Middle East crisis live: Trump insists Iran wants a deal despite initial rejection; China sees ‘glimmer of hope’ for talks

<p>US president claims Iranian negotiators fear being killed by their own side; Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi says US and Iran ‘signalling a willingness to negotiate’</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/25/iran-gives-negative-response-to-us-ceasefire-plan-amid-push-for-talks">Iran rejects US ceasefire plan and submits its own amid push for talks</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/25/trump-iran-war-analysis">Analysis: Trump pitches Iran peace plan but military buildups rarely veer to off-ramp</a></p></li></ul><p><strong>China’s foreign minister has said that a “glimmer of hope” for peace has emerged due to moves to stop the war in the Middle East, despite Tehran vowing to keep fighting.</strong></p><p><strong>Wang Yi</strong> urged dialogue in separate calls with his Turkish and Egyptian counterparts, suggesting that both Tehran and Washington had shown signals they were willing to return to the negotiating table.</p><p>Speaking of negotiations now is an admission of defeat.</p><p>Prolonging this war would only result in further casualties and needless losses, leading to a further spillover of the conflict.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/mar/26/iran-war-live-updates-trump-deal-us-military-strikes-israel-lebanon-hezbollah">Continue reading...</a>

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