LIVE: Pakistan proposes new US-Iran talks; Modi speaks with Trump for 40 mins

Nitish Kumar resigns as Bihar CM

Nitish Kumar has resigned as Bihar Chief Minister.

Ahead of the resignation, Nitish demanded the dissolution of his cabinet as he met Governor Syed Ata Hasnain to submit his resignation from the CM post, state minister Ram Kripal Yadav said.

Kumar, the state's longest-serving chief minister, informed his cabinet colleagues about his decision to dissolve the council of ministers, a constitutional requirement before tendering his resignation as the CM to the governor, Yadav told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

"It was a very emotional moment for all of us. He informed us about his decision. The CM recommended dissolution of the cabinet during the meeting. He will submit his resignation as CM to the governor later in the day," the minister said.

Iran issues Bollywood style missile boat warning to US

Iran sharpened its warning to Washington with a pop-culture flourish that carried a hard edge. Its Mumbai consulate posted a video of fast attack craft maneuvering in the Persian Gulf, paired with a line from Om Shanti Om, starring Shah Rukh Khan: “Abhi toh sirf trailer hai, picture abhi baaki hai.” The message: what’s visible now is only a prelude.

Behind the theatrics sits a focused military signal. Iran’s fleet of small, fast missile boats, built for swarm tactics, forms the backbone of its naval deterrent. Rather than matching U.S. warships ship-for-ship, Tehran banks on speed, numbers, and the confined waters of the Strait of Hormuz to complicate any blockade or strike.

The exchange comes after the administration of Donald Trump imposed a naval blockade on Iranian-linked shipping following failed talks. Trump warned Iranian vessels would be “eliminated” if they approached US forces, even as he dismissed much of Iran’s navy. Tehran answered with its own red line, with Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf vowing retaliation.

US-Iran conflict: Chinese President Xi calls to respect sovereignty of all countries

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of countries in the West Asia and Gulf region should be fully respected.

Xi, who met the visiting Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said the safety of personnel, facilities, and institutions of all countries should be effectively safeguarded.

He also advocated building a common, comprehensive, cooperative, sustainable security architecture for West Asia and the Gulf region.

On adherence to the principle of international rule of law, Xi said the authority of international rule of law should be upheld to prevent the world from falling back into the law of the jungle.

He said development and security should be coordinated. All parties should work together to create a favourable environment for the development of countries in West Asia and the Gulf region.

This is the first time Xi has commented on the current conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, which also affected several Gulf countries, including the UAE.

The UAE crown prince is also the first West Asian leader to visit China after the conflict broke out between the US, Israel, and Iran.

China, which has close strategic ties with Iran, has been critical of US attacks on Iran and has been calling for a cessation of hostilities. On Monday, China called for unimpeded passage through the Strait of Hormuz after the US President Donald Trump announced plans to blockade the trade route.

Asian stocks gain and oil falls on hopes of renewed US-Iran talks

Asian stocks were trading higher tracking Wall Street gains and oil fell on Tuesday as expectations rose over a possible second round of talks between the US and Iran to end West Asia conflict.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 was up 2.4 per cent to 57,842.72. South Korea's Kospi jumped 3.4 per cent to 6,004.30.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.4 per cent to 25,759.75, while the Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.6 per cent to 4,010.45. China on Tuesday reported worse-than-expected export growth of 2.5 per cent in March for the first month since the Iran war began.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.3 per cent, and Taiwan's Taiex rose 2.2 per cent.

Investors are still hopeful for a lasting de-escalation of the Iran war, which is in its seventh week, as the US and Iran are said to be weighing a second round of talks before a temporary ceasefire agreement expires next week. The US military on Monday began a blockade of Iranian ports as Washington steps up its pressure on Tehran, following ceasefire talks between the two sides over the weekend that ended without an agreement.

But US President Donald Trump also suggested on Monday that the United States is still willing to engage with Tehran. “I can tell you that we've been called by the other side,” he said, without further elaborating details.

Oil prices continued to pull back on Tuesday from earlier gains. Brent crude, the international standard, was down 1.3 per cent to USD 98.12 per barrel. It reached nearly USD 104 early Monday morning over Iran war worries on limited progress from the weekend ceasefire talks.

Agreement cannot be reached overnight, talks should continue: UNSG on West Asia war

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for continued constructive discussions between Iran and the US, while stressing the ceasefire “must absolutely be preserved” after the talks between the two nations on the West Asia conflict concluded without a deal.

The 21-hour-long negotiations between the US, led by Vice President JD Vance, and Iran in Pakistan on Saturday concluded without an agreement to end the war.

“While no agreement was reached at the talks hosted by Pakistan between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran in Islamabad, the discussions themselves underscored the seriousness of their engagement and constituted a positive and meaningful step toward renewed dialogue,” a statement issued by the spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Guterres said Monday.

“They have chosen not to accept our terms,” Vance had said in a news conference in Islamabad. “We leave here with a very simple proposal: a method of understanding that is our final and best offer,” he said, adding that "We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.” Guterres said that given the deeply rooted differences, an “agreement cannot be reached overnight” and called on the talks to continue constructively for an agreement to be reached.

“At the same time, the ceasefire must absolutely be preserved. All violations must cease,” Guterres said, adding that after weeks of destruction and distress, it is clear that there is no military solution to the current conflict in the Middle East.

Next round of Iran-US negotiations expected soon: Pak's Defence Minister

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon.

The 21-hour talks between the US and Iran on Saturday were the first of their kind since 1979 due to the involvement of top-level officials from both sides. The two sides, however, failed to secure a lasting peace deal to end hostilities following their talks in Pakistan over the weekend.

Speaking to the media outside Parliament House on Monday, Asif said there had been a sense of satisfaction after the talks that there were no negative developments so far.

“Only positive progress has been observed,” he said, indicating that the ongoing diplomatic efforts were moving in a constructive direction.

The next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon, he added.

The Express Tribune reported that responding to a question about whether Pakistan would play a decisive role in shaping the region’s future, Asif said that ultimate decisions rest with Allah.

Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad, said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".

Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Iran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions." Pakistan led the diplomatic push to bring the two sides to the table, which became possible after an appeal by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier this week, leading to a pause in the fighting.

Pak FM Dar dials Wang, exchanges views on US-Iran talks

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday told his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar that the top priority is to make every effort to prevent the US-Iran conflict from reigniting in West Asia and maintain the hard-won momentum of the ceasefire.

According to the Foreign Office, Dar held a telephone conversation with Wang and exchanged views on the recently concluded Islamabad Talks.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the top priority is to make every effort to prevent the conflict from reigniting in West Asia and maintain the hard-won momentum of the ceasefire, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang felicitated Dar on Pakistan's efforts to promote peace and stability across the region and reaffirmed China’s continued support for Pakistan’s "constructive diplomatic role,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Dar, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, reiterated Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to advancing dialogue and diplomacy as the preferred means to restore peace in the region.

Emphasising that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path forward, both leaders discussed the Pakistan–China Five-Point Peace Initiative aimed at facilitating the peaceful resolution of issues, the Foreign Office said.

US and Iran could be headed toward a second round of talks: AP sources

US and Iran could be headed toward a second round of talks, according to AP sources.

The sides are weighing new in-person negotiations in a bid to reach a deal aimed at ending their six-week war before the ceasefire expires next week, two US officials and person familiar with the development said.

The three said discussions were still underway about a new round of talks, while a diplomat from one of the mediating countries went further to say Tehran and Washington have agreed to it.

All four spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic negotiations.

It's unclear if the same level of delegation would be expected to attend, the diplomat and US officials said.

The diplomat and US officials said Islamabad, Pakistan, was once again being discussed as the host location. The US officials also said Geneva was a possibility, and that while the venue and timing had not been decided, the talks could happen Thursday.

The White House didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Trump told reporters earlier Monday that “we've been called by the other side” and “they want to work a deal.”

Canadian PM Carney secures majority government in special election

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney secured a majority government with a special election outcome Monday night, allowing his Liberals to pass legislation without the support of opposition parties.

Voters cast ballots for three vacant seats of the 343 districts represented in Parliament. The public Canadian Broadcasting Corporation projected a Liberal win in a Toronto district. Results for two other districts are expected Monday night.

Carney won Canada's election last year fueled by public anger over US President Donald Trump's annexation threats.

His Liberal party could stay in power until 2029 after Monday's results. Five defections from opposition parties to Carney, including four from the main opposition Conservative party, put Carney's Liberals on the cusp of the majority.

Before Monday's results, the Liberals had 171 members of Parliament in the House of Commons.

One of those defectors referenced Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as helping his decision. In the speech, Carney condemned economic coercion by great powers against smaller countries and received widespread praise for his remarks.

Carney, former head of the Bank of England as well as Canada's central bank, has moved the Liberals to the center-right since replacing Justin Trudeau as prime minister in 2025.

West Asia crisis: EAM Jaishankar speaks to counterparts from Kuwait, Singapore

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday spoke to his counterparts from Kuwait and Singapore, focusing on the West Asia crisis as the US blockade of Iranian ports takes effect.

In his conversation with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Jaishankar also discussed the "well-being of the Indian community" in the Gulf nation.

"A good conversation with FM Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah of Kuwait. It focused on the regional situation and the well-being of the Indian community," the external affairs minister said on social media.

Jaishankar said he and Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan exchanged views on the West Asia conflict and its implications.

"Always nice to speak to FM @VivianBala of Singapore. Our discussions were about the conflict in West Asia and its implications," he said.

Hours after the Iran-US talks in Islamabad ended without any outcome, US President Donald Trump on Sunday said the US military will begin a blockade to stop ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz and stop all traffic to Iranian ports starting 10 am ET (7:30 pm Indian time) on Monday.