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Qatar Says Progress Made Toward US-Iran Talks on Ending War

US and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
US and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Qatar Says Progress Made Toward US-Iran Talks on Ending War

US and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
US and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Qatar said mediators were making progress in efforts to end the US-Iran war on Tuesday, driving oil prices lower, although Tehran has denied President Donald Trump's assertion that talks are already under way.

Benchmark Brent crude fell more than 4% after the comments from Qatar, extending Monday's steep losses on hopes that an arrangement could soon be reached to restore traffic through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

But for now, the strait remained virtually shut, with another ship reportedly coming under attack while trying to cross it. Trump said on Monday that talks with Tehran had started and Iran faced a "last chance" to reach a deal.

Iranian officials insisted no negotiations with the United States were taking place. Iran says its only talks are with Oman about the strait, and that no major meetings were planned this week. But senior US officials struck an optimistic tone on Tuesday, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both pointing to progress in discussions aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor that normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

"There's been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We're hoping that will happen very shortly," Rubio told reporters at the State Department. Bessent said a deal with Iran on the reopening of Hormuz could be reached by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said diplomatic contacts had reached "very progressive stages".

He said mediators including Qatar, Pakistan and Oman were coordinating closely to facilitate negotiations and exchange draft proposals between Washington and Tehran.

A senior Pakistani security official said: "A lot is happening in the background ... We are talking to both sides. Our sole goal at this moment is to make both parties at least agree to start talking."

Trump's comments followed his weekend decision to cancel what he described as "massive attacks" on Iran, extending a pattern in which he has threatened major military action before later backing off and pointing to diplomatic contacts.

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Iran Says Latest US Response Is ‘Insufficient’

Iranian women hold their country's flags during a protest to condemn France's "violent crackdown on students demonstrations and human rights violations" in front of the French Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP)
Iranian women hold their country's flags during a protest to condemn France's "violent crackdown on students demonstrations and human rights violations" in front of the French Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Says Latest US Response Is ‘Insufficient’

Iranian women hold their country's flags during a protest to condemn France's "violent crackdown on students demonstrations and human rights violations" in front of the French Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP)
Iranian women hold their country's flags during a protest to condemn France's "violent crackdown on students demonstrations and human rights violations" in front of the French Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP)

The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said on Sunday Tehran found the latest response from the United States “insufficient” as efforts at negotiations to end the war and fully open the Strait of Hormuz limp along.

The comments by Mohsen Rezaei, a former Revolutionary Guard commander, were carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

Rezaei added that Iran is no longer responding to the US and said Washington must clarify certain issues, without giving details. He said the US has accepted some of the seven conditions but others remain unclear.

Iran’s delegation to the annual UN gathering of world leaders last month proposed a sped-up agreement that echoed the memorandum of understanding that collapsed days after the US and Iran signed it in June. The new proposal was rejected, but the two sides have remained in contact via mediation.

Rezaei also threatened “cables, data centers, AI facilities and other sites in the region” if intense fighting breaks out again.

Meanwhile, the Guard's navy warned that any ship on the strait that turns off navigation and identification systems would be “identified as hostile," according to an IRNA report.

Attacks on ships transiting the strait have increased since Iran's proposal was rejected. One attack was reported Sunday.

World

UK Prime Minister Say It Is ‘Clear’ Russia Interfered in 2016 Brexit Referendum

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham gives a television interview following his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in Berlin, Germany, October 8, 2026. (Sean Gallup/Pool via Reuters)
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham gives a television interview following his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in Berlin, Germany, October 8, 2026. (Sean Gallup/Pool via Reuters)
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UK Prime Minister Say It Is ‘Clear’ Russia Interfered in 2016 Brexit Referendum

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham gives a television interview following his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in Berlin, Germany, October 8, 2026. (Sean Gallup/Pool via Reuters)
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham gives a television interview following his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in Berlin, Germany, October 8, 2026. (Sean Gallup/Pool via Reuters)

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham says it is clear that Russia interfered with Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, adding it was important to put Moscow’s tampering on the record because countries across Europe are facing the same threat.

In excerpts from “The Rest is Politics” podcast released Sunday, Burnham said that when he became prime minister in July, he asked his advisers whether Russia had interfered with the 2016 referendum. The full podcast is scheduled to drop on Monday.

“I’ve had the clear answer that yes, there was,” Burnham said. “These things are important now to put clearly on the record and I believe help voters in Germany and France understand that some of this politics is instigated via our enemies, namely Russia.”

Russia has long said it does not meddle in other countries’ elections or referendums.

Burnham’s comments come as UK intelligence agencies warn about the increasing threat of Russian interference in Britain’s democratic institutions. The intervention is believed to be the first time a British prime minister has publicly acknowledged Russian interference in the Brexit vote.

Burnham said he spoke to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about possible links between Russia and the far-right Alternative for Germany party when the two leaders met last week in Berlin.

“You know he was saying to me that the AfD are clearly linked to Russia, funded I believe,” Burnham said. “There is certainly misinformation, disinformation that is emanating from Russia into German politics,” he added.

Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee found in 2020 that the government failed to fully assess the impact Russian state-run media and “troll” accounts could have had on the EU referendum.

World

Pope to Be Operated on for Lump on Lung

A general view shows Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Leo is expected to undergo surgery this week to remove a small growth on his lung, in Rome, Italy, October 11, 2026. (Reuters)
A general view shows Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Leo is expected to undergo surgery this week to remove a small growth on his lung, in Rome, Italy, October 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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Pope to Be Operated on for Lump on Lung

A general view shows Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Leo is expected to undergo surgery this week to remove a small growth on his lung, in Rome, Italy, October 11, 2026. (Reuters)
A general view shows Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Leo is expected to undergo surgery this week to remove a small growth on his lung, in Rome, Italy, October 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday announced he would have an operation "in the coming days" for a lump on his lung, saying it had been located "at a very early stage".

"During recent medical checks, a nodule on my lung was found. It has been detected at a very early stage and is very localized," the 71-year-old said in a weekly address in St Peter's Square.

"The doctors believe it would be right to intervene and so, following their advice, I have decided to have the operation to remove it. The operation is already planned in the coming days," he said.

Following the pope's statement during his Angelus prayers, the Vatican press office said the pontiff was expected to have surgery in the next few days, and the expected recovery time from the operation would be around one week.

The operation was to take place in the Gemelli hospital in Rome, which has frequently treated popes since John Paul II.

No information has been given as to whether the surgery and recovery would affect the pope's agenda for international trips. He is next due to go to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru between November 6 and 17.

- 'Calmness' -

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement that the "calmness with which he spoke during today's Angelus reassures us".

She expressed to the pope her "personal closeness, and that of the Italian government, as he confronts this ordeal of the coming days".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wished Leo a "successful surgery and a swift, full recovery" in a post on X.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with him, and we hope he will soon be back in good health and strength," he added.

Archbishop Daniel Sturla of Montevideo called on the faithful to pray for the pope's "speedy recovery" and to continue preparations for his upcoming visit to Uruguay "with even greater enthusiasm".

Argentina's bishops' conference also urged Catholics to join in a special prayer for Leo ahead of the surgery, asking that it "go well" with a "swift and full recovery".

Chicago-born Leo became the first US pope last year following the death of his Argentine predecessor Francis on April 21, 2025 at the age of 88.

Leo was elected leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics on May 8, 2025.

The former Robert Francis Prevost, while less ebullient than his predecessor, has gradually imprinted his style on the leadership of the Catholic Church, finding his voice as he takes on some of the world's most pressing issues, from bloody conflicts to artificial intelligence.

After the US and Israel launched a war against Iran in February, the pope became a high-profile critic of the conflict.

He condemned US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy Iran as "truly unacceptable" and urged Americans to demand that US lawmakers "work for peace".

Trump slammed the pontiff as "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy" -- to which Leo replied that he had a "moral duty to speak out".