Trump and Putin discuss Israel-Iran tensions: ‘dangerous escalation'
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a 50-minute phone call on Saturday to discuss the escalating situation in the Middle East and Ukraine peace talks, Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said.
During the conversation, Putin briefed Trump on his recent talks with the leaders of Iran and Israel and reiterated Russia's proposal to seek mutually acceptable solutions on the Iranian nuclear issue.
'The dangerous escalation of the situation in the Middle East was naturally at the centre of the exchange of opinions,' Ushakov told journalists following the conversation between Putin and Trump.
'Vladimir Putin, having condemned the military operation against Iran, expressed serious concern about the possible escalation of the conflict,' he said, warning of 'unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East'.
Putin also emphasised Russia's readiness to carry out possible mediation efforts and noted that Russia had proposed steps 'aimed at finding mutually acceptable agreements' during US-Iran negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme.
'Russia's principled approach and interest in the settlement remain unchanged,' Ushakov said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump vetoed Israeli plan to kill Iran's supreme leader Khamenei, US officials say
US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , two US officials told Reuters on Sunday. Advertisement 'Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership,' said one of the sources, a senior US administration official. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top US officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear programme. They said the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill the top Iranian leader, but Trump waved them off the plan. The officials would not say whether Trump himself delivered the message. But Trump has been in frequent communications with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Advertisement When asked about Reuters' report, Netanyahu, in an interview on Sunday with Fox News Channel's Special Report With Bret Baier, said: 'There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US considers adding 36 countries to travel ban, State Department memo says
US President Donald Trump's administration is considering significantly expanding its travel restrictions by potentially banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the United States, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters. Earlier this month, the Republican president signed a proclamation that banned the entry of citizens from 12 countries, saying the move was needed to protect the United States against 'foreign terrorists' and other national security threats. The directive was part of an immigration crackdown Trump launched this year at the start of his second term, which has included the deportation to El Salvador of hundreds of Venezuelans suspected of being gang members, as well as efforts to deny enrolments of some foreign students from US universities and deport others. In an internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio , the State Department outlined a dozen concerns about the countries in question and sought corrective action. 'The Department has identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days,' the cable sent out over the weekend said. The cable was first reported by The Washington Post newspaper. Among the concerns the State Department raised was the lack of a competent or cooperative government by some of the countries mentioned to produce reliable identity documents, the cable said. Another was 'questionable security' of that country's passport.
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
How hapless Chinese scientists became ‘agroterrorists' in the US
Its name sounds forbidding – Fusarium graminearum – though most of us would have no idea what it is. But if the bosses at the FBI and the US Department of Justice made a big show of announcing the arrests of Chinese nationals charged with trying to smuggle samples into the United States in a suspected act of agroterrorism, you would be scared too. One of the three suspects is even a card-carrying Chinese communist. Case closed. Here's what Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, wrote in a long post on social media. 'The FBI arrested a Chinese national within the United States who allegedly smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the country,' he wrote. 'The individual, Yunqing Jian, is alleged to have smuggled a dangerous fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which is an agroterrorism agent, into the US to research at the University of Michigan, where she works.' It gets worse: the woman is a communist! 'Evidence also indicates Jian had expressed loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party and had received funding from the Chinese government for similar work on this pathogen in China,' Patel continued. 'Jian's boyfriend, Zunyong Liu – also charged in the complaint – works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen. 'This case is a sobering reminder that the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences ... putting American lives and our economy at serious risk.' Doesn't that sound scary? But wait, there are almost 100 million citizens who are party members in China. It's a bit like saying an American suspect is a Democratic or a Republican Party member.
