The Times of Israel is liveblogging Tuesday’s events as they unfold.

Iranian foreign minister praises Russia ties, welcomes Moscow’s support for diplomacy

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says he welcomes Russia’s support for diplomacy and praised the strength of ties between the two countries, after meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Monday, saying recent events had demonstrated the depth of their strategic partnership.

Russia has offered to mediate to try to help restore calm to the Middle East following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran that Moscow has strongly condemned.

Russia has also repeatedly offered to store Iran’s enriched uranium as a way of defusing tensions, a proposal spurned by the United States.

Iranian defense official holds talks with Russian, Belarusian ministers

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov held talks in Kyrgyzstan on Monday with Iran’s Deputy Defense Minister Reza Talaei-Nik, state-run TASS news agency reports.

Belousov reiterated Russia’s longstanding position that the Iran war should be resolved exclusively through diplomatic means and said he was confident Moscow and Tehran would continue to support one another.

Talaei-Nik also traveled to Belarus, one of Russia’s closest allies, where Belarus’ Defense Ministry said he discussed the Middle East situation with Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin.

The ministry, quoted by the state BelTA news agency, said both officials agreed that the sole way to resolve the conflict was “a return to the sphere of a political-diplomatic settlement and the intensification of the process of negotiations.”

The ministry statement said the meeting “confirmed the mutual interest of Minsk and Tehran for a further deepening of their joint interaction.”

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and praised the Iranian people for battling to stay independent in the face of US and Israeli pressure and said Moscow would do all it could to help Tehran.

Trump reportedly unhappy with Iranian proposal to reopen Hormuz, shelve nuclear issue

A US official says that President Donald Trump is unhappy with an Iranian proposal because it did not address Iran’s nuclear program.

“He doesn’t love the proposal,” the US official says, referring to Trump.

Earlier in the day, Trump discussed the proposal with his top national security aides. The US-Iran conflict remains in a stalemate, with energy supplies from the region reduced.

Iranian sources earlier on Monday said the proposal would set ‌aside discussion of Iran’s nuclear program until the war has ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved. Washington has said nuclear issues must be dealt with from the outset.

Work to bridge gaps between the US and Iran has not halted, sources from mediator Pakistan have said.

But hopes of reviving peace efforts have receded since Trump announced this weekend he had scrapped a visit ⁠by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

Ex-Mossad chief: Settler violence an existential threat, but curbing it could spark civil war

The former head of the Mossad spy agency Tamir Pardo brands the ongoing settler terror attacks against Palestinians an “existential threat” to the State of Israel.

Pardo makes the comments to Channel 13 while touring some of the Palestinian villages that have come under repeated settler attack in recent months.

“What I saw reminded me of the events that happened in the last century against Jews. I feel ashamed,” Pardo says.

He recalls the late Israeli philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz, who controversially warned that control over millions of Palestinians in the territories would ultimately corrupt Israeli society.

Pardo says he used to think that Leibowitz had gone off the rails, but after witnessing what settler extremists have been doing to Palestinians in recent months, now believes “there was a lot of truth” to what the Israeli philosopher had said.

Pardo warns that the settlers behind these attacks and the government that has failed to stop them are creating the conditions for the next October 7 attack to come from the West Bank.

Asked whether the issue can still be fixed, Pardo says that it can, but laments the high cost.

He says pushing back on the violent settlers — many of them armed by the state — could spark a civil war, given how well connected many of the extremists are in the halls of power.

תמיר פרדו בסיור בעקבות הטרור היהודי ביו"ש: "אימי ניצולת שואה, ומה שראיתי פה הזכיר את אירועי המאה הקודמת כלפי היהודים"https://t.co/YaQjUeg4iY@baruchikra pic.twitter.com/6E28yObih2 — חדשות 13 (@newsisrael13) April 27, 2026

תמיר פרדו בסיור בעקבות הטרור היהודי ביו"ש: "אימי ניצולת שואה, ומה שראיתי פה הזכיר את אירועי המאה הקודמת כלפי היהודים"https://t.co/YaQjUeg4iY@baruchikra pic.twitter.com/6E28yObih2

— חדשות 13 (@newsisrael13) April 27, 2026

Biden’s deputy secretary of state: Netanyahu helped ‘create a genocide in Gaza’

Wendy Sherman, who served as deputy secretary of state for much of former US president Joe Biden’s administration, accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being responsible for the perpetration of a genocide in Gaza.

Speaking to Bloomberg’s The Mishal Husain Show, Sherman says, “I think that it is critical that Israel remain an ally of the United States, and that we protect the right of a Jewish state.”

“But I also believe that the prime minister has led us down a road — and we have been part of it that has, in essence — created a genocide in Gaza that has destabilized the Middle East,” Sherman adds.

Sherman later appears to walk back the allegation.

“I can’t make the legal analysis about whether it is literally a genocide. But there is no doubt that Gaza was demolished. Palestinians deserve a home and dignity and peace. And Israel absolutely deserves security and peace.”

While most Biden officials have expressed significant frustration with Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza, they have refrained from lodging accusations of genocide.

The remarks by Sherman indicate an ongoing shift within the Democratic Party regarding where such rhetoric of Israel is becoming increasingly mainstream.

Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State under Joe Biden, Wendy Sherman: I believe that Netanyahu has led us down a road, and we have been part of it. That has, in essence, created a genocide in Gaza, that has destabilized the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/GSeOTwXGwV — Clash Report (@clashreport) April 27, 2026

Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State under Joe Biden, Wendy Sherman:

I believe that Netanyahu has led us down a road, and we have been part of it.

That has, in essence, created a genocide in Gaza, that has destabilized the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/GSeOTwXGwV

— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 27, 2026

EU warns it may sanction individuals linked to reports of Russian grain ships docking in Israel

The European Union has “taken note” of reports that Israel allowed a Russian vessel carrying grain from Russian-occupied Ukraine to unload at the port of Haifa, condemning the alleged transactions and warning that those involved could face EU sanctions.

“We condemn all actions that help fund Russia’s illegal war effort and circumvent EU sanctions, and remain ready to target such actions by listing individuals and entities in third countries if necessary,” an EU spokesperson tells The Times of Israel in a statement, confirming earlier reports.

“In a joint démarche with Ukraine, we are requesting additional information from the Israeli authorities on this subject,” the spokesperson adds, after Ukraine summoned Israel’s envoy to Kyiv today to protest the alleged incident and prevent Israel from accepting an additional vessel.

Iranian envoy: Tehran needs ‘credible guarantees’ against attacks before Gulf can be stable

Iran needs guarantees against another US-Israeli attack before it can ensure security in the oil-rich Gulf, says Tehran’s envoy to the United Nations.

“Lasting stability and security in the Persian Gulf and the wider region can only be achieved through a durable and permanent cessation of aggression against Iran supplemented by credible guarantees of non-recurrence and full respect for the legitimate sovereign rights and interests of Iran,” Amir Saeid Iravani tells a UN Security Council session.

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