00:00Good evening. This is World News. Tonight, the Middle East is sliding towards a hard edge.
00:06Israel is setting red lines. China is stepping in and America is repositioning firepower.
00:13And Iran is looking for cover in Moscow. We start with Israel and a warning that
00:19leaves little room for compromise. Ahead of U.S.-Iran talks in Turkey,
00:27Benjamin Netanyahu has made Israel's position blunt. No partial deal, no limited freeze,
00:33zero enrichment. Israel wants every gram of uranium removed. Jerusalem fears Washington may
00:39ignore Iran's missiles and proxy militias, threats Israel calls existential. As Envoy Steve
00:47Witkoff meets the security establishment and the Mossad, Tehran is warning of retaliation if talks
00:54are undermined. The message is simple. Diplomacy, yes, but backed by force. Here's the ground picture.
01:03White House Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday ahead
01:09of highly sensitive talks with Iran's foreign minister. And this time, the message from Jerusalem
01:15is clear. A nuclear-only deal is not enough. Witkoff will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
01:23IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zemir, and Mossad Director David Barnea, Israel's top
01:31political, military, and intelligence leadership. The goal? To make sure Israel's concerns are heard
01:38before Witkoff sits down with Tehran. According to Iranian media, Witkoff is expected to meet
01:45Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in the coming days, likely in Turkey. Ahead of that meeting,
01:51the U.S. envoy wants to understand what Israel considers a good deal with Iran and what it
01:57absolutely will not accept. On the nuclear issue, Israel's position hasn't changed. Officials are
02:04demanding zero uranium enrichment and the complete removal of enriched uranium from Iranian territory.
02:10But that's only part of the story. Israel's bigger fear is what might be left out of a deal.
02:17Israeli officials worry Washington could settle for a narrow agreement focused only on nuclear
02:23facilities while sidelining two issues Israel views as existential threats, Iran's ballistic missile
02:30program and its support for proxy forces across the region. From Israel's perspective, Iran's missiles,
02:37especially long-range systems, pose a direct danger to Israeli cities. The expectation is that the U.S.
02:43will push to limit missile range and capabilities. But Iranian officials are refusing to even discuss the
02:49issue. The same resistance applies to Iran's regional strategy. Funding and arming militias from Lebanon
02:57to Gaza and exporting its revolutionary ideology beyond its borders. Israeli intelligence believes
03:03Iran's negotiating mandate deliberately excludes missiles and proxies, focusing strictly on nuclear
03:10matters, a move seen in Jerusalem as a troubling starting point. Witkoff himself is viewed in Israel as
03:17cautious and opposed to military action. Some officials fear he could fall into what they describe as an
03:24Iranian negotiating trap, long talks, limited concessions, and pressure on Washington to declare
03:30diplomatic success. That raises the key question, how far is President Donald Trump willing to go?
03:38Some in Israel believe the decision may already be leaning toward confrontation.
03:42They point to the massive U.S. naval buildup in the region, an armada costing tens of billions of
03:49dollars, far exceeding preparations seen in other global hotspots. In Israel's view, Washington wouldn't
03:55deploy forces on this scale unless a military option was genuinely on the table. At the same time, U.S.
04:04military planners reportedly see no silver billet, no quick strike that would collapse the Iranian
04:10regime. Any operation would likely be prolonged and costly. Still, the scale of the deployment
04:16suggests the U.S. is not backing away from that risk. Meanwhile, Gaza is also high on the agenda.
04:24Over the weekend, the IDF killed at least three militants in the Rafah area after fighters were seen
04:30emerging from an eastern Rafah tunnel. Israeli strikes also injured civilians, prompting condemnation
04:36and calls for restraint from international officials. As Whitcoff arrives, Israel is signaling that
04:42diplomacy cannot ignore missiles, militias, or Gaza, and that time may be running out. Within days, it should
04:50become clear whether Iran recognizes how precarious its position is, or whether it believes Washington will
04:56ultimately blink again. As unrest and sanctions batter Iran, China is quietly stepping closer. During
05:06recent protests, reports say Beijing helped Tehran enforce a nationwide communications blackout. At the
05:12same time, Donald Trump ordered fresh U.S. deployments and tougher warnings over Iran's nuclear and missile
05:19programs. Two powers, two strategies, which means any future deal may depend as much on China,
05:26as on Tehran itself. Amid escalating U.S.-Iran tensions, a key question emerges. How far would
05:36China go to shield its energy partner Iran from Washington? As protests, sanctions, and U.S. warships
05:44squeeze Tehran, Beijing has quietly become Iran's most important lifeline, economically, politically,
05:51and now potentially militarily. What began as trade ties is turning into a strategic test of power
05:58between the world's two superpowers. When mass protests rocked Iran in January, Chinese assistants
06:05reportedly helped authorities impose a nationwide communications blackout. Beijing framed the unrest
06:12as foreign interference and condemned U.S. threats as a return to the law of the jungle. China offered to help
06:19Iran stand united, signaling open political backing. Now the partnership is moving from economics to
06:26security. Iran, China, and Russia plan joint naval drills in the Indian Ocean next month, a clear message to
06:34Washington. Online reports claim Chinese equipment has already reached Iran, though Beijing refuses to
06:41confirm details. Years of U.S. sanctions pushed Iran out of the global financial system and straight toward
06:48China. Beijing became Iran's main buyer of oil and its largest trade channel. But the relationship remains
06:55uneven. China trades over $250 billion with Gulf states, yet less than $14 billion with Iran. After
07:03Iran's 12-day conflict with Israel in 2025, cooperation deepened. Intelligence sharing, cyber coordination,
07:12and military planning reportedly expanded. For China, Iran is more than a partner. It's a frontline
07:18counterweight to U.S. dominance far from the Pacific. In Washington and NATO, this alignment is
07:25called the Axis of Upheaval, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. NATO Chief Mark Rutta says these powers
07:33are increasingly coordinated to challenge Western influence. U.S. strategists now argue that weakening
07:39Iran could also curb China. Reports say 16 Chinese military transports landed in Iran within 56 hours,
07:48an unprecedented airlift. At the same time, the U.S. is surging forces. F-15E strike jets to Jordan,
07:57missile defenses to the Gulf, and the USS Abraham Lincoln moving toward the region. This is no longer
08:03just about Iran. It's about control of the Middle East. China and Russia are now openly warning President
08:10Trump. After talks in Beijing both vowed to defend true multilateralism and oppose unilateral force,
08:18their message is blunt. An attack on Iran would shatter global stability. Yet China moves carefully.
08:25It won't sacrifice trade with Saudi Arabia or the UAE for Tehran. Beijing prefers diplomacy, sanctions relief,
08:33and a nuclear compromise, not a direct clash with the U.S. So how far will China go? Economic rescue?
08:41Yes. Diplomatic cover? Certainly. Limited military help? Likely. But direct war with America? Beijing wants
08:49to avoid that at all costs. Iran has become the battlefield of influence, where China tests how far
08:57it can challenge Washington without firing a single shot. The U.S. has repositioned the USS Abraham Lincoln
09:05strike group to the Gulf of Aden, farther from Iran's coast but still within striking range. It's not a retreat,
09:13it's calibrated deterrence. At the same time, Chinese surveillance ships and satellites are tracking
09:19every move. It's a message of warfare. How? Take a look.
09:27A sudden repositioning and a new shadow at sea. The United States has moved the aircraft carrier USS
09:35Abraham Lincoln away from Iran, pulling its strike group out of the immediate Persian Gulf pressure zone.
09:42On board? F-35C stealth fighters, super hornets, electronic warfare jets, and surveillance aircraft,
09:51firepower designed for full-scale conflict. Regional monitors say the carrier group is now in the Gulf of
09:58Aden, nearly 1,400 kilometers from Iran's Chabahar port. Officially, the move is described as routine
10:07rotation. Strategically, it looks like a step back from the brink.
10:12But as the American warship shifts, a Chinese vessel has appeared nearby.
10:17Multiple reports say Beijing has deployed a scientific research ship close to the U.S.
10:23strike group in the Arabian Sea. Analysts warn the label is misleading.
10:29This ship has dual-use intelligence capabilities. Tracking data identifies the vessel as
10:35Daiyang-i-ha, active across the Indian Ocean since late 2025. Its equipment includes seabed mapping
10:43systems and underwater signal interception tools, technology ideal for monitoring submarines and
10:50carrier movements. What Beijing calls research, militaries call surveillance.
10:56Meanwhile, intelligence agencies report a steady flow of Chinese components to Iran, missile
11:02precursors, drone parts, propulsion materials. Unverified accounts describe a surge of Chinese
11:09cargo flights into Tehran, possibly the largest airlift in years. Support that stays just below the
11:17threshold of open alliance. The naval chess game unfolds as Iran orders nuclear talks with the United
11:24States. President Pezashkian has approved negotiations, and Trump says he hopes for a deal,
11:31even after Khomeini warned any U.S. attack would ignite a regional war. The carrier's pullback fits that
11:39diplomatic opening. Tensions exploded after Iran's winter protests and a brutal crackdown that drew U.S.
11:46threats. Tehran called the unrest a foreign plot by America and Israel. Washington called it repression of
11:54a people. Now diplomacy competes with deterrence, while China watches every move. One carrier moves away,
12:03one Chinese ship moves in. Whether this is the start of de-escalation or the opening scene of a wider
12:10power struggle depends on talks that have only just begun. In the Arabian Sea, diplomacy and espionage now sail side by side.
12:24According to the New York Times, a confidential message from Ali Khamenei has reached Vladimir Putin. Iran may transfer
12:31enriched uranium to Russia, a replay of 2015 formula in exchange for sanctions relief. In short, Tehran wants an
12:40off-ramp, but trusting Moscow as a guarantor won't be easy for Washington. Find out why.
12:46A secret channel opens between Tehran and Moscow. Iran's top security official Ali Larajani has
12:58reportedly delivered a confidential message from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei directly to President
13:05Vladimir Putin. The meeting in Moscow comes at a critical moment as Tehran edges toward nuclear talks with
13:12Washington. What Iran told Russia could shape the next Middle East deal, or the next confrontation.
13:20Sources say Iran signaled it may transfer enriched uranium to Russia, echoing the model of the 2015 nuclear agreement.
13:29Tehran is reportedly willing to suspend parts of its nuclear program if sanctions pressure eases and security guarantees follow.
13:37But Iran prefers a regional consortium for enrichment, not direct U.S. control.
13:44Upcoming talks in Istanbul are expected to run on two tracks, the nuclear file and Iran's missile program.
13:52Publicly, Tehran denies missiles are negotiable. Privately, diplomats say the issue could still reach the table.
13:59U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragachi are set to lead the engagement.
14:07Iranian President Masoud Pezashkian has now ordered preparations for direct negotiations with the United States.
14:15The condition? A non-threatening atmosphere.
14:18This marks a sharp turn after Supreme Leader Khamenei warned that any American attack would ignite a regional war.
14:26President Trump says he still hopes for a deal, despite moving warships near Iran.
14:32If we don't make a deal, we'll find out, Trump told reporters after Khamenei's warning.
14:37Washington wants strict nuclear limits. Tehran wants sanctions relief and respect.
14:43Foreign Minister Aragachi says Trump may be wise enough to choose diplomacy, but admits Iran no longer
14:50trusts the U.S. Regional mediators are trying to rebuild that confidence, yet both sides fear miscalculation.
14:59That is why the message to Putin matters. Moscow remains Iran's key security partner and potential guarantor.
15:06Putin could hold Iran's enriched stockpile, monitor compliance, and shield Tehran from total isolation.
15:15For Putin, this is leverage over both Washington and the Middle East.
15:19The secret note from Khamenei may be Iran's blueprint for survival, and its insurance policy if talks with
15:26America collapse. A message delivered in secrecy, talks planned in Istanbul, warships waiting offshore.
15:35Iran is negotiating with Washington, but speaking just as carefully to Moscow.
15:40The next move from Putin could decide whether this story ends with signatures or sirens.
15:46So, Israel is uncompromising, China is intervening, America is positioning muscle, Russia is opening
15:57back channels, and Iran is boxed in. The next move, diplomatic or military, could define the region
16:04for years. We will stay ahead of it. You're watching World News.
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