Iran warns against IAEA pressure, Israel attack as more US talks loom
Tehran, Iran – Iran has warned against Western-led escalation by the global nuclear watchdog and any attack by Israel amid preparations for a sixth round of talks with the United States.
Behrouz Kamalvandi, the deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the country will have a 'proportionate' response to any action against it by Western countries, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
'If we wanted to reduce our cooperation, the agency would not be able to carry out its duties. We have cooperated beyond our duties, and if the agency does not appreciate that, we will degrade cooperation to its normal levels,' Kamalvandi told Iranian state television late Monday.
His comments come as the IAEA Board of Governors is holding a five-day meeting in Vienna, with Iran's nuclear programme once again in the spotlight as Tehran is accused of 'non-compliance' with nuclear non-proliferation obligations.
Backed by the United States, the three European powers still party to Iran's 2015 nuclear deal – France, Germany and the United Kingdom – are pushing for yet another censure resolution against Iran for insufficient cooperation. The latest resolution, however, could prove the most serious in two decades and signal a shift toward escalated confrontation.
The 2015 deal lifted United Nations sanctions in exchange for strict curbs on Iran's nuclear programme, including a 3.67 percent limit on its enrichment of uranium. US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the landmark nuclear accord in 2018 and imposed harsh sanctions.
But the European signatories to the nuclear deal could still activate a 'snapback' mechanism baked into the 2015 deal that would reinstate all United Nations Security Council sanctions on Iran lifted as part of the agreement. A strongly worded IAEA resolution could pave the way for that to happen.Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi again warned this week that such a move would signal 'another major strategic mistake' on the part of France, Germany and the UK.
Araghchi said the European powers appear poised to ratchet up tensions again by reviving an investigation into Iran's developing nuclear weapons, despite Tehran's insistence that its nuclear programme is strictly peaceful.
Iranian authorities have for long emphasised that the country could abandon the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) – designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons – and cut off access to IAEA inspectors if the UN sanctions are reimposed.
The IAEA scrutiny also involves traces of nuclear particles found in several undeclared Iranian sites, mainly based on intelligence from Israel – which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted were obtained as part of a major 2018 raid on a warehouse holding documents in Tehran.
Iran's deputy nuclear chief Kamalvandi told state television this week that the country has provided evidence to the IAEA that the cases are a result of 'sabotage' and that the nuclear materials were planted.
He said Iranian officials were surprised when in Turquzabad, one of the sites in question near Tehran, agency inspectors knew exactly which points to test for suspected materials.
'It is natural that whoever contaminated the site, has given the exact coordinates for the inspectors to look,' Kamalvandi said.The wrangling over Iran's nuclear programme is likely to be affected by Tehran's major announcement this week that a 'treasure trove' of thousands of documents has been obtained from inside Israel.
The documents, which are allegedly related to Israel's clandestine nuclear programme, will be unveiled soon, according to Iranian authorities.
No details have been published yet, but the fact that the Iranian Army, Supreme National Security Council, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Ministry of Intelligence have all separately hailed the announcement shows Iran is doubling down on the significance of the documents.
Specifically, Iran says the documents could increase deterrence against long-threatened Israeli aggression against Iranian nuclear sites, and reverse the perception that Iran has been weakened amid the regional fallout of the war on Gaza that saw ally Bashar al-Assad fall in Syria and Hezbollah take heavy blows in Lebanon.
The Supreme National Security Council said the information will allow Iran to 'immediately retaliate against any potential Zionist regime [Israeli] aggression on the country's nuclear facilities by attacking its hidden nuclear sites, and to respond proportionately to any hostile acts against economic and military infrastructure'.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said this week that he believes Israeli air strikes would push Iran to seek nuclear weapons.
Grossi himself has come under fire from Iran, with Iran's nuclear head Mohammad Eslami saying that he had proven 'that the IAEA is merely a tool in the hands of a few nations'.
'They issue the commands, and he obediently follows, executing their directives,' Eslami said on Tuesday.
Iranian authorities have claimed Grossi is looking to become the next secretary-general of the UN, and is therefore sacrificing the nuclear watchdog's integrity by adopting pro-Western rhetoric to gain personal favour. Grossi says the agency is merely doing its job.
Trump said the sixth round of talks with Iran will take place on Thursday, but Iran's Foreign Ministry said planning is under way to hold a meeting next Sunday.
After five rounds of negotiations mediated by Oman, Iran and the US have yet to see eye-to-eye on the most fundamental issue: enrichment.
Trump, who initially emphasised his only demand was that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, has in recent weeks shifted his rhetoric to push for zero nuclear enrichment taking place on Iranian soil.
Tehran maintains this is a non-starter since it has a legitimate right to use nuclear energy for civilian use such as power generation and making radiopharmaceuticals, but said on Monday it will offer a counterproposal to Washington soon to advance the talks.
Mossad chief David Barnea and other Israeli officials are slated to meet with Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy leading the talks, before the sixth round.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Israel considering military strike on Iran, sources say
Israel is considering taking military action against Iran — most likely without U.S. support — in the coming days, even as President Donald Trump is in advanced discussions with Tehran about a diplomatic deal to curtail its nuclear program, according to five people with knowledge of the situation. Israel has become more serious about a unilateral strike on Iran as the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran appear closer to a preliminary or framework agreement that includes provisions about uranium enrichment that Israel views as unacceptable. A unilateral strike or action by Israel against Iran would be a dramatic break with the Trump administration, which has argued against such a step. The renewed threat of an Israeli strike comes as the Trump administration is awaiting a response from Iran on a proposed framework of a nuclear deal, and as the president has publicly said Tehran has become more hardline in its negotiations. The notion of a new front in a simmering conflict has prompted the Trump administration to order all embassies within striking distance of Iranian missiles, aircraft and other assets (including missions in the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Eastern Europe) to send cables with assessments about danger and about measures to mitigate risks to Americans and U.S. infrastructure, according to two sources familiar. U.S. and other officials are on alert awaiting the possibility of Israel striking Iran, the officials said. The White House has not briefed senior lawmakers on the issue, according to that aide and a U.S. official. One major concern is Iran retaliating against U.S. personnel or assets in the region for any action. Israel, which relies on intelligence or other direct and logistical assistance from the U.S., may be in a position to take unilateral action against Tehran, the source familiar said. The sources familiar and officials were not aware of any planned U.S. involvement in the possible action. The U.S. could support with aerial re-fueling or intelligence sharing rather than kinetic support but the sources and officials were not aware of plans for that either at this point. U.S. officials have announced that the voluntary departure of non-essential employees from the region. And the Pentagon announced the voluntary departure of military families from locations all across the U.S. Central Command area of operations. CENTCOM Commander General Erik Kurilla was due to testify on the Hill on Thursday, but the hearing was postponed late Wednesday without explanation. A source familiar said Kurilla had to focus on this unfolding situation. Another possible factor: Iran is rebuilding its strategic air defenses, and manned strikes will soon be exponentially more dangerous for Israeli pilots. In October, Israel damaged nearly every one of Iran's strategic air defense systems (mainly S-300s) but much of the damage was to the radars or other parts that can be rebuilt. It's possible Israel's window for manned strikes, without being threatened by Iran's coordinated strategic air defenses, is closing. While Israel would most likely prefer U.S. military and intelligence support for strikes — especially against Iranian nuclear facilities — they showed in October that they can do a lot alone. Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the evacuation of non-essential staff at the U.S. embassy in Iraq will send a message to Tehran that Trump will not necessarily hold Israel back from launching a threatened attack on Iran. "It's about trying to get Iran to respect the president's wishes," Knights said. Iran has failed to meet a two-month deadline set by Trump to reach an agreement on the country's nuclear activities, and the president is frustrated, he said. Both Knights and a source with knowledge of the matter said it was unclear if Israel would undertake a limited military strike now or wait until nuclear negotiations played out further. Trump has expressed growing frustration over Iran's stance at recent indirect talks, portraying Tehran as inflexible and slow moving. "They're just asking for things that you can't do. They don't want to give up what they have to give up," Trump told reporters on Monday. "They seek enrichment. We can't have enrichment."
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Israel appears ready to attack Iran, officials in US and Europe say
Advertisement Trump waved off another plan by Israel several months ago to attack Iran, insisting that he wanted a chance to negotiate a deal with Tehran that would choke off Iran's ability to produce more nuclear fuel for a bomb. Two weeks ago, Trump said he had warned Netanyahu about launching a strike while U.S. negotiations with Iran were underway. It is not clear how much effort Trump made to block Netanyahu again this time, but the president has appeared less optimistic in recent days about the prospects for a diplomatic settlement after Iran's supreme leader rejected an administration proposal that would have effectively phased out Iran's ability to enrich uranium on its soil. Netanyahu has walked up to bombing Iran's nuclear facilities in the past, only to back off at the last minute. Advertisement Word of the U.S. decisions to withdraw personnel from the region, along with a warning from Britain about new threats to Middle East commercial shipping, came hours after Trump told The New York Post in a podcast released Wednesday that he had grown 'less confident' about the prospects for a deal with Iran that would limit its ability to develop nuclear weapons. American and Iranian negotiators have been planning to meet Sunday for another round of talks, although Trump told reporters Monday that Iran had adopted an 'unacceptable' negotiating position. As of Wednesday, Trump's envoy to the talks, Steve Witkoff, was still planning to attend the negotiations in Oman, officials said. Asked about the reason for the departures of U.S. personnel and dependents from the region as he arrived at the Kennedy Center in Washington for a Wednesday evening performance of 'Les Misérables,' Trump told reporters, 'Well, you're going to have to figure that one out yourself.' The British warning came from a maritime trade agency that monitors Middle East shipping and that said in a public advisory that it had 'been made aware of increased tensions within the region which could lead to an escalation of military activity having a direct impact on mariners.' The advisory urged commercial vessels transiting the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz to use heightened caution. Iranian military and government officials have already met to discuss their response to a potential Israeli strike, according to a senior Iranian official. The official said that Tehran had devised a response plan that would involve an immediate counterstrike on Israel with hundreds of ballistic missiles. In October 2024, a major Iranian missile assault against Israel related to the war in the Gaza Strip inflicted limited damage, however, in part because of U.S. assistance in intercepting the missiles. Advertisement Trump spoke by phone Monday with Netanyahu, but the White House disclosed few details about the conversation. Trump had met on Sunday evening at Camp David with his national security team. Iran's defense minister, Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh, raised alarms Wednesday with a warning that, in the event of a conflict following failed nuclear talks, the United States would suffer heavy losses. 'America will have to leave the region because all its military bases are within our reach and we will, without any consideration, target them in the host countries,' he told reporters. Iranian officials also balked at remarks Tuesday by Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, the head of Central Command. Kurilla testified before a House committee that he had presented Trump and Hegseth 'a wide range of options' for a potential strike against Iran. Kurilla had been scheduled to testify again Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, but his testimony was postponed without explanation. Iran's mission to the U.N. denounced Kurilla's comments in a Wednesday social media post as 'militarism' that 'fuels instability.' The tough talk came amid a week of meetings in Vienna by the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors. The United States, Britain, France and Germany have submitted a resolution to the agency that would censure Iran for rapidly advancing its nuclear program and violating other commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal brokered with those countries, along with China and Russia. The board is expected to vote on the censure resolution on Thursday morning. Advertisement Censure could be grounds for the U.N. Security Council to restore, or 'snap back,' heavy economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted as part of the 2015 deal, which was struck by the Obama administration. Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from that agreement in 2018, a move that Iran says gave it license to abandon its commitments to limit its nuclear activity. The deal's European parties insist that it remains enforceable through restored sanctions. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on social media on Wednesday that censure 'will compel Iran to react STRONGLY.' The State Department did not provide details on how many personnel would be removed from Iraq, or why. The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that nonessential U.S. personnel would be withdrawn from Baghdad, and that nonessential personnel and family members of diplomats had been authorized to depart from U.S. embassies in Bahrain and Kuwait. The military dependents authorized to depart the Middle East are largely from Navy and Marine families in Bahrain, home to a major U.S. naval base, a senior Navy official said. Iran's atomic program has progressed dramatically since Trump abandoned the 2015 deal. Analysts say that Iran is now on the brink of being able to manufacture enough nuclear material to fuel 10 nuclear weapons. Constructing a workable device, if Iran chose to pursue that option, could take several more months. But many top Israeli officials already consider Iran's progress to be unacceptable and have openly threatened military action against its nuclear facilities. Many Israeli officials believe they have a golden opportunity to solve a decades-long problem. Israel has recently decimated Hezbollah and Hamas, Iranian proxy groups that Tehran has long relied on as a deterrent to Israeli action. And Israeli airstrikes last year severely reduced Iran's air defense systems. Advertisement Some analysts warn that Iran has been restoring those defenses, making Israeli action against Iran's nuclear program riskier by the week. It is also unclear whether Israel can inflict decisive damage on Iran's nuclear program without U.S. military assistance. U.S. oil prices climbed above $68 a barrel on Wednesday afternoon, their highest level since early April, when Trump placed tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners. Fighting in the region could disrupt oil supplies, as could tougher American sanctions on Iran. The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson has been in the Arabian Sea for several weeks. More than 60 aircraft are aboard the Vinson, including advanced F-35 stealth strike fighters. The senior Navy official said there were currently no plans to change the carrier's position in response to the developing situation. The United States also has several dozen attack and fighter jets deployed in the Middle East. These aircraft were used extensively to defend Israel from Iranian strikes last year. This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pritzker to defend Illinois' sanctuary policies before congressional committee Thursday
It's the eve of one of the biggest moments of JB Pritzker's political career. In made-for-TV theater, the Illinois governor is in Washington to face the Republican-led House Oversight Committee. The hearing topic: sanctuary polices for undocumented immigrants. For Pritzker, long rumored to have his eye on a future White House run, the stakes are enormous. Pritzker's political future: Where things stand after passage of Illinois budget 'We're gonna see Donald Trump's Congressional Republicans really put on a show. And this is going to be full of political theatrics. They are going to try to put people on the spot, but I think Governor Pritzker is going to have a steady hand, he's going to do what he has always done, which is put the people of Illinois first,' said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. Governors of New York and Minnesota will also join Pritzker on the hot seat. Republicans are going after Sanctuary Laws, saying they protect criminals — and they're likely to focus on the Trust Act. This Illinois law enables people to report crime and call emergency services regardless of their immigration status. To prep, Pritzker retained a Washington, D.C. law firm. A source says the billionaire paid for their services out of his own pocket. He's also getting an assist from a former White House counsel to President Joe Biden. More than 15 arrested in Tuesday ICE protests; ICE tactical team on 'stand by' I think he'll be well prepared. He knows how aggressive the Republicans will be based on what they did with Mayor Johnson, but as you probably noticed, they kind of get ridiculous at some point,' said Congressman Raja Krishanmoorthi. In March, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was hauled before Congress when Republicans took aim at Sanctuary City mayors. The attacks were relentless. 'This is why you have 6 percent approval ratings because you suck at answering questions,' said Nancy Mace. 'When there's trust between these city residents and police, undocumented immigrants come forward to report crimes to local law enforcement and provide information that helps police solve those crimes,' Johnson responded. Back from Capitol Hill, mayor talks Congressional questioning, CTU contract, Dept. of Ed. Republican Congressman Darin LaHood, rumored to be considering a run for U.S. Senate or Illinois governor, is expected to join Thursday's hearing to question Pritzker. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
