Egyptians have turned out in large crowds at polling stations to vote in a referendum on amendments made to the constitution following the February ouster of authoritarian ruler Hosni Mubarak.

Arab League chief Amr Musa, an Egyptian, hailed the large turnout as he cast his vote, saying, "Whether the Egyptian people say yes or no, that's alright...what is important is that people are coming."

The referendum is Egypt's first taste of democracy following the ouster of Mubarak on February 11 in a popular uprising after three decades in power.

The proposed amendments limit the amount of time a president can stay in office to two four-year terms. They also oblige the president to appoint a deputy within a month after being elected.

Turnout was reportedly high after polls opened at 8 a.m. local time.

AlHurra correspondent in Cairo, Tarek El-Shamby, told RFE/RL that voters seemed to be "happy and exited" despite having to wait in long lines to cast their votes.

"Maybe they are suffering because there are long lines to get to the ballot box, but after all they are happy because for the first time they feel that there is transparency and that their vote will make a difference," he said.

Ali Gheita, a young doctor who cast his ballot in Cairo, said: "It feels really good. To experience democracy for the first time and to feel that your vote really counts is an experience that no one should live without?"

In one incident, a crowd attacked Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition figurehead Mohamed ElBaradei as he tried to cast his vote at a polling station in Cairo.

The amendments are designed to pave the way for parliamentary and presidential elections. The elections will enable the military, which has been ruling the country since Mubarak's ouster, to hand over power to an elected civilian government.

Currently, the military is planning parliamentary elections in September, with a presidential vote to follow afterward.

The military has urged the country's 45 million eligible voters to take part in the referendum, saying the amendments are the best way forward.

Critics: Amendments Don't Go Far Enough

Egypt's two key political groups, the National Democratic Party and Muslim Brotherhood, support the amendments.

But opponents of the proposed package say it does not comprise real change that would abolish the country's autocratic system of government. They have urged voters to reject the package.

Critics of the proposals include two prominent Egyptian political figures, ElBaradei and the Arab League's Musa.

ElBaradei said the proposed package "doesn't talk about the imperial power of the president, it doesn't talk about the distortion of the parliament, it doesn't talk about the need to have an independent constituent assembly that represents everybody."

If voters reject the amendments, the military would have to extend its rule and set up a new judicial commission to rewrite the constitution.

Such a scenario would also push back the parliamentary elections.

Any Egyptian over 18 years old who has a national identity card is eligible to vote.

The European Parliament said 14 of its members would be visiting Egypt to monitor the referendum.

Polls will close at 7 p.m. local time, and the results are expected on late on March 20 or early on March 21.

with agency reports

The next round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran will take place in Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed, as the two sides meet for a second time in eight days.

"We received the request from the interested parties, from Oman which is playing the role of mediator, and we gave a positive response," Tajani was quoted as saying by Italy's main news agency, ANSA, on April 14.

The top Italian diplomat's comments suggest that while Italy will host the second of talks on April 19, Oman will continue to serve as an intermediary in the indirect talks.

"Rome confirms itself as a capital of peace and mediation," Tajani said. "We will continue to support all negotiations that can lead to resolving the nuclear issue, but also to building peace."

In a surprise development, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met briefly after the talks in Oman ended, adding to optimism relations between the two countries have taken a step forward.

Both sides described the Oman discussions as "positive" and "constructive."

Separately, Iran confirmed on April 13 that Rafael Grossi, secretary-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will travel to Iran on April 16.

US President Donald Trump has said he wants to ensure Iran will never acquire nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and wants a deal that leads to the lifting of sanctions that have battered its economy.

Trump has said that in the absence of a deal, there will be military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, with potential Israeli involvement.

Estimates suggest Iran could enrich sufficient uranium for a single bomb in less than a week and enough for several bombs within a month.

Pakistan has called on Iran to take swift action following the killing of eight Pakistani nationals in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan.

The victims, all workers at an auto repair shop in the town of Mehrestan, were reportedly shot dead by unidentified armed assailants on April 11. The attackers are said to have tied up the victims before executing them at close range and fleeing the scene.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the killings and urged Iranian authorities to apprehend and punish those responsible.

"The Iranian government must immediately arrest those involved in the killings, ensure they receive severe punishment, and uncover the motives behind this brutal act," he said.

He also emphasized the need for the immediate repatriation of the victims' bodies to their families in Punjab, Pakistan, where all eight men were from.

The attack has sparked outrage in Pakistan, with officials calling for enhanced security measures to protect Pakistani citizens working in Iran.

Iran has officially condemned the killings as an "act of terrorism." Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said in a statement on April 13 that Iranian security and judicial authorities are committed to identifying and prosecuting the perpetrators.

The Iranian Embassy in Islamabad also strongly condemned the incident, labeling it a "cowardly and inhumane attack" while emphasizing terrorism as a shared threat to regional peace and security.

Some reports allege the separatist group Baloch National Army (BNA) has claimed responsibility for the killings, alleging the victims were linked to Pakistani intelligence agencies. RFE/RL has not been able to independently verify this.

The BNA has a history of targeting Pakistani nationals and has carried out similar attacks in the past as part of its campaign against Islamabad's influence in the region.

Iran and Pakistan have frequently accused one another of allowing militants to launch cross-border attacks from their territory.

In January last year, nine Pakistanis were killed in Sistan-Baluchistan province.

Armed opposition groups to the Islamic republic -- such as Jaish al-Adl -- have a long history of launching attacks in the Iranian province.

Officials from around the world condemned Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, as the Ukrainian city of Sumy continued to sift through the wreckage caused by Russian a missile strike that left at least 34 people dead.

Ukraine's state emergency service said two children were among those killed in the April 13 attack when Ukrainians were marking Palm Sunday, while at least 117 others -- including 15 children -- were injured.

The attack prompted European officials to accuse Russia of committing a war crime, while US officials from President Donald Trump to several Republican and Democratic Party lawmakers expressed horror at the death and destruction caused in the second major attack to kill civilians in 10 days.

In an interview that aired late on April 13 on the US news program 60 Minutes, Zelenskyy, who was speaking before the latest attack had occurred, urged President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine to see first hand what Russia was doing to his country even as the two sides talk with Washington about a cease-fire.

"But please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead," Zelenskyy said.

"You will understand what Putin did."

The Kremlin has denied that either of the attacks targeted civilian infrastructure as it has with multiple allegations of deliberately striking such targets in Ukraine throughout the war, even though repeated attacks on hospitals, schools, energy facilities, and residential buildings have been documented throughout the conflict.

Trump, who has made ending the war a top foreign policy priority since taking office less than three months ago, called the Russian strike on Sumy a "horrible thing."

"I think it was terrible. And I was told they made a mistake. But I think it's a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing," he told reporters aboard Air Force One on April 13 as he traveled to Washington from Florida, although he didn't specify what he meant by "made a mistake."

Russia Targeted Crowded Center of Sumy

An RFE/RL correspondent who arrived in Sumy not long after the attack said it occurred "in a very crowded place -- the center of the city" at a time when many Ukrainians would have been going to church for Palm Sunday.

"People walk there with their children," Alyona Yatsyna added. "There are some cafes. All the cars on the street, including public transport -- a whole bus burned to the ground. There's a lot of destruction. A lot of people were killed."

The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said on Telegram that two Iskander-M / KN-23 ballistic missiles had been launched at Sumy from Russia's Voronezh and Kursk regions.

As crews began to clean up debris the day after the attack, locals laid flowers to remember the victims. "It's a huge tragedy," said Serhiy Pask, the mayor of Mykolayivka, a village just north of Sumy. "Unfortunately, it's happening every day."

Global Leaders Condemn Putin Over Sumy Strike

"This is the height of [Putin's] perfidy," Germany's incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, told public broadcaster ARD on April 14.

"It was a deliberate and calculated war crime."

Merz, the 69-year-old leader of the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), reiterated his consistent support for supplying long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, stressing that such a move should be made in close coordination with European allies.

"European partners are already supplying cruise missiles," he said. "The British are doing it, the French are doing it, and the Americans are doing it anyway. It has to be coordinated, and if it is coordinated, then Germany should be part of it," he added.

He also pointed to Crimea as a potential target for Ukraine's long-range strikes. "One example would be to destroy the most important land link between Russia and Crimea," Merz added, noting its strategic importance for Russian military logistics.

When questioned about the Sumy attack, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on April 14 said Russia's military targets only "military and military-linked targets."

At the news briefing, Peskov also condemned Merz's proposal on supplies of Taurus long-range missiles, warning that such a move "will only lead to a further escalation" of the conflict.

The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on April 14 in Luxembourg that "all those who want the killing to stop should put the maximum pressure" possible on Russia to agree to a peace plan.

"We have to put the pressure, the maximum pressure, on Russia to really end this war, because it takes two to want peace," Kallas said as she arrived at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers.

UN chief Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, was "deeply alarmed and shocked" by the attack in Sumy, his spokesman stated, saying it "continues a devastating pattern of similar assaults on Ukrainian cities and towns in recent weeks."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a "horrifying Russian missile attack," while Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said the "Palm Sunday attack by Russian forces on civilian targets in Sumy crosses any line of decency."

Trump has signaled impatience with the pace of talks to cement a cease-fire in Ukraine with his administration continuing to engage in direct talks with Russian officials, as part of a wider deal aimed at rebuilding bilateral relations.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff flew to St. Petersburg, Russia, to meet with Putin for more than four hours of talks on April 12. Neither Witkoff nor the White House issued any public comment after the meeting, though the Kremlin said "aspects of a Ukrainian settlement" had been discussed.

"While Ukraine has accepted President Trump's ceasefire proposal, Putin continues to show he is more interested in bloodshed than in peace. Targeting innocent civilians as they gather to worship on Palm Sunday is beyond the pale," Republican Congressman Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said in a post on X.

'Russia Is Targeting Civilians'

Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's chief of staff, claimed the missiles contained cluster munitions.

"The Russians are doing this to kill as many civilians as possible," he said, according to Reuters.

Zelenskyy's condemnation of the attack came after a Russian strike on the city of Kryviy Rih killed 20 people, including nine children, just over a week earlier.

Maia Sandu, president of Ukraine's southwestern neighbor Moldova, was quick to offer her condolences, too.

"Palm Sunday is a day of peace. This morning, as people gathered to pray, Russia bombed Sumy -- killing and injuring civilians," she said on X. "Moldova mourns with Ukraine and urges more air defense to save lives. The aggressor must be held accountable. There is no justification for such evil."

There has been no comment yet from the Kremlin on the reported strike.

The UN reported late last month that at least 413 civilians had been killed in the conflict since the beginning of 2025. It also said that more than 2,000 people had been injured in Ukraine due to Russian aggression in the first three months of the year, an increase of 30 percent compared to the same period in 2024.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said: "For the second month in a row, Russia has refused to accept the US proposal for a full cease-fire, which Ukraine unconditionally accepted on March 11. Instead, Russia ramps up its terror."

"We urge partners to provide Ukraine with additional air defense capabilities and increase pressure on Moscow. Strength is the only language they can understand and the only way to put an end to the horrific terror."

Elsewhere on April 13, the Turkish Defense Ministry said it will hold a meeting on Black Sea security on April 15–16, according to TASS, although Ukrainian officials said such a session had not yet been scheduled.

The meeting would take place in the context of a possible cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine. Military representatives from foreign countries will take part, the Russian news agency reported.

BELGRADE -- Opponents and supporters of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic rallied at different locations on April 12 as tensions mounted in the Balkan nation, which has been hit by months of student-organized demonstrations against the Vucic-led government.

Vucic himself rallied supporters in the capital, Belgrade, announcing that he will form a new political movement in the face of a growing wave of protests that began in November following the collapse of a rail station overhang that killed 16 people in Novi Sad.

Protesters, led by student groups but joined by thousands of others, have blamed the rail station tragedy on corruption and poor oversight.

Protests over the accident have evolved into a broader movement opposing what demonstrators say is the crumbling rule of law and systemic corruption under Vucic, the president since 2017 and prime minister for three years before that.

Vucic insists that the protests -- which have developed into one of the biggest challenges to his long rule -- are threatening peace and stability in the country and accuses organizers of being paid by "foreign intelligence agencies."

Before thousands of supporters, Serbia's populist president said authorities must begin procedures "to restore order in the country" and that "full respect for the Constitution [must take place] to ensure the security of Serbia."

Vucic said at the gathering that a "Movement for the People and the State" is required "because we need new energy and new strength, a new plan, not a plan until 2027, but until 2035."

He did provide specifics of the movement but said further rallies would be held.

Vucic once again called on students to return to the schools and said that "the colored revolution is over."

The authorities in Serbia have repeatedly called the student-led protests and blockades an attempt at a "colored revolution."

That's a term referring to public uprisings in places like Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan that led to the ouster of governments. The popular protests that paved the way for the ouster of Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic in 2000 are also sometimes classified as a "color revolution."

Journalists on the scene reported that many of the supporters attending the rally had been bused in from throughout the country as well as from Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which have large ethnic-Serbian minorities.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik -- wanted by central authorities in Sarajevo after being convicted of violating the Bosnian constitution -- appeared at the Belgrade rally, AFP reported.

Dodik, who is president of the ethnic-Serbian entity in Bosnia -- Republika Srpska -- addressed the crowd at the rally. Dodik is also under US and UK sanctions for actions Western governments say are aimed at the secession of Republika Srpska from Bosnia.

The Public Meeting Archive, a nongovernmental group that estimates crowd sizes, put the Belgrade gathering at 55,000 people. On March 15, the group estimated the crowd at a student-led, anti-governmental rally at 275,000 to 325,000 people.

Meanwhile, the student-led protest took to the streets of Novi Pazar, some 300 kilometers south of the capital.

The protest is one in a series of demonstrations called for by students who have been blocking university faculties for more than four months, demanding government accountability for the deaths of the 16 people in the fall of the cement canopy in Novi Sad.

A group of students in the blockade walked for days from other cities to Novi Pazar to join the students there in the protest.

Novi Pazar University students blocked the roundabout at the exit from that city.

Buses with supporters of Vucic's ruling right-wing Serbian Progressive Party were scheduled to pass that way on their way to the Belgrade rallies. It was not immediately clear if the buses took alternate routes.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP

Iranian and US negotiators agreed to a second round of high-level talks over Tehran's nuclear programs next week after meeting on April 12 for more than two hours of what both sides described as a "positive" and "constructive" session.

"The discussions were very positive and constructive," the White House said after the meeting in the Omani capital of Muscat.

It said special US envoy Steven Witkoff underscored "that he had instructions from President [Donald] Trump to resolve our two nations’ differences through dialogue and diplomacy, if that is possible."

"These issues are very complicated, and special envoy Witkoff’s direct communication today was a step forward in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome," the statement said, adding that "the sides agreed to meet again" on April 19.

Later, Trump, responding to reporters' questions about the talks, said, "I think they're going OK."

"Nothing matters until you get it done, so I don't like talking about it. But it's going OK. The Iran situation is going pretty good, I think," he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

The indirect meetings -- mediated by Oman -- are the first by officials from both countries on the issue in years and come amid spiraling tensions and mounting military threats from Washington.

Officials said the delegations were situated in separate room and exchanged messages through Omani Foreign Minister Said Badr.

Oman, on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, has served as an intermediary between Iran and Western nations, including during talks that led to the release of several foreign citizens and dual nationals held by Tehran.

Witkoff's counterpart in the talks was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who also said the sides will meet again next weekend.

While the two sides didn't meet face to face during the talks, Araqchi briefly spoke with Witkoff -- in the presence of the Omani foreign minister -- after the meeting in what he described as a "diplomatic courtesy."

Araqchi said the meetings took place in a "productive, calm, and positive atmosphere." Iran's Foreign Ministry said the talks had been "constructive."

"[Witkoff's] desire in the negotiations was for the general framework of the agreement to be established in the shortest possible time," Iran's top diplomat said after revealing the first direct interaction between the two nations since the Obama administration.

Days before the talks, Trump issued a new warning saying that "if necessary," the United States "absolutely" would use military force against Iran -- with Israel poised to play a leading role.

Iran's response has been defiant, signaling the high stakes for both nations and the broader Middle East.

How Did We Get Here?

The talks mark another chapter in the fraught relationship between Iran and the United States, which has been defined by cycles of diplomacy and confrontation.

The 2015 nuclear deal -- formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- once offered hope for detente, but Washington's withdrawal in 2018 during Trump's first term triggered a spiral of sanctions and uranium enrichment by Tehran.

European powers tried to salvage the JCPOA by launching what they called the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, which was meant to facilitate non-dollar transactions with Iran to avoid violating US sanctions and dissuade Tehran from scaling back its commitments.

In practice, only one transaction was made through the mechanism, and it was eventually scrapped in 2023.

Iran's economy, which had been boosted by the JCPOA, took a big hit as Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign bit and significantly reduced Tehran's oil sales.

Shortly after Joe Biden succeeded Trump in the White House in 2021, Iran and the United States began holding a series of indirect talks to revive the nuclear deal. A draft agreement was prepared by the European Union, which serves as the coordinator of the JCPOA, but it was never signed.

Talks stalled in 2022 and remained frozen -- until now.

What's At Stake?

Trump has been clear about what he wants: Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. But it remains unclear whether he wants to restrict Iran's nuclear activities or completely dismantle it.

Iran is willing to offer assurances that it's not looking to acquire a bomb but has rejected the idea of entirely scrapping its nuclear program.

Despite trying to project confidence and claiming it can neutralize US sanctions, Tehran desperately needs a deal.

Iran's economy is arguably in the worst shape it has ever been, with the national currency hitting new lows against the dollar on an almost daily basis. Iranian's purchasing power has dwindled and blackouts have become a fixture of summer and winter despite Iran's global status as an energy-rich nation.

For the United States, preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is a top priority.

Iran is enriching uranium at 60 percent purity, which is widely regarded as near-weapons grade. It has also accumulated enough uranium to build several bombs, should it choose to do so.

Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and has never pursued weaponization. However, with the Trump administration continuing to raise the possibility of military strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities, a growing number of Iranian officials have teased that Tehran would develop nukes if cornered.

Estimates suggest Iran could enrich sufficient uranium for a single bomb in less than a week and enough for several bombs within a month.

Ahead of the talks in Oman, Washington has sought to up the pressure even further. On April 9, the US Treasury announced sanctions on five entities and one person based in Iran for their support of Iran's nuclear program, including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).

Mohammed Ghaedi, a lecturer at George Washington University's department of political science, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that the new sanctions are unlikely to have much of an impact on Iran's nuclear program since they target AEOI's assets in the United States, which aren't many.

The new sanctions, he argued, mostly serve to strengthen the United States' leverage against Iran during negotiations.

On April 9, Trump again warned that, in the absence of a deal with Iran, the United States would resort to military action to neutralize Tehran's nuclear program.

"Israel will obviously be very much involved in that. They'll be the leader of that," he said.

Ali Shamkhani, a top aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, replied that continued threats of military confrontation would compel Iran to expel UN inspectors and "transfer enriched uranium to secure sites."

Who Are The Negotiators?

Araqchi is a career diplomat who has served as both a senior and lead nuclear negotiator. He was heavily involved in the JCPOA talks and led indirect negotiations with the United States to revive it.

Trump's envoy Witkoff, meanwhile, is a billionaire real estate investor, who lacks diplomatic experience but has taken on a central role in high-stakes negotiations since joining Trump's team.

On April 11, Witkoff stopped in St. Petersburg, Russia, for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. State news agencies said the meetings lasted more than four hours.

"The theme of the meeting -- aspects of a Ukrainian settlement," the Kremlin said in a statement after the meeting.

Witkoff also met with Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin adviser and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Dmitriev has taken on a prominent role in direct talks with Washington, where he traveled last week.

Following the Oman meetings, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's ambassador to international bodies in Vienna, called the US-Iran talks "encouraging" in a Telegram post.

"[Witkoff] is managing a lot of different files and may be out of his depth in technical discussions that are likely to dominate the Oman meetings," Gregory Brew, senior Iran analyst at the New York-based Eurasia Group, told RFE/RL.

"Araqchi is a skilled diplomat with years of experience," he said. "Unless Witkoff is backed up by a strong staff with expertise, it may complicate discussions."

Oman's discreet diplomacy has often bridged gaps between the two sides, including back-channel negotiations that led to the JCPOA. Now, Muscat is poised to host discussions once more, with both sides wary but aware of the risks of failure.

With reporting by RFE/RL correspondent Kian Sharifi, Reuters, and AP

Russia and Ukraine pounded each other with drones, with Moscow complaining that Kyiv had targeted its energy facilities in violation of a tenuous cease-fire agreement that has yet to take hold.

Ukraine’s military said Russia had launched more than eight dozen drones overnight on April 12, with most of them either shot down or intercepted with electronic jamming.

At least one district in the capital, Kyiv, was damaged by drones, or debris from downed drones, Mayor Vitali Klitshcko said. At least three people were reported wounded.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said that more than 150 Ukrainian drones had been launched, including at five energy facilities.

On March 11, Ukraine and the United States announced a breakthrough agreement paving the way for a 30-day cease-fire contingent on Russia's signing on.

A major foreign policy priority for US President Donald Trump, it was the first concrete proposal on the negotiating table since the early weeks after Russia's all-out assault on Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin balked, saying he agreed in principle but there were "nuances" that would have to be addressed and attaching conditions including a halt to Western supplies of weapons to Kyiv.

Late on April 12, Trump told reporters the peace talks "might be going OK" but that there is "a point at which you just have to either put up or shut up, and we'll see what happens, but I think it’s going fine."

Despite the cease-fire announcement, the two sides have continued to fire drones at one another.

Ukraine also announced that an F-16 fighter jet pilot had been killed in action, the second such combat death involving the US-made planes.

The military gave no details as to the 26-year-old Pavlo Ivanov's death. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his condolences to his family and said details of the incident were under investigation.

Ukraine has small flotilla of F-16s that it started receiving in 2024. In August 2024, Ukrainian officials said an F-16 had crashed while repelling a Russian missile attack, killing its pilot.

Speaking to a Senate committee last week, US Army General Christopher Cavoli said Ukrainian F-16s were flying daily as part of both defensive and offensive missions.

The United States, meanwhile, continues to engage in direct talks with Russian officials, as part of a wider deal aimed at rebuilding bilateral relations. White House envoy Steve Witkoff flew to St. Petersburg, Russia, to meet with President Vladimir Putin for more than four hours of talks on April 12.

Neither Witkoff nor the White House issued any public comment after the meeting, though the Kremlin said “aspects of a Ukrainian settlement” had been discussed.

Trump has signaled impatience with the pace of talks to cement a cease-fire in Ukraine. Hours after Witkoff landed in St. Petersburg, Trump posted a message on his social media account, calling the war "senseless" and said it "should have never happened."

"Russia has to get moving. Too many people are DYING,” he wrote.

The White House’s envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, suggested that British and French troops could adopt zones of control in Ukraine.

Speaking in an interview published on April 12 with The Times of London newspaper, Kellogg suggested they could have areas of responsibility west of the Dnieper River, as part of a "reassurance force", with a demilitarized zone separating them from Russian-occupied areas in the east.

"You could almost make it look like what happened with Berlin after World War II, when you had a Russian zone, a French zone, and a British zone, a US zone," he said.

Kellogg later posted a message to X, saying his comments had been misconstrued.

In his interview, Kellogg also said relations between Ukraine and the United States were now "back on track,” and he pointed to a proposed deal on Ukraine's mineral resources.

However, Reuters cited unnamed officials as describing a meeting between US and Ukrainian officials about the mineral deal as "antagonistic.”

The strains were due to the fact that the newest draft proposal is more expansive than the original version.

The latest draft, according to Reuters and The New York Times, would give the United States privileged access to Ukraine's mineral deposits and require Kyiv to place all income from the exploitation of natural resources -- by both Ukrainian state and private firms -- into a joint investment fund.

Trump has said he viewed access to Ukraine's rare and valuable minerals as a way to recoup billions of dollars in US military aid to Kyiv.

US President Donald Trump said he felt "in very good shape" after his first medical checkup since returning to the White House.

Trump, 78, arrived on April 11 at the Walter Reed Medical Center in suburban Washington for a physical exam that put the focus on cardio and cognitive tests. He later told reporters on Air Force One that he “got every answer right" on the cognitive test and said he had not only a “good heart” but also a "very good soul."

"It went, I think, well,” Trump said of the exam, adding that he underwent “every test you can imagine” and that a report is expected to be issued on April 13.

American presidents traditionally provide details about their health and wellbeing though they are not compelled to do so.

Trump has repeatedly been accused of a lack of openness about his health, but the White House said that presidential physician Sean Barbabella would give a readout of the exam and that "of course" it would be made public.

"I can confirm the president is in very good shape, as you see on a near daily basis," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.

Trump, a prolific golfer who abstains from alcohol and cigarettes, has repeatedly boasted about his vigor since starting a second term, but he is known to indulge in fast food. He likes it so much he staged a photo op at a McDonald's during his campaign last year.

The White House doctor in his first term, Ronny Jackson, said in 2018 that with a healthier diet Trump could "live to be 200 years old." The exams conducted during his first term revealed that Trump was taking medication to treat high cholesterol.

Jackson's report suggested Trump should aim to lose 10 to 15 pounds but said he was generally in "excellent health" with no signs of "any cognitive issues."

A year later, an exam found the 1.9-meter tall president weighed 110 kilograms. Trump appears to have lost some weight since then.

Age and cognitive health became a major issue in the 2024 election when Trump and then-President Joe Biden faced off as the oldest major party candidates in history.

Biden, now 82, was forced to drop out of the race after verbally stumbling through a TV debate against Trump in June that put concerns over his health to the top of the agenda.

Since returning to office Trump has repeatedly compared his own vigor to Biden's, while the White House has accused the previous administration of covering up what it says was Biden’s decline.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

The Taliban carried out public executions of four individuals on April 11 -- the highest single-day number since it returned to power -- prompting a wave of condemnation from groups around the world.

Local Taliban officials confirmed that the individuals — who were accused of murder — were executed in front of crowds gathered in the western provinces of Farah, Nimroz, and Badghis.

Eyewitnesses at one of the sites, who spoke to RFE/RL's Radio Azadi on condition of anonymity, said family members of the victims shot the accused.

"Their families offered blood money to spare their relatives' lives, but the victims' relatives refused. People here don't fully understand these issues — this kind of event leaves a serious psychological impact," the person said.

In Nimroz province, the Taliban invited civilians, civil servants, and military personnel to witness the execution at a stadium in Zaranj.

"The man was shot by the victim’s family. Watching this scene was unbearable. No one wants to witness a killing, even if it is declared a divine punishment," said one local resident.

The executions, part of the Taliban’s hardline interpretation of Islamic law, are described by the regime as "qisas," or retributive justice.

Since they seized power in August 2021, the Taliban have resumed corporal punishments and public executions, echoing their repressive rule of the 1990s. So far, at least 10 individuals have been publicly executed.

Rights organizations say these punishments are a clear violation of international law.

They say the use of executions as a public spectacle is not only inhumane but also contributes to a culture of fear and trauma in communities already scarred by decades of war and violence.

In a statement posted on X, Amnesty International condemned the executions, calling them "deplorable."

"Afghanistan: The deplorable public executions of four people in Nimroz, Farah and Badghis in Afghanistan today point to Taliban’s continued alarming abuse of human rights in the country. The Taliban de facto authorities continue to flagrantly flout human rights principles," it said.

"The international community must put pressure on the Taliban to stop this blatant human rights abuse and help ensure international guarantees are upheld in Afghanistan."

The Taliban claim that the executions followed "transparent investigations and justice procedures," but the United Nations and multiple human rights bodies have consistently disputed such assertions, citing the absence of a functioning judicial system and lack of due process in Taliban courts.

"We are appalled by executions of four men in the Badghis, Nimroz and Farah provinces this morning," the United Nations rights office said on X, urging "the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to place a moratorium on the use of the death penalty."

In a rare moment of international visibility, Belarusian strongman Aleksandr Lukashenko welcomed Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for an official visit to Minsk on April 10, hailing it as a significant milestone in bilateral relations.

The visit, which continued on April 11, resulted in multiple agreements spanning military cooperation, food security, and trade. Most notably, Lukashenko offered to accept up to 150,000 Pakistani workers to help address Belarus's deepening labor shortage.

For Lukashenko, whose presidency remains unrecognized by the West following the widely disputed 2020 election and subsequent brutal crackdown on dissent, any direct engagement with a foreign leader carries enormous symbolic and strategic value. Isolated diplomatically, shunned by the European Union and the United States, and increasingly reliant on Moscow, Lukashenko has few opportunities to present himself as a legitimate international actor.

"Pakistan has many people who want and are ready to work in Belarus," Lukashenko said during a joint press conference, emphasizing Belarus would create the "necessary conditions" for their employment. With more than 198,000 job vacancies reported across the country, the proposal aims to inject labor into an economy under pressure.

The move, however, raises alarm bells across neighboring European Union states.

The offer to import tens of thousands of Pakistani workers can certainly be viewed with suspicion in neighboring NATO member states Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania.

In a 2021-22 border crisis, Belarus was accused of using migrants as pawns in a political standoff with the EU. Belarus facilitated travel for migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia -- including Pakistan -- and directed them toward the EU's external borders, triggering a humanitarian and security crisis.

At the time, thousands of migrants were left stranded in forests along Belarus's borders with Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, often with no food, shelter, or legal protection.

Belarusian authorities were accused of weaponizing migration in retaliation for Western sanctions.

Polish, Latvian, and Lithuanian border guards resorted to pushbacks, resulting in dozens of deaths, international condemnation, and an enduring mistrust of Minsk's migration policies.

During the visit, Belarus and Pakistan signed a military cooperation agreement and a roadmap for defense-industrial ties through 2027, deepening ties between the two countries, as well as other pacts and economic memoranda.

Notably absent from the spotlight, however, is any substantial record of recent trade volume.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry last reported annual bilateral trade with Pakistan for the year 2020, saying it ranged from $50 million to $65 million -- a far cry from a 2015 vow to grow trade between the two countries to $1 billion.

For comparison, Pakistan's primary trading partners in 2023 included China, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia; Belarus didn't make the list.

For Lukashenko, however, Sharif's visit may offer a diplomatic lifeline and a moment of validation. For the EU, it brings back memories of 2021-2022. It may be a warning sign that the authoritarian leader of Belarus could once again use people as leverage in his ongoing standoff with the West.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a surprise visit on April 11 to St. Petersburg, their third meeting since US President Donald Trump took office in January pledging to repair ties with Moscow.

Witkoff stopped in St. Petersburg on his way to high-level talks with Tehran over Iran's nuclear program scheduled for April 12 in Oman.

News of the meeting broke as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that a month had now passed since Russia rejected a US proposal for a "full and unconditional cease-fire."

Hours after Witkoff landed, Trump also posted on social media: "Russia has to get moving. Too many people are DYING." He again called the conflict "senseless" and said it "should have never happened."

Putin was shown on state TV greeting Witkoff in St. Petersburg's presidential library for talks that state news agencies later said lasted more than four hours.

"The theme of the meeting -- aspects of a Ukrainian settlement," the Kremlin said in a statement after the meeting concluded.

Witkoff's visit came amid a flurry of diplomatic activity around the war in Ukraine that includes US-Ukrainian talks in Washington and a meeting chaired by Britain and Germany in Brussels.

The Russian state news agency TASS said Witkoff immediately met with Kirill Dmitriev, a well-connected Kremlin insider and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

Last week the two men met in Washington, D.C., where they discussed strengthening bilateral relations.

Dmitriev called the talks on April 11 productive, according to TASS.

The visit comes a day after US and Russian officials met in Istanbul to discuss normalization of diplomatic ties, potentially reversing some of the mass expulsions of embassy staff since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Last month, Witkoff's meeting with Putin paved the way for a phone call between the two presidents. He also visited in February, and was part of the US-Russia talks in Riyadh.

Who is Steve Witkoff?

Witkoff is a New York property developer and friend of Trump who has no previous diplomatic experience. This has raised concerns in some quarters about his lead role in such delicate talks.

"The fact that he lacks the context and history of how Russians negotiate and deal with the American side is, I think, a problem," said David Kramer, who held a senior position at the State Department during the George W. Bush administration.

"Putin says nice things to him, gives him a portrait of the president, talks about going to church and praying for his friend (Trump)," Kramer told RFE/RL on April 10.

"Those are pretty old KGB tactics. And Witkoff, I don't think, has the awareness to understand what is going on there."

Trump has strongly praised Witkoff. Speaking in January, he called him "a great deal-maker...a great negotiator, a great person."

Witkoff's visit will be aimed at pushing forward stalled US efforts to broker a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump has recently criticized Russia for ramping up its bombing campaign of Ukraine and not moving faster on peace talks.

But Trump has also said Zelenskyy was "trying to back out" of an agreement giving Washington access to Kyiv's deposits of rare earth minerals.

A Ukrainian delegation was due for talks on the deal in Washington later on April 11.

Turkey Pledges Black Sea Mission

Meanwhile, in Brussels, progress has been made in forming a European-led military force to deploy to Ukraine in the event of a cease-fire or peace deal.

Two European diplomatic sources told RFE/RL that Turkey had declared it was willing to "assume responsibility for the maritime dimension."

This was at a meeting of the "coalition of willing" on April 10.

So far, only Britain and France have made public pledges to commit forces, although other countries have said they are open to doing so depending on circumstances of their deployment.

On April 11, Britain and Germany chaired a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels, which coordinates military aid to Ukraine.

This was set up in 2022 and chaired by then-US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. His successor, Pete Hegseth, has taken a back seat in the group and attended this meeting by video link.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Hegseth made "interesting and correct assessments" in his comments.

Ahead of the talks, European countries pledged new support for Ukraine in the coming months and years.

Britain and Norway announced a joint package for military drones, radar systems, and anti-tank mines.

Germany and the Netherlands said they would provide additional air and missile defense systems.

"This will have an impact on the battlefield this year," said Pistorius.

Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans told RFE/RL that he expects the United States to put its “political weight” behind the European plans, and said the Netherlands and other allies are already accelerating their material support for Ukraine.

Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina, who was imprisoned in Russia for donating $51 to a US-based Ukrainian aid charity, has arrived back in the United States after a prisoner swap for Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen who allegedly exported sensitive microelectronics.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Karelina's release in a social media post on April 10 that credited President Donald Trump for gaining her freedom. Russia's security service, the FSB, confirmed that Petrov was the Russian citizen released in the exchange.

The swap marks the second such exchange between Washington and Moscow since Trump took office in January.

The plane carrying Karelina landed around 11 p.m. local time at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, D.C., where she was greeted by her fiance.

A 33-year-old former ballet dancer, Karelina moved to the United States in 2015 and received US citizenship in 2021.

"They released the young ballerina and she is now out, and that was good. So we appreciate that," Trump said, adding that the release followed conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Karelina was found guilty last year of treason by a Russian court in Yekaterinburg for transferring money to Razom For Ukraine, a US nonprofit that provides medical and humanitarian aid, in early 2022.

Dora Chomiak, the CEO of Razom For Ukraine, said in a statement that the group was "overjoyed" about Karelina's release, but sharply criticized Russia for her detention.

"The case against Ksenia Karelina was a farce from the moment of her detention," said Chomiak. "Peacefully demonstrating solidarity with the people of Ukraine is not a crime. Vladimir Putin imprisoned her for protesting against Russia's invasion and allegedly donating to help alleviate the suffering of Ukrainians."

"She was unconscionably jailed for over a year for exercising the same freedoms that every American citizen holds, and that all Ukrainians are fighting to keep," the statement added.

Petrov, 34, was arrested in 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the United States.

The US Justice Department alleged Petrov had participated "in a scheme to procure US-sourced microelectronics for manufacturers supplying weaponry and other equipment to the Russian military."

The Wall Street Journal quoted an unidentified CIA official as saying CIA Director John Ratcliffe conducted the talks to clinch the swap, which was mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

Ratcliffe hailed “the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort.” The CIA also emphasized that “the exchange shows the importance of keeping lines of communication open with Russia, despite the deep challenges in our bilateral relationship.”

Abu Dhabi was the site of another prisoner swap between Russia and the United States. In December 2022, US basketball star Brittney Griner was swapped for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The United Arab Emirates has also been a mediator in prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia and the United States conducted the prisoner swap as delegations from the two countries arrived in Istanbul for talks on normalizing the work of their diplomatic missions.

In February, the United States released a confessed Russian cybercriminal, Aleksandr Vinnik, in return for the American teacher Marc Fogel.

Karelina, Fogel, and others are among a growing number of Americans arrested in Russia in recent years as tensions between Moscow and Washington intensified over the war in Ukraine.

With reporting by AP

US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink will step down, the State Department said, leaving the post vacant a time when crucial peace negotiations are under way between Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow.

Appointed by former President Joe Biden, Brink has served as ambassador in Kyiv since May 2022, navigating US-Ukraine relations during a critical period marked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"Ambassador Brink is stepping down. She's been the ambassador there for three years -- that's a long time in a war zone," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters on April 10.

She is expected to leave her post in the coming weeks.

Brink's tenure spanned two presidential administrations that have differed in their policies toward Ukraine.

Relations with Moscow deteriorated to post-Cold War lows under the Biden administration, which broke off communications with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid Europe's largest land war since World War II.

Conversely, the Trump administration has reestablished direct contact with the Kremlin -- Trump and Putin have spoken by phone at least twice in recent months -- and Washington is currently attempting to mediate a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.

Brink is the latest senior career diplomat to resign under the current administration, including John Bass, the State Department’s third-highest official, who stepped down in January.

No reason was given for Brink's decision to step down, but Reuters quoted sources as saying the move was made of her own volition.

Brink faced criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for her response to last week's deadly Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Kryviy Rih, which killed 20 people at a restaurant and nearby playground, including nine children.

In a social media post about the April 4 attack, Brink did not mention Russia as being responsible, prompting Zelenskyy to express disappointment.

In a post about a Russian missile strike two days later, the diplomat mentioned Russia.

“As of 6:30 a.m., Kyiv and the rest of Ukraine remain under fire from ballistic and cruise missiles from Russia. Loud explosions in the capital and reports of attacks in several cities,” Brink wrote on X on April 6.

Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina, who was imprisoned in Russia for donating $51 to a US-based Ukrainian aid charity, is on her way to the United States as part of a prisoner swap for Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen who allegedly exported sensitive microelectronics.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Karelina's release in a social media post on April 10. Russia's security service, the FSB, confirmed that Petrov was the Russian citizen being held in a US jail who was released in the exchange.

The swap marks the second such exchange between Washington and Moscow since US President Donald Trump took office in January.

A 33-year-old former ballet dancer, Karelina moved to the United States in 2015, married a US citizen, and received US citizenship in 2021.

Karelina's lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, confirmed his client's release, saying the exchange occurred in Abu Dhabi.

"Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release," Rubio said in his post.

Karelina was found guilty last year of treason by a Russian court in Yekaterinburg for transferring money to Razom For Ukraine, a US nonprofit that provides medical and humanitarian aid, in early 2022.

Dora Chomiak, the CEO of Razom For Ukraine, said in a statement that the group was "overjoyed" about Karelina's release, but sharply criticized Russia for her detention,

"The case against Ksenia Karelina was a farce from the moment of her detention," said Chomiak. "Peacefully demonstrating solidarity with the people of Ukraine is not a crime. Vladimir Putin imprisoned her for protesting against Russia's invasion and allegedly donating to help alleviate the suffering of Ukrainians."

"She was unconscionably jailed for over a year for exercising the same freedoms that every American citizen holds, and that all Ukrainians are fighting to keep," the statement added.

Petrov, 34, was arrested in 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the United States.

The US Justice Department alleged Petrov had participated "in a scheme to procure US-sourced microelectronics for manufacturers supplying weaponry and other equipment to the Russian military."

The Wall Street Journal quoted an unidentified CIA official as saying CIA Director John Ratcliffe conducted the talks to clinch the swap, which was mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

Abu Dhabi was the site of another prisoner swap between Russia and the United States. In December 2022, US basketball star Brittney Griner was swapped for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The United Arab Emirates has also been a mediator in prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia and the United States conducted the prisoner swap as delegations from the two countries arrived in Istanbul for talks on normalizing the work of their diplomatic missions.

In February, the United States released a confessed Russian cybercriminal, Aleksandr Vinnik, in return for the American teacher Marc Fogel.

China pushed back against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for making what it called "irresponsible remarks" about Beijing being aware that its citizens have been recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

The April 10 comments from China's Foreign Ministry come the day after Zelenskyy said Ukrainian authorities had information on 155 Chinese nationals fighting alongside Russia. The claim followed video released by the Ukrainian military purporting to have captured two Chinese mercenaries in eastern Ukraine.

"We would advise the relevant parties to recognize China's role correctly and clear-headedly and to refrain from expressing irresponsible remarks," ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press briefing, without mentioning Ukraine or its president by name.

Zelenskyy has escalated his criticism of Beijing in recent days following the announcement that Kyiv captured two Chinese nationals in the eastern Donetsk region.

Hours after China's statement, Zelenskyy issued a statement on Telegram with a video of a man in a military uniform answering an interrogator's questions in Mandarin with the help of an interpreter. The man confirmed he was a Chinese national recruited to the Russian armed forces to fight in Ukraine.

"We continue to clarify all the circumstances of Chinese citizens' involvement in the Russian occupying contingent. The Security Service of Ukraine is carrying out all necessary procedures with the individuals who were recently captured in the Donetsk region," Zelenskyy's statement said.

"It is obvious these are not isolated cases but systematic Russian work, in particular, on the territory and in the jurisdiction of China, to recruit citizens of this state for war," Zelenskyy added.

Speaking at a press conference a day earlier, the Ukrainian president accused Beijing of turning a blind eye to the recruitment of its citizens and allowing them to participate in the war, which is now in its fourth year.

"We record that they [China] knew about it," Zelenskyy said. "We record that these are Chinese citizens, they are fighting against us, using weapons against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine. Their motivation, money or not, politics, etcetera, is not yet known to me. But it will be known."

Beijing has denied sending soldiers to Ukraine to fight with Russian forces, but the presence of Chinese nationals fighting in the war has been documented before in Russian- and Chinese-language social media posts. A hundred or more Chinese citizens are estimated to have traveled to fight as mercenaries with Russia's army.

A Russian Defense Ministry hospital database obtained exclusively by RFE/RL in February also showed that Chinese mercenaries had been wounded serving alongside Russian troops.

Zelenskyy told reporters he was not aware if China "gave some kind of command" to those now fighting for Russia. He maintained, though, that Beijing must have been aware of people joining a foreign military in exchange for payment.

While foreign soldiers fighting for both Ukraine and Russia have been a factor in the war since Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022, the episode is the first time Kyiv has made such claims about Chinese fighters.

This marks a change of track for Zelenskyy, who had previously been careful dispensing criticism of Beijing, despite its staunch diplomatic and economic support for Russia throughout the war. China has helped the Kremlin's war effort with increased trade and the strategic supply of militarily useful dual-use goods.

US and European officials have criticized this level of support provided by China. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reiterated this to reporters on April 9 following news of the captured Chinese recruits, saying Chinese territory is a conduit for around 80 percent of the dual-use goods currently entering Russia.

"What is clear is that China has been the key enabler of Russia's war," she said. "Without Chinese support, Russia wouldn't be able to wage war [on the scale] that it has."

Beijing, however, has maintained that it is a neutral party in the war and stopped short of providing Russia with weapons or military expertise.

Kyiv's relationship with the United States had become fraught as US President Donald Trump has pushed for Russia and Ukraine to agree to a cease-fire and work toward a peace deal to end the war.

Analysts have speculated that Zelenskyy may be hoping Trump's antipathy toward China -- a country Washington is engaged in an escalating trade war with and has designated as a global rival -- could improve his standing with the Trump administration.

"This could be used by the Trump administration to, among other things, increase pressure on China," Ihor Reiterovych, a Ukrainian political analyst, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service. "This could even have an indirect impact on US-Russia relations, because there is a new element that should definitely be taken into account."

Zelenskyy had earlier accused Russia of "dragging China into this war," a claim dismissed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on April 10.

"Partner, friend, and comrade. China has always taken a very balanced position, so Zelenskyy is wrong," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the governor of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhiy Lysak, said on April 10 that a Russian missile attack on the regional capital, Dnipro, killed one person and injured three others.

With reporting by the AFP and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

US President Donald Trump has again threated to use military force if Iran does not agree to end its nuclear program and said Israel would be the "leader" of a potential military strike.

Trump told reporters on April 9 at the White House that "if necessary," the United States "absolutely" would use military force. He made the comments after being asked about talks between US and Iranian officials scheduled to take place this weekend in Oman and how long they may last.

"We have time," Trump said, adding that there's no definitive timeline for the talks to come to a resolution.

"When you start talks, you know if they’re going along well or not," Trump said. "And I would say the conclusion would be when I think they’re not going along well. So that's just a feeling."

Trump announced the talks on April 8 during an Oval Office briefing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu said he supports Trump's diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement with Iran. He added that Israel and the United States share the same goal of ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon.

Trump said that if the use of military force is necessary, "Israel will obviously be very much involved in that."

Both sides have framed the talks in Oman as an exploratory meeting to see if negotiations can be held. Trump said the talks would be "direct," while Iran has described the engagement as "indirect" talks.

The United States will not be "asking for much" at the talks, Trump said, repeating his oft-stated position that Iran "can't have a nuclear weapon."

The United States is increasingly concerned as Tehran appears to be closer than ever to having a nuclear weapon. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

The United States and other world powers in 2015 reached a comprehensive nuclear agreement that limited Tehran's enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. But Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States in 2018, calling it the "worst deal ever."

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth voiced hope that US-Iran talks could be resolved peacefully after Reuters reported on April 9 that as many as six B-2 bombers had relocated to a US-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia.

Asked if the B-2s were meant to send a message to Iran, Hegseth said: "We'll let them decide." He called the bombers "a great asset," telling reporters during a trip to Panama that they send a "message to everybody."

The US Treasury Department earlier on April 9 issued new sanctions targeting Iran's nuclear program. Five entities and one person based in Iran were designated for new sanctions in connection with their alleged support of Iran's nuclear program, the department said in a news release.

The designated groups include the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and subordinates Iran Centrifuge Technology Company, Thorium Power Company, Pars Reactors Construction and Development Company, and Azarab Industries Company.

In his comments to reporters at the White House, Trump said the people of Iran "are so incredible," but the government is a "rough regime."

"I want Iran to be great," Trump said. "The only thing that they can’t have is a nuclear weapon. They understand that."

With reporting by Reuters and AP