Iran Urges US to Drop 'Excessive Demands' to Reach Deal

In this handout photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on February 26, 2026, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) speaks with Oman's FM Badr Albusaidi during their meeting in Geneva. (Photo by Iran's Foreign Ministry / AFP)
In this handout photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on February 26, 2026, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) speaks with Oman's FM Badr Albusaidi during their meeting in Geneva. (Photo by Iran's Foreign Ministry / AFP)
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Iran Urges US to Drop 'Excessive Demands' to Reach Deal

In this handout photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on February 26, 2026, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) speaks with Oman's FM Badr Albusaidi during their meeting in Geneva. (Photo by Iran's Foreign Ministry / AFP)
In this handout photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on February 26, 2026, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) speaks with Oman's FM Badr Albusaidi during their meeting in Geneva. (Photo by Iran's Foreign Ministry / AFP)

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that in order to reach a deal, the United States will have to drop its "excessive demands", after the two sides held talks in Geneva.

In a phone call with Egypt's top diplomat Badr Abdelatty, Araghchi said "success in this path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands."

Araghchi did not clarify what demands he was referring to, but Washington has pointed to Iran's ballistic missile program and has repeatedly described Tehran's uranium enrichment capability as a red line.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Tehran had "already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they're working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America."

Also on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is "not enriching right now, but they're trying to get to the point where they ultimately can", adding that Tehran "refuses" to discuss its ballistic missile program and "that's a big problem."

Iran has repeatedly said its missile program is part of its defensive capabilities and has ruled out abandoning uranium enrichment, insisting its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.

Longtime adversaries Iran and the United States held their third round of Omani-mediated nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva, seeking to avert military escalation as Washington expands its military build-up in the region.

Both Iran and Oman cited progress after the talks, with technical discussions scheduled for Monday in Vienna ahead of a fourth round expected next week.



Putin Says It’s Too Early to Say if the Drone Which Strayed into Romania Was Russian

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends the extended-format meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) at the Palace of Independence in Astana on May 29, 2026. (AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends the extended-format meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) at the Palace of Independence in Astana on May 29, 2026. (AFP)
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Putin Says It’s Too Early to Say if the Drone Which Strayed into Romania Was Russian

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends the extended-format meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) at the Palace of Independence in Astana on May 29, 2026. (AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends the extended-format meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) at the Palace of Independence in Astana on May 29, 2026. (AFP)

Russian ‌President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that it was too early to say if the drone which crashed into an apartment block in Romania was Russian and suggested it could have been a Ukrainian drone.

NATO accused Moscow on Friday of reckless behavior and pledged to "defend every inch of Allied territory" after Romania said a Russian drone had crashed into ‌an apartment ‌block in the alliance member state ‌during ⁠an attack on ⁠neighboring Ukraine.

"Who in Romania says that this is a Russian drone?" Putin asked reporters at a news conference in Astana, Kazakhstan. He said he had only just heard of the incident as he had been in talks ⁠all day.

"No one can say ‌what the origin ‌of this or that drone is until an examination ‌has been carried out," he said.

Putin ‌said that Ukrainian drones had previously been spotted in Finland, Poland and in the Baltic countries.

"The first reaction was exactly the same as it ‌is now in Romania: The Russians are coming," Putin said. "Then, after a short ⁠time, ⁠it turned out that it had nothing to do with Russian drones."

Putin also pushed back against remarks by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who accused Russia of crossing another line with the incident, saying that she had not examined the drone debris herself.

Putin suggested that Romania share information about what happened and potentially drone fragments so that Moscow could conduct its own investigation.


Trump to Decide Imminently on Iran Deal, Says Hormuz Strait Must Open

US President Donald Trump looks on during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 27 May 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump looks on during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 27 May 2026. (EPA)
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Trump to Decide Imminently on Iran Deal, Says Hormuz Strait Must Open

US President Donald Trump looks on during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 27 May 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump looks on during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 27 May 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump said he would make a final decision on Friday over a deal with Iran to extend their ceasefire that would need to include opening the Strait of Hormuz and dismantling Tehran's capacity to make a nuclear weapon. 

"I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination," he said, referring to the White House's nerve center for monitoring global crises. 

Sources had said a deal was in the offing to ‌extend a truce in ‌place since early April for another 60 days ‌to ⁠allow oil and gas ⁠shipments to resume through the strategic waterway while negotiators tackle tricky issues such as Iran's nuclear program. 

"Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb. The Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions," Trump said, adding that nuclear material would be "unearthed" by the US. 

There was no immediate response from Iran, but earlier its top negotiator ⁠Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf had sounded skeptical. 

"We do not trust ‌guarantees and words, only actions are ‌the criterion. No action will be taken before the other side acts," Qalibaf said in a ‌social media post, without elaborating. 

"The winner of any agreement is the ‌one who is better prepared for war the day after." 

THOUSANDS DEAD, GLOBAL ECONOMY SUFFERING 

The war launched by the US and Israel on February 28 has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and caused global economic pain by pushing up ‌energy prices due to Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. 

Oil prices fell and stocks rose on ⁠Friday over the potential ⁠deal. 

In his post on Truth Social, Trump said mines would be removed from the strait and ships trapped there may start to go home: "Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President!" 

He added that no money would be exchanged "until further notice" - a possible reference to Iran's demands for toll payments in the strait, war damage reparations or a release of Iranian funds frozen abroad. 

Kazakhstan has signaled it is willing to take Tehran's stockpile of uranium enriched close to weapons-grade levels if the US reaches a deal with Iran, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, told the Financial Times. 

Kazakhstan hosts an internationally controlled bank of low-enriched uranium to ensure fuel supplies for power stations in International Atomic Energy Agency member states. 


Poland President Says Wants Zelensky Stripped of Award

Polish President Karol Nawrocki (C) attends the ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Wielun, central Poland, 01 September 2025. EPA/Marian Zubrzycki POLAND OUT
Polish President Karol Nawrocki (C) attends the ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Wielun, central Poland, 01 September 2025. EPA/Marian Zubrzycki POLAND OUT
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Poland President Says Wants Zelensky Stripped of Award

Polish President Karol Nawrocki (C) attends the ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Wielun, central Poland, 01 September 2025. EPA/Marian Zubrzycki POLAND OUT
Polish President Karol Nawrocki (C) attends the ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in Wielun, central Poland, 01 September 2025. EPA/Marian Zubrzycki POLAND OUT

Poland's president said Friday he wanted Volodymyr Zelensky to be stripped of his country's highest civilian award, after the Ukrainian leader named a military unit after a historical faction accused of killing scores of Poles in World War II.

Karol Nawrocki told the media he was "outraged" and had proposed "the withdrawal of the Order of the White Eagle from President Zelensky".