live Trump says Hormuz under 'total control', closed until Iran agrees to deal - Thursday, 23 April
The U.S. military is redirecting at least three Iranian-flagged tankers after intercepting them in Asian w...
Iran’s armed forces are prepared to “immediately and powerfully” respond to any U.S. attack, Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, as American military assets arrived in the Middle East amid renewed tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program.
“Our brave Armed Forces are prepared – with their fingers on the trigger – to immediately and powerfully respond to ANY aggression against our beloved land, air and sea,” Araghchi wrote on X on Wednesday (28 January).
He added that lessons from the 12-day conflict with Israel and the U.S. in June “have enabled us to respond even more strongly, rapidly and profoundly.”
At the same time, Araghchi reiterated Iran’s commitment to a “mutually beneficial, fair and equitable NUCLEAR DEAL – on equal footing, and free from coercion, threats, and intimidation,” emphasising that Tehran has never sought nuclear weapons.
“Such weapons have no place in our security calculations,” he wrote.
The warning followed a series of statements by U.S. President Donald Trump, who described a “massive armada” heading toward Iran that is “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”
Trump urged Iran to negotiate “a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties,” citing last summer’s attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and threatening that “the next attack will be far worse.”
The U.S. naval buildup includes the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by three destroyers armed with Tomahawk missiles, adding approximately 5,000 troops to an already robust American presence of more than 30,000 personnel across the Middle East, including at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is the first U.S. carrier to operate in the region since last summer.
Araghchi denied any request for new talks with Washington but confirmed contact with “various intermediaries.” “Negotiations cannot take place under threats, and any talks must be conducted in conditions where threats and excessive demands are set aside,” he said.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told state-aligned Tasnim News Agency on Thursday that Tehran is “ready for sincere and genuine negotiations with America” but warned that while Trump “may be able to start a war,” he cannot foresee how it will end.
The renewed tensions centre on Iran’s nuclear programme, its ballistic missile capabilities, and its support for regional proxy forces – long-standing concerns for the U.S., Israel, and their regional partners.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted three vessels, seizing two of them for alleged maritime violations and transferring them to Iranian shores, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is extending its ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a proposal.
Two local trains collided head-on north of Copenhagen on Thursday (23 April), injuring 17 people, five of them critically, according to emergency services.
The U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday, exclusively to Reuters.
The U.S. military is redirecting at least three Iranian-flagged tankers after intercepting them in Asian waters near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Tehran said U.S. breaches, blockades and threats are undermining “genuine negotiations.”
The European Union is preparing its 20th round of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine. The measures are close to being approved, after earlier delays linked to energy concerns in Slovakia and Hungary eased following repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
United Nations experts have urged the Indian authorities to release Jagtar Singh Johal, who was arrested in Punjab in late 2017 and has remained in prison since. Allegations have been made that he was tortured and threatened with death in custody.
Central Asian leaders have warned that worsening water shortages now pose a direct threat to regional stability, urging coordinated action and stronger international engagement.
The European Union says its envoy Gilles Bertrand raised concerns over women’s rights, regional security and cross-border tensions during a visit to Kabul, while Afghan officials urged more development aid, trade access and continued dialogue.
Russia has confirmed the suspension of Kazakh oil shipments to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline, citing technical reasons, in a move that could disrupt refinery supplies in eastern Germany.
Georgia has assumed the rotating chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), formally taking over on 22 April in Vienna and placing it at the centre of key security discussions at a time of rising geopolitical tension and declining trust between states.
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