TEHRAN: Ahead of a second round of talks with the United States on nuclear programme, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Tuesday the country’s military capabilities were off limits.

“National security and defence and military power are among the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which cannot be discussed or negotiated under any circumstances,” Guards spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini said, quoted by state broadcaster IRIB.

The United States and Iran are set to hold another round of talks in Muscat on Saturday, a week after top officials met in the Omani capital for the highest-level discussions since the 2015 nuclear deal collapsed.

US President Donald Trump, who withdrew the United States from the 2015 deal during his first term, has reinstated his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran since returning to office in January.

In March, he sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for nuclear talks and warning of possible military action if Tehran refused.

Trump addressed reporters on Monday regarding Iran, saying “I’ll solve that problem” and “That’s almost an easy one”.

The US leader also threatened to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and called Iranian authorities “radicals” who should not possess nuclear weapons.

Iran has repeatedly denied seeking an atomic bomb, insisting its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, especially the provision of energy.

Late Sunday, Iran’s official IRNA news agency said the country’s regional influence and its missile capabilities were among its “red lines” in the talks.

On April 12, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, met US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman for “indirect” talks, according to Iranian officials and media.

The talks were the highest-level Iran-US nuclear negotiations since the collapse of the 2015 accord, formally known is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The accord offered Iran relief from international sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Both Tehran and Washington, enemies who have had no diplomatic relations since shortly after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, have called the latest round of negotiations “constructive”.

Araghchi’s office has said he will travel to Moscow at the end of this week for talks with Russia, a close ally of Iran and party to the 2015 nuclear deal.

Moscow welcomed the Iran-US talks as it pushed for a diplomatic solution and warned any military confrontation would be a “global catastrophe”.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday he was satisfied with talks with arch-foe the United States but warned they could ultimately prove fruitless.

Tehran and Washington are due to meet again in Muscat on Saturday, a week after top officials held the highest-level talks since the landmark 2015 nuclear accord collapsed.

US President Donald Trump, who pulled out of the deal during his first term, revived his “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign after returning to office in January.

In March, he sent a letter to Khamenei urging talks and warning of possible military action if Iran refused.

Saturday’s talks were “well carried out in the first steps”, Khamenei said, quoted by state television. “Of course, we are very pessimistic about the other side, but we are optimistic about our own capabilities.”

But he added that “the negotiations may or may not yield results”.

Despite having no diplomatic ties since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, both sides described the talks as “constructive”.

Iran insists that discussions remain “indirect” and mediated by Oman.

Trump threats

On Monday, Trump again threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities if no deal was reached, calling Iranian authorities “radicals” who should not possess nuclear weapons.

Tehran denies seeking an atomic bomb, saying its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, especially energy production.

Khamenei said Iran’s “red lines are clear”, without elaborating.

Earlier Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the country’s military capabilities were off limits in the discussions.

“National security and defence and military power are among the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which cannot be discussed or negotiated under any circumstances,” Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said.

On Monday, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who led the talks in Oman with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said Iran should return to the 3.67 percent enrichment level stipulated in the 2015 accord.

He said the process with Iran “is going to be much about verification on the enrichment programme and then ultimately verification on weaponisation that includes missiles, the type of missiles that they have stockpiled there and it includes the trigger for a bomb”.

‘Red lines’

In its latest quarterly report in February, the UN nuclear watchdog said Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilograms (605 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60%, close to the 90% threshold required for weapons-grade material.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi is expected in Iran on Wednesday.

Late Sunday, Iran’s official IRNA news agency said the country’s regional influence and its missile capabilities — long criticised by Western governments — were among its “red lines” in the talks.

Tehran supports the “axis of resistance” — a network of militant groups opposed to Israel, including Yemen’s Huthi rebels, the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon, the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Shiite militia groups in Iraq.

Iran has long been wary of talks with the United States, citing past mistrust.

The 2015 accord — known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA — offered Iran relief from international sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Iran complied with the agreement for a year after Trump’s withdrawal before scaling back its compliance.

In his speech, Khamenei said that Iran should not pin its hopes on progress in the negotiations.

“At the time (of the JCPOA), we made everything conditional on the progress of the negotiations,” he said.

A woman was left dead during a cryotherapy session in Paris, which turned deadly, with another hospitalised in critical condition as a result of a nitrogen leak from a cold chamber, according to French investigators.

The tragic incident unfolded on Monday evening at a small sports centre located in the 11th district of the French capital, where a nitrogen leak from a cryotherapy chamber is suspected to have caused poisoning, AFP reported, citing information from a police source.

An employee of the gym, who was in her late 20s, died. A client of the establishment, who is in her 30s, was hospitalised in critical condition.

“An investigation into the cause of death has been launched,” the Paris public prosecutor’s office said.

Three people who were in contact with the victims and provided first aid also received treatment, the police source said.

The gym, where 150 people were present when the tragedy struck, was evacuated shortly afterwards.

AFP journalists present at the scene on Monday evening saw a body covered with a white sheet being carried out of the sports centre.

Screens were set up to conceal what was happening in front of the door to the gym and along the pavement.

Nitrogen is a colourless, odourless gas that is commonly used in cryotherapy.

During a session in a walk-in chamber, a person is exposed to temperatures below -100 degrees Celsius for a recommended time of no more than three minutes.

Advocates say whole body cryotherapy is effective in reducing muscle soreness, stress, rheumatism and various skin conditions.

Star athletes and celebrities have used whole-body cryotherapy as an alternative to ice packs and cold water baths.

But many experts warn that the treatment has not been proven to be medically sound and are urging further research to determine the short- and long-term effects.

Diego Brisset, 26, said he planned to work out at the gym but was told it was closed on Monday evening.

He said he did not practice cryotherapy.

“I was always told it was dangerous”, he said.

Cryotherapy came under scrutiny in the United States in 2015 after a woman froze to death at a Las Vegas spa.

The 24-year-old woman was believed to have entered one of the spa’s cold chambers after business hours to relieve some aches and was discovered the next day by a co-worker

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who promised reforms after taking over from his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad but was criticised for lacklustre leadership, has died, his family said.

The 85-year-old passed away in hospital on Monday after a lingering illness.

He will be buried Tuesday after a state funeral.

Affectionately known as “Pak Lah” or Uncle Lah, Abdullah became prime minister in 2003, succeeding Mahathir, who resigned after 22 years in power.

He served as Malaysia’s fifth prime minister until 2009 when he was forced to stand down after his ruling coalition’s poor showing in general elections and following relentless criticism from Mahathir, who had turned against his hand-picked successor.

A moderate, the fatherly Abdullah was a sharp contrast compared with his domineering predecessor.

Many cheered the transition, and this helped Abdullah lead his National Front coalition to a landslide victory in the 2004 elections.

But there were also those who saw him as a weak leader.

Abdullah maintained a low profile after his term was over.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim paid tribute to Abdullah as a “person with a great soul who instilled a new narrative in Malaysia’s politics of power”.

Describing Abdullah as a friend and a statesperson of great character, Anwar said he led with a face that “was not angry, hands that did not grab at power, and a voice that was never raised despite relentless attacks”.

“When I was struggling during a dark episode in my life, Abdullah never added to the hurt with insulting words,” said Anwar, who was jailed under Mahathir’s rule.

“That was the personality of Pak Lah, who always chose peace even though retaliation was easy,” Anwar said on Facebook.

“During his six years as prime minister, Tun Abdullah made significant contributions to Malaysia’s social and economic development,” said Lawrence Wong, prime minister of neighbouring Singapore.

Former Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said: “I knew Pak Lah since before we became PMs. He served his country with great dedication, working tirelessly to tackle Malaysia’s challenges and uplift the lives of Malaysians.”

NEW YORK: Elite US university Harvard was hit with a $2.3 billion freeze in federal funding on Monday after rejecting a list of sweeping demands that the White House said was intended to crack down on campus anti-semitism.

The call for changes to its governance, hiring practices and admissions procedures expands on a list Harvard received on April 3, which ordered officials to shut diversity offices and cooperate with immigration authorities for screenings of international students.

Harvard president Alan Garber vowed in a letter to students and faculty to defy the government, insisting that the school would not “negotiate over its independence or its constitutional rights”.

Trump’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism responded with a statement announcing the $2.2 billion hold in multi-year grants, plus a freeze on $60 million in government contracts.

“Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges — that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws,” it said.

“The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.”

Campuses across the country were rocked last year by student protests.

The Department of Education announced in March that it had opened an investigation into 60 colleges and universities for alleged “anti-semitic harassment and discrimination.”

Garber’s letter came after the administration placed $9 billion in federal funding to Harvard and its affiliates under review, making its first demands.

On Friday, the government sent Harvard a much more detailed list demanding an “audit” of the views of students and faculty, which the university made public.

‘Raging antisemitism’

Harvard generated an operating surplus of $45 million on a revenue base of $6.5 billion in the last financial year.

Garber said the school was “open to new information and different perspectives” but would not agree to demands that “go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration.”

“No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber said.

However, he also said, viewing allegations of antisemitism, “As we defend Harvard, we will continue to nurture a thriving culture of open inquiry on our campus; develop the tools, skills, and practices needed to engage constructively with one another; and broaden the intellectual and viewpoint diversity within our community.”

The issue of antisemitism on campus erupted before Trump took office for his second term, following pro-Palestinian student protests last year at several universities.

Top Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who was lauded by Trump last year for aggressive questioning of universities over anti-semitism, called for Harvard to be defunded, calling it “the epitome of the moral and academic rot in higher education”.

The New York firebrand, seen as one of the most vocal supporters in Congress of Israel and US Jewish causes, accused the university of tolerating “raging antisemitism”.

Harvard’s response to the White House’s demands was in sharp contrast to the approach taken by Columbia University, the epicentre of last year’s pro-Palestinian protests.

The Trump administration cut $400 million in grants to the private New York school, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment as pro-Palestine protesters rallied.

The school responded by agreeing to reform student disciplinary procedures and hiring 36 officers to expand its security team.

As well as the funding cut, immigration officers have targeted two organisers of the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia: Mahmoud Khalil, whom the government is seeking to deport, and Mohsen Mahdawi, who was arrested on Monday as he attended an interview to become a US citizen.

Additional input from Reuters

US President Donald Trump has warned Iran that it must swiftly abandon any nuclear ambitions or face a military response as diplomatic efforts between the two nations resume, Reuters reported.

Trump made the comments following a meeting in Oman on Saturday between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and a senior Iranian representative. Both nations described the session as “constructive,” with a follow-up round expected this weekend, potentially in Rome.

Speaking to reporters, Trump voiced scepticism over Iran’s intentions. “I think they’re tapping us along,” he said. Despite the positive tone from the talks, he stressed Iran must fully renounce nuclear weapon development.

“Iran has to get rid of the concept of a nuclear weapon. They cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

Asked if a military strike remains on the table, he replied, “Of course it does,” underlining the seriousness of his administration’s stance.

According to a source briefed on the discussions, the current talks are exploratory, aimed at gauging the potential for a broader agreement. Still, Trump insisted time is running out. “They’re fairly close” to developing a weapon, he said, calling for quick action to avoid a “harsh response.”

While the Biden administration held indirect talks with Iran, little progress was made. The last direct negotiations occurred under President Barack Obama, who spearheaded the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump later withdrew from.

With tensions rising, the outcome of the next round of discussions may prove critical in determining the future of US-Iran relations.

TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign minister is set to visit Moscow later this week for discussions on the country’s nuclear programme, just before a new round of indirect talks with the United States.

On Saturday, Abbas Araghchi held talks with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman — the highest-level negotiations since the 2015 nuclear accord collapsed.

US President Donald Trump, who withdrew from the deal, has brought Iran back into the spotlight since returning to office in January.

In March, he sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for nuclear talks and warning of possible military action if Tehran refused.

Western countries, including the United States, have long suspected Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons — an allegation Tehran has consistently denied, insisting its programme is for peaceful purposes.

Russia, a close ally of Iran and party to the 2015 deal, and China have engaged with Tehran in recent weeks over its nuclear programme.

“Dr Araghchi will travel to Moscow at the end of the week,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, adding that the pre-planned trip would be “an opportunity to discuss the latest developments related to the Muscat talks”.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Araghchi would meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and other officials.

Iran and the United States have both described Saturday’s discussions as “constructive”.

Moscow welcomed the Iran-US talks as it pushed for a diplomatic solution and warned that military confrontation would be a “global catastrophe”.

Another round of talks between Iran and the United States is to be held in Oman on Saturday, the foreign ministry spokesman told the official IRNA news agency. Rome had earlier been cited as a possible venue.

‘Red lines’

Baqaei said the next set of talks would continue to be indirect with Omani mediation, adding that direct talks were “not effective” and “not useful”. Oman’s foreign minister shuttled between the two delegations at the last talks.

Baqaei had previously said the only focus of the next talks would be “the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions”, and that Iran “will not have any talks with the American side on any other issue”.

Late Sunday, IRNA reported that Tehran’s regional influence and its missile capabilities were among its “red lines” in the talks.

Washington reinstated biting sanctions on Tehran following its withdrawal from the 2015 deal three years later.

Iran continued to adhere to the agreement for a year after Trump’s withdrawal but later began rolling back its compliance.

Iran has consistently denied it is seeking nuclear weapons.

Trump addressed reporters on Monday regarding Iran, saying “I’ll solve that problem” and “That’s almost an easy one.”

However, it remains unclear whether his remarks referred specifically to nuclear negotiations or broader issues involving the Islamic Republic.

Baqaei reiterated that Iran would host United Nations nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi in the coming days but noted that the details of his trip were still “to be decided on”.

In a post on X, Grossi confirmed that he would be heading to Tehran “later this week”.

“Continued engagement and cooperation with the Agency is essential at a time when diplomatic solutions are urgently needed,” he said.

IRNA later reported that Grossi would arrive on Wednesday and meet Araghchi and Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s nuclear energy agency.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency last visited Iran in November when he held talks with top officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian.

In its latest quarterly report in February, the IAEA said Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilograms (605 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, which far exceeds the 3.67 percent limit set under the 2015 deal and is much closer to the 90 percent threshold required for weapons-grade material.

BUENOS AIRES: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said there is still room for a major trade deal with China, despite growing tensions and a deepening tariff dispute between the two countries.

“There’s a big deal to be done at some point,” Bessent said on Monday when asked by Bloomberg TV about the possibility that the world’s largest economies would decouple.

“There doesn’t have to be” decoupling, he said, “but there could be.”

Bessent stressed that a deal with China would be more difficult than with other nations because “China is both our biggest economic competitor and our biggest military rival.”

The world’s two largest economies have been locked in a fast-moving game of brinkmanship since US President Donald Trump launched a global tariff assault that particularly targeted Chinese imports.

Tit-for-tat exchanges have seen US levies imposed on China rise to 145 percent, with Beijing setting a retaliatory 125 percent band on US imports.

The US side has sent mixed messages about what it wants to achieve and whether tariffs that would rock the world economy can be avoided.

The White House had appeared to dial down the pressure recently, listing tariff exemptions for smartphones, laptops, semiconductors and other electronic products for which China is a major source.

But Trump and some of his top aides said Sunday that the exemptions had been misconstrued and would only be temporary as his team pursued fresh tariffs against many items on the list.

“NOBODY is getting ‘off the hook’… especially not China which, by far, treats us the worst!” he posted on his Truth Social platform.

Bessent warned that Trump’s tariffs were “not a joke.”

“These are big numbers. I think no one who thinks they’re sustainable wants them to remain here.”

China’s Xi Jinping on Monday kicked off a Southeast Asia tour with a visit to Vietnam — where he warned that protectionism “will lead nowhere” and a trade war would “produce no winner.”

“We must strengthen strategic resolve, jointly oppose unilateral bullying, and uphold the stability of the global free trade system as well as industrial and supply chains,” Xi told Vietnam’s top leader, To Lam.

The White House has said Trump remains optimistic about securing a trade deal with China, although administration officials have made it clear they expect Beijing to reach out first.

The trade war is raising fears of an economic downturn as the dollar tumbles and investors dump US government bonds, normally considered a safe haven investment.