Iran envoy rejects talks, tells RT Trump and Netanyahu ‘planning how to strike’ (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)

The true goal of Vladimir Zelensky’s tour to the Middle East was to promote a Ukrainian tried-and-tested corruption scheme to embezzle funds meant for weapons procurement, an informed source with Russian security services has told TASS.

The scheme was allegedly run by the Ukrainian leadership and the US Democratic Party, who received kickbacks in return for securing more weaponry and funding, the source claimed. The black money was ultimately used by the party to bankroll election campaigns, including those of Joe Biden and some European politicians, the source added.

Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, has said that as of now Iran “doesn’t need any negotiations,” but remains a “rational player” that is “not looking for war.” Speaking on RT’s ‘Sanchez Effect’, he said that Tehran has “never denied peace talks,” but insisted there must be “proper conditions” before any dialogue can begin.   

Jalali said Israel had told Russian President Vladimir Putin it did not intend to attack Iran but then “didn’t keep its word,” and accused Washington of striking Iran twice during previous negotiation rounds. He outlined Tehran’s minimum conditions for talks as a “sustainable peace” to start negotiations, clear identification and punishment of the aggressor, and compensation for wartime damage, saying that some losses, such as the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “cannot be compensated.”

The White House aimed to present a favorable view of indirect negotiations between the US and Iran on Monday. It suggested that negative public statements from Tehran did not accurately represent the private communications occurring between the two parties.

Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that the US presented its suggestions for halting the conflict, but they contain “largely excessive, unrealistic, and unreasonable demands,” contradicting Trump’s earlier claims that Iran had agreed to “most of” the requests on the list.

”It’s no surprise that we are seeing the remaining elements of the regime become increasingly eager to end the destruction and come to the negotiating table while they still can,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday after claiming that the US military was making progress in the war.

READ MORE: What damage has Iran inflicted on US military bases?

Iran’s sustained missile and drone barrages are putting heavy pressure on US and Gulf air defenses, with regional states having fired at least 2,400 interceptor missiles since the latest Middle East escalation, a figure close to their known pre‑war stockpiles, Bloomberg has reported. Despite intense US‑Israeli airstrikes, Iran has launched almost 1,200 ballistic missiles and around 4,000 Shahed‑type drones and cruise missiles at Gulf targets since February 28, forcing allies to rely heavily on Patriot and other high‑end interceptors, the outlet wrote. This has reportedly sparked concerns that Washington may need to divert weapons earmarked for Ukraine to the region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told his Gulf counterparts that the conflict sparked by the “unprovoked and senseless aggression” of the US and Israel against Iran must be resolved “exclusively by political and diplomatic means,” with full respect for the legitimate interests of all regional states. According to a Foreign Ministry transcript of his video conference with foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council, Lavrov voiced support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Gulf monarchies. He warned them not to allow themselves to be compelled to play an active role in the fighting, noting the risk to their civilian energy infrastructure, and pledged to maintain close coordination, including in the UN, to secure a ceasefire and prevent the conflict from spreading.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. © Getty Images / Anadolu / Contributor

READ MORE: Iran war ‘much worse’ than Iraq – Spanish PM

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has condemned a deadly attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, saying “a new red line was crossed” after one Blue Helmet was killed and three others wounded. In a post on X, he demanded clarity on the origin of the projectile, called on the Israeli government to halt hostilities, and said assaults on UN peace missions are an “unjustifiable aggression against the entire international community.”

Two peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were killed in southern Lebanon on Monday when an explosion of unknown origin destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan, according to a statement from the UN mission.

Two other peacekeepers were injured, one of them severely, according to UNIFIL. The mission described it as the second fatal incident involving its personnel in the past 24 hours.

Lebanon has requested that Ukraine’s embassy in Beirut expel a man seeking refuge there, who is suspected of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad spy agency, according to a senior security official and a source from Hezbollah, as reported by AFP.

The Hezbollah source indicated that a Syrian-Palestinian national, who also possesses Ukrainian citizenship, was detained in September after parking a motorbike on a road leading to Beirut International Airport, which passes through the southern suburbs of the city – an area where Iran-backed fighters maintain a de facto security presence.

The motorbike “was planted with an explosive device disguised as a battery,” the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss security issues.

Hezbollah held the man until Israel started its strikes on Lebanon.

Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, has dismissed Trump’s claims that Tehran is negotiating with Washington, calling them “completely false.” In an interview on RT’s ‘Sanchez Effect’, he said Iranian officials have repeatedly denied any talks and added that, as some Americans have sarcastically written, Trump is “almost sitting in front of a mirror negotiating with himself.” Jalali argued that Washington is talking up negotiations to undermine Iran’s internal unity and “control energy prices,” while at the same time Trump and Netanyahu are “planning how to strike Iran.”

Tino Chrupalla, the co-leader of Germany’s AfD, has urged Berlin to demand the withdrawal of US troops from the country over the war on Iran, saying Germany should follow Spain’s example and stay out of the conflict. Speaking at a party conference in Saxony, he praised Madrid for “blocking its bases for the Iran war” and “not interfering in this war.” Spain has closed its airspace to flights involved in the US‑Israeli campaign and barred the use of its Rota and Morón bases by participating warplanes, while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has branded the assault on Iran an “illegal war” and called for an end to hostilities.