Russia says it is ready to remove excess nuclear materials from Iran
MOSCOW, June 11 (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday it was ready to remove nuclear materials from Iran and convert them into fuel as a potential way to help narrow differences between the United States and Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme.
Tehran says it has the right to peaceful nuclear power, but its swiftly-advancing uranium enrichment programme has raised fears in the West and across the Gulf that it wants to build a nuclear weapon.
The fate of Iran's uranium enrichment is at the heart of the disagreement between Washington and Tehran: U.S. President Donald Trump says that Iran cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Iran cannot abandon enrichment.
President Vladimir Putin told Trump in a phone call that he was ready to use Russia's close partnership with Iran to help with negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme, the Kremlin said last week.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees arms control and U.S. relations, told Russian media on Wednesday that efforts to reach a solution should be redoubled and that Moscow was willing to help with ideas and in practical ways.
"We are ready to provide assistance to both Washington and Tehran, not only politically, not only in the form of ideas that could be of use in the negotiation process, but also practically: for example, through the export of excess nuclear material produced by Iran and its subsequent adaptation to the production of fuel for reactors," Ryabkov said.
The United States wants all of Iran's highly enriched uranium (HEU) to be shipped out of the country. Tehran says it should only send out any excess amount above a ceiling that was agreed in a 2015 deal.
Russia, the world's biggest nuclear power, does not want to see Iran acquire nuclear weapons, but believes it has every right to develop its own civilian nuclear programme and that any use of military force against it would be illegal and unacceptable.
Moscow has bought weapons from Iran for its war in Ukraine and signed a 20-year strategic partnership deal with Tehran earlier this year.
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Sky News
25 minutes ago
- Sky News
China strikes cautious tone after Trump claims trade deal is 'done'
China will "always honour its commitments" when it comes to negotiating trade disagreements with the US, according to a spokesperson for the Chinese government. But when pushed by Sky News, he refrained from confirming what those commitments are. The reluctance is at odds with President Trump, who declared on his Truth Social account that "our deal with China is done", while also claiming that China has agreed to supply rare earth metals to the US"upfront", and to a 55% tariff rate on its goods. The comments follow high-stakes talks between delegations from the two countries in London aimed at stabilising the relationship amid an escalating trade and supply chain war. China's refusal to confirm these details has raised speculation that, contrary to what the US side is claiming, there may still be significant disagreements and some details yet to be worked out. The continued silence comes after two days of negotiations between delegations from the US and China in the UK. While both sides confirmed that they had agreed a "framework" to implement the "consensus" reached at previous talks in Geneva last month, as well as during a phone call between President Xi and President Trump on 5 June, the delegations were supposed to be taking the agreement to their respective leaders for sign-off. When asked by Sky News if any of the details in Trump's Truth Social post reflected what China understood to be in the deal, Lin Jian, China's foreign ministry spokesperson said "the two sides achieved new progress in addressing the concerns on economic and trade issues". "We always honour our commitments. Since we've reached common understandings, the two sides need to follow them." 👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈 When pushed by Sky News on whether China agrees with Trump's Truth Social assessment that the US-China relationship is "excellent", Lin declined to agree, saying simply: "Our position on relations with the United States has been consistent and clear". Such lukewarm language is not uncommon in China but there will likely be significant displeasure at the way Trump is unilaterally publishing details that may not yet have been officially signed off. It is in stark contrast to China's communication landscape which is highly scripted and controlled, and if it was designed to force China into an agreement it could well backfire. Indeed, if everything in Trump's Truth Social post is true it would represent quite a coup for the US, and that feels a little unlikely given the valuable bargaining chips China has, particularly over rare earth metals. 0:54 This will likely have been a crunch point in negotiations. China has the vast majority of the world's rare earth metals which are vital in the production of everything from cars to weaponry, and recent export controls imposed in response to Trump's tariffs have brought some production lines to the brink of standstill. In response, the Trump administration imposed extra export controls on high-tech chips, chip development technology and parts needed to make jet engines, as well as moving to revoke student visas for Chinese nationals. President Trump indicated in his Truth Social post that the measures to revoke visas will be rowed back. When pushed by Sky News, Lin refrained from commenting on whether Trump's communications on this matter have undermined the relationship more broadly, but the stakes remain enormously high, with the unfolding supply chain war set to do significant damage to the economies of both nations.
Daily Mirror
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
6 unhinged Donald Trump moments as he gets booed and trolled by drag queens
Among the many surprising things about Donald Trump is his apparently sincere and deep love for popular stage musicals of the 80s and 90s. He's frequently spoken of his love of the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber - citing Cats and Phantom of the Opera among his favourites. Anyone who's been to one of his speeches will be familiar with his warm-up tape. Alongside high energy radio rock hits, MAGA fans are regularly treated to often lengthy cuts from the soundtracks of the above musicals - usually soft solo ballads like Music of the Night from Phantom and Memory from Cats. Last night, Trump got a treat - a performance of his other favourite musical, Les Miserables, at the Kennedy Centre. Regular readers will be familiar with Trump's offbeat plan to recast Washington's major cultural centre to be more to his tastes - fewer drag queens and experimental theatre, more basic musicals and country rock. Well, last night was the culmination of that process - a command performance of the epic show just for him. And a half full audience. And some drag queens. Here's more on that, and some other things that happened in Trump world yesterday. "Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men?", the cast of Les Mis intone at one of the show's many emotional climaxes. Well, Trump, sitting at the front of the circle, certainly did. He also heard the people boo. As he and rarely seen First Lady Melania Trump took their seats, parts of the (roughly half capacity) crowd erupted in boos. Shortly after, cheers took over from elsewhere in the crowd, followed again by chants of "USA! USA!". Later, someone accurately shouted "felon" at the President. Among the modest crowd were a large contingent of drag queens, who sashayed past the first family. About a dozen performers from the show's cast refused to appear at the performance in protest against the administration. Asked on the red carpet whether he identifies more with unfortunate, redemption-seeking ex-convict turned politician turned revolutionary Jean Valjean or obsessive and vindictive policeman Inspector Javert, Trump said: "Oh, that's a tough one." 'You better answer that one, honey,' he said, deferring to his often absent wife. 'I don't know.' Meanwhile Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to tell a Congressional committee how much it'll cost to refit the "free plane" Trump was gifted by Qatar. A contract has been awarded for reconfiguration of the plane, which it's been claimed the President could use as a temporary replacement for Air Force One while a new presidential jet is being completed by Boeing. Trump has become increasingly impatient with the slow pace of ensuring the Boeing jets are suitable for use as a flying White House. Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn. Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox. And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday. But it's been pointed out that even the free plane would have to be subject to the same rigorous programme of security checks - effectively dismantling it and rebuilding it to ensure there aren't any bugs or ancient Greeks hiding in the walls. 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It's totally in celebration of the 250th birthday of the US armed forces, and not for Trump's 79th birthday, which happens to also be on Saturday. Anyway, Trump is very much looking forward to it - as are we. We'll be on the ground to see the whole grotesque spectacle of military might unfold. But about 60% of Americans say the parade is "not a good use" of taxpayers' money, according to a poll published last night. The NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey found just 4 in 10 Americans "somewhat" or "strongly" approve of the parade, while about 3 in 10 "somewhat" or "strongly" disapprove. About 3 in 10 neither approve nor disapprove. Matt Wheeler, 40, called the display "extremely wasteful" and "a bit of a performance" that "just sends a bad message" in terms of the overt military display. 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As the military rolls through the nation's capital, a string of protests are scheduled to take place in hundreds of cities across the US. Protests are growing in response to his immigration policies. The "No Kings" protests have been called, organisers say, to protect America's democracy as Trump vows to increase his deployment of military forces inside the United States. But there aren't any planned for the capital, which is probably a good thing after Trump warned any protesters disrupting his not birthday parade would face a severe response.
South Wales Argus
36 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Russian military losses top 1m in three-year-old war, Ukrainian military says
The claim by the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces is in line with Western intelligence estimates. Russia has suffered 1 million combat losses in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion. This is the devastating human cost Putin is inflicting on his own people. This invasion is a betrayal of his people who are bearing the true cost of this war.#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 12, 2025 The UK Ministry of Defence also said in a statement posted Thursday on X that Russia has suffered more than one million casualties, including roughly 250,000 killed since it launched the full-scale invasion on February 24 2022. On June 3, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said Russia would likely hit the mark of one million casualties this summer in what it called 'a stunning and grisly milestone'. Russia last reported its military casualties early in the war when it acknowledged that about 6,000 soldiers had been killed. Earlier this year, the General Staff of the Russian armed forces claimed that Ukrainian military losses had topped one million. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last spoke of Ukrainian military losses in February, when he said in an interview that 45,100 troops had been killed and about 390,000 injured. The mutual claims of the other side's losses could not be independently verified. A rescue worker evacuates a woman from a building which was damaged by a Russian strike in Kharkiv (Ukrainian emergency services via AP/PA) The casualty estimates came as Russian forces pummelled Ukraine with drones and other weapons, killing three people and injuring scores of others despite international pressure to accept a ceasefire. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 63 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight. It said that air defences destroyed 28 drones while another 21 were jammed. Ukrainian police said two people were killed and six were injured in the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive. One person was killed and 14 others were also injured in the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces, police said. The authorities in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, said 18 people, including four children, were injured by Russian drone attacks overnight. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones targeted residential districts, educational facilities, nurseries and other civilian infrastructure. 'Kharkiv is holding on. People are alive. And that is the most important thing,' Mr Terekhov said. Rescue workers put out a fire of a building which was damaged by a Russian strike in Kharkiv (Ukrainian emergency services via AP/PA) Russia has launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. Ukraine responded to the Russian attacks with drone raids. Russia's Defence Ministry said that air defences downed 52 Ukrainian drones early on Thursday, including 41 over the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said three people were injured by Ukrainian attacks. The recent escalation in aerial attacks has come alongside a renewed Russian battlefield push along eastern and northeastern parts of the more than 1,000-kilometre (over 600-mile) front line. While Russian missile and drone barrage have struck regions all across Ukraine, regions along the front line have faced daily Russian attacks with short-range exploding drones and glide bombs. A building is seen on fire after a Russian strike in Odesa, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Services via AP) On Thursday, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed its troops captured two more villages in the Donetsk region, Oleksiivka and Petrivske. The Ukrainian military had no immediate comment on the Russian claim. The attacks have continued despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. During their June 2 talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as nonstarters, making a quick deal unlikely. In Rome, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte commended US President Donald Trump for his 'crucial' move to start direct peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the same time, Mr Rutte criticised Mr Putin for appointing his aide Vladimir Medinsky as the top negotiator for the talks in Istanbul. Mr Medinsky ascended through the Kremlin ranks after writing a series of books exposing purported Western plots against Russia and denigrating Ukraine. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte commended US President Donald Trump for his move to start peace talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) 'I think that the Russians sending this historian now twice to these talks in Istanbul, trying to start with the history of 1,000 years ago and then explaining more or less that Ukraine is at fault here, I think that's not helpful,' Mr Rutte said. 'But at least step by step, we try to make progress.' Also on Thursday, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit, noting the stepped-up Russian attacks send a message from Moscow that it has 'no interest in a peaceful solution at present,' according to German news agency dpa. Mr Pistorius said his visit underlines that the new German government continues to stand by Ukraine. 'Of course this will also be about how the support of Germany and other Europeans will look in future – what we can do, for example, in the area of industrial co-operation, but also other support,' he said.
