Caroline Hepker

The US and Iran are holding a second round of nuclear talks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he's hopeful Tehran and Washington can broker an agreement.

On Air Force One, President Trump said that he will be following the talks closely.

President Trump has moved forces to the region and threatened to strike Iran unless it agrees to a deal curbing its nuclear programme.

Tehran has begun conducting military drills around the Straits of Hormuz, according to the Tasnim news agency.

And Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, did hold talks with the head of the UN's atomic watchdog on Monday, but facing that American pressure, he said in a social media post that there would be no submission before threats.

In other news, India and Germany have become the latest countries to discuss placing age limits on social media use.

India's technology minister says New Delhi is talking to tech companies about the issue.

It comes as Germany looks to set limits to access when it comes to social media platforms for people under 16.

After the Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition partners announced their support for the proposal,

Similar discussions are being had in countries including France, the UK and Ireland, which could set the stage for a new showdown with some of the biggest US companies.

Meanwhile, Spain's Prime Minister says his government will ask prosecutors to open a probe into X, Meta and TikTok over possible crimes through the creation and distribution of child pornography using AI.

The mining giant BHP posted bumper profits thanks to a surge in demand for copper and a broader metals rally.

Earnings rose 22% year-on-year as a years-long effort to boost copper production paid off.

According to the firm's CFO, Vandita Pand, BHP is set to boost its offering of the metal even further.

BHP's Vantida Pant there speaking after the latest earnings announcement.

After the news, BHP shares in Sydney hit a record high.

In London, shares are up as much as 3.7%.

And those are our top stories for you this morning.

Looking at the markets, European stocks are up by two-tenths of 1%, 5,100 up four-tenths of 1%.