US & Iran Hail Progress; Ukraine and Russia Resume Talks

<p>Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.<br />On today's podcast:<br />1) The US and Iran made progress in nuclear talks in Geneva on Tuesday, with Tehran&rsquo;s negotiators scheduled to return with a new proposal in two weeks, a US official said on Tuesday, a cautiously upbeat assessment that suggests the chances of an imminent military clash are low. The official, who asked not to be named, said Iran would return with detailed proposals to address the remaining gaps between the two sides, but cautioned that there were still a lot of details to discuss. In an earlier statement, Iran said it had reached a &ldquo;general agreement&rdquo; with the US on the terms of a potential nuclear deal that would lift sanctions on Tehran and ease the risk of a broader war in the Middle East. But from the outset, there was also confusion between the US and Iranian sides on the scope of the negotiations, with President Trump bringing Tehran to the talks under the threat of US airstrikes.<br />2) Ukraine and Russia began a second day of US-brokered talks in Geneva after Kyiv&rsquo;s lead negotiator held separate meetings with American and European allies to coordinate their approach. &ldquo;Consultations are taking place in groups focusing on specific areas within the political and military blocs,&rdquo; Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said Wednesday on Telegram. Russian media also reported that the negotiations had resumed behind closed doors. Umerov on Tuesday said he&rsquo;d met with representatives of the US, France, the UK, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s important to maintain a common vision and coordination of actions between Ukraine, the US and Europe,&rdquo; he said after the meetings in a post on Telegram. &ldquo;There is an understanding of shared responsibility for the outcome.&rdquo;<br />3) Japan plans to invest up to $36 billion in US oil, gas and critical mineral projects, the first tranche of its $550 billion commitment under the trade agreement it struck with President Trump. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the projects were designed to build resilient supply chains through cooperation in areas crucial for economic security, including critical minerals, energy and artificial intelligence. The most significant investment is a natural gas facility in Ohio that&rsquo;s expected to generate 9.2 gigawatts of power, according to a statement from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a massive project which Trump described as &ldquo;the largest in History.&rdquo;</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>