Trump says Iran deal would not allow 'any' uranium enrichment
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Monday ruled out allowing Iran to enrich uranium under any nuclear deal between the foes - as Tehran defended what it said was its "peaceful" pursuit of fuel for power generation.
Uranium enrichment has remained a key point of contention in five rounds of talks since April to ink a new accord to replace the deal with major powers that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
"Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!" Trump said on his Truth Social network after the Axios news outlet said Washington's offer would let Tehran enrich some of the nuclear fuel.
Republican Trump also blamed predecessor Joe Biden for the impasse, saying the Democrat "should have stopped Iran a long time ago from 'enriching.'"
Axios said the latest proposal that Washington had sent Tehran on Saturday would allow limited low-level uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, for an amount of time that has yet to be determined.
Iran has insisted that it has "nothing to hide" on its nuclear program.
Speaking in Cairo, where he met the UN nuclear watchdog's chief, Rafael Grossi, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: "If the goal is to deprive Iran of its peaceful activities, then certainly no agreement will be reached."
The remarks came after Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday called for more transparency from Iran following a leaked report that showed Tehran had stepped up uranium enrichment.
'NEED FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY'
The IAEA report showed that Iran has ramped up production of uranium enriched up to 60% - close to the roughly 90% level needed for atomic weapons.
"There is a need for more transparency - this is very, very clear - in Iran, and nothing will bring us to this confidence [besides] full explanations of a number of activities," Grossi said ahead of meeting Araghchi.
Grossi added that some of the report's findings "may be uncomfortable for some, and we are... used to being criticised".
Iran has rejected the report, warning it would retaliate if European powers that have threatened to reimpose nuclear sanctions "exploit" it.
"Some countries are trying to abuse this agency to pave the way for escalation with Iran. I hope that this agency does not fall into this trap," Araghchi said of the IAEA.
Iran meanwhile pushed for the United States to drop sanctions that have crippled its economy as a condition for a nuclear agreement with Trump's administration.
Araghchi said on Saturday that he had received "elements" of the US proposal for a nuclear deal following the five rounds of talks, mediated by Oman.
'WITH OR WITHOUT A DEAL'
Both Araghchi and Grossi met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who praised the US-Iran talks and called for "de-escalation in order to prevent a slide into a full-fledged regional war".
On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news conference: "We want to guarantee that the sanctions are effectively lifted."
"So far, the American side has not wanted to clarify this issue," he said.
The US envoy in the nuclear talks said last month that Trump's administration would oppose any Iranian enrichment.
"An enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That's our red line. No enrichment," Steve Witkoff told Breitbart News.
Following a phone call with Witkoff the day before about the ongoing nuclear talks, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urged a peaceful solution and a nuclear-weapon-free Middle East, saying in Monday's press conference that "the region is already experiencing enough problems and crises".
He warned that military confrontation would create "a state of chaos from which no one will be spared".
Iran has vowed to keep enriching uranium "with or without a deal" on its nuclear program.
The United States has sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal that the White House called "acceptable" and in Tehran's "best interest" to accept, US media reported on Saturday.
The New York Times, citing officials familiar with the diplomatic exchanges, said the proposal calls on Iran to stop all enrichment and suggests creating a regional grouping to produce nuclear power.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they 'went too far'
Elon Musk says he regrets some of his recent criticisms of the US president, after the pair's public falling-out last week. Image: Allison Robbert / AFP Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, said Wednesday he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president, after the pair's public falling-out last week. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on his social media platform X. Musk's expression of regret came just days after Trump threatened the tech billionaire with "serious consequences" if he sought to punish Republicans who vote for a controversial spending bill. Their blistering break-up -- largely carried out on social media before a riveted public since Thursday last week -- was ignited by Musk's harsh criticism of Trump's so-called "big, beautiful" spending bill, which is currently before Congress. Some lawmakers who were against the bill had called on Musk -- one of the Republican Party's biggest financial backers in last year's presidential election -- to fund primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," Trump, who also branded Musk "disrespectful," told NBC News on Saturday, without specifying what those consequences would be. Trump also said he had "no" desire to repair his relationship with the South African-born Tesla and SpaceX chief, and that he has "no intention of speaking to him." In his post on Wednesday, Musk did not specify which of his criticisms of Trump had gone "too far." 'Wish him well' The former allies had seemed to have cut ties amicably about two weeks ago, with Trump giving Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But their relationship cracked within days as Musk described the spending bill as an "abomination" that, if passed by Congress, could define Trump's second term in office. Trump hit back at Musk's comments in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington stunned. "Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore. I was surprised," Trump told reporters. Musk, who was Trump's biggest donor to his 2024 campaign, also raised the issue of the Republican's election win. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," he posted, adding: "Such ingratitude." Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that cutting billions of dollars in subsidies and contracts to Musk's companies would be the "easiest way" to save the US government money. US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion. With real political and economic risks to their falling out, both appeared to inch back from the brink on Friday, with Trump telling reporters "I just wish him well," and Musk responding on X: "Likewise." Trump had spoken to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted one of the explosive allegations he had made during their fallout, linking the president with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Police make ‘mass arrests' in LA during nighttime curfew
Trump has ordered 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, along with 700 active-duty Marines Police officers in riot gear stand near City Hall as a curfew is in effect in LA. Picture: Ringo Chiu/ AFP) Los Angeles police began arresting people in the city's downtown late Tuesday, as groups gathered in violation of an overnight curfew after a fifth day of protests against Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Looting and vandalism in the second-biggest US city have marred the largely peaceful protests over ramped-up arrests by immigration authorities. The demonstrations, which began Friday, and isolated acts of violence prompted Trump to take the extraordinary step of sending in troops, over the objection of the state governor. Mass arrests The protests again turned ugly after dark Tuesday, but an hour into the overnight curfew, only a handful of protesters were left downtown, with police making several arrests as they warned stragglers to leave. 'Multiple groups continue to congregate on 1st St between Spring and Alameda' within the designated downtown curfew area, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) wrote on X late Tuesday. 'Those groups are being addressed and mass arrests are being initiated.' Police arrested 25 people on suspicion of violating the curfew as of Tuesday evening, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing an LAPD spokesperson. The number of arrests was likely to rise as law enforcement worked to remove the remaining protesters from the area, the newspaper said. 'Stop the vandalism, stop the looting' Earlier, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she had issued the curfew 'to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting.' One square mile (2.5 square kilometers) of the city's more-than-500 square mile area will be off-limits from 8 pm and 6 am for everyone apart from residents, journalists and emergency services, she added. One protester told AFP the arrest of migrants in a city with large immigrant and Latino populations was the root of the unrest. 'I think that obviously they're doing it for safety,' she said of the curfew. 'But I don't think that part of the problem is the peaceful protests. It's whatever else is happening on the other side that is inciting violence.' At their largest, the protests have included a few thousand people taking to the streets, but smaller mobs have used the cover of darkness to set fires, daub graffiti, and smash windows. Overnight, Monday 23 businesses were looted, police said, adding that more than 500 people had been arrested over recent days. Protests against immigration arrests by federal law enforcement have also sprung up in cities around the country, including New York, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco and Austin. 'Provide protection' Trump has ordered 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, along with 700 active-duty Marines, in what he has claimed is a necessary escalation to take back control, despite the insistence of local law enforcement that they could handle matters. A military spokeswoman said the Marines were expected to be on the streets by Wednesday. Their mission will be to guard federal facilities and to accompany 'federal officers in immigration enforcement operations in order to provide protection.' Demonstrators told AFP the soldiers 'should be respected' because they had not chosen to be in Los Angeles, but Lisa Orman blasted it as 'ridiculous.' 'I was here for the Dodger parade,' she said, referring to the LA team's World Series victory. 'It was 100 times bigger,' she said, branding the idea that Marines were necessary as 'a big show' that Trump wanted. The Pentagon said the deployment would cost US taxpayers $134 million. Photographs issued by the Marine Corps showed men in combat fatigues using riot shields to practice crowd control techniques at the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach. Late Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said his state would deploy its National Guard 'to locations across the state to ensure peace & order' after solidarity protests. 'Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest,' Abbott wrote on X. The Texas National Guard 'will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order.' Behaving like 'a tyrant' In sprawling Los Angeles on Tuesday, it was largely a typical day: tourists thronged Hollywood Boulevard, celebrities attended red carpet premieres, tens of thousands of children went to school, and commuter traffic choked the streets. But at a military base in North Carolina, Trump was painting a much darker picture. 'What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and national sovereignty,' the Republican told troops at Fort Bragg. 'This anarchy will not stand. We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy.' California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who has clashed with the president before, said Trump's shock militarisation of the city was the behaviour of 'a tyrant, not a president.' In a filing to the US District Court in Northern California, Newsom asked for an injunction preventing the use of troops for policing. US law largely prevents the use of the military as a policing force — absent the declaration of an insurrection, which Trump has mused. Law professor Frank Bowman said the president 'is trying to use emergency declarations to justify bringing in first the National Guard and then mobilising Marines'. © Agence France-Presse
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Five nations and EU urge Trump not to impose new aircraft tariffs
Five nations and the EU, as well as airlines and aerospace firms worldwide, have urged the Trump administration not to impose new national security tariffs on imported commercial aircraft and parts, documents released on Tuesday showed. Airlines and aircraft manufacturers have been lobbying President Donald Trump to restore the tariff-free regime under the 1979 Civil Aircraft Agreement that has yielded an annual trade surplus of $75bn (R1.32-trillion) for the US industry. The documents made public by the US commerce department bared concerns about the fallout of possible new tariffs expressed by companies as well as Canada, China, Japan, Mexico and Switzerland, besides the EU. 'As reliable trading partners, the EU and US should strengthen their trade regarding aircraft and aircraft parts, rather than hinder it by imposing trade restrictions,' the EU wrote. It would consider its options 'to ensure a level playing field', it added. Trump has imposed tariffs of 10% on nearly all aircraft and parts imports. 'No country or region should attempt to support the development of its domestic aircraft manufacturing industry by suppressing foreign competitors,' the Chinese government wrote. Separately, US manufacturer Boeing cited a recent trade deal unveiled in May with Britain that ensures tariff-free treatment for aircraft and parts. 'The US should ensure duty-free treatment for commercial aircraft and their parts in any negotiated trade agreement, similar to its efforts with the UK,' Boeing told the commerce department in a filing. Mexico said in 2024 it exported $1.45bn (R25.7bn) in aircraft parts, a 10th of the total, to the US. The EU said it took US exports of aircraft worth about $12bn (R212.72bn), while exporting about $8bn (R141.82bn) of aircraft to the US. In early May, the commerce department launched a 'section 232" national security investigation into imports of commercial aircraft, jet engines and parts that could form the basis for higher tariffs on such imports. Last week, Delta Air Lines and major trade groups warned of tariffs' impact on ticket prices, aviation safety and supply chains. 'US tariffs on aviation are putting domestic production of commercial aircraft at risk,' Airbus Americas CEO Robin Hayes said in a filing. 'It is not realistic or sensible today to create a 100% domestic supply chain in any country.' Boeing said it had been increasing US content in its aircraft over the past decade and its newest models, the 737 MAX 10 and 777X, would have 'more than 88% domestically-sourced content'. The United Auto Workers union, which represents 10,000 aerospace workers, said it supports tariffs and domestic production quotas, adding US aerospace employment has fallen to 510,000 in 2024 from 850,000 in 1990. 'To safeguard the aerospace supply chain across the commercial and defence sectors, comprehensive tariffs and production quotas on several products are needed,' it said. JetBlue Airways opposed new tariffs, however, saying: 'Trade policy should reinforce, not destabilise, the proven systems that keep our aircraft flying safely and affordably.'
