Sunday newspaper round-up: Iran, Nick Candy, Simon Peckham, British Steel, meningitis outbreak

Donald Trump gave Iran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping or face strikes on its energy infrastructure, after Tehran launched its most destructive attack yet on Israel.

The ultimatum came just a day after the US president said he was considering winding down military operations following three weeks of conflict, with the key oil chokepoint still effectively shut and thousands more US Marines heading to the region.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US would “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants, “starting with the biggest one first”, if the strait was not fully reopened within 48 hours.

Iran has overhauled its social‑media strategy as part of a wider information campaign launched in response to US and Israeli military action, according to cyber‑security analysts. The Guardian, which cited experts, said Tehran's foreign‑influence operations had intensified sharply in recent days as part of an "asymmetric" effort designed to complement its military retaliation and increase political pressure on Washington and Jerusalem. The campaign has flooded social media platforms with targeted posts aimed at exploiting the war's unpopularity in the US, including among supporters of Donald Trump.

Reform UK's treasurer Nick Candy met individuals under international sanctions during a gold‑mining‑related visit to Nicaragua, according to The Times. Candy, a billionaire property developer who joined Reform after leaving the Conservatives in 2024, travelled to the Central American nation last week and received a message of welcome from co‑president Rosario Murillo, who is sanctioned by the UK over human‑rights abuses. She reportedly described him as a "brother" and "comrade".

Candy did not meet Murillo or her husband, president Daniel Ortega, but attended a meeting on a proposed gold‑mining project and met several figures subject to international sanctions, including the couple's son, Laureano Facundo Ortega Murillo.

One of Britain's most prominent dealmakers has dismissed claims that companies cannot raise large sums on the London market, according to the Times, calling the idea "total bollocks". Simon Peckham - whose new vehicle, Rosebank, is set to secure London's biggest acquisition financing in five years - urged boards to be more ambitious and ask shareholders for capital to support growth.

His comments run counter to the prevailing narrative that London has lost its appeal after a string of high‑profile IPOs opted for overseas listings and several FTSE names, including Ashtead, CRH and Flutter Entertainment, shifted their primary listings abroad.

The UK government is weighing plans for a £2bn plate mill at British Steel's Scunthorpe site to meet rising demand from the defence and renewable‑energy sectors, according to the Times.

Proposals include building a new brownfield plate mill alongside an additional electric arc furnace. British Steel is already set to close its blast furnaces under the government's steel strategy and replace them with a lower‑emission EAF capable of producing 2.7m tonnes a year.

The number of meningitis cases linked to the Kent outbreak has risen to 34 after five new cases were identified, the UK Health Security Agency said on Saturday. According to the Independent, hundreds of University of Kent students queued for vaccinations for a third consecutive day after two deaths were confirmed earlier in the week.

Health officials said the peak of the "unprecedented" outbreak - linked to a superspreader event at a Canterbury nightclub - may have passed, though further cases were still possible. Authorities also warned that "sporadic household cases" of meningitis B could emerge outside the immediate outbreak area.