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King Charles III is to deliver a historic speech to open Canada’s parliament on Tuesday, with the nation, of which he is head of state, facing unprecedented threats from US President Donald Trump.Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he intends to use the king’s first visit to the British Commonwealth nation since his coronation to highlight Canada’s sovereignty.”This historic honor matches the weight of our times,” Carney said.It was at the prime minister’s invitation that the 76-year-old monarch, who is battling cancer, traveled to the Canadian capital, accompanied by Queen Camilla.King Charles has never publicly commented on Trump’s repeated talk of making Canada the 51st US state, but his speech will be closely watched for any comments on the topic.Trump has also ripped up the world trade order and launched tariff wars against friends and foes alike, particularly targeting northern neighbor Canada.The so-called “throne speech” will be delivered in the Senate — a former railway station that has been converted while parliament undergoes major renovations.Although it will be read by the king as if it were in his own words, it was, in fact, written by the prime minister’s office and will set out the government’s priorities to “build Canada strong” and how it aims to achieve them.Canada’s Liberal Party, led by Carney, a technocrat with no prior political experience, won legislative elections on April 28, after a campaign entirely focused on who would be best to deal with Trump.Carney has vowed to oversee the biggest transformation of Canada’s economy since the end of the Second World War to enable it to “stand up” to Trump.In cautious diplomatic language, the throne speech should also contain a reaffirmation of Canada’s sovereignty, which Trump has threatened repeatedly by suggesting the country should be annexed by the United States.- ‘Extraordinary’ symbolism -“In terms of symbolism, it’s extraordinary because this is only the third time the sovereign has read this speech,” said Felix Mathieu, a politics professor at the University of Quebec in Outaouais.The throne speech has only twice before been personally delivered by Canada’s monarch, in 1957 and 1977, both by Charles’s mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.”What will also be interesting is everything surrounding the speech from the throne,” Mathieu added, in reference to the “message to Donald Trump” to show him that “Canada is not alone in this fight.”Thousands flocked to the capital on Monday to greet the king and queen on their first day of the brief visit.For Shrikant Mogulala, 32, the king was here to deliver “a clear message to Trump that we are not for sale.”Retiree Dave Shaw, 60, said it was “a great time for (the king) to be here now at this particular time given the geopolitical circumstances, given the circumstances of our country right now.”On Monday, the monarchs visited a farmer’s market and were treated to Indigenous music and military honors before the king held private audiences with Carney and Indigenous leaders.They were scheduled to ride to the Senate Tuesday morning in a four-wheeled carriage escorted by 28 horses from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s fabled “Musical Ride” unit.There will be a 21-gun salute and a flypast by fighter jets, and the monarchs will also lay a wreath at a war memorial.

Sales of cars made by Elon Musk’s Tesla slumped by more than half in April as Chinese electric carmakers saw their share surge, the continent’s manufacturing association said Tuesday.While sales of electric cars rose overall in the 27 European Union nations, Tesla’s share fell dramatically amid the spotlight on Musk’s work with US President Donald Trump and the US company’s ageing range.The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) said Tesla sales in April fell to 5,475 cars, down 52.6 percent from the same month last year.In the first four months of 2025, Tesla sales have fallen 46.1 percent against the same period last year to 41,677 cars.Once the standout leader in electric car sales, Tesla was overtaken in April by 10 rivals including Volkswagen, BMW, Renault and Chinese maker BYD, according to JATO Dynamics consultants. Tesla announced in April that its worldwide sales in the first quarter had fallen 13 percent, increasing pressure on Musk, though the company partly blamed lost production amid an upgrade to its Model Y standard-bearer.Musk has since announced he will reduce his work helping Trump slash US government spending and last week said that Tesla sales are “doing well”.- Hybrid leaders -Skoda’s new Elroq led electric car sales while Tesla’s Model Y, the former frontrunner, came ninth.Sales of electric cars overall rose 26.4 percent from last year to take a 15.3 percent share of the market in April, according to the ACEA.The rise is uneven across Europe as different governments and manufacturers give different incentives to buy electric. Germany, Belgium, Italy and Spain have seen a major rise while electric car sales in France have fallen.”The share of battery-electric vehicles is slowly getting momentum, but growth remains incremental and uneven across EU countries,” said Sigrid de Vries, ACEA’s director general.”In order for battery-electric vehicles to become a mainstream choice, it is essential that governments continue to implement the necessary enabling conditions, such as purchase and fiscal incentives, recharging infrastructure and electricity prices.”The sustained popularity of hybrid vehicles among consumers also shows the merit of keeping a technology-neutral approach,” she added.Sales of hybrid cars with a small electric battery still dominate the European market, rising 20.8 percent since the start of the year, while petrol-only cars have fallen 20.6 percent over the same time. The Volkswagen group remains the top brand in Europe, with sales up 2.9 percent in April.But Chinese brands were a major factor in the popularity of electric and hybrid cars, according to JATO and have 7.9 percent of the European market.The BYD, MG, Xpeng and Leapmotor brands saw sales rise 59 percent over the year in electric and hybrid sales, while other manufacturers put on 26 percent.JATO expert Felipe Munoz said it remains to be seen whether the European Union imposes tariffs on Chinese hybrid cars as it has for electric vehicles. 

US lawmaker Glenn Ivey said Monday that authorities in El Salvador had prevented him from visiting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man deported from the United States by the Trump administration due to an administrative error.US President Donald Trump has delivered on campaign promises by launching a sweeping crackdown on migrants to the United States since coming to power in January. Rights groups have alleged that Trump’s government is committing rights abuses and denying undocumented migrants due process, claims that courts have, in part, upheld in cases that are ongoing.Abrego Garcia’s case is one of the most prominent to have come to light. US authorities admit that he was deported to a notorious El Salvadoran prison for violent criminals due to an error, but have refused to comply with court orders to return him to the United States.Ivey is the sixth US Democratic lawmaker to visit El Salvador in an effort to secure the return of Abrego Garcia, 29, who is being held in a penal facility in Santa Ana, 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the Salvadoran capital, after being deported in March. “We were not able to meet with Kilmar, for sure,” Ivey told a press conference in San Salvador. “We went out to the Santa Ana prison today and got there, and we spoke to the people at the gate. They wouldn’t open the gate and let us in.”Ivey said he was told to obtain a permit for a visit, but he had already spoken to senior officials in order to arrange the meeting. He said he had spoken to Salvadoran Ambassador to the United States Milena Mayorga and that he intended to speak to Abrego Garcia “to make sure that he’s okay, to discuss his legal rights and the like.”The US lawmaker said he had met leaders of human rights groups, but was unable to meet officials from the government of President Nayib Bukele, a key Trump ally who has also refused to facilitate returning Abrego Garcia to the United States.Chris Newman, an attorney for Abrego Garcia’s family, said this was his third visit to El Salvador to try and secure the release of his client. “We want access to Mr. Abrego Garcia so he can receive legal services,” he said.El Salvador has received 288 migrants deported from the United States, including 252 Venezuelans, who are being held in a maximum security prison. The Trump administration says — without proof — that Abrego Garcia is a violent criminal who is a member of the MS-13 gang, which has been declared a “terrorist” organization by Washington.Trump’s government has used an obscure wartime law to summarily deport alleged gang members, a process some US courts have halted and that one, in Texas, has deemed “unlawful.”

King Charles III was given an enthusiastic welcome on Monday by Canadians who turned out in droves to see their monarch on his historic visit to open parliament, as part of the pushback against US President Donald Trump’s annexation threats.The 76-year-old king, who is Canada’s head of state as part of the Commonwealth, was greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has invited him to give an address opening Canada’s new legislature on Tuesday. “This historic honor matches the weight of our times,” Carney said.On their first stop in the Canadian capital, the royals visited a farmer’s market, where they were cheered by thousands of Canadians. The king also dropped the puck for a street hockey game.The so-called throne speech outlining the government’s priorities is typically given by the British monarch’s representative in Canada, the governor general.Queen Elizabeth II, the king’s late mother, delivered a throne speech in Canada just twice during her long reign, in 1957 and 1977.Charles, making his first visit to Canada since his coronation, has never commented on Trump’s repeated talk of making Canada the 51st US state.But he will be closely watched for any comments on Canada’s sovereignty, and on trade.Trump has slapped tariffs on Canadian goods including sector-specific levies on autos, steel and aluminum, rattling the Canadian economy, although he has suspended some of them pending negotiations.- ‘Momentous occasion’ -Queen Camilla is accompanying Charles on the 24-hour visit to Ottawa.Carney has said his newly-elected government has been given a mandate “to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States,” a neighbor he believes Canada “can no longer trust.”He has promised to curb reliance on trade with the United States by boosting internal commerce while forging deeper economic ties with allies overseas. The government’s path to build up Canada and create new relationships will be outlined in Charles’s speech, Carney said Monday.A government statement described the visit as “a momentous and historic occasion that underscores Canada’s identity and sovereignty as a constitutional monarchy.”Trump repeatedly returned to his annexation musings during Carney’s Oval Office visit earlier this month, insisting it would be a “wonderful marriage.”Carney stood his ground, saying Canada was “never for sale.”Trump’s envoy to Canada, Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, dismissed the notion that inviting Charles to open parliament was an effective way to make a statement on annexation. According to him, the annexation issue is “over.”But, among the throngs that showed up to welcome the royals, Robert Brown, 64, said: “I think it’s a very subtle form of diplomacy. A good one.”- ‘Once in a lifetime’ -After Charles and Camilla landed in Ottawa in the afternoon, they were received by Governor General Mary Simon and other dignitaries before meeting community organizations.They also planted a tree at the governor general’s estate, and Charles held audiences with Carney and Indigenous leaders.At the Senate on Tuesday, the monarch will receive full military honors before delivering the throne speech.Noah Marshall told AFP he couldn’t miss this “once in a lifetime opportunity to come see the royals.” The 24-year-old also noted that because Trump seems to respect the King, “that’s a good kind of signal to him.”Gaelle Hortop, 46, said she is “optimistic that it’ll be positive for Canadian morale” too.

Charles Rangel, a founding member and pioneering leader of the US Congressional Black Caucus, died on Monday, the Caucus said. He was 94.A native and longtime resident of the storied New York neighborhood of Harlem, Rangel entered the US Congress in 1971, serving for 46 years before retiring in 2017.In the wake of the US civil rights movement, he emerged as a leading political voice representing Black Americans at the turn of the 1970s.Rangel was the first African American to be appointed chairman of the powerful House Ways And Means Committee, which shapes fiscal legislation. He was forced out of that position and was censured for an ethics violation in 2010, but that did not appear to dent his electability, as he continued to hold public office until his retirement seven years later.The censure was related to alleged violations of congressional gift rules related to his acceptance of corporate-sponsored trips to the Caribbean, the New York Times reported. Over the course of an almost-five-decade career, he established himself as an influential figure in the Democratic Party, forging close ties with former president Bill Clinton and former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.Rangel was instrumental in convincing Hillary Clinton to run for a US Senate seat in New York in 2000, kickstarting her political career. “I’ll miss Charlie Rangel, a beloved icon and public servant of New York,” she posted on the X social media platform. “He was a proud veteran who loved serving his Harlem constituents. He urged me to run for the Senate and later was an invaluable colleague.”The Congressional Black Caucus called him “a trailblazer and statesman.””Known affectionately as the ‘Lion of Lenox Avenue,’ his legacy is one of tireless advocacy, historic firsts, and unwavering dedication to justice and equality. May he rest in power and everlasting peace,” the caucus said in a statement.New York City Council President Adrienne Adams described him as “a giant” of US politics. “He served with unmatched wit, courage, and an unshakable belief in the power of government to change lives,” she said in a statement.”His legacy lives on in the countless Black and Latino New Yorkers he lifted up and inspired.”The death of Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War, came as the United States commemorated Memorial Day on Monday, a day honoring fallen US soldiers. 

US President Donald Trump once more appears to be losing patience with Vladimir Putin’s warfare in Ukraine, but it remains unclear whether he will actually toughen his stand against the Kremlin leader.The Republican billionaire, who returned to office in January vowing to end the war “in 24 hours,” has long appeared to side with his Russian counterpart, frequently speaking of him with gushing admiration.Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile has been a frequent target of Trump’s ire, as seen with the spectacular dressing down of the Ukrainian leader in a tense Oval Office meeting in March. But the US president has in recent weeks shown growing frustration with Putin’s position in deadlocked truce negotiations with Kyiv.And in statements made on Sunday, Trump, who is facing increasing calls from Republican lawmakers to take a tougher stance against Putin, seemed to change his tone.After Moscow unleashed a particularly deadly barrage of drones against its western neighbor, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he believed Putin “wants ALL of Ukraine”.Pursuing such a goal, he warned in a rare rebuke of the Russian leader, “will lead to the downfall of Russia!”- ‘Absolutely crazy’ -“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” There was little sign his criticism made an impact, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggesting Monday the “very critical moment” was fraught with “emotional reactions”.And following Trump’s outburst, Moscow fired 355 drones at Ukraine overnight in the biggest such attack since Moscow’s 2022 invasion, according to Kyiv, a day after Russian strikes killed 13 people.Russia’s weekend onslaught came as diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war stepped up, with a prisoner exchange and direct talks between the two sides.European leaders voiced hope that Trump’s expressed anger might signal a shift ahead.”President Trump realizes that when President Putin said on the phone he was ready for peace, or told his envoys he was ready for peace, he lied,” France’s leader Emmanuel Macron told reporters during a trip to Vietnam.”We have seen once again in recent hours Donald Trump express his anger, a form of impatience,” the French president said. “I simply hope now that this translates into action.”- US credibility ‘at stake’ -Macron said it was time to threaten Russia with “much more massive sanctions” to persuade it to end the conflict.”The credibility of the United States is at stake.”But it remains unclear what path Trump might choose in coming days, especially since he has not let up on his relentless criticism of Ukraine’s leader.In his social media post on Sunday, Trump also slammed Zelensky, who had warned earlier that “the silence of America, the silence of others around the world only encourages Putin.” Zelensky was “doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does,” Trump wrote.”Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” he said.While flush with bluster, Trump’s foreign policy achievements to date remain rather meager, be it on Ukraine, the Iran nuclear program or the war raging in Gaza.During his first term, Trump also boasted of unique access and deal-making potential, including meetings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.While unprecedented for a Western leader, those meetings ultimately appeared to do little to change Kim’s provocative behavior.

Russia fired its biggest ever drone barrage on Ukraine, authorities said Monday, just hours after Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin “CRAZY” and warned Moscow risked new sanctions if it kept up its deadly bombardment.The US president’s efforts to halt the three-year war have failed to extract major concessions from the Kremlin, despite repeated negotiations between officials and several phone calls between him and Russia’s president.For three consecutive nights Russia has pummelled Ukraine with large-scale drone attacks, saturating its air defences and killing at least 13 people on Sunday, officials said.Russia fired “355 Shahed-type drones” including decoys, in the largest drone attack of the invasion between Sunday night and early Monday, as well as nine cruise missiles, Ukraine’s air force said.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that there were “no longer any range restrictions” on arms supplied by Western allies to Ukraine, allowing Kyiv to attack “military positions in Russia”.It was not immediately clear which countries had changed their policy however.The Kremlin said any Western decision to lift range limits on arms delivered to Ukraine would be “dangerous” and “at odds” with peace efforts. In a rare rebuke of the Russian leader, Trump said on social media late Sunday: “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!””I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”Earlier, Trump told reporters he was “absolutely” considering increasing sanctions on Moscow.- ‘Critical moment’ -The Kremlin played down Trump’s criticism, saying Putin was taking measures “necessary to ensure Russia’s security”.”This is a very critical moment, which is fraught with emotional stress for everyone, as well as emotional reactions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for more sanctions on Moscow.”Russian strikes are becoming increasingly brazen and large-scale every night,” Zelensky said in his daily address, adding that some 900 drones and missiles were launched on Ukraine in the last three days. “This makes no military sense, but it is an obvious political choice –- Putin’s choice, Russia’s choice –- to continue fighting and destroying lives,” he said.Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed cities and spurred the biggest crisis in relations with the West since the Cold War.Kyiv did not report any deaths from the latest drone attack, but said Russian shelling in the last 24 hours had killed a civilian man in the northern Sumy region.Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat warned it was becoming difficult to counter the sheer number of drones Moscow was firing.”We need rational and cheaper ways to shoot them down,” he told Ukrainian TV. A Ukrainian military source told AFP that Kyiv was “somehow fighting” with available air defence capabilities and that there was “no need to panic”. “To maintain our defence, we need deliveries of Western weapons,” the source said, adding that deliveries of Patriot missiles as well as NASAMS medium range air defence and IRIS-T short range systems were especially important for Ukraine. After today’s attack, Zelensky ordered “a significant increase in the production of interceptor drones” and “will seek additional funding from our partners for this purpose,” he said in the address, adding that Ukraine will increase funding for missile production as well.- Diplomatic efforts -Diplomatic efforts to end the war have heightened in recent weeks, with Russian and Ukrainian officials holding direct talks in Istanbul earlier this month for the first time in three years.They each sent back 1,000 people over the weekend in their biggest ever prisoner exchange, while Russia said it was preparing a document outlining its peace terms.Any more potential POW exchanges would depend on talks with Ukraine, Peskov told journalists ahead of Putin’s meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, adding that Moscow was still working on a ceasefire memorandum. Putin and Fidan discussed peace efforts after the Istanbul talks, as well as economic and energy cooperation, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.  Fidan earlier met with Vladimir Medinsky, Moscow’s chief negotiator with Kyiv.Moscow has repeatedly rejected proposals for a 30-day ceasefire from Kyiv and its Western allies, while grinding forward on the front line. Instead, Putin offered to work on a memorandum stating conditions for a ceasefire, sparking critisism from Ukraine of stalling the talks.

President Donald Trump marked the annual day for honoring the US war dead Monday by tearing into his “scum” opponents and judges who don’t rule in his favor.Trump performed the traditional presidential duties on Memorial Day of visiting Arlington National Cemetery — the resting place for some 400,000 fallen soldiers and others.And after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Trump delivered a speech that likewise stuck mostly to the typical presidential script of praising US war heroes.However, the 78-year-old Republican began his day with a lengthy, all-caps tirade on his Truth Social platform in which he declared: “HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY.”The post claimed that “warped radical left minds” had allowed in millions of illegal immigrants, “many of them being criminals and the mentally insane.”As well as blaming his political predecessors, Trump accused “USA hating” judges of being “on a mission to keep murderers, drug dealers, rapists, gang members, and released prisoners from all over the world, in our country so they can rob, murder and rape again.”Trump is locked in a series of court battles with federal judges who have repeatedly imposed temporary restraining orders to freeze potentially unconstitutional actions, pending further rulings.With the Republican Party controlling Congress and rarely pushing back against the White House, the only significant remaining roadblocks to Trump’s unprecedented drive to test constitutional norms are the courts.One of the key cases being contested revolves around court injunctions stopping the use by Trump of an obscure wartime law to deport alleged illegal migrants or alleged foreign criminals without any due process.In his Arlington speech, Trump hailed notable US battles over history and paid homage to several individual members of the armed forces killed in combat.However, Trump did not entirely avoid his penchant to veer off script and begin talking about his own successes.Overlooking the storied cemetery of white marble crosses, he mused about his luck in being president now, because he will preside over the 2026 soccer World Cup, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the 250th anniversary of the United States also in 2026.Had he not lost his first reelection bid in 2020 — a result he tried to overthrow and still frequently claims he was cheated on — he would have not been president for the three events, he noted.”In some ways, I’m glad I missed that second term,” he told the audience of military officers, top government officials and surviving relatives of slain soldiers.”Now look what I have: I have everything,” Trump said. “Amazing the way things work out. God did that.”

King Charles III arrived in Ottawa Monday for a historic visit to open Canada’s parliament, a brief trip seen as part of the pushback against US President Donald Trump’s annexation threats. The 76-year-old monarch, who is Canada’s head of state as part of the Commonwealth, was greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has invited him to give an address opening Canada’s new legislature. The so-called throne speech outlining the government’s priorities is typically given by the British monarch’s representative in Canada, the governor general.Queen Elizabeth II, the king’s late mother, delivered a throne speech in Canada just twice during her long reign, in 1957 and 1977.Charles, making his first visit to Canada since his coronation, has never commented on Trump’s repeated talk of making Canada the 51st US state.But he will be closely watched for any comments on Canada’s sovereignty, and on trade. Trump has slapped tariffs on Canadian goods including sector-specific levies on autos, steel and aluminum, rattling the Canadian economy, although he has suspended some of them pending negotiations.Queen Camilla will accompany Charles on the 24-hour visit to Ottawa.- ‘Easier ways to send messages’ -Carney has said his newly-elected government has been given a mandate “to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States,” a neighbor he believes Canada “can no longer trust.”He has promised to curb reliance on trade with the United States by boosting internal commerce while forging deeper economic ties with allies overseas. The government’s path to build up Canada and create new relationships will be outlined in Charles’s speech, Carney said Monday.”This historic honour matches the weight of our times,” he said in a statement.A government statement described the visit as “a momentous and historic occasion that underscores Canada’s identity and sovereignty as a constitutional monarchy.”Trump repeatedly returned to his annexation musings during Carney’s Oval Office visit earlier this month, insisting it would be a “wonderful marriage”. Carney stood his ground, saying Canada was “never for sale.”Trump’s envoy to Canada, Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, dismissed the notion that inviting Charles to open parliament was an effective way to make a statement on annexation. “If there’s a message in there, there’s easier ways to send messages. Just give me a call. Carney can call the president at any time,” he told the public broadcaster CBC last week.Hoekstra added that he sees the annexation issue as being “over.” “Move on. If the Canadians want to keep talking about it — that’s their business.”- ‘Entire world watching’ -Charles and Camilla are scheduled to land in Ottawa on Monday afternoon.They’ll be received by Governor General Mary Simon, Carney, Indigenous leaders and other dignitaries before meeting community organizations in Ottawa. Charles also holds an audience with Carney on Monday. At the Senate on Tuesday, the monarch will receive full military honors before delivering the throne speech. Canadian royal commentator Edward Wang told AFP he was traveling from his home in the west coast city of Vancouver to Ottawa for the visit.  “At a time when the sovereignty of our country is being challenged, having our head of state open the first session of a new Parliament sends a signal,” he said. “The entire world will be watching.”Walking his dog in downtown Ottawa in the morning, George Monastiriakos, 32, who normally supports abolishing the monarchy, said “in this moment we’re all monarchists.” “Trump seems to have a reverence for all things gold and the British monarchy especially,” he added, “So I think he’ll being paying attention” to the king’s Ottawa visit.Gaelle Hortop, 46, sipping her morning coffee in the ByWard Market, said she is “optimistic that it’ll be positive for Canadian morale” too.

Iran on Monday ruled out suspending uranium enrichment as part of any nuclear deal with the United States — a key demand from Washington in successive rounds of talks between the foes.The issue has come into focus in recent weeks, with Iran staunchly defending its right to enrich uranium as part of what it says is a civilian nuclear programme, while the United States wants it to stop.The negotiations, which began in April, are the highest-level contact between the two sides since the United States quit a landmark 2015 nuclear accord during US President Donald Trump’s first term.Trump described the latest round of discussions in Rome as “very, very good”, while Iran’s foreign minister described it as “complicated”.Since returning to office, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign on the Islamic republic, backing diplomacy but warning of military action if it fails.Tehran wants a new deal that would ease sanctions battering its economy.Western governments and Israel suspect Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons — a charge it strongly denies.US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading the talks for Washington, said the United States “could not authorise even one percent” of enrichment by Iran.- ‘Totally false’ -On Monday, Iran ruled out suspending its uranium enrichment.”This information is a figment of the imagination and totally false,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, asked about the possibility during a press briefing in Tehran.Iran insists it has the right to a civilian nuclear programme, including for energy, and considers the US demand a red line that violates the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory.Following the latest round of Omani-mediated talks in Rome, Iran’s foreign minister and lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi downplayed the progress, stressing “the negotiations are too complicated to be resolved in two or three meetings”.Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the fifth round concluded “with some but not conclusive progress”, adding he hoped “the remaining issues” would be clarified in the coming days.But on Sunday Trump said the ongoing discussions had been “very, very good”.”I think we could have some good news on the Iran front,” he said, adding that an announcement could come “over the next two days.”No date has yet been set for the next talks, according to Iran’s foreign ministry.The talks came ahead of a June meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, during which Iran’s nuclear activities will be reviewed.They also come before the October expiry of the 2015 accord, which aimed to allay US and European Union suspicions that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons capability, an ambition that Tehran has consistently denied.Iran has ramped up its nuclear activities since the collapse of the 2015 deal, and is now enriching uranium to 60 percent — far above the deal’s 3.67 percent cap but below the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade material.Experts say that uranium enriched beyond 20 percent can be further enriched to a weapons-grade level quickly.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to visit Oman this week.