IRAN: President Pezeshkian again pledged today that his nation is “not after a nuclear bomb” ahead of talks between Tehran and the United States, while dangling the prospect of direct US investment in the Islamic Republic if the countries can reach a deal.

“His excellency has no opposition to investment by American investors in Iran,” Mr Pezeshkian said in a speech in Tehran, referring to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “American investors: Come and invest.”

EUROPEAN UNION: Member states voted today to approve retaliatory tariffs on $23 billion (£18bn) of goods in response to US President Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on imported steel and aluminium.

The tariffs will go into effect in stages, with some on April 15 and others on May 15 and December 1. The European Commission didn’t immediately provide a list of the goods.

SOUTH SUDAN: Five children were among eight people who died from cholera in South Sudan after aid cuts forced patients to walk for hours to the nearest clinics, an aid organisation said today.

The Save the Children charity said the deaths were recorded in the flood-prone eastern Jonglei state, where it had closed seven health centres. 

ARGENTINA: The US-controlled International Monetary Fund said it has reached a preliminary agreement with Argentina on Tuesday for a $20 billion (£15.6bn) bailout, providing a boost to the country’s far-right President Javier Milei.

As a staff-level agreement, the rescue package still requires final approval from the IMF’s executive board, which will meet in the coming days.