British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing a battle to stay in post as he comes under heavy criticism for his decision in 2024 to appoint veteran politician Peter Mandelson as the British ambassador to the U.S. despite the latter's ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Starmer's judgment is in the spotlight like never before after the recent release of millions of pages of Epstein-related documents by the U.S. Justice Department showed how close Mandelson and Epstein were.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has no desire to halt Russia's almost 4-year-old invasion of neighboring Ukraine and thinks he can "outsmart" the United States during talks with Washington about how to end the war, a senior European intelligence official told The Associated Press.

Kaupo Rosin, the head of Estonia's foreign intelligence service, said Moscow is playing for time in the talks with Washington and "there is absolutely no discussion about how to really cooperate with the U.S. in a meaningful way."

Iran's top security official met Oman's ruler in Muscat on Tuesday, days after a new round of talks there between officials from Washington and Tehran.

Ali Larijani, who heads the Supreme National Security Council, and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq "discussed the latest developments in the Iranian-American negotiations", the official Oman News Agency said.

Iran warned Tuesday of "destructive" influence on diplomacy ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington for talks expected to focus on U.S. negotiations with Tehran.

"Our negotiating party is America. It is up to America to decide to act independently of the pressures and destructive influences that are detrimental to the region," said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei in a weekly press briefing.

The secretary of Iran's top security body said he will visit Oman on Tuesday, as the Gulf sultanate mediates nuclear talks between the Islamic republic and the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump's lead Iran negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, the US military said, with Washington and Tehran due to hold further talks soon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday to "discuss with him the negotiations with Iran", the premier's office said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday ruled out Tehran ever giving up uranium enrichment in its negotiations with Washington, insisting it will not be intimidated by the threat of war with the United States.

The United States wants Ukraine and Russia to end their nearly four-year war by June, and has offered to host talks between the two sides in Florida next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Iran's foreign minister said a fresh round of talks with Washington would take place "soon", while insisting that enrichment was Tehran's "inalienable right" and building trust would take time.