Asia

India expands arms buys westward, but Russia remains a key supplier

US special envoy Steve Witkoff says he believes Iran could hold talks with Washington 'this week'

Experts say cryptocurrencies are used to bypass sanctions on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards while also serving as a financial safe haven for civilians amid soaring inflation

Israel has since been bombing Lebanon, mainly in areas where Hezbollah has long held sway

US president says talks with Iran are going well, while Iran’s Tasnim news agency reports Tehran has responded to Washington’s 15‑point plan and is awaiting a reply

Iran says it wants to end the war on its own terms, while Trump says talks are ongoing but Tehran is hiding them

China’s Wang Yi urges dialogue in calls with Turkish and Egyptian counterparts, citing signals from Tehran and Washington of a possible return to talks

White House says talks were “productive” but won’t name counterparts, while Iran insists message exchanges via intermediaries don’t constitute negotiations with Washington

Trump says he is looking forward to the "monumental" trip, which was originally due to take place at the end of March

CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper says 92% of Iran’s largest naval vessels are damaged or destroyed

Iranian military dismisses US diplomacy claims, saying Washington is 'negotiating with itself', while Trump cites a 'very big' Hormuz-linked concession.

Afghanistan says Dennis Coyle’s family sought his Eid pardon; he later reaches the UAE en route to the US

Despite Trump’s push for diplomacy, The Wall Street Journal reports the U.S. plans to deploy 3,000 troops to the Middle East

Wang Yi tells Abbas Araghchi he hopes 'all parties can seize every opportunity and window for peace and start the peace talks process as quickly as possible'

Dennis Coyle, from Colorado, was arrested in January 2025, according to the Foley Foundation, which advocates for the release of Americans taken hostage or arbitrarily detained abroad

Trump says talks with a “top person” in Iran are underway but warns failure could lead to continued bombings

Countries seeking permanent seats must pay $1B, raising “pay-to-play” UN Council concerns

Netanyahu reiterates that the ongoing strikes are 'crushing the missile program and the nuclear program' of Iran

Israeli military said it detected incoming Iranian missiles and was working to intercept them.