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Iran said its armed forces are prepared to respond to any US attack after President Trump warned Tehran to negotiate a nuclear deal or face military action, as Iranian officials rejected talks while signalling openness to an agreement limiting nuclear activity to peaceful use. 

Elsewhere, US officials declined to rule out the use of force in Venezuela following the removal of Nicolás Maduro, France announced plans to replace Microsoft Teams and Zoom across government departments, and EU leaders renewed calls for Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defence. 

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Top 5 Stories

1️⃣🇺🇸🇻🇪 Rubio declines to rule out US force in Venezuela: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told senators the Trump administration does not intend to use military force in Venezuela but said President Trump retains the option, citing self-defence, following the removal of Nicolás Maduro and US seizure and sale of Venezuelan oil. Rubio described the intervention as law enforcement, not war, while declining to set a timeline for democratic transition and outlining plans to restructure Venezuela’s energy sector.

2️⃣🇫🇷🇪🇺 France to replace Microsoft Teams and Zoom in government: France said it will roll out the domestically developed Visio videoconferencing platform across all government departments by 2027, replacing Microsoft Teams and Zoom to secure public communications and reduce reliance on foreign software. Officials said the platform, tested for a year and hosted on a French sovereign cloud, could cut licensing costs and address concerns over dependence on US technology.

3️⃣🇪🇺🇺🇸 Kallas urges Europe to stop outsourcing defence: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe must urgently strengthen its own defence and reduce reliance on the United States, warning that the transatlantic relationship has shifted structurally under President Trump. Kallas said Nato must become more European to maintain strength, citing tensions over Greenland and defence spending as Europeans are pushed to take greater responsibility.

4️⃣🇷🇺🇸🇾 Al-Sharaa meets Putin as Russia seeks to keep bases: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as Russia seeks to secure its military presence in Syria, including bases at Khmeimim and Tartous. The Kremlin has not said whether it will agree to al-Sharaa’s requests for the extradition of former president Bashar al-Assad, as Russia reassesses its reduced regional footprint.

5️⃣🇪🇨🇺🇸 Ecuador condemns ICE attempt to enter consulate: Ecuador said a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent attempted to enter its Minneapolis consulate without consent, which it said violated consular inviolability under the Vienna Convention, prompting a formal protest to the US embassy. The incident occurred amid heightened tensions in Minneapolis following fatal shootings during protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Major Story

🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump warns Iran time is running out

US President Donald Trump warned Iran that the window for negotiating a nuclear deal is closing as the United States increases its military presence in the Gulf, describing a large naval deployment led by the USS Abraham Lincoln as a “massive armada.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s forces are prepared to respond immediately to any attack, while reiterating that Iran’s nuclear programme is peaceful and that Tehran has never sought nuclear weapons. 

US officials said the military build-up is intended to deter potential Iranian threats to US personnel, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio describing Iran’s leadership as weakened amid widespread protests and economic strain. Iran’s deputy foreign minister said no formal negotiations with Washington are underway, despite exchanges of messages.

Other News

1️⃣🌍🚢 GPS jamming poses growing maritime safety risk: Experts warned that GPS jamming and spoofing are disrupting navigation systems on hundreds of vessels daily, creating urgent risks to maritime safety, according to a new report. The findings cite at least two collisions or groundings in 2025 and warn that reliance on GNSS across ship systems poses risks to life, property and the environment.

2️⃣🇬🇧🇺🇸 Starmer says Chagos talks with US ongoing: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said discussions are continuing with the United States over a deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after US support was questioned following criticism from President Trump and senior officials. He said the deal had previously been reviewed and backed by the Trump administration but acknowledged uncertainty amid political, legal and parliamentary hurdles.

3️⃣🇪🇺🇩🇪 Six EU states push two-speed Europe talks: Ministers from Germany, France, Poland, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands held talks on advancing joint projects outside the full EU framework to enable faster decision-making amid geopolitical instability and economic pressure. German officials said the initiative aims to strengthen European sovereignty and competitiveness and could expand to other EU members.

4️⃣🇦🇺🇹🇱 Australia to give Timor-Leste share of gas revenue: Australia said it will donate at least one third of its future revenue from the Greater Sunrise gas project to Timor-Leste and create an infrastructure fund from its share, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a new partnership. The agreement supports Timor-Leste’s push for onshore gas processing while key fiscal, regulatory and development terms remain unresolved.

5️⃣🇮🇶🇺🇸 Maliki denounces US interference in Iraq election: Former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki accused the United States of blatant interference after President Trump threatened to withdraw support if he returns to power. The comments come as Iraq’s government formation remains stalled following elections, with reactions from pro-Iran militias and ongoing tensions over Iraq’s regional alignments.

6️⃣🇷🇺🇺🇦 Russia-Ukraine war casualties near 2 million, report says: A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated combined Russian and Ukrainian military casualties could reach 2 million by spring, citing about 1.2 million Russian and up to 600,000 Ukrainian casualties. The Kremlin rejected the figures as unreliable, and Ukraine did not formally comment.

7️⃣🇫🇷🇪🇸🇪🇺 France and Spain back IRGC terrorist designation: France and Spain said they would support adding Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the EU terrorist list, reversing earlier hesitation ahead of talks among EU foreign ministers. Officials said the move follows renewed scrutiny after Iran’s crackdown on protests and would expand existing sanctions through asset freezes, funding bans and travel restrictions.

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