‘Iran rejects peace plan’ and ‘£400m cost of savings scandal’

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Iran rejecting a ceasefire proposal by the US is featured in several of Thursday’s papers. The Guardian includes an anonymous official, as quoted on Iranian state TV, saying that Tehran would “end the war when it decides to do so”. Meanwhile, the White House has said discussions were continuing and productive, the paper reports.

Donald Trump has threatened to “unleash hell” on Iran after it reportedly dismissed a 15-point plan to end the war made by the US, the Times reports. According to the paper, Iran’s rejections of the plan was met with “threats of its own”, including warning the US against trying to land troops on Kharg Island.

The i Paper claims Britain will be “unable to meet Nato commitments next month” because there are no warships available, calling it a “national embarrassment”. According to the paper, the Royal Navy has been forced to borrow a warship from Germany, where it will be “in command of military task force in Atlantic and Baltic”.

Drones, medicine and food are being sent to Iran by Russia, western intelligence reports say, according to the Financial Times. The shipments of supplies, expected to arrive this month, will be the first evidence that Moscow is willing to “provide lethal support to Iran” since the outbreak of war, the paper says.

A missing savings scandal is likely to lead to a £400m payout to customers, the Daily Telegraph says. National Savings and Investments is “in discussions with the Treasury to repay some 37,000 savers whose money is understood to have been misplaced”, the paper reports.

Metro leads on the court appearance of former Conservative MP and justice minister Crispin Blunt, 65, who was fined after admitting possessing drugs including crystal meth. The paper reports Blunt told the court he had used chemsex parties to help him inform government drug policies.

The Daily Mail leads on the case of teenager who was jailed for life after an AI chatbot reportedly advised him on “how to kill his mother”. The details behind the murder of teaching assistant Angela Shellis, by her son Tristan Roberts, is described by the paper as “disturbing”.

Kemi Badenoch has promised to protect single-sex spaces for women under a Conservative government, the Daily Express reports. The Tory leader met with nurses speaking out for “biological sex-based rights”, and accused the Labour government of being too weak to confront “the basic truth of biological sex”, the paper says.

Reaction to a new Channel 5 drama on the downfall of disgraced former BBC newsreader, Huw Edwards, is the focus of the Sun. Edwards received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, in 2024, for making indecent images of children. Viewers are furious after watching the new show which has reignited debate at the sentence he received, the paper says.

The Independent leads on a special report into Donald Trump’s efforts to secure long-term supplies of critical minerals for the US. Under the headline “The deadly mines at the heart of Trump’s bid to profit from Africa”, the paper says its investigation into what Trump’s “brazen commercial interest actually means” found some people are being paid $5 a day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for the risky work.

The Daily Mirror leads on Democrat congressman Jamie Raskin saying Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has a duty to be questioned in the US about his relationship with late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Raskin told the Mirror: “I would think he would see that as some form of service after being so disgraced by his involvement”. Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to his contact with Epstein.

And the Daily Star features teenage “darts ace” Luke Littler pictured posing with members of the men’s England football squad ahead of the team’s World Cup fixtures.

The Guardian leads with Iran’s rejection of a US ceasefire proposal, which the Times says has caused Donald Trump to fly into a rage. The Daily Telegraph highlights his threat to “unleash hell” if Iran does not accept his terms.

Many papers consider the Meta and Google court defeat in the US. **The Guardian **says they lost “a pivotal case,” which found that they had failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential dangers of their products to young users. **The Times **says Meta is facing an avalanche of claims from the families of those harmed by an addiction to social media. The Financial Times says the wave of US lawsuits is part of a global backlash against Big Tech. The i Paper notes that Meta said it “respectfully disagreed” with the verdict and was considering its legal position, while Google said it would appeal.

The Daily Express says the prime minister’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, failed to tell police about his government role when he reported his mobile phone stolen last month. The Guardian notes McSweeney’s phone records are subject to scrutiny because of his exchanges with Lord Mandelson, who was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US. It says that some texts and email exchanges between McSweeney and the peer still exist, despite the phone theft, and will be published in the coming weeks. The Daily Mail says the saga of Morgan McSweeney’s stolen iPhone gets more curious by the day. In its editorial, the Daily Telegraph says the case of the missing mobile has become a whodunnit that has Westminster and Whitehall agog.

The Suncondemns the doctors’ union, the BMA, for calling its 15th strike in three years. Under the headline “sick joke,” the paper says they may paint themselves as caring professionals, but the union leaders remain hell-bent on spreading misery, causing maximum disruption and fear by walking out during the Easter holidays.

“Please, call me Sarah,” is how the Telegraph captions a photo of Dame Sarah Mullally, taking selfies with worshippers after her enthronement as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. Describing the ceremony as “a moment in history,” the Daily Mirror says “in a church suffering deep wounds and dwindling trust, her leadership offers hope of renewal.” The Daily Mail pictures the Princess of Wales outside Canterbury Cathedral, holding onto her hat in strong winds. It calls her the “Princess of Gales.”

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