Geneva — The United States and Iran are set to open a new round of indirect talks in Switzerland aimed at averting a fresh spiral of conflict and ending weeks of threats, according to officials on both sides. The Geneva negotiations follow a U.S. military buildup across the region and repeated warnings from President Donald Trump that he is prepared to strike Iran if diplomacy fails. The agenda remains contested. Washington wants the talks to cover Iran’s nuclear activities, its ballistic missile program and its support for…

Iran on Tuesday dismissed as “big lies” U.S. claims that Tehran is advancing a missile program capable of striking the United States, pushing back hours after President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to accuse the Islamic Republic of pursuing “sinister nuclear ambitions.” The volley of accusations and denials comes on the eve of a new round of diplomacy. After two Oman-mediated sessions, U.S. and Iranian officials are due to meet for a third round of talks Wednesday in Geneva aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear…

Russia launches overnight drone and missile barrage across Ukraine, striking energy sites in Kyiv and Odesa Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with a wave of strike drones and ballistic and cruise missiles aimed at energy infrastructure, hitting the capital Kyiv, the surrounding region, the Black Sea port of Odesa and parts of central Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian military and local officials. Air raid sirens sounded nationwide before dawn as a series of blasts echoed across Kyiv around 4 a.m. local time. “The enemy is…

Russian drone strike kills three children and their father in Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv region, Ukrainian officials say A Russian drone strike destroyed a home in the town of Bohodukhiv, west of Kharkiv, killing three young children and their father, Ukrainian officials said. The attack came amid one of the largest overnight drone barrages in recent weeks. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 129 drones overnight, adding that air defenses shot down or neutralized 112 of them. It did not specify how many targeted the Kharkiv…

Netanyahu to press Trump on tougher Iran deal as White House weighs second carrier deployment Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to push U.S. President Donald Trump to harden Washington’s stance in nuclear talks with Iran during a hastily arranged White House meeting today, as the president signals he may send a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. The talks, set to begin at 11 a.m. local time (4 p.m. Irish time), come days after Iran resumed negotiations with the United States in Oman…

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, and KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine accused Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday of ordering massive missile and drone strikes as negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi for a second day to discuss a plan to end the nearly four-year war. "Peace efforts? Trilateral meeting in the UAE? Diplomacy? For Ukrainians, this was another night of Russian terror," Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on X. "Cynically, Putin ordered a brutal massive missile strike against…

North Korea test-fired two “strategic” long-range cruise missiles into the sea, state media said, in a drill overseen by leader Kim Jong Un that he framed as part of an “unlimited and sustained” expansion of the country’s nuclear forces. The launches took place over the Yellow Sea and mark the first reported test of long-range cruise missiles since early November, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Cruise missiles labeled “strategic” by Pyongyang are typically understood by analysts to be designed to carry…

Russia strikes Ternopil; 25 dead, including three children, after overnight missile and drone barrage TERNOPIL, Ukraine — A Russian missile and drone strike on the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil killed 25 people, including three children, and wounded another 73, the interior ministry said, in one of the deadliest attacks on the country’s west since the 2022 invasion. "Twenty-five people, including three children, were killed as a result of Russian shelling of the city. Another 73 people, including 15 children, were…

North Korea fires ballistic missile days before APEC leaders meet in South Korea North Korea launched at least one ballistic missile on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, in a stark reminder that Pyongyang’s weapons programme remains central to regional security even as world leaders prepare to gather in South Korea for an APEC summit next week. What happened South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff described the projectile as an “unidentified” missile that flew eastward, saying it was North Korea’s first such launch…

Next week, NATO and Ukraine will convene in Brussels to discuss Russia's recent launch of an experimental hypersonic missile, according to diplomatic sources. This assembly of the NATO-Ukraine Council is scheduled for Tuesday and will take place at the ambassadorial level. The meeting was initiated by Ukraine in response to the missile strike that struck the city of Dnipro, officials reported. A NATO spokeswoman stated, "The deployment of such a missile won't alter the conflict's trajectory or dissuade NATO allies from…