MOSCOW, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was still trying to de-escalate tensions around Iran, and that it had long ago offered its services to process or store Iran's enriched uranium.
Asked if Russia was discussing with Iran and the United States the possibility of taking Iranian enriched uranium, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "This topic has been on the agenda for a long time."
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa
CAIRO/GAZA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Cut off from family or urgently requiring hospital care, Palestinians stranded on each side of Gaza's Rafah crossing waited with growing desperation for Monday's reopening of the border as a delayed part of October's ceasefire deal.
How fully crossings to and from Egypt will resume, and under what conditions, remains unclear with Israel retaining complete control of Gaza's frontier, but for those waiting to travel even a partial reopening feels long overdue.
DUBAI, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Details of various diplomatic processes to manage tensions with the U.S. are being examined by Iran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, adding that Tehran hoped for results in the coming days.
Amid a military buildup by the U.S. Navy near Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters last week that Iran was "seriously talking" with Washington, hours after Tehran's top security official Ali Larijani said on X that arrangements for negotiations were underway.
Feb 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war was given a boost on Monday with the reopening of the enclave's Rafah crossing with Egypt. But difficult questions remain unaddressed, including whether Hamas will disarm.
Trump's plan, now in its second phase, has been shaken by repeated Israeli attacks that have killed hundreds in Gaza, as well as resistance by Hamas militants to lay down their weapons. Israeli officials say they are preparing for a return to war if Hamas refuses to disarm.
By Haseeb Alwazeer
GAZA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Israel was expected to reopen the border between Gaza and Egypt on Monday for people on foot, a move that would allow Palestinians to leave the enclave and let back in those who want to return after fleeing Israel's war in the enclave.
The reopening of the Rafah border crossing will be limited, with Israel demanding security checks for Palestinians entering and exiting. Israel and Egypt were expected to impose caps on the number of travellers.
Sick and wounded Gazans began crossing into Egypt to seek medical treatment on Monday after Israel permitted a limited reopening of the Palestinian territory's Rafah border post.
Around 150 people were due to leave the territory on Monday, and 50 to enter it, according to Egyptian officials, more than 20 months after Israeli forces fighting in Gaza closed the crossing.
By Guy Faulconbridge
MOSCOW, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Kremlin security official, said in remarks released for publication on Monday that the world was getting very dangerous, but that Russia did not want a global conflict.
Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the biggest confrontation between the West and Moscow since the depths of the Cold War, though U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys are trying to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and Ukraine.
Feb 1 (Reuters) - The top U.S. and Israeli generals held talks at the Pentagon on Friday amid soaring tensions with Iran, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The officials did not offer details about the closed-door discussions between U.S. General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Eyal Zamir, the Israeli armed forces chief of staff. The meeting has not been previously reported.
KYIV, Feb 1 (Reuters) - A new round of U.S.-brokered trilateral talks between Ukraine and Russia will take place in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4 and 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday, adding that Kyiv was ready for a "substantive discussion".
"Our negotiating team has just delivered a report. The dates for the next trilateral meetings have been set – February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi," he wrote on X.
"Ukraine is ready for a substantive discussion, and we are interested in ensuring that the outcome brings us closer to a real and dignified end to the war."
(Corrects to add missing word in headline)
By Ariba Shahid
KARACHI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Pakistan's security forces killed 145 militants over 40 hours after coordinated attacks across Balochistan, the chief minister of the southwestern province said on Sunday, as the authorities battle one of the deadliest flare-ups in years.
The attacks underscore the persistence of insurgents in the resource-rich province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, where separatist militant groups have stepped up assaults on security forces, civilians and infrastructure.
