Venue of US-Iran talks in Rome yet to be announced

Iran marked its National Army Day on Friday with military parades across the country.

In addition to formations of soldiers, Iran's armed forces displayed dozens of unmanned reconnaissance and combat aircraft as well as various types as tanks, artillery, missiles and vessels at sea.

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the Russian leader has promised his country's relations with Tehran would not be impacted by Russia's relations with the United States.

"Russia–US relations have their own unique characteristics," Araghchi said during his visit to Moscow.

"What matters is that both the Russian President and Foreign Minister have assured us that their country’s relationship with Iran will not be influenced by any other country."

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Iran's exiled prince on Friday urged the United States not to clinch an Iran nuclear deal which he said would rescue the Islamic Republic.

“These nuclear talks will not bring peace to the Middle East," Prince Reza Pahlavi said in a statement published by his X account. "This regime does not negotiate in good faith. It uses diplomacy as a tactic—to buy time, ease pressure, and tighten its grip on power."

Nuclear talks with Tehran "will throw a lifeline to a crumbling dictatorship and prolong its export of terror and chaos," the US-based prince said.

"The Islamic Republic is at its weakest point in 46 years. Its leadership is fractured. Its economy is in free fall. Its people are rising. In just the past few weeks, protests have erupted again across the country. Change is already happening. This is not the time to rescue a dying regime."

A US air strike targeting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement killed at least 74 people and injured 171 according to the health ministry controlled by the group, in what would be the deadliest American strike yet in an ongoing military campaign.

The attack targeted Yemen's Ras Isa fuel port on Yemen's Western Red Sea coast, US Central Command said in a statement on X.

"The objective of these strikes was to degrade the economic source of power of the Houthis, who continue to exploit and bring great pain upon their fellow countrymen," CENTCOM said.

"The Houthis, their Iranian masters, and those who knowingly aid and abet their terrorist actions should be put on notice that the world will not accept illicit smuggling of fuel and war material to a terrorist organization."

A Democratic senator has called on the Trump administration not to negotiate with Tehran and to provide Israel with whatever it needs to destroy the Islamic Republic's nuclear capabilities.

"The only purpose of Iran's nuclear program is to create weapons," said Senator John Fetterman in a post on X on Friday. "We can't allow that or negotiate with this regime."

The United States should "provide our comprehensive military support and whatever else Israel requires to destroy Iran's capabilities," the outspoken pro-Israel lawmaker added.

Fetterman made the remarks in reaction to an Axios report about a meeting between Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Israeli officials in Paris about nuclear talks with Iran, a second round of which is slated for Saturday in Rome.

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