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Iran Foreign Ministry Says US Not Serious About Pursuing Diplomacy

An Iranian woman walks next to a wall painting of Iran’s national flag on a street in Tehran, Iran, 20 April 2026. (EPA)
An Iranian woman walks next to a wall painting of Iran’s national flag on a street in Tehran, Iran, 20 April 2026. (EPA)
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Iran Foreign Ministry Says US Not Serious About Pursuing Diplomacy

An Iranian woman walks next to a wall painting of Iran’s national flag on a street in Tehran, Iran, 20 April 2026. (EPA)
An Iranian woman walks next to a wall painting of Iran’s national flag on a street in Tehran, Iran, 20 April 2026. (EPA)

Iran's foreign ministry said Monday that the United States was not serious about pursuing diplomacy, citing what it called "violations" of their two-week ceasefire.

"While claiming diplomacy and readiness for negotiations, the US is carrying out behaviors that do not in any way indicate seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process," said ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing.

He said a US attack on an Iranian cargo ship early Monday, the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, and delays in implementing a ceasefire in Lebanon were all "clear violations of the ceasefire".

Iran has been at war with Israel and the United States since February 28 when strikes killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei, triggering a conflict that has engulfed the region.

Tehran and Washington have since held a round of negotiations which failed to culminate in a deal to end the war. It took place against the backdrop of a fragile two-week ceasefire which began on April 8.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday he had ordered US negotiators to travel to Pakistan on Monday to hold another round of talks, but Iran has yet to confirm its attendance.

"As of now, while I am at your service, we have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard," said Baqaei.

Key sticking points include Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium and the status of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed since the outbreak of the war.

"Regarding the issue of transferring enriched uranium, neither during this period of negotiations nor before has transferring it to the United States been discussed," Baqaei said.

"It was never raised as an option for us," he added.

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World

NATO ‘Will Always Defend’ Türkiye, Says Rutte

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Defense Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (R) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) shaking hands during a meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 21 April 2026. (EPA/Turkish Defense Ministry/Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Defense Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (R) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) shaking hands during a meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 21 April 2026. (EPA/Turkish Defense Ministry/Handout)
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NATO ‘Will Always Defend’ Türkiye, Says Rutte

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Defense Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (R) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) shaking hands during a meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 21 April 2026. (EPA/Turkish Defense Ministry/Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Defense Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (R) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) shaking hands during a meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 21 April 2026. (EPA/Turkish Defense Ministry/Handout)

NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Wednesday the alliance would do "what's necessary to defend" its members including Türkiye after intercepting four missiles fired from Iran and head into Turkish air space over the past weeks.

A member of the US-led defense alliance, Türkiye, which borders Iran, has been largely spared the sort of retaliation from Tehran suffered by countries in the Middle East before the ceasefire.

NATO forces had shot down ballistic missiles fired from Iran for four times, prompting the alliance to deploy a new Patriot missile battery at Incirlik air base in southern Türkiye.

"Iran is spreading terror and chaos, and you feel this prominently here in Türkiye," Rutte told journalists on a visit to Türkiye’s largest defense electronics company Aselsan.

"In recent weeks, NATO has successfully intercepted ballistic missiles heading to Türkiye from Iran on four separate occasions," he said.

"NATO is prepared for such threats and will always do what is necessary to defend Türkiye and all others. And we cannot do it alone," he added.

Rutte's visit comes ahead of a July summit by NATO leaders to be held in Ankara.

Praising the progress made by Türkiye in the defense field, Rutte said: "We can learn a lot from what Türkiye is doing here".

"This is needed because we live in a more dangerous world... and that means we need strong defenses to protect our security".

Rutte said: "Türkiye has gone through a defense industrial revolution. I could really say it's a revolution in recent years."

The NATO chief is due to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

World

China Warns Middle East at ‘Critical Juncture’ After Trump Extends Ceasefire

13 April 2026, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
13 April 2026, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
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China Warns Middle East at ‘Critical Juncture’ After Trump Extends Ceasefire

13 April 2026, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
13 April 2026, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks to journalists. (dpa)

China warned on Wednesday that the situation in the Middle East was at a "critical juncture" after US President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire to allow Iran more time to negotiate.

Trump indefinitely pushed back the end of the two-week truce on Tuesday with Tehran yet to respond but he said a US blockade of Iran's ports would continue.

"The current regional situation stands at a critical juncture transitioning between war and peace; the paramount priority remains to make every effort to prevent a resumption of hostilities," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news briefing.

Guo did not comment directly on the ceasefire when asked about it, adding only that Beijing would continue to play a "constructive" role.

World

Extreme Heat Threatens Global Food Systems, UN Agencies Warn

Emmanuel, a worker at the Fasoranti farm, harvests cocoa pods in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, 20 April 2026. (EPA)
Emmanuel, a worker at the Fasoranti farm, harvests cocoa pods in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, 20 April 2026. (EPA)
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Extreme Heat Threatens Global Food Systems, UN Agencies Warn

Emmanuel, a worker at the Fasoranti farm, harvests cocoa pods in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, 20 April 2026. (EPA)
Emmanuel, a worker at the Fasoranti farm, harvests cocoa pods in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, 20 April 2026. (EPA)

Extreme heat is pushing global agrifood systems to the brink, threatening the livelihoods and health of more than a billion people, according to a new report by the UN's food and weather agencies.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said heatwaves are becoming more frequent, intense and prolonged, damaging crops, livestock, fisheries and forests.

"Extreme heat is rewriting the script on what farmers, fishers and foresters can grow and when they can grow. In some cases it is even dictating if they can still work," said Kaveh Zahedi, ‌head of ‌FAO's climate change office.

"At its core, this report ‌is ⁠telling us that ⁠we face a very uncertain future," he told Reuters.

Recent climate datasets show global warming is accelerating, with 2025 ranking among the three hottest years on record, triggering more frequent and severe weather extremes.

Acting as a risk multiplier, extreme heat intensifies droughts, wildfires and pest outbreaks and sharply cuts crop yields once critical temperature thresholds are breached.

RISKS ESCALATE RAPIDLY AS TEMPERATURES PUSH HIGHER

The report said higher temperatures ⁠are shrinking the safety margin that plants, animals and ‌humans rely on to function, with yields for ‌most major crops falling once temperatures exceed about 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

Zahedi cited ‌Morocco, where six years of drought were followed by record heatwaves. "This led ‌to a fall in cereal yields by over 40%. It decimated the olive and citrus harvest. Basically, those harvests failed," he said.

Marine heatwaves are also becoming more frequent, depleting oxygen levels in water and threatening fish stocks. In 2024, 91% of the world's ‌oceans experienced at least one marine heatwave, the report said.

Risks rise sharply as warming accelerates. The intensity of extreme ⁠heat events is ⁠expected to roughly double at 2 degrees Celsius of warming and quadruple at 3 degrees, compared with 1.5 degrees, the report said.

Zahedi said every one-degree rise in average global temperatures cuts yields of the world's four major crops - maize, rice, soya, and wheat - by about 6%.

The FAO and WMO said piecemeal responses were inadequate and called for better risk governance and early-warning weather systems to help farmers and fishers take preventive action.

"If you can get the data into the farmers' hands, they can adjust when they plant, they can adjust what they plant, they can adjust when they harvest," Zahedi said.

But the report said adaptation alone is not enough, arguing the only lasting solution to the growing threat of extreme heat is ambitious, coordinated action to curb climate change.