Iran's rejection of US talks reflects deep mistrust
Iranian officials denied any talks had taken place. One military spokesperson even mocked the claim, saying Americans had been "negotiating with themselves".
The gap is clear. Washington talks about progress; Tehran rejects it outright. But this is not just a disagreement; it reflects deep mistrust, BBC reported.
That mistrust comes from recent events.
Over the past year, talks between the two sides have twice raised hopes of easing tensions, with the last round said by their Omani host to have addressed key US concerns about Iran's nuclear programme.
Meta and YouTube found liable in landmark social media addiction trial
A Los Angeles jury has handed down an unprecedented win for a young woman who sued Meta and YouTube over her childhood addiction to social media, BBC reported.
Jurors found that Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and Google, owner of YouTube, intentionally built addictive social media platforms that harmed the 20-year old's mental health.
The woman, known as Kaley, was awarded $6m (£4.5m) in damages, a result likely to have implications for hundreds of similar cases now winding their way through US courts.
Meta and Google said separately that they disagreed with the verdict and would both appeal. Meta said: "Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app, according to BBC.
Pentagon says it will ramp up war supplies with defense companies
The Pentagon said on Wednesday it had reached ‌framework agreements with BAE (BAES.L), opens new tab, Lockheed (LMT.N), opens new tab and Honeywell(HON.O), opens new tab to boost production of defense systems and munitions as part of its shift to "wartime footing."
Under the deals, Honeywell Aerospace will "surge production of critical components for America's munitions stockpile," as part of a $500 million multi-year investment, the Pentagon said, Reuters reported.
BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin will also quadruple ‌production of seekers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor, while a new framework agreement with Lockheed will accelerate production of its Precision Strike Missile, the Pentagon added.
Pakistan has conveyed US proposal; Turkey or Pakistan could host talks, senior Iranian official says
Pakistan has delivered a proposal from the United States to Iran, and either Pakistan or Turkey could be venues for discussions to de-escalate the war in the Gulf, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
The comments, on condition of anonymity, were among rare signs that Tehran might consider diplomatic proposals, despite insisting in public that no talks were under way and it would make no deal with the administration of President Donald Trump.
The Iranian source did not disclose details of the proposal passed on by Pakistan, or whether it was the same as a 15-point U.S. framework previously reported by news outlets including Reuters. The source said Turkey had also "helped to end the war and either Turkey or Pakistan was under consideration as the venue for such talks".
