US-Iran war highlights: Israel, Lebanon extend truce; Iran's Araghchi flags ‘lack of trust’ in talks with US

PM Modi UAE visit LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in the UAE on Friday, marking the beginning of a five-nation visit that will also include the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy.

Modi landed in Abu Dhabi in the afternoon, where he was welcomed by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He received a guard of honour after arrival.

During his stay in Abu Dhabi, Modi is expected to hold talks with the president, with discussions set to focus on the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the rapidly evolving situation in West Asia.

Energy security is likely to be a central theme of the discussions, as India monitors rising instability in the Gulf region amid concerns over oil supplies and maritime trade routes. (PTI)

PM Modi UAE visit LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being accorded a guard of honour, as he lands in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on the first leg of his 5-nation visit.

US-Iran war news LIVE: US President Donald Trump left Beijing on Friday after a major summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Trump took off aboard Air Force One around 2:40 pm (0640 GMT) from Beijing Capital International Airport, bound for Washington. (AFP)

US-Iran war news LIVE: After talks on trade, Taiwan and Iran, Chinese President Xi Jinping showed off the centuries-old trees in Beijing’s walled-off Zhongnanhai compound, where he strolled with U.S. President Donald Trump in the concluding hours of their summit.

A former imperial garden that now houses the offices of the ruling Communist Party and the state council, or China's cabinet, the compound is adjacent to the capital's famed landmark of the Forbidden City and off Tiananmen Square.

A hot mic captured the leaders' remarks, in which Trump expressed surprise that some of the trees were 1,000 years old.

"Let me tell you, all the trees on this side are over 200 to 300 years old," Xi said through an interpreter, as he gestured towards some towering trunks. "Over there, there are some more than 400 years old."

Trump replied, "They live that long?"

Xi added, "There are also 1,000-year-old trees in other places." (Reuters)

US-Iran war news LIVE: US President Donald Trump on Friday stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit the United States around September 24, describing the proposed trip as a "reciprocal" visit, referring to the US's reciprocal trade with China, as he nears the end of his own two-day state visit to China.

Speaking to the press during his meeting with his Chinese counterpart at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing, Trump expressed his gratitude to Xi and his representative.

"I just want to thank President Xi and all of his representatives--we've become friendly with all of them; they're great people. It's an honour to be here, and we'll be back. And I believe on September 24th, or thereabouts, President Xi is going to be coming to the United States, and we will be reciprocal--like reciprocal trade, the visit will be reciprocal," Trump said.

He added that both sides would continue to strengthen engagement, stating that discussions between the two countries would be open and direct.

"We're going to lay it on the line, and we're going to have--you're going to walk away, I hope, hopefully very impressed, like I'm very impressed with China," Trump said.

The US President again thanked the Chinese leadership for hosting him, describing the visit as a positive experience.

"I just want to end by saying thank you very much, it's been really a great couple of days," he said.

The remark comes as Trump nears his China visit, as he is set to depart for the US later in the day. (ANI)

US Iran war LIVE: Trump and Xi spent about 10 minutes walking Zhongnanhai’s gardens.

“These are the most beautiful roses anyone has ever seen,” Trump remarked while walking past green columns and archways.

Trump said the pair had struck “fantastic trade deals” without providing details.

Xi said he would send rose seeds to Trump.

Trump tore up the lawn around the White House Rose Garden last year to make room for a patio space reminiscent of his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

Trump also has said he would like more roses there, recently complaining that the White House’s garden “didn’t have too many roses. (AP)

US Iran war LIVE: “We feel very similar about (how) we want it to end,” the president said of the U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran. “We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump added of both sides and the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed, “We want the straits open.”

He said of the conflict in Iran, “We want them to get it ended because it’s a crazy thing there. A little bit crazy. And it’s no good, it can’t happen.”

Trump and China’s leader had a working tea before heading into a closed-door lunch. (AP)

US Iran war LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday embarked on a six-day tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy to enhance bilateral ties amid the ongoing geopolitical upheaval.

Safeguarding energy flows, mitigating trade disruptions from the West Asia crisis and enhancing cooperation in critical technologies are expected to be the key focus of the trip.

Over the next six days, the prime minister will engage with several world leaders across a wide-ranging agenda aimed at strengthening India's global partnerships, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media.

PM Modi's first destination will be the UAE, where he will hold wide-ranging talks with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with a focus on advancing the India-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership and exchange views on the West Asia conflict.

The prime minister will be in the Gulf nation for around four hours before embarking on the trip to Europe.

US Iran war LIVE: President Donald Trump said he made "fantastic trade deals" with Xi Jinping, as the pair met on Friday at final meetings of a superpower summit that according to the US leader has also reaped a Chinese offer to help open the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump had arrived in Beijing seeking to seal deals in sectors including agriculture, aviation and artificial intelligence, as well as to contain differences between the two sides in a number of tense geostrategic areas -- not least the Middle East war.

Trump's overtures to Xi, whom he described as a "great leader" and "friend", have so far been met with more muted tones by the Chinese leader.

But the US leader said "a lot of good" has come out of the visit.

"We've made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries," he said, as Xi accompanied him through the gardens of Zhongnanhai, a central leadership compound next to Beijing's Forbidden City. (AFP)

US Iran war LIVE: As President Donald Trump wraps up his whirlwind visit to China on Friday, he's insistent that relations between the world's two biggest powers are good and getting better despite deep differences on Iran, Taiwan and more.

Trump started his last day in Beijing by boasting on social media that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had “congratulated me on so many tremendous successes” and had been referring only to his predecessor, former U.S. President Joe Biden, when he “very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation.”

Xi then welcomed Trump at his official residence, Zhongnanhai, on Friday for the final talks of the summit. The Chinese leader led Trump on a short walk through the grounds that feature ancient trees and Chinese roses. The leaders strolled through a covered passageway with green columns and archways painted with birds and traditional Chinese mountain scenes.

They then gathered in an ornate pavilion with top aides for talks over tea. The two are also expected have a working lunch before Trump departs for Washington.

“It’s been really a great couple of days," Trump told reporters as he sat with Xi before the start of their meeting with aides. (AP)

US Iran war LIVE: US President Donald Trump said on Friday he discussed Iran with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that they do not want Iran to have nuclear weapons and "want the straits open".

The two leaders met at the walled-off Zhongnanhai complex in Beijing as Trump wraps up his state visit to China.

"We’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve," Trump said. (Reuters)

US Iran war LIVE: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he discussed Iran with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that they do not want Iran to have nuclear weapons and "want the straits open".

The two leaders met at the walled-off Zhongnanhai complex in Beijing as Trump wraps up his state visit to China.

"We’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve," Trump said. (Reuters)

US Iran war LIVE: Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump had an in-depth exchange of views on major issues concerning the two countries and the world, and reached a series of new common understandings, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday.

Xi and Trump, who is on a three-day visit to China, met twice on Thursday and discussed a range of bilateral and global issues.

Trump is due to leave on Friday after a luncheon meeting with Xi.

Summing up the outcomes of Trump's visit to Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the two presidents had an in-depth exchange of views on major issues concerning the two countries and the world and reached a series of new common understandings.

They agreed on a new vision of building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability to provide strategic guidance for bilateral relations over the next three years and beyond. (PTI)

US Iran war LIVE: Donald Trump met Xi Jinping in Beijing’s leadership compound on Friday, kickstarting a second day of talks that kept relations on an even keel but have yielded limited deals so far.

The two leaders held at least 10 minutes of talks and walked together in Zhongnanhai, the secretive headquarters of the ruling Communist Party and residence of its top leaders.

“These are the most beautiful roses anyone has ever seen,” Trump said. Xi spoke about the history of the compound through a translator and offered to send seeds for the flowers to the US president.

The meeting follows a day of warm welcome and highly choreographed pageantry in the Chinese capital. In talks lasting about two and a half hours Thursday, the two presidents struck a positive tone on US-China relations but also discussed contentious issues ranging from trade, Taiwan and the Iran war.

Zhongnanhai offers a prestigious setting for the meeting and represents a gesture of hospitality. Only a handful of US leaders have been inside the heavily guarded complex next to the Forbidden City. Richard Nixon, the first American president to visit China, met Chairman Mao Zedong there during his groundbreaking trip in 1972, while George W. Bush visited the walled compound twice, in 2002 and 2008. Former President Barack Obama visited in 2014. (Bloomberg)

US Iran war LIVE: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed from Delhi on Thursday for a five-nation visit covering the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy.

During the first leg of the tour, Modi will arrive in the UAE later today and hold talks with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral ties, with a focus on energy cooperation, along with regional and international issues of mutual interest.

US Iran war LIVE: Donald Trump met Xi Jinping in Beijing’s leadership compound on Friday, kickstarting a second day of talks that kept relations on an even keel but have yielded limited deals so far.

The two leaders began a “small-scale” gathering at Zhongnanhai, the secretive headquarters of the ruling Communist Party and residence of its top leaders, the state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The meeting follows a day of warm welcome and highly choreographed pageantry in the Chinese capital. In talks lasting about two and a half hours Thursday, the two presidents struck a positive tone on US-China relations but also discuss contentious issues ranging from trade, Taiwan and the Iran war. (Bloomberg)

US Iran war LIVE: President Donald Trump said the US objective of recovering highly enriched uranium from Iran was “more for public relations than it is for anything else,” while reiterating his commitment to removing the nuclear material.

Trump said in an interview with Fox News aired on Thursday evening in the US that the mission to recover the uranium, which is thought to be buried beneath the rubble of bombed nuclear sites, could be viewed as unnecessary because the US was maintaining round-the-clock surveillance.

“We have nine cameras on that site, on those three sites, 24 hours a day,” Trump said. “We know exactly what’s happening. Nobody’s even gotten close to it.”

Still, the president said, he ultimately would rather get the material out of the country.

“I just feel better if I got it, actually,” Trump said. “But it’s, I think it’s more for public relations than it is for anything else.” (Bloomberg)

US Iran war LIVE: US President Donald Trump is seeking trade wins when he meets Xi Jinping on Friday for the last day of a superpower summit he says has already resulted in a Chinese offer to help open the Strait of Hormuz.

The US leader is hoping to seal deals in sectors including agriculture, aviation and artificial intelligence, as well as contain differences between the two sides in a number of tense geostrategic areas -- not least the Middle East war.

Trump's overtures to Xi, whom he described as a "great leader" and "friend", have so far been met with more muted tones by the Chinese leader.

But in an interview with Fox News after the first day of the summit wrapped, Trump said the talks in Beijing had gone well, saying Xi had agreed to several US wishlist points.

On the topic of the war in Iran, the US president said Xi had effectively assured his counterpart that China was not preparing to militarily aid Tehran, which has essentially closed the Strait of Hormuz. (AFP)

US Iran war LIVE: China called for comprehensive, lasting ceasefire in US-Iran conflict as soon as possible, news agency Reuters reported.

US Iran war LIVE: US President Donald Trump said Iran is "finished" and must either negotiate a deal to end the ongoing conflict or face destruction.

"Deal or annihilation for Iran," Trump stated during an interview with Fox News on the final day of his three-day trip to China. He emphasised that the US cannot "let Iran have a nuclear weapon."

"They're finished now; they can make a deal, or they will be annihilated," Trump said after in-depth discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping on various issues, including Iran.

Trump was scheduled for one more meeting with Xi on Friday, followed by lunch before returning home, concluding his visit to China.

During the interview, Trump noted, "President Xi would like to see a deal between the US and Iran." He added that Xi offered assistance, saying, 'If I could be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help.' Trump expressed his belief that China also does not want Iran to possess nuclear weapons.

Additionally, Trump mentioned that General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, informed him that the US could decisively neutralise Kharg Island in Iran in just "four or five minutes."

When pressed about China's support for Iran, Trump stated that the topic was discussed with Xi, who assured him that China "is not going to give military equipment" to Iran. China currently purchases 90 per cent of Iranian oil and maintains a strategic partnership with Tehran, including close military ties.

Trump described Xi as a "warm person" who is "all business." He expressed his appreciation for this, saying, "I like that – that's a good thing. No games."

He defended his positive remarks about his relationship with Xi, stating that he often faces criticism for praising certain leaders, but he respects Xi as a leader for China, a nation with nearly 1.5 billion people. (PTI)

US Iran war LIVE: US President Donald Trump has accepted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s remarks that America was a declining nation, but said that assessment applied to the period when ‘sleepy’ Joe Biden was in charge. Trump said he agreed ‘100 percent’ with Xi’s assessment, adding that 'he was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration'.

The US president said Xi was not referring to how the US is rising under his leadership. Trump defended his administration’s record, claiming the United States had witnessed an 'incredible rise' during the ‘16 spectacular months’ of his presidency.

'Our country suffered immeasurably with open borders, high taxes, transgender policies for everybody, men in women’s sports, DEI, horrible trade deals, rampant crime, and so much more,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Read full report here

US Iran war LIVE: President Donald Trump said his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping likes the idea of buying more US oil, as the leaders meet in Beijing.

Trump made the comments in an interview with Fox News, after a White House official on Thursday said China was interested in purchasing more US crude to reduce its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz. The crucial waterway has been effectively closed since the Iran war began in late February, bottling up roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows, driving up prices.

China’s official statements have so far not mentioned energy as a topic the two leaders have discussed, but did say the Middle East was addressed. Trump and Xi spoke for more than two hours on Thursday and are scheduled to meet again on Friday before the US president heads back to Washington. (Bloomberg)

US Iran war LIVE: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, on Thursday at the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting, called for countries to unite against American bullying, arguing that such practices must be consigned to the "dustbin of history."

"To virtually everyone in this room, our resistance against US bullying is not an unfamiliar battle. So many of us encounter slight variations of the same repugnant coercion. It is high time for us to jointly step up and work towards making clear that those practices belong in the dustbin of history", he said.

"Today, our nations are closer to one another than ever before, and we cannot ignore the common and dangerous challenge we all face. History has shown that empires in decline will stop at nothing to arrest their inevitable fates. A wounded animal will desperately claw and roar on its way down", the Iranian Foreign Minister added.

US Iran war LIVE: US President Donald Trump said he would not be much more patient with Iran as he urged Tehran to reach a deal with Washington. "I am not going to be much more patient," Trump said in an interview aired on Thursday night on Fox News' "Hannity" program.

US Iran war LIVE: Israel and Lebanon concluded the third round of peace talks, which lasted over eight hours at the US State Department on Thursday, according to a report by the Jerusalem Post.

The delegations from both countries will meet again on Friday for further discussions. A State Department official termed the talks "productive and positive".

As per the Jerusalem Post, the official added, "We look forward to continuing this tomorrow and hope to have more to share then".

According to the outlet, the US mediation of the talks was led by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Secretary of State Marco Rubio's adviser Michael Needham, and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa.

The Israeli delegation was led by Israel's ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, who was accompanied by the IDF Head of Strategy, Brig.-Gen. Amichai Levin, a representative from the National Security Council, and the acting Israeli military attache in Washington.

The Lebanese delegation comprised Lebanon's former ambassador to the US, Simon Karam, current Lebanese ambassador Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, and Lebanon's military attache in Washington.

Prior to the negotiations, an Israeli official had told the Jerusalem Post that the talks aimed to discuss a framework for an agreement in greater depth. (ANI)