No plans for new US nuclear talks, says Iran's FM
Nuclear talks were under way when Israel launched attacks on Iran on June 13, derailing the process aimed at achieving a new deal. US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the two foes on Tuesday, and the next day said Washington would pick up talks with Tehran "next week."
But Abbas Araghchi labelled that as "speculation" and shut down the prospect of Iran returning to the table. "No agreement has been made to restart negotiations, and there has not even been talk of negotiations. There is no point in negotiating now," the top diplomat said.
"We have an experience where America betrayed us in the middle of negotiations," he said of the US involvement in Israel's war in Iran. A sixth round of nuclear talks had been scheduled but were cancelled when the war started two days before.
Mr Araghchi stated that "diplomacy still exists" and that messages continued to be exchanged between both sides but that Iran was still weighing whether it should return to the table. He highlighted the role of the Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi, the mediator of the five rounds of talks, saying he had done his best to "actively mediate between the two sides."
The foreign minister said the nuclear issue had become more difficult to negotiate because of the war. "The situation has completely changed and it is not possible to reach an agreement as easily as in the past."
Iran retaliated to the US strikes by launching an attack on Washington's largest air base in the region - Al Udeid. Qatar intercepted the majority of the missiles and no damage was caused as the base had been emptied. It also condemned the Iranian attack on its territory.
"Iran's recent attack on US military bases in the region was merely a response to the US threat and not against neighbouring Arab countries," Mr Aragchi said. "After the attack, countries like Qatar were upset, which is natural but we emphasised that this reaction was direct at America."
Qatar revealed it helped broker the ceasefire announced by Mr Trump.
He called on Israel to respect the truce and said "third parties" had been instructed to pass on the message that "Iran is not Lebanon" and Tehran would not tolerate a resumption in hostilities. "I clearly said tell them that Iran is not Lebanon and if they violate the ceasefire, we will respond."
Israel has continued its bombardment of Lebanon despite a fragile ceasefire with Hezbollah in November. It has also violated previous truce agreements in the Gaza Strip by resuming attacks.
Hostilities were close to breaking out just hours after Mr Trump announced the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, with the former accusing the latter of violating the agreement by launching missiles. Tehran was quick to issue a denial but Israel still launched a limited strike on Tehran. Mr Trump then issued several strong-worded statements calling on both sides, particularly Israel, for restraint.
Damage to nuclear sites
As the truce holds and fighting has come to an end, questions have emerged on the state of Iran's nuclear programme in the aftermath of US strikes and the war with Israel.
Mr Trump and his administration are furious after a preliminary assessment leaked to the presss suggested the attacks may not have fully destroyed Iran's nuclear facilities. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites had been "a resounding success', angrily pushing back against the 'fake news' media for questioning how effective the attacks were.
Mr Araghchi said "the damage has not been small and is being assessed," a stark difference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who said Mr Trump had "exaggerated" the outcome of the strikes which had "done nothing significant" to Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
"The damages, in general, are assessed as high and serious," Mr Araghchi said, adding that Iran had was not planning on allowing back inspectors, rejecting the UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi's request to travel to Tehran. "We currently do not have a building to receive Grossi," he said.
The war has further strained Iran's relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency which it blamed for fuelling unease about its nuclear activities.
Iran's parliament approved a bill on Wednesday to suspend co-operation with the IAEA. The decision was approved on Thursday by the Guardian Council, a panel of clerics and jurists that vets legislation. Mr Araghchi said the decision was legally binding.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
an hour ago
- Al Etihad
Trump signs order extending China tariff deadline for 90 days, official says
11 Aug 2025 23:06 WASHINGTON (REUTERS)US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order extending a pause in sharply higher US tariffs on Chinese imports for another 90 days, a White House official said.A tariff truce between Beijing and Washington had been set to expire on August 12 at 00:01 (04:01 GMT), but the Trump administration had hinted the deadline could be order prevents U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from shooting up to 145%, with Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods set to hit 125%, rates that would have resulted in a virtual trade embargo."We'll see what happens," Trump told a press conference, when asked how he planned to extend the deadline. "They've been dealing quite nicely. The relationship is very good with President Xi (Jinping) and myself."Imports from China are currently subject to 30% tariffs, including a 10% base rate and 20% in fentanyl-related tariffs imposed by Washington in February and March. China had matched the de-escalation, lowering its rate on US imports to 10%. The two sides in May announced a truce in their trade dispute after talks in Geneva, Switzerland, agreeing to a 90-day period to allow further talks. They met again in Stockholm, Sweden in late July, but did not announce an agreement to further extend the deadline.
Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Khaleej Times
Trump extends tariff truce with China by another 90 days
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order extending a tariff truce with China by another 90 days, a White House official said on Monday with only hours to go before U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods were due to snap back to triple-digit rates. The order followed a noncommittal answer by Trump to reporters as to whether he would extend the lower tariff rates a day after he urged Beijing to quadruple its purchases of U.S. soybeans. A tariff truce between Beijing and Washington was set to expire on Tuesday at 00:01 ET (04:01 GMT). The order prevents U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from shooting up to 145%, with Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods set to hit 125%, rates that would have resulted in a virtual trade embargo. "We'll see what happens," Trump told a press conference, when asked how he planned to extend the deadline. "They've been dealing quite nicely. The relationship is very good with President Xi (Jinping) and myself." Imports from China are currently subject to 30% tariffs, including a 10% base rate and 20% in fentanyl-related tariffs imposed by Washington in February and March. China had matched the de-escalation, lowering its rate on U.S. imports to 10%. The two sides in May announced a truce in their trade dispute after talks in Geneva, Switzerland, agreeing to a 90-day period to allow further talks. They met again in Stockholm, Sweden in late July, but did not announce an agreement to further extend the deadline. Kelly Ann Shaw, a senior White House trade official during Trump's first term and now with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, said she expected Trump to extend the 90-day "tariff détente" for another 90 days later on Monday. "It wouldn't be a Trump-style negotiation if it didn't go right down to the wire," she said, adding Trump could also announce progress in other aspects of the economic relationship as a backdrop for granting the extension. "The whole reason for the 90-day pause in the first place was to lay the groundwork for broader negotiations and there's been a lot of noise about everything from soybeans to export controls to excess capacity over the weekend," she said. Ryan Majerus, a former U.S. trade official now with the King & Spalding law firm, welcomed the news. 'This will undoubtedly lower anxiety on both sides as talks continue, and as the U.S. and China work toward a framework deal in the fall. I'm certain investment commitments will factor into any potential deal, and the extension gives them more time to try and work through some of the longstanding trade concerns," he said. The White House declined to comment beyond Trump's remarks. The Treasury Department and U.S. Trade Representative's Office did not respond to requests for comment. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said Washington has the makings of a deal with China and he was "optimistic" about the path forward. Trump pushed for additional concessions on Sunday, urging China to quadruple its soybean purchases, although analysts questioned the feasibility of any such deal. Trump did not repeat the demand on Monday. But Washington has also been pressing Beijing to stop buying Russian oil, with Trump threatening to impose secondary tariffs on China.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Trump says gold to be spared from tariffs
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that gold will be exempt from tariffs, days after a government posting caused uncertainty as to what is considered a safe haven asset. "Gold will not be tariffed," Mr Trump wrote on the Truth Social media platform, without offering further details. US gold futures were trading 2.36 lower at to $3,408.80 an ounce at 2.15pm ET. Gold prices hit a record high last week after the US Customs and Border Protection ruled that gold bars from Switzerland would be subjected to tariffs that Mr Trump had placed on the country. A White House official later said it would issue an order in the near future to exempt gold bars. Had the tariff gone into effect, Switzerland's gold exports would have faced the same 39 per cent charge as other goods. The Swiss Precious Metals Association on Friday also warned the tariffs could harm "the international flow of physical gold". "We are particularly concerned about the implications of the tariffs for the gold industry and the physical exchange of gold with the US, a long-standing and historical partner for Switzerland,' said Christoph Wild, the association's president. Barrick Mining chief executive Mark Bristow told Reuters before Mr Trump's announcement that the tariff's impact on miners would have been minimal. The price of gold is up more than 27 per cent this year as investors flock to it amid Mr Trump's on-again, off-again tariff agenda. Eyes are on a trade truce between the US and China that was set to expire on Tuesday. Washington and Beijing had imposed escalating tariffs on each other's goods this year, and the two countries had agreed to a 90-day pause in May that temporarily lowered them. Asked on Monday about the deadline, Mr Trump said: "We'll see what happens. They've been dealing quite nicely. The relationship is very good with President Xi [Jinping] and myself." Abramovich London A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million. A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million. Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military. Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible. Structural%20weaknesses%20facing%20Israel%20economy %3Cp%3E1.%20Labour%20productivity%20is%20lower%20than%20the%20average%20of%20the%20developed%20economies%2C%20particularly%20in%20the%20non-tradable%20industries.%3Cbr%3E2.%20The%20low%20level%20of%20basic%20skills%20among%20workers%20and%20the%20high%20level%20of%20inequality%20between%20those%20with%20various%20skills.%3Cbr%3E3.%20Low%20employment%20rates%2C%20particularly%20among%20Arab%20women%20and%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jewish%20men.%3Cbr%3E4.%20A%20lack%20of%20basic%20knowledge%20required%20for%20integration%20into%20the%20labour%20force%2C%20due%20to%20the%20lack%20of%20core%20curriculum%20studies%20in%20schools%20for%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jews.%3Cbr%3E5.%20A%20need%20to%20upgrade%20and%20expand%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20particularly%20mass%20transit%20infrastructure.%3Cbr%3E6.%20The%20poverty%20rate%20at%20more%20than%20double%20the%20OECD%20average.%3Cbr%3E7.%20Population%20growth%20of%20about%202%20per%20cent%20per%20year%2C%20compared%20to%200.6%20per%20cent%20OECD%20average%20posing%20challenge%20for%20fiscal%20policy%20and%20underpinning%20pressure%20on%20education%2C%20health%20care%2C%20welfare%20housing%20and%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20which%20will%20increase%20in%20the%20coming%20years.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
