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Middle East crisis live: Donald Trump claims Iran ‘wants to work a deal’ and that oil tankers are operating in strait of Hormuz

The US asked that Iran agree to a 20-year moratorium uranium enrichment during talks in Pakistan this weekend, Axios reported Monday. Citing a source familiar with the situation as well as a US official, Axios said that Iran responded with a proposed “single digit” timeframe. The US, per Axios, also wanted Iran to “remove all highly enriched uranium from the country.” Iran reportedly said the nation would consent to “monitored process of down-blending,” these two sources told Axios. Disagreements over Iran’s nuclear program reportedly remain the logjam preventing a deal.

Péter Magyar vows to pursue those who ‘plundered’ Hungary, after election win

Hungary’s prime minister-elect, Péter Magyar, has pledged to pursue those who “plundered, looted, betrayed, indebted and ruined” his country, promising “a new era” after a landslide election victory over his far-right predecessor Viktor Orbán. Magyar, whose centre-right Tisza party won at least 138 of the 199 seats in parliament, said the full election results should be confirmed by 4 May and he hoped his government could be installed the next day. “Our country has no time to waste,” he said during a wide-ranging press conference on Monday. “We will do everything in our power to ensure this truly marks the beginning of a new era ... The Hungarian people didn’t vote for a simple change of government, but for a complete change of regime.” Magyar, a former Orbán loyalist, secured a decisive two-thirds supermajority that should allow him to roll back laws that helped the outgoing nationalist prime minister transform Hungary into an “illiberal democracy” during his 16 years in power. Orbán’s four successive governments have comprehensively eroded the rule of law in Hungary, packing the courts with judges loyal to him, turning 80% of the media into government mouthpieces and vastly enriching a coterie of cronies. Orbán has battled repeatedly with the EU – which has blocked billions of euros in funds – over a range of policies including justice, migration and Ukraine. Both the US president, Donald Trump, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin backed him. Magyar said his government would swiftly implement anti-corruption measures, restore the independence of the judiciary and ensure freedom of the media, in hopes of a rapid unfreezing of EU cash. “I hope ... we can prepare an agreement,” he said. He said Hungary would “never again be a country without consequences”, promising to establish a national asset recovery office that would ensure the “political and economic criminals” who “stole from the country” would be held responsible. Alongside other reforms aimed at unlocking the €17bn in EU funds, he said Hungary would join the European public prosecutor’s office, giving EU investigators powers to probe fraud cases and examine how the bloc’s money was used under Orbán’s rule. The new government would “fundamentally … do everything to restore the rule of law, plural democracy, and the system of checks and balances”, Magyar said, but insisted it would “not use anti-democratic measures to restore the rule of law”. It would, however, “amend the constitution, and write into it that in future anyone can only serve as prime minister for two terms – which is eight years”, he said. Applied retroactively, this would bar Orbán from running again. Magyar also said one of the new government’s first steps would be to “stop state-funded propaganda” by suspending news broadcasts from “state-captured” public TV and radio until unbiased coverage could be ensured by a new supervisory board. Describing them as “puppets” of the former regime, Magyar called on the heads of the country’s two highest courts, audit office and competition and media authorities, as well as the chief prosecutor and Hungary’s president, to resign. “He was appointed just to sign everything,” the prime minister-elect said of the president, Tamás Sulyok. “We don’t need people like that. To me, he is not the president. I call on him to leave. If he doesn’t, we will find a solution.” EU leaders reacted enthusiastically to his victory on Monday. Although he outlined policies – particularly on migration and Ukraine’s accession to the EU – likely to cause friction with the bloc, Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, called it “a good day” that had sent “a very clear signal against rightwing populism”. Merz said decision-making in the EU, long hampered by Orbán’s repeated vetos, should get easier. The German government spokesperson in Berlin said a change of government in Budapest should lead “very quickly” to the release of EU cash for Ukraine. Orbán, who last visited Moscow in November, blocked a €90bn loan to Ukraine after accusing it of sabotaging Russian oil deliveries to his country, something Kyiv has repeatedly denied. He delayed – and often opposed – EU sanctions on Russia. Ursula von der Leyen, the European commission president, said Brussels would start work with the new Hungarian government “as soon as possible” to make progress on issues including the release of frozen European funds. Von der Leyen reiterated her warm welcome to Magyar’s victory, saying “today Europe is Hungarian without any question” and that “the people of Hungary have spoken and they have reclaimed their European path”. Both the Slovak and Czech prime ministers, Robert Fico and Andrej Babiš, close political allies of Orbán, congratulated Magyar on his win and said they were looking forward to “constructive cooperation” with the new government. But the Patriots for Europe group in the European parliament, home to Fidesz and other far-right parties such as France’s National Rally (RN), the Dutch Freedom party (PVV) and Italy’s Lega, said the result was “a setback” for “forces advocating … for democratic self-determination and traditional European values” within the EU.

Tisza leader lays out his domestic and international policy plans after triumph over Orbán

Péter Magyar’s resounding election victory brings an end to 16 years of rightwing populist rule under Viktor Orbán. But the effects of that win are likely to be felt well beyond Hungary’s borders, from Brussels to Moscow and from Kyiv to Washington. What does the win mean for the EU? Orbán’s frequent efforts to undermine the EU’s attempts at collective action – not to mention his proud defence of the “illiberal democracy” that Hungary became on his watch – exasperated and infuriated the European Commission. His vetoing of a massive EU loan to Ukraine and his strategy of delaying, and sometimes opposing, EU sanctions on Russia, left the bloc looking toothless and divided. Meanwhile, his contempt for democratic norms, failure to tackle corruption, disdain for the rule of law and his crackdowns on the media led the commission to suspend billions of euros in funding to Hungary. Magyar, on the other hand, has promised to repair Hungary’s strained relationship with the bloc and to address many of its concerns. In a speech on Monday afternoon, he struck a conciliatory note, saying that while the EU was “a complicated bureaucratic, compromise-seeking … organisation”, he felt compromises could be made. “I am sure we will have debates,” he added. “But we are not going there to fight for the sake of fighting so we can write on billboards that Brussels is evil and needs to be stopped.” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, made plain her relief at the election result – and her hopes for rebooted relations with Hungary – in a post on X. “Hungary has chosen Europe,” she wrote. “Europe has always chosen Hungary. Together, we are stronger. A country returns to its European path. The Union grows stronger.” And what about Russia and Ukraine? Magyar’s predecessor made no secret of his proximity to Moscow. Not only did Orbán continue buying Russian oil and gas – and meeting Vladimir Putin after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – he also blocked a vital €90bn (£78bn) EU loan to Ukraine for urgently needed military aid and government support. Recent media reports have also suggested that Budapest shared confidential EU information with the Kremlin, prompting further fury from the EU. Although Magyar described Moscow as a “security risk” for Europe in Monday’s speech – and insisted he would tell Putin “it would be nice to end the killing after four years” were he to call – some of his lines on Russia and Ukraine are not wildly divergent from Orbán’s. He said he hoped the Russian aggression would end soon so that sanctions against Russia could be lifted, adding: “We are neighbours to Russia and it is not in Europe’s interests to buy raw materials at higher prices because that destroys our competitiveness.” While Magyar said his government would not support Ukraine’s fast-track entry to the EU, he did crucially signal that he was happy with the €90bn EU loan deal to Kyiv, raising hopes the money could finally be disbursed. But he stressed the need for the opt-out that exempts Hungary from contributing to the loan, saying his country was in a “ very difficult financial situation”. The Kremlin has said it hopes to “continue pragmatic contacts with the new leadership”, while Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said his country was “ready for meetings and joint constructive work for the benefit of both nations, as well as peace, security and stability in Europe”. What effect will Orbán’s defeat have on rightwing and far-right parties in Europe? The outgoing prime minister’s loud and aggressive defence of traditional Christian family values made him a hugely popular and potent figurehead for his rightwing and far-right contemporaries. While his critics saw him as illiberal, intolerant and profoundly undemocratic, his admirers delighted in his scorn for many of the values held dear across the majority of EU countries. Orbán’s departure has left them mourning a much-cherished totem. The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said Orbán had “defended Hungary’s freedom and sovereignty with courage and determination”, while Italy’s pragmatic prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, congratulated Magyar but also thanked Orbán for “intense collaboration for these years”. Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spain’s far-right Vox party, was less measured. “Hungary was the only European nation that was safe from the Islamist invasion,” he wrote on X on Sunday night. “The defeat of Victor Orbán puts that in danger. Orbán leaves a Hungary that is much better than the one he inherited. And he leaves a deep mark on all the patriotic forces of Europe.” And where does it leave Trump and the US? Orbán’s defeat will also come as a blow to Donald Trump, his administration and the Maga movement. As Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon once noted, Orbán was “Trump before Trump” – a beguiling, one-man blueprint for illiberal, bulldozer politics. The US president had repeatedly endorsed Orbán and promised, three days ago, to bring US “economic might” to the country if Orbán was re-elected. Orbán’s political and ideological importance to Trump was further underlined by last week’s visit by the US vice-president, JD Vance. “We had to show that there are actually lots of friends across the world who recognise that Viktor and his government are doing a good job and they’re important partners for peace,” Vance said as he attempted to brush off accusations of US electoral interference. The scale of Magyar’s victory has already prompted some on the European right to ponder whether a Trump endorsement could actually be the kiss of death. Belgium’s defence minister, Theo Francken, described Vance’s support as “a really dumb campaign move”, adding: “I’m a rightwing politician and think the far right is being really stupid. And that the Magas should really stop campaigning internationally because everyone and everything they support loses the elections. Lead instead of gold. Best advertisement for the left. Crazy.” Unsurprisingly, Magyar described the US on Monday as a very important partner and one with whom Hungary needs good relations. He added that while he wouldn’t call Trump, he would speak to him if the White House phoned. What about abortion and LGBTQ+ rights? Magyar said the issue of abortion was settled and that he did not intend to change the current regulation, which requires pregnant women to have to listen to the foetus’s heartbeat before they can access the procedure. In contrast to most EU countries, emergency contraception pills are not available without prescription in Hungary. Under Orbán, Hungarian MPs voted last year to ban Pride events and allow authorities to use facial recognition software to identify attenders and potentially fine them. Amnesty International described the moves as a “full-frontal attack” on LGBTQ+ people. Asked on Monday about his views on LGBTQ+ rights – including whether he would allow Pride parades to go ahead – Magyar backed the right to freedom of assembly, and said he and supporters of his Tiza party had made their position plain. “We clearly said that, according to Tisza and the many million Hungarian people supporting it, everyone can live with whoever they love as long as they do not violate laws and they are not harmful to others,” he said. “I think everything is in this, without having to explain any of the details.”

Peter Duncan obituary

My friend Peter Duncan, who has died aged 72, was a senior lecturer at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London, where he was an expert in contemporary Russian politics and foreign policy from the late 1980s until his retirement in 2021. During that time he also wrote two books on his specialist subjects: Soviet Union and India (1989) and Russian Messianism: Third Rome, Revolution, Communism and After (2000). One of the most knowledgable of Britain’s Russianists, in 2019 he made his expertise available to the House of Commons, which asked him to draw up a report on Russian political interference and money laundering in the UK. Born in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, Pete was the son of Charles and Lucy, who were both teachers. After his parents moved to London, he attended Latymer Upper school in Hammersmith before studying economics at the University of Birmingham. He then gained an MA in Soviet and East European studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, before completing a PhD at Glasgow University. On returning to the UK Pete became a temporary lecturer at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, then a research fellow on the Soviet foreign policy programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London. Joining University College London in 1988, he rose from research fellow to lecturer to senior lecturer, and was admired by students for his committed teaching style and cheerful personality. At UCL he did heavy stints as the chair of the social sciences department and as head of the branch of the lecturers’ union. He also helped to set up a Soviet press study group that met weekly to review and digest the contents of the Russian press. His voracious appetite for such material led him to accumulate huge ziggurats of newspapers in his homes, first in Walthamstow and then Ealing. Outside working hours Pete campaigned for the Labour party, and especially its left wing. In recent years he went regularly to Ukraine Solidarity Campaign meetings and rallies, and also wrote for the group’s website. Pete’s first wife, Luba (nee Mozyl), died in 2014. In 2018 he married Alexandra (Sasha) Zernova, a human rights lawyer, who shared his zest to make their home a centre of hospitality. He had always been especially popular with children, perhaps because it was a rare five minutes when he failed to smile, or make others smile. A cancer diagnosis in 2020 considerably depleted Pete’s energy, but he still continued with his research and selflessly found time to examine the drafts of colleagues. He is survived by Sasha.

EU relieved to see back of Orbán but Magyar’s Hungary may still present problems

In Brussels, the relief was palpable after the defeat of Viktor Orbán, the EU leader who recently declared himself at Vladimir Putin’s service. For the EU, Péter Magyar’s victory was all the sweeter, as voters decisively rejected Orbán’s fear-mongering campaign that sought to portray him in cahoots with the “dangerous” European Commission leader, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In 16 years as Hungary’s prime minister, Orbán has slowed, opposed, mocked or blocked numerous EU decisions – above all on European support for Ukraine. One of the most urgent questions now for the EU will be how quickly Magyar will lift Hungary’s block on a critical €90bn loan for Ukraine and the union’s 20th round of sanctions against Russia. Magyar said on Monday he was ready to support the €90bn EU loan for Ukraine as long as Hungary did not take part – the same terms agreed by Orbán last December. But his lukewarm support for Ukraine’s EU accession (“not in the next 10 years”) and sanctions on Russia is likely to raise concerns, especially for Kyiv’s staunchest supporters, such as Poland and the Baltics. Magyar told reporters he hoped Russia’s aggression on Ukraine would end soon and then Europe would “immediately” lift sanctions. “I understand the moral issues … but let’s not shoot ourselves in the leg,” he said, raising concerns about the economic cost. His views recall the Belgian prime minister, Bart De Wever, who was heavily criticised for saying Europe needed to regain access to cheap Russian energy. Privately, some western EU member states also share anxieties about a rapid timetable for Ukraine’s EU accession. Speaking on Monday, von der Leyen did not dwell on these details. She compared the magnitude of Sunday’s result to the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the Soviet Union and to 1989, when Hungarians became the first in the eastern bloc to dismantle the barbed wire fences that divided Europe. “We will start working with the government as soon as possible,” she told reporters when asked about the €90bn loan and Hungary’s frozen funds. Energy also remains a sensitive subject. While Magyar’s Tisza party has promised to phase out Russian energy imports by 2035, the EU wants to move much faster – it hopes to end all Russian oil and gas by the end of 2027. Analysts suggest a central role will be played by Magyar’s probable pick for foreign minister, Anita Orbán, a former diplomat, unrelated to the current prime minister, who has written books on how the Kremlin uses energy as a foreign policy tool. Despite these tensions, Hungary under Magyar looks likely to be a “normal” EU member state, which argues for its own interests, rather than seeking to weaponise vetoes and EU processes to promote those of Russia. “He’s a national conservative EPP guy,” said Daniel Hegedüs, senior visiting fellow at the German Marshall Fund, referring to Magyar’s membership of the centre-right European People’s party. “I think he understands that his political future and success is in some way tied to the redemocratisation of Hungary.” For Magyar, a diplomat in Brussels during the Orbán years, the most urgent priority is to fulfil his campaign vow “to bring home” Hungary’s EU funds. Currently, €17bn in funds for Hungary’s economic development remain frozen, over failures to meet EU standards on fighting corruption, ensuring judicial independence, as well as disputes over academic freedom and Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ law. About €2.12bn has been lost permanently. But the clock is ticking: Hungary and the commission need to agree on the use of nearly €10bn in grants and loans by the end of August. Any extension would require unanimous agreement by the 27 member states. Hegedüs sees a need for “constructive diplomacy” on both sides. “This is a sort of transactional standoff, but in a good sense,” he said. “The main output legitimacy for the new Hungarian government will be how fast and what amount of the frozen EU funding they can bring back home.” The EU, he said, should “trust but verify”. Asylum and migration policy may also raise tensions. Hungary is being fined €1m a day for flouting EU asylum rules, an early headache for a new government that wants public finances on a more stable footing. Magyar said on Monday that Europe had “mismanaged” migration, referring to events of 2015 when more than 1 million people sought refugee status. He said “most countries” had “rather late” realised their initial stance was not good. But Magyar’s views go with the prevailing wind. Since 2015 EU policies have moved in a more hardline direction, for example with growing support for offshore migration centres and tougher deportation orders. Meanwhile, it is unclear how Magyar will handle issues such as Orbán’s anti-LGBTQ law. EU leaders will soon get the measure of Magyar the prime minister. His first foreign policy visits will be Warsaw, then Vienna. For some analysts the omission of Berlin – Hungary’s main economic partner – from the list looks like a downgrade. László Andor, a Hungarian former EU commissioner, said: “I think it’s just inevitable that Hungary starts this new chapter of reintegrating in European policies and values, which is demanded especially by the young generation.” Andor, a Social Democrat economist, said generation Z played a decisive, but underappreciated role in Magyar’s landslide, naming them as “the young people who have meagre economic opportunities and have been excluded from Erasmus”, as a result of economic stagnation and disputes with the EU that hit Hungarian participation in the student exchange programme. “They quietly waited for the moment when this could change electorally.” Additional reporting by Jakub Krupa

Hungarian election winner Magyar vows to rebuild EU relationship after stunning defeat of Viktor Orbán - Europe live

… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today! Hungarian election winner and presumed next prime minister Péter Magyar has outlined his policy platform at a three-hour long press conference with Hungarian and international media (18:24). He pledged to restore constructive relations with the European Union, even despite some potential conflicting views on key issues such as Ukraine, Russia and migration policy. He said he wanted the government to be in place by early May as he insisted the voters gave him a mandate “not just for a change of government, but a change of the regime” after 16 years of Orbán’s rule (14:20). If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com. I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

Pope Leo visits Algeria in sign of Africa’s growing importance to Catholic church

Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Algeria for the first papal visit to the country, calling for peace on the opening stop of a tour of Africa that signals the continent’s growing importance to the Catholic church. The 11-day trip, which will include stops in Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, is the longest by Pope Leo since being elected to the papacy in May last year. The choice to visit Africa sends a powerful signal that the continent is one of the church’s top priorities, according to academics and theologians. Adriaan van Klinken, a professor of religion and African studies at the University of Leeds, said this reflected shifting demographics, with Africa home to one of the fastest-growing Catholic populations and accounting for about 20% of Catholics worldwide. By contrast, the Catholic population in western Europe is in decline. “Africa is the site of vitality, of growth, of the future of the church,” Van Klinken said. In the last year alone, 14 new dioceses have been created across Africa, with the Catholic population growing by 7 million, according to John Pontifex, from the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need UK. “A focus on Africa this early on in Pope Leo’s pontificate no doubt reflects a sense that in terms of Catholicism this is a continent that is coming of age,” he said. The pope, on arrival at Algiers international airport on Monday, was welcomed by Algeria’s president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune. He was later taken to the Maqam Echahid, a monument that commemorates those who died in the 1954-62 Algerian war for independence against French colonial rule. Father Peter Claver Kogh, the rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa in Algiers, described the visit as a moment to strengthen bonds between Christian and Muslim communities, and solidify “the desire to have a climate of peace and tolerance among these two religions”. He added: “That is what the world needs now – a world of fraternal living and living in harmony. That will be the utmost importance of this visit for Christians and Muslims who are here, and all those who desire to live in peace and harmony.” For Austen Ivereigh, a biographer of Pope Francis, the trip signals continuity with his predecessor’s priorities. In 2019, Francis broke new ground with the joint “human fraternity” document signed with leading Muslim figures. “Leo will want to continue that all-important alliance in building a new world order of peace,” Ivereigh said. Pontifex said the trip was not just about interfaith relations, but also a sign that the pope remained committed to freedom of religion and belief. “His visit comes at a time when religious freedom in Algeria, be it for Christians, Ahmadi Muslims and more liberal Muslims, has declined in recent years, according to our research.” The trip has also been viewed as an opportunity to spotlight communities with long histories of injustice and exploitation who are often overlooked by the west. Lucy Esipila, the regional coordinator for Caritas Africa, said she believed the pope’s visit would have a profound impact on Catholic communities in the region. “At a time when many African nations continue to face conflict, debt burdens, and widening inequalities, this apostolic journey is a powerful expression of synodality, of ‘walking together’ as a global church that listens to voices from the peripheries.” Algeria is the only Muslim-majority country on the pope’s tour. While its Catholic population is relatively small, the country holds particular significance for Pope Leo as the birthplace of Saint Augustine. Leo is the first pontiff from the Augustinian order, a theological tradition that emphasises a commitment to “live together in harmony”. Prof Anna Rowlands, the holder of the St Hilda chair in Catholic social thought and practice at Durham University, said: “Starting his visit in Algeria shows the other side of African Christianity that Leo is also deeply attuned to: its ancient legacy.” North Africa was home to some of the earliest Christian communities before the arrival of Islam and remains central to the church’s intellectual and theological heritage. Rowlands added that as the former head of the Augustinian order, Pope Leo, then Friar Robert Prevost, travelled frequently to African communities. “The church in Africa is well known to him – probably better known than to any pope in the modern era.” The decision to make these African countries the focus of his longest trip so far as pope comes alongside his decision not to visit the US. “That’s the unspoken part of this,” said Dr Miles Pattenden, a historian of the Catholic church at the University of Oxford. Pope Leo not only declined an invitation to the US, Pattenden said, but on 4 July, American independence day, he will be making a visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is the place of arrival for many Africans making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean. “He’s sending an extremely powerful message, which President Trump obviously understands, and that may explain some of his bombastic criticisms of the pope over the past few days,” Pattenden said. That contrast appears to speak directly to the communities Leo is seeking to reach. “It’s a feeling of joy,” Father Kogh said of hearing Leo address the people of Algeria. “I’m so glad to have heard that message, because it was what I was expecting: a message of peace, and a call to coexistence and living in fraternity. So my joy redoubles.”

Ideology and principles clash in Trump’s Iran war | Letters

Nesrine Malik is correct in highlighting the differences between the US and Iran in their understanding of conflict as a means to an end (Trump’s chaotic war on Iran has dragged into its sixth week because he is fighting an adversary he doesn’t understand, 6 April). However, she fails to outline the distinctly different ends that the two protagonists believe in. The US has since 1945 represented the west’s vision of wealth, influence and opportunity based on material ownership and thus power. Iran as a state since 1979 has built a regime based on a creed enmeshed in an ideology that is dogmatically enforced. The US especially, but also, to only a slightly lesser degree, the west, worships powerful figures and lavish riches. Iran and several non-state groups place single-minded adherence to cause and obedience as a power beyond the west’s comprehension. Therefore what we now have in the Middle East is an attempt by the US, egged on by Israel, attempting to exterminate an ideology through the destruction of people and materials. However, ideology can only be defeated when confronted with ideas and beliefs that have greater resonance and are based on sound ethics. If we believe in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as set out in 1948, we have to stop the US and Israel. Lt Col (retd) Rob Symonds Finstock, Oxfordshire • Nesrine Malik is right to say that Donald Trump does not understand Iran’s leaders, but I think she misses a key reason. Iran’s leaders act on religious and national principles. These are not nice, liberal principles. But they are principles. Trump does not understand them because he has no principles. Nothing for which he would sacrifice himself or even his money. This makes him blind to the motives of his adversaries. No wonder he’s wrecking the world economy. David Flint London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.