Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has affirmed that several countries have initiated mediation efforts to halt the brutal, imposed war waged against the Islamic Republic by the United States and the Israeli regime.

In a post on the social media platform X on Friday, President Pezeshkian said, “Some countries have begun mediation efforts and our response to them is clear.”

He stressed that these efforts must target the true aggressors, the US and Israel, who launched this unprovoked aggression.

He reiterated Iran’s unwavering commitment to “lasting” peace in the region, declaring, “Yet we have no hesitation in defending our nation’s dignity, sovereignty, and the rights of our great people.”

The president emphasized that any genuine mediation must confront those who underestimated the resilience of the Iranian nation and deliberately ignited this war through their criminal attacks.

The US and the Israeli regime unleashed a new wave of savage aerial aggression against Iran on February 28, barely eight months after their previous unprovoked assaults on the country.

These barbaric strikes resulted in the martyrdom of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei—a profound loss for the Islamic Ummah and a heinous crime against humanity.

In response, the Iranian government declared 40 days of national public mourning and seven days of official holidays to honor the Supreme Leader’s martyrdom and rally the nation in unity and resolve.

These latest aggressions came even as Tehran and Washington had engaged in three rounds of indirect negotiations in the Omani capital of Muscat and the Swiss city of Geneva, with plans underway for technical talks in Vienna, Austria—demonstrating Iran’s consistent pursuit of diplomacy despite relentless hostility.

Unyielding in the face of this aggression, Iran has launched powerful and precise retaliatory barrages of missiles and drones targeting military sites in the Israeli-occupied territories and US bases across the region, exercising its legitimate right to self-defense and sending a clear message that the Iranian nation will never submit to bullying or occupation.

• US refrains from commenting on alleged Russian support.
• Officials say information includes locations of US warships.
• Russia says it was in dialogue with representatives of Iran.
  

Russia is providing Iran with targeting information that includes locations of US warships and aircraft in the Middle East, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing three officials familiar with the intelligence.

The extent of Russia’s support to Iran was not entirely clear, but the Iranian military’s own ability to locate US forces has been degraded since the US and Israel launched strikes against Tehran last week, the Washington Post reported.

The war has since escalated, triggering retaliatory strikes by Iran, and ensnared its neighbours as it seeks to impose a high cost on the US, Israel and their allies.

The US military has identified six reserve soldiers killed in Kuwait when a drone slammed into a US military facility in Port Shuaiba. Trump and other senior officials have warned the conflict will likely result in more US military deaths.

A White House spokesperson did not directly comment on the alleged Russian support to Iran.

“The Iranian regime is being absolutely crushed. Their ballistic missile retaliation is decreasing every day, their navy is being wiped out, their production capacity is being demolished, and proxies are hardly putting up a fight,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement, responding to questions from Reuters.

Russia was in dialogue with representatives of Iran’s leadership, the Kremlin said on Friday. It declined to provide details when asked by reporters whether Moscow was helping Tehran.

The conflict has been an unexpected shot in the arm for Russia, with a significant bump in demand for its oil and gas, boosting exports battered in recent years by sanctions linked to its war in Ukraine. The United States has given Ukraine intelligence information during its war with Russia.

The Russian Embassy in Washington and Russia’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

German media group Axel Springer on Friday said it had agreed to buy Britain’s Telegraph Media Group for 575 million pounds ($766.3 million) in cash, bringing to an end a prolonged period of uncertainty over the newspaper’s ownership.

The deal gatecrashed Daily Mail owner DMGT’s attempt to buy its broadsheet rival, which had been facing regulatory probes in Britain amid concerns about media plurality.

Axel Springer said it would preserve the Telegraph‘s legacy while providing a platform for expansion, including in the US, and reaffirmed its commitment to “high-quality, independent journalism” and media plurality in Britain.

After buying Politico in a deal valued at around $1 billion in 2021, the Telegraph purchase becomes Axel Springer’s second-largest investment since its founding in 1946, following an earlier failed attempt to acquire the paper in 2004.

‘Swift and efficient’ negotiations

Mathias Dopfner, Axel Springer’s CEO, said owning the Telegraph was “a privilege and a duty”.

He said the group aimed to grow the title while preserving its character and helping it become “the most read and intellectually inspiring centre-right media outlet in the English-speaking world”.

He acknowledged Telegraph staff had faced a prolonged period of uncertainty and said that the publisher intended to “bring that uncertainty to an end”.

The company credited New York Sun publisher Dovid Efune for his support in the deal.

Efune led a consortium with Axel Springer to bid for the titles last month, but Axel Springer concluded the deal alone.

RedBird IMI said it was pleased to have reached an agreement following “swift and efficient” negotiations.

“With the strength of their commercial offer and a straightforward regulatory path to ownership, we believe that Axel Springer is well placed to take the Telegraph forward into its next chapter,” RedBird said in a statement.

The companies said they were now working with the British government to obtain the necessary approvals.

Culture minister Lisa Nandy’s decision last month to issue a public-interest intervention notice sent DMGT’s deal to regulators, which were examining the implications for media plurality and competition.

Nandy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Long-running ownership dispute

The deal brings an end to a saga that began in June 2023, when Lloyds Banking Group effectively repossessed the Telegraph after longtime owners the Barclay family fell into arrears on about 1.2 billion pounds of debts secured against the newspaper group.

RedBird IMI took control after paying off a 600 million pound loan owed to Lloyds, but the titles remained in limbo as Britain moved to block foreign state involvement in national newspapers, forcing it to reverse course.

US investment firm RedBird Capital Partners then tried to buy the group, with Abu Dhabi-backed IMI taking a minority position, but the deal collapsed in November 2025.

The bid had been restructured to comply with new rules capping foreign state ownership at 15%, but was withdrawn after a slower-than-expected regulatory process and internal opposition from senior Telegraph newsroom figures.