The Russian president is facing pressure not only from a stalemate on the battlefield but also from a battered economy that is fueling discontent.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the $1.5 trillion the Pentagon is seeking is "admittedly a historic budget."

I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation,” Trump said, as the Pentagon estimates the war has cost the U.S. at least $29 billion so far.

New government inflation figures suggest increasing prices are about to increase even more.

President Trump said his administration had had “very good talks” with Tehran in the last 24 hours. An Iranian official said an American plan to end the war was under review. Israel struck targets near Beirut.

The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has reshaped calculations.

President Xi welcomed a group of US business leaders and said China’s doors would "only open wider", while calling for stronger reciprocal cooperation with the United States. President Trump arrived at the Great Hall of the People for formal talks with President Xi,

Follow real-time developments as the US-Iran conflict enters a sensitive diplomatic phase marked by fragile ceasefire conditions, geopolitical manoeuvring and continued violence across the region. Track the latest updates on Trump’s Beijing visit,