Category: Global

Iran has rejected a US proposal aimed at ending the ongoing US-Israeli war on the country, presenting five conditions of its own, according to Iranian state media.

Iran’s state-owned broadcaster Press TV reported on Wednesday that Tehran had “responded negatively” to the American initiative. The report cited a senior political-security official, who said, “Iran will not allow US President Donald Trump to dictate the timing of the war’s end.”

The development follows reports that Pakistan delivered a US proposal to Iran, with either Pakistan or Turkiye considered as potential venues for de-escalation talks. The official told Press TV, “Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met.” The source also highlighted Tehran’s commitment to continue its defence operations and inflict “heavy blows” on the enemy until its demands are fulfilled.

The official described Washington’s proposals as “excessive” and “disconnected from the reality of America’s failure on the battlefield.” Press TV outlined five conditions under which Iran would consider ending the conflict: A complete halt to “aggression and assassinations” by the enemy, the establishment of mechanisms ensuring that war is not reimposed on Iran, guaranteed payment of war damages and reparations, the conclusion of the conflict across all fronts and for all resistance groups in the region and international recognition and guarantees regarding Iran’s sovereign right over the Strait of Hormuz

The official added that these demands supplement those presented during the second round of negotiations in Geneva, held just days before US and Israeli strikes on February 28. The report stated that Iran communicated to “all intermediaries acting in good faith” that a ceasefire would only be considered if all conditions were accepted, emphasizing, “No negotiations will be held prior to that.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing that talks with Iran remain “productive.” She cautioned reporters about reports of a 15-point US plan, noting, “The White House never confirmed that full plan. There are elements of truth to it, but some of the stories I read are not entirely factual.”

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Iranian leaders “are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it because they will be killed by their own people. They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us.”

Trump claimed Iran provided a “present” related to the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as “a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi countered the claim, saying that the country had exchanged messages through intermediaries but “no dialogue or negotiation” with the US had taken place. Araqchi added, “Messages being conveyed through our friendly countries and us responding by stating our positions or issuing the necessary warnings is not called negotiation or dialogue.”

A one-year-old Palestinian child was subjected to torture by Israeli soldiers in central Gaza in an attempt to force his father into making confessions during interrogation, a report aired by Palestine TV and cited by journalist Osama Al-Kahlout, has revealed.

As per the details, the child, identified as Karim, was detained near the Al-Maghazi refugee camp and footage later broadcast by news outlets showed visible injuries on his body.

Witnesses said the boy’s father, Osama Abu Nassar, had been struggling emotionally after losing a horse that provided his livelihood. While taking his son to buy supplies, Nassar was caught in gunfire near his home and forced by Israeli soldiers to leave his 18 month old child on the ground before being taken to a nearby military checkpoint where he was stripped and interrogated.

According to medical reports, soldiers tortured the child in front of his father, burning his leg with cigarettes and inserting a nail into his flesh. The boy sustained burn marks and puncture wounds.

He was released about 10 hours later and handed back to his family through the International Committee of the Red Cross while the father remains in Israeli custody.

The family has appealed to international organisations to intervene for Nassar’s release so he can continue receiving medical treatment.

The case is not the first of its kind amid Israel’s ongoing ceasefire violations since October 2025, resulting in at least 680 Palestinian deaths and more than 1,800 injuries.

Since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, over 72,000 Palestinians, most of whom were women and children, have been killed whereas more than 171,000 others are wounded.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble while its entire population remains displaced.

Former director of the United States (US) National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent has said that it was Israel that drove the US into the ongoing Iran conflict.

In his maiden public interview since resigning from the position, Kent, who stepped down citing concerns about the US approach toward Iran, told Tucker Carlson that access to President Donald Trump was restricted in the lead-up to the conflict

A “good deal of key decision makers were not allowed to come and express their opinion” to the president, he revealed.

Kent also addressed intelligence assessments regarding Iran, stating that there was “no intelligence” indicating the country was planning a “big sneak attack” similar to the September 11, 2001, attacks or Pearl Harbor.

He further discussed the influence of Israel on American policy in the Middle East and said he believed Israel had drawn the US into the conflict and was broadly shaping policy decisions. 

Kent referenced recent remarks from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described Iran as an imminent threat, arguing this was based on expectations that Israel would strike and Iran would retaliate.

He criticized this view, saying there was no reason to believe Iran would act without provocation.

When asked if the imminent threat that the state secretary described was not from Iran, he confirmed it was from Israel and said it spoke to the broader issue of who was in charge of the US policy in the Middle East.

Earlier, Kent’s resignation letter focused heavily on Israel, prompting criticism from some Republicans who said he promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories.

He has also faced scrutiny in the past for associations with far-right figures, including White nationalists and a Nazi sympathiser.

Kent said that he spoke out in the interview because he felt his voice and comments were being “squashed” before reaching the White House.

US officials detected unidentified drones above Fort McNair, an army base in Washington where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth reside, the Washington Post reported, citing three people briefed on the situation.

The officials have not determined where the drones came from, the report said, citing two of the sources.

The sightings prompted officials to consider relocating Rubio and Hegseth, the report added. However, the secretaries have not been moved, a senior administration official was quoted as saying.

The Washington Post reported that the US military has been monitoring potential threats more closely due to heightened alert levels linked to the US-Israel war against Iran.

The Pentagon and US State Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to discuss the drone sightings with the newspaper.

He said, “The department cannot comment on the secretary’s (Hegseth’s) movements for security reasons, and reporting on such movements is grossly irresponsible,” according to the report.

Reuters said it could not independently verify the report.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched a new missile barrage on central Israel in retaliation against the killing of Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

As per the details, the IRGC confirmed the strikes were carried out to avenge Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij paramilitary force, both of whom died in Israeli air strikes a day ago.

Iranian Army chief Amir Hatami said that the response to the assassinations would be “decisive and regrettable”. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to Al Jazeera, dismissed the impact of high-level assassinations on the country’s stability.

Referring to the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the conflict, Araghchi noted that the system provided a replacement immediately. “If the foreign minister were ever to be martyred, there would ultimately be someone else to take the position,” he said, adding that anyone could become a target.

The escalation comes as Israel’s military confirms it targeted Iranian command centres, missile sites and the intelligence ministry. In Tehran, the governor reported that 12,000 buildings have so far been damaged or destroyed with over 500 deaths and 5,700 injuries recorded in the province.

The conflict also continues to spread across the Gulf as Qatar’s defence ministry intercepted a missile attack over Doha on Wednesday morning. Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry also reported downing multiple drones approaching Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter. 

In the UAE, air defences intercepted strikes targeting Al Minhad Air Base. 

In Iraq, security sources reported the interception of a drone near the logistics support centre at Baghdad airport.

International maritime and nuclear watchdogs have also raised alarms as the violence reaches critical infrastructure.

The UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA) confirmed a projectile hit the Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday evening, though no damage or radiation leaks were reported. IAEA head Rafael Grossi called for “maximum restrain” to avoid a nuclear accident.

Meanwhile, the situation at the Strait of Hormuz also doesn’t seem to be improving with Iranian blockades restricting global oil supply.

In London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is holding emergency talks to discuss the fate of ships stranded in the Persian Gulf while a proposal for a safe maritime corridor is under review as Iranian retaliation continues to impact shipping.

A jury in Utah has found Kouri Richins guilty of murdering her husband, Eric Richins, by poisoning him with a fentanyl-laced drink in March 2022, according to court proceedings.

The verdict was delivered after around three hours of deliberation on Monday. Richins, 35, was also convicted of attempted murder linked to an earlier incident in which prosecutors said she poisoned her husband but did not succeed in killing him.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Richins had accumulated significant debt, taken out life insurance policies on her husband and was involved in an extramarital relationship. They argued she believed she would inherit an estate valued at more than $4 million following his death.

“She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money,” Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth told the court.

The prosecution called more than 40 witnesses, including a woman who testified that she had sold the drugs used in the killing. Richins’ defence team did not call any witnesses and rested its case without having her testify.

Court documents showed that between December 2021 and February 2022, Richins contacted a person previously arrested on drug charges, requesting prescription pain medication. She initially obtained hydrocodone before asking for stronger substances, including fentanyl, referring to it in messages as “some of the Michael Jackson stuff”.

According to the documents, days after obtaining the drugs, the couple had a Valentine’s Day dinner after which Eric Richins became ill. “Eric believed that he had been poisoned,” the documents stated, adding: “Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him.”

Prosecutors said Richins later obtained more fentanyl and, on 4 March 2022, called police reporting that she had found her husband unresponsive. She told authorities she had served him a mixed vodka drink before going to sleep with one of their children. She later returned and found him cold to the touch.

A medical examiner determined that Eric Richins died from a fentanyl overdose, with five times the lethal dose found in his system.

Richins was also found guilty of fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband’s death. She had pleaded not guilty to all charges. The aggravated murder conviction carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Her arrest in March 2023 came two months after she published a children’s book, Are You With Me?, which she said was written to help families cope with loss.

“We wrote this book and we’re really hoping that it provides some comfort for not just obviously, our family, but other families that are going through the same thing,” she said in an interview prior to her arrest.

She had dedicated the book to her husband, describing him as “my amazing husband and a wonderful father”.