live Iran, U.S. make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
Talks aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia are set to continue in Berlin this weekend, with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and senior European leaders, a U.S. official said.
Witkoff, who has led White House efforts to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow, is expected to discuss the latest version of a proposed peace agreement.
He is also due to hold talks on Sunday and Monday with counterparts from France, Britain and Germany.
The Wall Street Journal reported that UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to take part.
Washington’s decision to send Witkoff underlines growing urgency to narrow remaining differences with Kyiv over the plan’s terms.
On Thursday (11 December), the White House said President Donald Trump would only dispatch a representative if he believed sufficient progress could be made.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is also expected to take part in the meetings.
Confirmation of the Witkoff–Zelenskyy meeting comes days after Ukraine submitted a revised version of a 20-point peace plan to the United States. The proposals, first floated in late November, have since prompted intensified diplomatic activity.
Territory in eastern Ukraine remains the most contentious issue. Kyiv has refused to cede land it says has been illegally occupied, while Moscow insists it will take full control of the Donbas region by force unless Ukraine withdraws.
Zelenskyy has expressed scepticism about the White House’s latest proposal on the territorial question, which would see Ukrainian forces pull back and the area designated a “special economic zone”.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investigation into the cause.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday for talks focused on Gaza, Palestinian statehood and regional security.
Taiwan staged military defence drills on Wednesday as China concluded joint naval exercises with Indonesia in waters east of the island.
Washington’s counter-narcotics push is expanding as Colombia’s new conservative government backs deeper security cooperation.
Meta said it had removed more than 750,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under 16, as the country’s internet regulator weighs enforcement action over its teen social media ban.
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