Iran warns European powers against 'strategic mistake' at nuclear watchdog
Iran warned Britain, France and Germany against making a mistake regarding its nuclear programme.
The European powers are considering a resolution accusing Iran of non-compliance.
Iran insisted that it had demonstrated cooperation with the IAEA.
Iran warned European powers on Friday against backing a draft resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency next week accusing Tehran of non-compliance, calling it a 'strategic mistake'.
'Instead of engaging in good faith, the E3 is opting for malign action against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors,' Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X, referring to Britain, France and Germany.
'Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights.'
The warning from Iran's top diplomat comes as the three European governments prepare to join Washington in backing a censure resolution at next week's board meeting, a diplomatic source told AFP.
The resolution would accuse Iran of failing to meet its nuclear obligations and carries the threat of referral to the UN Security Council if Tehran 'does not show goodwill', the source added.
READ | Iran warns Israel, US against any attack on its nuclear sites
Araghchi said Tehran had demonstrated 'years of good cooperation with the IAEA - resulting in a resolution which shut down malign claims of a 'possible military dimension' (PMD) to Iran's peaceful nuclear programme'.
'My country is once again accused of 'non-compliance',' he added, blaming 'shoddy and politicised reporting'.
Filippo Monteforte/AFP
The criticism follows a quarterly report from the IAEA last week which cited a 'general lack of cooperation' from Iran and raised concerns over undeclared nuclear material.
Tehran rejected the report as politically motivated and based on 'forged documents' it said had been provided by its arch foe Israel.
The pressure on Iran comes amid indirect talks with the US, mediated by Oman since 12 April, to forge a new nuclear agreement between the longtime foes.
The two sides have been publicly at odds over uranium enrichment, the process that produces fuel for nuclear reactors or, in highly extended form, the material for a nuclear warhead.
Atta Kenare/AFP
Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the issue is 'non-negotiable'.
But in a post on his Truth Social network on Monday, US President Donald Trump said the United States 'WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM' by Iran.
Tehran and Washington are seeking a new agreement to replace a 2015 deal with major powers which Trump unilaterally abandoned during his first term in 2018.
Ufuk Celal Guzel/Anadolu via Getty Images
The agreement quickly unravelled as Trump reimposed sweeping sanctions and Tehran began walking back its own commitments a year later.
Iran currently enriches uranium to 60%, well above the 3.67% cap set by the 2015 deal but below the 90% threshold required for a nuclear warhead.
Britain, France and Germany, which were all party to the 2015 deal, are considering whether to trigger a 'snapback' of UN sanctions under its dispute resolution mechanism - an option that expires on the deal's 10th anniversary in October.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Boston Consulting Group CEO apologizes for Israel-backed Gaza aid project
The chief executive of one of the world's top consulting firms apologized to staff and admitted 'process failures' in the company's decision to help design and run a controversial Israel-backed group that supplanted the work of the United Nations to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, according to an email obtained by The Washington Post.
CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
Trump Admin targets LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month
Trump Admin targets LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month CNN's Ben Hunte breaks down how the Trump Administration has targeted the LGBTQ+ community with its policies in just the first few days of Pride Month. 02:09 - Source: CNN See reactions to the Trump-Musk feud See some reactions to the intense public feud that erupted between President Donald Trump and his one-time ally, billionaire Elon Musk. 01:05 - Source: CNN Trump on Musk: 'The poor guy's got a problem' In a phone call with CNN's Dana Bash, President Donald Trump said he is 'not even thinking about' billionaire Elon Musk and won't be speaking to him in the near future. The comments come a day after Trump and Musk traded barbs on social media as their relationship deteriorated in spectacular public fashion. 00:43 - Source: CNN Trump and Musk escalate public feud An intense public feud erupted between President Donald Trump and his one-time ally, billionaire Elon Musk, with an argument about Trump's massive tax and domestic policy bill raging across social media and in the Oval Office. CNN's senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes reports. 03:03 - Source: CNN Kara Swisher on the 'nuclear' feud between Trump and Musk CNN's Anderson Cooper talks with Kara Swisher about the stunning public feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. 01:30 - Source: CNN German leader on 'terrible' impact of Trump's tariffs In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz talks about the impact President Trump's tariffs are having on the auto industry. 01:13 - Source: CNN Curtis Yarvin is inspiring a new generation of MAGA CNN's Hadas Gold interviews anti-democracy author Curtis Yarvin about his argument for an all-powerful executive in the White House. 02:24 - Source: CNN DNC Trolls Trump with Taco Truck The Democratic National Committee parked a taco truck outside the RNC headquarters in Washington DC Tuesday, as a way to troll the president over an acronym created by a Financial Times commentator about the president's frequent walk backs and pauses to his tariff's. 00:52 - Source: CNN Musk calls Trump's bill 'disgusting abomination' Elon Musk lashed out at President Donald Trump's agenda bill — which the president is pressuring GOP senators to support — calling it a 'disgusting abomination.' CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports. 00:59 - Source: CNN ICE chief defends agents wearing masks during immigration raids Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is defending federal immigration agents for wearing masks during raids across the US, citing safety concerns. The tactic has sparked backlash and raised questions about transparency and accountability. 00:58 - Source: CNN Dana Bash presses Trump's budget chief about cancer cuts CNN's Dana Bash presses Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought on the Trump administration's proposal to cut non-defense spending by more than 22% — including deep reductions to education, food assistance, and billions in cancer research funding. As Vought defends the cuts and criticizes the NIH, Bash challenges him on the real-world impact to life-saving medical research. 01:35 - Source: CNN Trump reacts to video of Macron's apparent shove from wife President Trump was asked by reporters about the viral video appearing to show French President Emmanuel Macron being pushed by his wife Brigitte as they disembarked from a plane in Vietnam. Macron, at the time, quickly dismissed the video. 00:34 - Source: CNN Trans high school athlete wins events amid controversy A transgender athlete, whose participation sparked a national controversy and a temporary rule change, took first place in two of her three events in the California High School Track and Field Championship. 01:09 - Source: CNN South Carolina voter says 'no' to moving center South Carolina has often bucked the electoral trend – voting for candidates who lost in Iowa or New Hampshire and thus helping pick which candidate will move on to the general election. CNN's Jeff Simon spoke to multiple voters at a Democrat dinner in Columbia, South Carolina about the party's leadership and future. 01:25 - Source: CNN Hegseth warns 'threat China poses is real' US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking to Asia's premier defense forum in Singapore, delivered a dire warning to the world: China's designs on Taiwan pose a threat to global peace and stability that requires 'our allies and partners do their part on defense.' While Hegseth made clear that Washington does not seek conflict with China, he stressed the Trump administration would not let aggression from Beijing stand. 00:50 - Source: CNN GOP senator pressed on Medicaid in heated town hall GOP Sen. Joni Ernst faced concerns from town hall attendees over potential cuts to Medicaid and SNAP programs as a result of President Donald Trump's sweeping domestic policy bill, saying at one point, 'Well, we all are going to die,' and insisting that those who are eligible for Medicaid will continue to receive payments. 01:12 - Source: CNN Fareed Zakaria breaks down Trump's tariff battle CNN's Fareed Zakaria breaks down what's going on with President Donald Trump's battle with the Supreme Court over tariffs. 00:58 - Source: CNN President Trump's timeline for things seems to almost always be 'in two weeks' President Donald Trump told reporters it will take about 'two weeks' to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war in Ukraine. That two week timeline, CNN's Abby Phillip says, is a familiar one. 01:48 - Source: CNN President Trump is on a pardoning spree President Donald Trump used his pardon power to grant clemency to a wave of individuals who had been convicted of crimes that range from public corruption, guns and even maritime-related offenses, according to multiple officials. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports. 00:53 - Source: CNN Trump responds to Wall Street term 'TACO': Trump Always Chickens Out President Donald Trump was asked about "TACO," an acronym that means "Trump Always Chickens Out," which is used by Wall Street workers for his on-and-off approach to tariffs. Calling it "the nastiest question," Trump defended his tariff policy by calling it "negotiation." 01:13 - Source: CNN Harvard students and faculty speak out against Trump Harvard students and faculty spoke to CNN ahead of commencement as Donald Trump said the university should cap foreign enrollment. The Trump administration has recently sought to cancel $100 million in contracts with the school. 02:03 - Source: CNN
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
US sanctions money laundering network aiding Iran as regime faces nuclear reprimand at IAEA
The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned some 35 individuals involved in laundering money for Iran on Friday as the administration seeks to make a deal with Iran over its nuclear weapons program. A State Department spokesperson said in a statement that,"This network has laundered billions of dollars through Iranian exchange houses and foreign front companies to sustain Tehran's campaigns of terror that undermine international peace and security and line the pockets of regime elites." Meanwhile, tensions with Iran continue, with the Associated Press reporting that Western powers are considering a resolution at the IAEA that would formally declare Tehran in non-compliance with its nuclear obligations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the move a "strategic mistake" and accused the U.K., France, and Germany of choosing "malign action" over diplomacy. "Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights," he wrote on X. Iran's Khamenei Rejects Us Zero Uranium Enrichment Demand As '100% Against' Its Interests The draft resolution, expected to be introduced next week, would mark the first time in two decades that Western nations bring such a motion against Iran at the IAEA. Read On The Fox News App As U.S. and Iranian negotiators engage in fragile talks, voices from within Iran reveal a grim paradox: while many citizens desperately seek relief from crushing economic hardship, they fear any deal may only tighten the Islamic Republic's grip on power. "Right now, people in Iran do not have any hope for anything," said a female journalist in Tehran, who spoke anonymously out of fear for her safety. "The economy is collapsing. We sometimes don't have electricity or water. The value of the rial is falling. Life is becoming unlivable." Like many Iranians, she believes an agreement could temporarily ease inflation and halt the country's economic freefall. But she—and many others—fear the unintended consequences. "If the regime reaches a deal, it could become more powerful and more confident in suppressing people. That's what frightens us the most," she said. Under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has faced growing unrest at home, triggered by economic pain, political repression, and widespread mistrust. As negotiations proceed, Iranian citizens are watching closely—but not with optimism. White House Urges Iran To Accept Nuclear Deal As Iaea Reports Uranium Enrichment Spike "People in Iran are caught in a dilemma," said another Tehran resident, a man who also requested anonymity. "On one hand, they want the regime to fall. On the other, the economic burden is so heavy that any deal offering relief feels like a lifeline. But the truth is, even if a deal is signed, ordinary people won't benefit. We've seen this before." He pointed to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Obama-era nuclear agreement that promised economic benefits but, according to many Iranians, never delivered meaningful change for the public. "Only those connected to the regime gained anything," he said. "For the rest of us, life stayed the same." While Iranian leaders claim the nuclear program is peaceful, the U.S. and allies remain concerned about uranium enrichment levels nearing weapons-grade levels. Trump has demanded a full halt to enrichment, while Khamenei insists on retaining it. "I'm a journalist, and we work under extreme censorship," said the woman in Tehran. "We're not allowed to mention U.S. or Israeli military capabilities. We can't publish anything about the talks without approval." Trump Administration Open To Allowing Iran To Continue Some Uranium Enrichment: Report She described a system where state censors dictate what reporters can and cannot say—down to the vocabulary. "It's not just the content—it's the individual words. And that makes journalism almost impossible." In the interviews with Fox News Digital, Iranians expressed deep skepticism that Khamenei would abide by any agreement. "He lies," the journalist said bluntly. "What he says publicly is never what he actually does. He manipulates both the public and foreign governments. No one should trust a dictator like him." The man echoed the sentiment. "The regime's survival depends on its hostility toward the U.S. and Israel. If it truly committed to a deal, it would undermine its own ideological foundation. That's why no one believes it can last." Recent months have seen a resurgence of protest activity in Iran, including a growing nationwide strike by truck drivers demanding fair wages and lower fuel prices. Though largely ignored by international media, these strikes follow years of widespread protests—most notably the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody. That movement, along with economic demonstrations in 2019 and 2021, was met with violent crackdowns, mass arrests, and internet blackouts. The pattern has left Iranians wary that any sign of instability is met with brutal suppression. An Iranian student pointed to the truckers' strikes currently roiling parts of Iran as a sign of grassroots unrest. "These strikes are a direct message from the people," he said. "They've been largely ignored by the media, but they are powerful and legitimate. This is how change begins—if it's allowed to." The Associated Press contributed to this article source: US sanctions money laundering network aiding Iran as regime faces nuclear reprimand at IAEA
