South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from an area near the capital Pyongyang toward waters off the country’s east coast. The launches occurred during large-scale allied military drills aimed at strengthening defense readiness against potential threats from the North.

Japan’s coast guard also detected what it said could be a ballistic missile that later fell into the sea. Public broadcaster NHK, citing Japanese military officials, reported the projectile appeared to land outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

The missile activity came as U.S. and South Korean troops conducted major annual exercises across South Korea this week. Officials from both allies say the drills are defensive in nature and designed to test military preparedness in the event of a conflict with North Korea.

On Saturday, hundreds of American and South Korean troops carried out river-crossing exercises involving tanks and armored combat vehicles. The drills were overseen by the commander of their combined forces.

The United States maintains about 28,500 troops in South Korea along with squadrons of fighter jets as part of its longstanding security commitment to the country

North Korea has routinely condemned such military exercises, describing them as rehearsals for an invasion. The country has repeatedly responded to the drills with weapons tests or military demonstrations.

For more than two decades, Pyongyang has tested a wide range of ballistic and cruise missiles as part of its effort to develop systems capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

It is widely believed to have successfully built nuclear devices.The missile and nuclear programs have prompted multiple rounds of sanctions by the United Nations Security Council since 2006, targeting the country’s trade, economy and defense sectors.

The launches came days after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met Trump in Washington to discuss ways to revive dialogue with North Korea.

Kim told reporters that Trump remains eager to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if an opportunity arises.

The latest missile launches underscore continuing tensions on the Korean Peninsula even as diplomatic channels remain under discussion.

Kim Min-seok told reporters in the United States that Trump raised the possibility of meeting Kim Jong Un during a potential trip to China later this year or at another time, adding that the timing was uncertain but dialogue itself remained important.“Meeting (Kim Jong Un) would be good.

It’s really good to meet,” Kim quoted Trump as saying, noting the U.S. president suggested the encounter could occur during an upcoming visit to China or at a later stage.

Washington has for decades led international efforts to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear weapons program through sanctions, diplomacy and negotiations, though these measures have produced limited results.

The Trump administration has recently pushed to revive high-level engagement with Pyongyang, with officials exploring the possibility of a summit with Kim Jong Un later this year.

Kim Min-seok said he and Trump agreed that a meeting occurring soon, potentially around the time of a visit to Beijing, would carry symbolic significance.“If it happens soon, or around the time of the China visit, that would in itself be meaningful,” Kim said.

He added that the U.S. president appeared firmly committed to maintaining some form of contact with North Korea regardless of when a summit might take place.

Trump has repeatedly indicated willingness to engage directly with Kim Jong Un. During a trip to Asia in October, he said he was “100 percent” open to meeting the North Korean leader, though Pyongyang did not immediately respond to the offer.

More recently, Kim Jong Un suggested the United States and North Korea could “get along” if Washington recognized Pyongyang’s nuclear status, a position that conflicts with long-standing U.S. policy aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

At the same time, North Korea has signaled skepticism toward diplomatic initiatives from Seoul, describing South Korea’s latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.”

North Korea continues to advance its military capabilities while maintaining close strategic ties with Russia, developments that have raised concerns among the United States and its allies in the region.

Pyongyang has also condemned the recent U.S.-Israeli military strike on Iran, describing it as an “illegal act of aggression,” reflecting broader geopolitical tensions involving Washington and its adversaries.

The possibility of renewed talks between Washington and Pyongyang comes as regional diplomacy remains fragile, with negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear program stalled despite years of international pressure and intermittent dialogue.

David Sacks, who serves as the White House crypto and artificial intelligence adviser, made the remarks during an appearance on the “All-In Podcast,” describing the current moment as an opportunity for the United States to step back from the conflict.

“This is a good time to declare victory and get out,” Sacks said, adding that U.S. operations had degraded Iran’s military capabilities. He also said Washington should look for what he described as an “off-ramp” to prevent further escalation.

Sacks said avoiding a prolonged conflict would require diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions. “If escalation doesn’t lead anywhere good, then you have to think about how do you de-escalate,” he said. “De-escalation involves reaching some sort of ceasefire agreement or negotiated settlement with Iran.

”The remarks marked a rare public call from a prominent figure within Trump’s administration for an exit strategy from the war, which has intensified regional tensions since late February.

The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliatory strikes from Iran and its ally Hezbollah against Israel and other targets across the Middle East.

The fighting has rattled global financial markets and pushed oil prices higher amid concerns that wider hostilities could disrupt energy supplies from the region.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said more than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran as a result of U.S. and Israeli attacks.

Israeli authorities say Iranian strikes have killed 12 people in Israel.The U.S. military has reported seven service members killed since the conflict began.

The offer targets 10 officials associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a powerful military force created after the Iranian Revolution and tasked with safeguarding Iran’s clerical political system. The State Department said the individuals command or direct elements of the IRGC that it accuses of planning and executing attacks abroad.

Mojtaba Khamenei assumed Iran’s highest political and religious office after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed along with several senior Iranian officials in joint U.S. and Israeli strikes that began on Feb. 28.

The younger Khamenei is believed to have been wounded in the attacks and has not appeared publicly since the start of the conflict, though he issued his first statement on Thursday.

In addition to the supreme leader, the reward notice seeks information about Iran’s national security chief Ali Larijani, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and two officials from Khamenei’s office.

Larijani appeared on Friday in video footage verified by Reuters alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi during a rally in Tehran.

The appearance came despite comments by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggesting that Iran’s leadership was hiding underground amid ongoing military strikes.

The State Department website also lists four additional officials connected to the IRGC, including the corps’ commander and the secretary of Iran’s defense council, though their names and images were not provided.

Washington has designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization and accuses it of orchestrating attacks that have killed U.S. citizens. U.S. officials have also alleged that Iran planned assassination attempts against U.S. President Donald Trump and other American officials in retaliation for the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

Iran denies supporting terrorism and has repeatedly rejected U.S. accusations as politically motivated efforts to justify sanctions and pressure campaigns.Officials from the Revolutionary Guards were not immediately available for comment on Friday, Iran’s weekly day of rest.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, was approved by Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies with 53 votes in favor, eight against and four abstentions out of 80 lawmakers, while 15 were absent. The agreement now awaits the signature of President Santiago Peña before taking effect.

The deal, signed in Washington in December, establishes the legal framework governing the presence of U.S. personnel in Paraguay for training exercises, joint operations and humanitarian assistance missions.

The agreement allows U.S. security forces to operate temporarily within Paraguay for military training, multinational exercises and disaster response efforts. It also grants the United States criminal jurisdiction over its personnel while they are stationed in the country.

Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano described the agreement in December as a measure aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in combating transnational organized crime and terrorism. He also said the agreement does not allow the establishment of permanent U.S. military bases in Paraguay.

The treaty had already been approved by Paraguay’s Senate last week following a more polarized debate that included concerns from some lawmakers about sovereignty and legal protections granted to foreign personnel.

Several legislators opposed the agreement, arguing that provisions granting immunity from local prosecution could undermine national sovereignty. Independent congressman Raúl Benítez said during the debate that while Paraguay supports international cooperation, it must also preserve “strong states, respected institutions and real democratic sovereignty.

”Civil society groups also criticized the pact ahead of the vote. The regional organization Peace and Justice Service said in a statement that security should not depend on the presence of foreign troops or legal protections equivalent to diplomatic immunity.

Washington welcomed the deal as part of broader security cooperation in the region. Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, described the agreement as “historic,” saying it would facilitate bilateral and multinational training, humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

The approval comes as the Trump administration seeks to expand U.S. engagement in Latin America as part of its national security strategy, including deeper defense cooperation with regional partners.

Relations between Copenhagen, Nuuk and Washington have been strained in recent months after Trump repeatedly suggested the United States should take control of Greenland, citing national security concerns tied to the Arctic’s growing strategic importance.

Astrid Andersen, a historian at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said tensions had been particularly high earlier this year but that recent diplomatic engagement had helped cool the dispute.

“The meetings on a diplomatic level take the temperature a notch down,” Andersen said, adding that the strategy now appeared to focus on avoiding public disputes through traditional and social media.

Officials in Denmark and Greenland hope that expanded defence cooperation through NATO and the creation of a diplomatic working group involving Washington, Nuuk and Copenhagen will help ease tensions.

The initiatives are intended in part to address concerns about growing influence from Russia and China in the Arctic region, which has become increasingly important for security and resource access.

Despite the diplomatic outreach, Danish and Greenlandic authorities have maintained a firm position that any transfer of sovereignty over Greenland remains out of the question.

Trump’s recent proposal to send a U.S. hospital ship to Greenland to address local health system challenges was rejected by authorities but did not significantly escalate tensions.

Polar geopolitics researcher Mikaa Mered said Copenhagen was seeking to maintain calm during a politically sensitive period. Denmark is scheduled to hold a general election on March 24, while Greenland elects two representatives to the Danish parliament.

Greenland, which was a Danish colony for three centuries, remains an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Although Greenland’s main political parties support eventual independence, they differ on how and when that should occur.In recent months, Nuuk and Copenhagen have presented a united position in response to U.S. interest in the island.

Julie Rademacher, chair of the National Organization for Greenlanders in Denmark, said cooperation between the two governments had strengthened during the dispute.

“This is the first time there has been such close cooperation between Copenhagen and Nuuk,” she said.Greenlandic politician Aqqaluk Lynge warned that both governments needed to act cautiously, particularly with elections approaching.“He will use everything,” Lynge said of Trump, referring to the potential political impact of the Greenland issue.

Some contentious historical issues between Denmark and Greenland have been set aside temporarily amid the diplomatic tensions.

One such issue concerns a programme of forced contraception imposed on young Greenlandic women by Danish authorities between the late 1960s and 1991. Denmark issued a formal apology in 2025 and pledged compensation to those affected.

A report submitted to the Greenlandic government in early February examining the legal implications of the programme, including whether it could be classified as genocide, has not yet been made public.

Meanwhile, a visit to Greenland last month by Frederik X was widely viewed as part of an effort to demonstrate unity within the Kingdom of Denmark, which includes Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands

Trump made the remarks while speaking to reporters during a press conference in Doral, Florida, where he was asked about Iran’s leadership transition after the death of the longtime cleric who had led the Islamic Republic for decades.

Trump said the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei was unlikely to bring meaningful change to Iran’s political direction.

“We think it’s going to lead to just more of the same problem for the country,” Trump said, referring to ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran.

His comments marked the first public reaction from the U.S. president since Iranian authorities confirmed Mojtaba Khamenei as the successor to his father.

During the exchange with reporters, Trump was asked whether the new Iranian leader might be considered a potential military target amid escalating hostilities in the region.

Trump declined to elaborate, saying it would be “inappropriate” to comment on whether Mojtaba Khamenei had a “target on his back.

”The remarks came as relations between the United States and Iran remain strained amid a widening regional conflict and heightened political tensions surrounding Iran’s leadership change.

President Donald Trump issued the warning after global financial markets swung sharply on Monday amid signs that Iran’s security establishment was consolidating behind newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, signalling Tehran may be preparing for a prolonged confrontation.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it would prevent “one litre of oil” from leaving the Middle East if strikes by the United States and Israel persist, according to Iranian state media.

Trump said Washington had already inflicted heavy damage on Iran’s military infrastructure and warned that any attempt by Tehran to halt tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would trigger far stronger U.S. retaliation.

“We will hit them so hard that it will not be possible for them or anybody else helping them to ever recover that section of the world,” Trump said during a news conference on Monday.

In a later post on his Truth Social platform, Trump reiterated that warning, saying the United States would strike Iran “twenty times harder” if the country attempted to block oil shipments through the narrow waterway, which handles roughly one-fifth of global crude supply.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by saying the end of the conflict would be determined by Tehran, not Washington. A spokesperson quoted by state media said Iran would ensure that no oil exports leave the region if the attacks by the United States and Israel continue.

The comments came as large crowds gathered in Iran in support of Mojtaba Khamenei, according to Iranian media, suggesting the country’s leadership is seeking to demonstrate domestic backing following the escalation of hostilities.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said at least 1,332 Iranian civilians have been killed and thousands wounded since the United States and Israel launched air and missile strikes across Iran at the end of February.

Washington and its allies say the strikes are aimed at crippling Iran’s missile capabilities and nuclear programme. Israel has said its objective is to topple Iran’s clerical leadership, while Trump has said the conflict could end only if Tehran accepts a government compliant with U.S. demands.

Financial markets reacted sharply to the escalating rhetoric. Crude oil prices and global stock markets swung between gains and losses as investors weighed the risk that the conflict could disrupt energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes.

The exercise, known as Cold Response, focuses on defending the European Arctic region, where Norway and Finland share borders with Russia. Military officials say the drills aim to test the alliance’s ability to respond to crises in the High North, an area that has drawn growing strategic attention in recent years.

The Cold Response exercise has now been incorporated into Arctic Sentry, a NATO mission designed to strengthen the alliance’s presence in the polar region. The initiative was launched in part to ease tensions surrounding Washington’s position on Greenland and to reinforce cooperation among Arctic allies.

Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States needs control over Greenland to counter potential security threats posed by Russia and China in the Arctic. Officials in both Denmark and Greenland have rejected the idea, stating that the island is not for sale.

This year’s drills involve approximately 25,000 personnel from 14 nations, including the United States and Denmark, operating primarily across northern Norway and Finland. According to military planners, the exercises will test coordination among allied forces in cold-weather and Arctic conditions.

The United States is expected to deploy roughly 4,000 troops to the drills, making it one of the largest contributors to the exercise.

Ahead of the exercise, the U.S. military withdrew one squadron of F-35 Lightning II fighter jets that had been scheduled to participate. U.S. officials declined to say whether the decision was related to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

A spokesperson for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe said such adjustments were common given the global commitments of American forces.

“The U.S. military is a globally deployed force and it is not abnormal for forces to be dynamically re-tasked or reallocated for a host of reasons,” the spokesperson told Reuters.

This year’s exercise places greater emphasis on the role of civilian institutions in supporting military operations, reflecting broader Nordic efforts to strengthen national resilience during crises.

Norway has designated 2026 as the year of “total defence,” a policy initiative intended to improve coordination between the military, public services, businesses and the wider population in responding to conflict or major emergencies.

Major-General Lars Lervik, head of the Norwegian Army, said the military depended on the normal functioning of civilian society in order to carry out its core mission of defending the country.

“We want our military to do its job of defending the country. To do that, we are completely reliant on most aspects of society functioning as normal,” Lervik told Reuters.

He added that the exercise also offers an opportunity to rehearse practical support roles for civilians, including preparing health services to treat a higher number of injured soldiers from Norway or allied forces during a potential conflict.

The Arctic has increasingly become a focal point of geopolitical competition as melting ice opens new maritime routes and access to natural resources. NATO officials say maintaining readiness in the region has become a strategic priority for the alliance.

Cold Response, which takes place every two years, is designed to test NATO’s ability to operate in extreme conditions while coordinating multinational forces across land, air and maritime domains.

This year’s exercise unfolds at a time of heightened global tensions, with NATO allies seeking to demonstrate operational coordination and preparedness in one of the world’s most strategically sensitive regions.

Penny Wong said the government had updated its travel advisory as the regional security environment deteriorated, urging Australians to avoid travel to the UAE.

“Our travel advice has been updated to reflect that direction. We continue to advise Australians not to travel to the UAE,” Wong said in a post on X late on Sunday.

Wong said more than 1,700 Australians had already returned home on commercial flights from the UAE since the conflict intensified.

Approximately 115,000 Australians were in the Middle East when the fighting began about 10 days ago, raising concerns about the safety of nationals across the region as hostilities escalate.

The conflict has disrupted air travel and business activity while pushing global energy prices higher, as military strikes involving the United States and Israel target Iran.

Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was not seeking negotiations to end the U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran.

His remarks come as governments across the region reassess security risks and the safety of their citizens.

Australia, a close ally of the United States, has said it would not deploy troops to the Middle East if the conflict expands. However, officials indicated on Sunday that Canberra was considering requests to help protect countries from Iranian drones and missile threats as regional tensions intensify.