352/kyiv-says-held-substantive-talks-us-discussions-continue-davos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340352/kyiv-says-held-substantive-talks-us-discussions-continue-davos?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 20:49:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters Governments reacted cautiously on Sunday to US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” initiative aimed at resolving conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations. Only ‍Hungary, whose leader is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitations, which have been addressed to some 60 nations and began arriving in European capitals on Saturday, according to diplomats. Other governments appeared... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340349/world-leaders-show-caution-trumps-broader-board-peace-amid-fears-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340349/world-leaders-show-caution-trumps-broader-board-peace-amid-fears-un?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 17:43:10 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Trump administration is asking countries that want a permanent spot on his new Board of Peace to contribute at least US$1 billion. According to a draft charter for the proposed group seen by Bloomberg, US President Donald Trump would serve as its inaugural chairman and would decide on who is invited to be members. Decisions would be taken by a majority, with each member state present getting one vote, but all would be subject to the chairman’s approval. “Each Member State shall serve a term... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340288/trump-wants-nations-pay-us1-billion-stay-his-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340288/trump-wants-nations-pay-us1-billion-stay-his-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 23:45:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on ‍Saturday that this week’s Trump administration announcement on the composition of a Gaza executive board was not coordinated with Israel and ran counter to ⁠government policy. It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The statement did not specify what part of the board’s composition contradicted ‍Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment. The board, unveiled... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340285/israel-objects-composition-trump-led-gaza-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340285/israel-objects-composition-trump-led-gaza-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 18:05:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Friday gave a key role in post-war Gaza to former British prime minister Tony Blair and appointed a US officer to lead a nascent security force. Trump named members of a board to help supervise Gaza that was dominated by Americans, as he promotes a controversial vision of economic development in a territory that lies in rubble after two-plus years of relentless Israeli bombardment. The step came after a Palestinian committee of technocrats meant to govern Gaza held... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340233/trump-names-blair-and-rubio-gaza-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340233/trump-names-blair-and-rubio-gaza-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 23:36:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukraine’s Western allies on Tuesday agreed to key security guarantees for Kyiv including a US-led monitoring mechanism and a European multinational force that would be deployed after a ceasefire in Russia’s war against its neighbour. Following the largest meeting yet of the so-called Coalition of the Willing in Paris, both European leaders and US envoys hailed progress that hid tensions in recent days over assertive US foreign policy in the western hemisphere under US President Donald Trump. But... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338974/europe-and-us-agree-robust-security-guarantees-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338974/europe-and-us-agree-robust-security-guarantees-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 20:06:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russian officials on Thursday said a Ukrainian drone strike killed 24 people and wounded at least 50 more as they celebrated the New Year in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region, as tensions between the two nations continue to spike despite diplomats hailing productive peace talks. Three drones struck a cafe and hotel in the resort town of Khorly on the Black Sea coast, the region’s Moscow-installed leader, Vladimir Saldo, said in a statement on Telegram. He said that one of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338424/russia-claims-24-killed-ukrainian-drone-strike-occupied-kherson-despite-peace-progress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3338424/russia-claims-24-killed-ukrainian-drone-strike-occupied-kherson-despite-peace-progress?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 12:30:40 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he asked Donald Trump for US security guarantees lasting as long as half a century to help deter against any future Russian invasion. Current proposals under discussion as part of a peace plan set out a 15-year term with the possibility for an extension, though “I would like the guarantee to be much longer,” Zelensky said on Monday in an audio message to reporters. “We would like to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years and then it will be a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338066/ukraines-zelensky-asked-trump-historic-50-year-guarantee-against-russia-mar-lago?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338066/ukraines-zelensky-asked-trump-historic-50-year-guarantee-against-russia-mar-lago?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 13:17:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Inside an abandoned control room at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a worker in an orange hard hat gazed at a grey wall of seemingly endless dials, screens and gauges that were supposed to prevent disaster. The 1986 meltdown at the site was the world’s worst ever nuclear incident. Since Russia invaded in 2022, Kyiv fears another disaster could be just a matter of time. In February, a Russian drone hit and left a large hole in the New Safe Confinement (NSC), the outer of two radiation... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337774/inside-chernobyl-ukraine-races-repair-radiation-shield-war-drags?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337774/inside-chernobyl-ukraine-races-repair-radiation-shield-war-drags?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 04:50:42 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US and Ukrainian envoys issued a joint statement on Sunday that hailed “productive and constructive” talks in Miami but did not announce any apparent breakthrough in efforts to end the war with Russia. Top representatives from both Ukraine and Russia, as well as Kyiv’s European allies, have been in southern Florida over the past several days for a series of separate talks hosted by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The meetings were the latest in a weeks-long diplomatic... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337262/no-ukraine-ceasefire-breakthrough-despite-productive-and-constructive-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337262/no-ukraine-ceasefire-breakthrough-despite-productive-and-constructive-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 03:30:27 +0000