Iran's supreme leader criticizes US proposal in nuclear talks, but does not reject idea of a deal
Iran 's supreme leader on Wednesday criticized an initial proposal from the United States in negotiations over Tehran 's rapidly advancing nuclear program, though he stopped short of entirely rejecting the idea of agreement with Washington.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the U.S. proposal as '100% against the idea of 'we can,'' borrowing from an Iranian government slogan.
He also insisted that Tehran needed to keep its ability to enrich uranium.
'If we had 100 nuclear power plants while not having enrichment, they are not usable for us,' Khamenei said. 'If we do not have enrichment, then we should extend our hand (begging) to the U.S.'
However, some nuclear power nations get uranium from outside suppliers.
Details of the American proposal remain unclear after five rounds of talks between Iran and the U.S.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Europe ends largely higher after US jobs report
European blue-chip stocks ended largely higher on Friday, growing in confidence after a stronger-than-expected US nonfarm payrolls reading. The FTSE 100 index rose 26.87 points, 0.3%, at 8,837.91. The FTSE 250 ended up 87.90 points, 0.4%, at 21,157.28, and the AIM All-Share climbed 2.42 points, 0.3%, at 756.88. For the week, the FTSE rose 0.8%, the FTSE 250 added 0.6%, and the AIM All-Share shot up 1.4%. In Paris, the CAC 40 rose 0.2%, while Frankfurt's DAX 40 ended 0.1% lower. The pound was quoted at 1.3522 US dollars late on Friday afternoon in London, lower compared to 1.3596 dollars at the equities close on Thursday. The euro stood at 1.1387 dollars, lower against 1.1456 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar jumped to 144.93 yen compared to 143.57 yen. The US economy added more jobs than expected last month, although the pace of hiring eased, numbers on Friday showed. According to the latest nonfarm payrolls from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, 139,000 more jobs were added to the US economy in May, topping the FXStreet-cited consensus of 130,000. The pace of job creation abated from 147,000 in April, a figure which was downwardly revised from 177,000. March's figure was revised down to 120,000 from 185,000. It means that in April and March combined, 95,000 fewer jobs were created than previously reported. The unemployment rate in May was 4.2%, in line with consensus and unmoved from April. The BLS said the jobless rate has been in a narrow range of 4.0% to 4.2% over the past year. Schroders analyst George Brown said: 'While it is premature to conclude the US economy will weather the tariff turmoil, the early signs remain encouraging, with a respectable 139,000 jobs created in May. Evidently there is a risk that the hit to confidence eventually leads to a sharp retrenchment. But we view this as unlikely given Donald Trump's first presidency demonstrated this is just part of his unconventional approach to deal-making. 'And while recent court rulings lower the risk of tariffs being raised to prohibitive rates, elevated inflation expectations will mean the Federal Reserve will be wary of falling behind the curve again. As such, our base case remains that the Fed will keep rates on hold for the rest of the year.' The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was quoted at 4.48%, stretching from 4.39% a day prior. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was quoted at 4.94%, widening from 4.89%. In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.8%, the S&P 500 climbed 0.9% and the Nasdaq Composite sat 1.1% higher at the time of the closing bell in London. Tesla shares perked up 5.9%, after a 14% slump on Thursday. Nonetheless, the spat between the electric carmaker's chief executive Elon Musk and US president Donald Trump continued. The White House squashed speculation that Mr Trump and Mr Musk would patch up their stunning public feud, saying the US president had no plans to call his billionaire former aide on Friday. Mr Trump lobbed fresh insults at the South African-born Mr Musk a day after the fiery implosion of their unlikely political marriage, saying the tech tycoon had 'lost his mind'. In a telling symbol of how their relationship had deteriorated, the president was even considering selling or giving away a Tesla he had bought to show support for Mr Musk amid protests against the company. On the move in London, banking shares helped support the FTSE 100. StanChart rose 2.9%, while Barclays added 1.9%. Defence stocks, which have enjoyed a strong week, returned some progress. BAE Systems shed 2.6%, snapping a five-day winning streak. Babcock lost 4.3%. Elsewhere, Dr Martens extended gains, adding another 8.7% after a more than 25% jump on Thursday. The boot maker had signalled a return to growth in the year ahead and a refreshed strategy on Thursday. Pinewood Technologies shot up 11%. The Birmingham-based provider of software to the automotive retailing sector said it has agreed to buy out a 51% stake in its joint venture, Pinewood North America, from Lithia UK for 76.5 million dollars in shares. Lithia UK is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oregon, US-based car dealer Lithia Motors. Pinewood said that it will enter a five-year contract with Lithia to roll out its software to all Lithia's current and future sites across the US and Canada by the end of 2028 at the latest. The company said it expects to generate around 40 million dollars in annual recurring revenue from Lithia in North America once its platform has been fully deployed. The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Standard Chartered, up 33.50 pence at 1,186.00p, 3i Group, up 115.00p at 4,265.00p, Hiscox, up 25.00p at 1,351.00p, Barclays, up 6.15p at 333.20p, and Aviva, up 11.20p at 626.80p. The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Babcock International, down 48.00p at 1,057.00p, Anglo American, down 76.50p at 2,217p, Endeavour Mining, down 74.00p at 2,312.00p, Antofagasta, down 52.00p at 1,895.50p, and BAE Systems, down 51.50p at 1,930.50p. Brent oil rose to 66.21 dollars a barrel late in London on Friday afternoon, from 65.51 dollars late on Thursday. Gold was quoted lower at 3,330.06 dollars an ounce against 3,364.84 dollars. Monday's economic calendar has a Chinese consumer price inflation reading overnight. As the week progresses, there is UK unemployment data on Tuesday and a gross domestic product reading on Friday. Stateside, there is consumer price inflation data on Wednesday, before the producer price index on Thursday. Next week's UK corporate calendar has trading statements from housebuilder Bellway on Tuesday and grocer Tesco on Thursday.
The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Global aid cuts are a massive wake-up call. It's time to give Africa a bigger voice
In less than a month, Seville will host the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in a climate of uncertainty following the abrupt decision by the US to dismantle its aid programmes. But Washington is not alone in this posture. The European Union agreed to reallocate €2 billion (£1.7bn) reallocation from development budgets in February 2024 —and many individual European countries have made cuts to their aid budget. It is a clear signal that the landscape of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) is shifting. For Africa, this isn't just a reshuffle, it is a wake-up call for deep reflection and action: will we adapt, or will aid simply become a relic of the past? The timing is bad, the rationale questionable, and the ripple effects threaten to impact the lives and health of millions depending on aid programmes. Let's be honest: aid has had a mixed impact. The spectrum of aid's legacy in Africa, including my country, Guinea, runs from positive to disastrous. On the positive side, aid has contributed to infrastructure development – I'm thinking for instance about a project in northwest Guinea to replace an old ferry with a new road and bridge. During a visit, a cunning minister of public works convinced a skeptical partner to go on a very 'special' field trip via the old route, one that left a senior official so sore and tired that all doubters saw the project's true necessity. Once it was completed, traffic soared, proof that aid can work when it's aligned with real needs. But aid can fall flat. When I was serving as minister of finance, I led efforts to curb directly awarded contracts and boost transparency following an audit of public procurement procedures. The goal was to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of public spending. But some donors were not willing to support this effort. I deplored one particular partner's failure to listen and, above all, a stubborn insistence on taking us backwards by ignoring our analysis. I said no to the help on offer. It was hard but necessary. Aid must serve the real priorities, not satisfy bureaucratic checkboxes. In a recent discussion with the director of an incubator to help small and medium-sized businesses grow – funded by a government donor – I was struck by the emergence of shortcomings I thought belonged to the past. These included a laziness to question one's own model for delivering results, despite warnings about the risks of inefficiency. We also see a narrow focus on so-called "easily accessible" geographic areas, such as capitals, and on disbursements. Aid, in many cases, has helped sustain corrupt elites or fostered unhealthy alliances with public administrations – perpetuating dependency rather than solving problems. When I look back on my own experience in development – a journey close to an out-of-body experience for an African – I realise we are at a critical juncture. It's the moment to question the very foundations of aid institutions inherited from the post-colonial era. Despite some positive reforms, such as untying aid, the core premise remains unequal. It is predominantly driven by the donors, with African countries still being passive recipients rather than active partners. How can this be changed? Change starts with listening. The 'receiving hand' is not dumb and has ideas. It knows its needs. Recipient countries, especially in Africa, must be at the centre of the discussions. Conversations largely driven by donors are a recipe for failure. Furthermore, African organisations and think-tanks must be active players. Decolonising aid must be more than just a buzzword. We are making progress, but it must be accelerated. We continue to see consultancies denied opportunities due to insufficient financial strength – despite their thorough knowledge of the field. It also means better coordination between donors. You would think this is obvious, and yet despite witnessing many innovative and pragmatic approaches, I still see some partners continue to burden governments' limited capacities by each imposing their own distinct systems and reporting requirements. This ends up being a distraction. Recipient governments are key and are the only ones who should replace any donor. I believe the cuts could be an opportunity to make fiscal compromises that (finally) prioritise the necessary and the productive over the superfluous and the personal gain of some actors. Aid must be used strategically and selectively. It should foster technical cooperation for Africa's economic transformation, its integration higher in global value chains. Aid should be a catalyst to reform the global financial architecture by leveraging innovation and the capital needed to finance our massive infrastructure programmes. It must be an instrument for the Africa Union's theme of the year: "Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations'. It's time to make sure those people are at the table, and their voices are listened to.
Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The Daily T: Musk v Trump, Yusuf v Reform — inside the right's fight with itself
It's been a tumultuous twenty four hours on the right, both in the UK and in the US. Firstly, Reform chairman Zia Yusuf resigned from the party yesterday evening, claiming that 'working to get a Reform government elected' was not 'a good use of my time'. Then, Donald Trump and Elon Musk's row deepened further, with Musk calling for the president to be impeached and claiming that Trump was was 'named in the Epstein files'. Trump for his part said Musk was 'wearing thin' and had 'lost his mind'. Former Conservative blogger turned Reform activist Tim Montgomerie joins Camilla Tominey and Gordon Rayner to reflect on Zia Yusuf's departure from Reform, plus they speak to one of Reform's most recent defectors from Labour, Scottish local councillor Jamie McGuire, about the party's results in the Hamilton by-election where it came third behind Labour and the SNP. They also catch up with Daily Telegraph Senior US Correspondent Rob Crilly about the escalating war of words between two of the world's most powerful men.
