Ready to meet Iranian President, says Trump
Washington, July 31 : US President Donald Trump on Monday offered to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani without any preconditions, at any time he wants.
"If they want to meet, we'll meet," BBC quoted Trump as saying at a news conference at the White House with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
"I would meet with anybody. I believe in meetings," Trump said, adding that he would set "no preconditions" for a meeting with the Iranians. "If they want to meet, I'll meet."
Ever since Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in May, the relations between the two countries have deteriorated, with Washington preparing to re-impose sanctions on Tehran within days.
However, the other signers of the pact - Russia, China, the UK , France and Germany - are trying to salvage the nuclear deal, the future of which depends in large measure on guaranteeing the sale of Iranian crude.
The latest move by the US President comes after he and the Iranian President exchanged hostile warnings earlier this month amid rising tensions.
In an earlier tweet, Trump said: "Never, ever threaten the US again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before."
The tweet was in response to Rouhani's warning that if Washington launched any conflict with Iran it would find itself in "the mother of all wars".
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SC seeks ED's response on journalist's bail plea in money laundering case
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file its response within three days on a bail plea of journalist Mahesh Langa in a money laundering case linked to an alleged financial fraud.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also asked senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the jailed journalist, to file rejoinder, if needed, to the ED's response within two days of it being filed.
The top court fixed the case for further hearing on December 15.
During the brief hearing on Monday, Sibal said a journalist has been facing as many as six cases.
"The journalist is accused of extortion," the counsel for the ED said and sought a short adjournment on the ground that Solicitor General Tuhar Mehta was unavailable at the moment.
The top court on September 8 sought responses from the Gujarat government and the ED on Langa's bail plea.
While issuing the notices on Langa's bail plea, the bench asked, "What kind of a journalist is he?"
"With due respect, there are some very genuine journalists. But there are also people who on their scooter say we are 'patrakar' (journalists) and what they actually do everybody knows," the bench told Sibal.
Sibal replied that these are all allegations.
"In one FIR, he gets anticipatory bail, then a second FIR is lodged and again anticipatory bail is granted but now he is booked under a third FIR for income tax evasion. There are other things also against him," Sibal submitted.
He added that there is a background to the case also.
On July 31, the Gujarat High Court rejected Langa's bail plea in the money laundering case on the grounds that if released on bail, prejudice would be caused to the prosecution case.
On February 25, the ED said it arrested Langa in a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged financial fraud.
He was first arrested in October 2024 in a GST fraud case.
The money laundering case against Langa stems from two FIRs filed by Ahmedabad police on charges of fraud, criminal misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, cheating and causing wrongful loss of lakhs of rupees to certain people.
