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China has warned that President Trump''s decision to mount a naval blockade of Iran's ports is "dangerous and irresponsible" and threatens the recent ceasefire in the Middle East.

The US navy has begun blockading the strait of Hormuz, following the failure of peace talks between American and Iranian negotiators in Pakistan.

US Central Command says it has prevented any ships from passing through the strait since it began the blockade.

Russian and Chinese foreign ministers have been meeting to discuss the Iran crisis. The Chinese said the blockade would escalate tension and undermine the fragile ceasefire. China is a major buyer of Iranian oil and an ally of Tehran.

Donald Trump has unexpectedly announced that new peace talks with Iran may begin within the next two days.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Frank Gardner and Sarah Smith.

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Lebanon and Israel have held their first diplomatic talks in over three decades - a rare encounter aimed at ending fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who mediated the meeting in Washington, said it was a "historic opportunity" to end Hezbollah's influence.

Meanwhile, the US said no ships passed through its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz in the first 24 hours, and six merchant vessels turned around after "direction from US forces".

China has called the blockade "irresponsible and dangerous".

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A former Nato chief has said that the UK's security and safety is "in peril" and Sir Keir Starmer's government has shown "corrosive complacency" towards defence.

In a directly political intervention, Lord Robertson - who is now a key government adviser - says "We cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget."

It comes on the day the IMF has warned the energy shock from the Iran war will hit the UK the hardest of the world's advanced economies.

Adam and Chris are joined by Ben Chu from BBC Verify and Helen Miller from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

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00:00 Introduction

05:05 Former Nato chief criticises UK security

09:12 The government's spending plans

1900: Is the MOD good at allocating money?

20:34: Is this a big deal for Starmer?

23:58 UK ranked badly for growth

30:08 What does this mean for the government?

There is continuing criticism from Catholics around the world, as US President Donald Trump's feud with Pope Leo escalates. Trump said Pope Leo XIV was "weak", and posted an AI-generated image of himself on Truth Social, which many people believe depicted him as Jesus.

The image, which has now been deleted, showed Trump appearing to heal a sick man in a hospital bed. He said it showed him as a doctor. The image post came hours after the president posted a lengthy message criticising the pontiff, who is a vocal critic of the US and Israeli military operation in Iran.

Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said Donald Trump's remarks are ''unacceptable''. Meloni, who is Catholic and heads a right-wing coalition government, is a close ally of Trump.

Pope Leo said that he has "no fear" of the Trump administration. There are more than 70 million Catholics in the US - many of whom are swing voters. We ask the BBC's religion editor, Aleem Maqbool, if Donald Trump's row with the pope has dealt lasting damage to his Catholic support.

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Americans are reacting to President Donald Trump’s escalating feud with Pope Leo XIV and the backlash surrounding an AI-generated image depicting the president as a Jesus-like figure, which has since been deleted.

On Monday, Trump posted a lengthy Truth Social message attacking the pontiff, who has been a vocal critic of the US and Israeli military operations in Iran.

He criticised the Pope, calling him "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy".

The Pope said on Monday that he has "no fear" of the Trump administration or "speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do".

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At least four Iran-linked ships - including two that visited Iranian ports - crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday following the start of a blockade by the US. At least three others also crossed the key shipping channel.

China's foreign ministry condemned the blockade of Iranian ports as "dangerous and irresponsible" - a spokesman has warmed it would only "exacerbate tensions”.

Washington's blockade came into force on Monday. US Vice-President JD Vance accused the Iranian government of engaging in an "act of economic terrorism" by blocking traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance added that US President Donald Trump has shown that "two could play at that game".

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What does the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz mean and why is the US imposing it on Iranian ports?

At least four Iran-linked ships, including two that visited Iranian ports, crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday following the start of a blockade by the US.

The US military says it "will not impede" ships using the strait to go to and from non-Iranian ports. Iran says the blockade is a violation of its sovereignty.

The blockade and escalating threats come after weeks of Iran being in control of one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

And over the weekend, delegates from the US and Iran failed to reach a resolution after 21 hours of peace talks.

The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted it’s winning the war, but so has the government in Tehran, which believes it is negotiating from a position of power.

To help us understand why - and what Iran wants - Tristan and Asma are joined by Parham Ghobadi from the BBC Persian Service.

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00:00 Introduction

01:30 How will the blockade work?

06:04 What does the blockade mean for the world economy?

07:32 What is the 10 point peace plan?

10:32 What happened during peace negotiations?

15:11 What are the American demands?

18:35 Are Iran in a better position than the US?

Police in Greece have been recruiting migrants to violently push other migrants back across its land border with Turkey, according to wide-ranging evidence uncovered by the BBC.

Pushbacks - forcing migrants and asylum seekers back across borders without due process - are generally considered illegal under international law.

The Greek prime minister told the BBC he was "totally unaware" about allegations of the use of migrants for pushbacks, while the country's authorities have not responded to our written detailed requests for comment.

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Donald Trump has removed a controversial Truth Social post depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure, after a growing backlash.

The AI-generated image, which showed Trump appearing to heal a sick man in a hospital bed, sparked fierce criticism from across the US political spectrum, including from some of Trump's most ardent supporters.

It was published hours after Trump posted a lengthy message attacking Pope Leo XIV, a vocal critic of the US and Israeli military operation in Iran, calling him "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy".

Pope Leo - the first American Pope - has condemned the war in Iran, saying it has led to "absurd and inhuman violence". The Pope said he had "no fear" of the Trump administration or "speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do".

Trump acknowledged posting the picture, telling reporters he thought it was "me as a doctor". The now-deleted image showed Trump, wearing a white robe, with a glowing hand on the forehead of a sick man, which critics said was similar to religious paintings showing Jesus healing the infirm.

The background of the images included the Statue of Liberty, a large US flag fluttering, fighter jets and an eagle, as well as a nurse, a woman praying and what appeared to be a soldier in uniform.

Meanwhile US warships have begun enforcing a blockade of Iran and the strait of Hormuz. Oil prices have edged up after the failure of peace talks between the US and Iran. And in Lebanon, Israel is continuing its assault in the south of the country.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Aleem Maqbool, James Landale, Frank Gardner, Sarah Smith, Chris Mason, Simon Jack and Hugo Bachega.

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An inquiry has found the Southport murders “could have been prevented” if the killer’s parents and authorities had done more in the years leading up to the attack.

The inquiry’s report lists factors such as a "misunderstanding of autism" and “failure in information sharing” as examples of the “systematic failures”. Adam is joined by Judith Moritz, special correspondent and Daniel Sandford home Affairs correspondent who have been covering the story.

Adam also catches up with Americast host and North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher after President Trump announcing a blockade of Iranian ports after the talks in Pakistan didn’t end up in a deal. This comes as President Trump has been publicly arguing with an unusual opponent… the Pope.

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00:00 Introduction

01:20 Why is the Southport inquiry happening?

08:22 What did the inquiry say about the killer's parents?

15:35 How do the victims' parents feel about the findings?

21:10 Is there a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz?

28:05 Trump V The Pope

31:10 Did President Trump compare himself to Jesus?