Iran might accept US IAEA inspectors if nuclear deal reached
Iran might allow the U.N. atomic watchdog to send U.S. inspectors to Iranian sites if Tehran's talks with Washington succeed, Iran's nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Wednesday.
Tehran and Washington are expected to hold a sixth round of talks to solve a decades-long dispute over Iran's nuclear programme, with U.S. President Donald Trump predicting 'good news'.
'It is normal that inspectors from hostile countries are not allowed, but if a nuclear deal is reached, we might allow American inspectors working for the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit our nuclear sites,' Eslami told a press conference in Tehran.
Iran rejects push to suspend uranium enrichment to reach US deal
The two countries have clashed over the issue of uranium enrichment in Iran, which Washington says is a possible pathway to building nuclear weapons and must be brought to zero. Tehran maintains its nuclear programme is exclusively for civilian purposes and views its enrichment industry as a red line.
'Enrichment is the foundation and pillar of the country's nuclear industry. Suppose someone is allowed to have an electricity substation and network, but not allowed to establish a power plant,' Eslami said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
The top sources of US steel and aluminium imports
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he planned to double tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to 50% from 25%, starting from Wednesday, ratcheting up pressure on global producers and deepening his trade war. Here's a summary of the major trade partners it will affect. Steel Roughly a quarter of all steel used in the U.S. is imported, the bulk of it from neighbours Mexico and Canada or close allies in Asia and Europe such as Japan, South Korea and Germany. While China is the world's largest steel producer and exporter, it sends very little to the United States. Tariffs of 25% imposed in 2018 shut most Chinese steel out of the market. China exported 508,000 net tons of steel to the U.S. last year or 1.8% of total American steel imports. India's NALCO says profit doubles as higher aluminium, copper prices boost margins Aluminium For aluminum, the U.S. is more heavily reliant on imports. Roughly half of all aluminium used in the U.S. is imported, with the vast majority coming from Canada. At 3.2 million tons last year, Canadian imports were twice those of the next nine countries combined. The next largest sources of imports are the United Arab Emirates and China, at 347,034 and 222,872 metric tons, respectively. The U.S. aluminium smelting industry is small by global standards. Total smelter capacity in the country was just 1.73% of the global total according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Business Recorder
6 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Global universities seek to lure US-bound students amid Trump crackdown
TOKYO/BEIJING/LONDON: Universities around the world are seeking to offer refuge for students impacted by US President Donald Trump's crackdown on academic institutions, targeting top talent and a slice of the billions of dollars in academic revenue in the United States. Osaka University, one of the top ranked in Japan, is offering tuition fee waivers, research grants and help with travel arrangements for students and researchers at US institutions who want to transfer. Japan's Kyoto University and Tokyo University are also considering similar schemes, while Hong Kong has instructed its universities to attract top talent from the United States. China's Xi'an Jiaotong University has appealed for students at Harvard, singled out in Trump's crackdown, promising 'streamlined' admissions and 'comprehensive' support. Trump's administration has enacted massive funding cuts for academic research, curbed visas for foreign students - especially those from China - and plans to hike taxes on elite schools. Trump alleges top US universities are cradles of anti-American movements. In a dramatic escalation, his administration last week revoked Harvard's ability to enrol foreign students, a move later blocked by a federal judge. Masaru Ishii, dean of the graduate school of medicine at Osaka University, described the impact on US universities as 'a loss for all of humanity'. Japan aims to ramp up its number of foreign students to 400,000 over the next decade, from around 337,000 currently. Jessica Turner, CEO of Quacquarelli Symonds, a London-based analytics firm that ranks universities globally, said other leading universities around the world were trying to attract students unsure of going to the United States. Germany, France and Ireland are emerging as particularly attractive alternatives in Europe, she said, while in the Asia-Pacific, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and mainland China are rising in profile. SWITCHING SCHOOLS Chinese students have been particularly targeted in Trump's crackdown, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday pledging to 'aggressively' crack down on their visas. More than 275,000 Chinese students are enrolled in hundreds of US colleges, providing a major source of revenue for the schools and a crucial pipeline of talent for US technology companies. International students - 54% of them from India and China - contributed more than $50 billion to the US economy in 2023, according to the US Department of Commerce. Trump's crackdown comes at a critical period in the international student application process, as many young people prepare to travel to the US in August to find accommodation and settle in before term starts. Dai, 25, a Chinese student based in Chengdu, had planned to head to the US to complete her master's but is now seriously considering taking up an offer in Britain instead. 'The various policies (by the US government) were a slap in my face,' she said, requesting to be identified only by her surname for privacy reasons. 'I'm thinking about my mental health and it's possible that I indeed change schools.' Students from Britain and the European Union are also now more hesitant to apply to US universities, said Tom Moon, deputy head of consultancy at Oxbridge Applications, which helps students in their university applications. He said many international students currently enrolled at US universities were now contacting the consultancy to discuss transfer options to Canada, the UK and Europe. According to a survey the consultancy ran earlier this week, 54% of its clients said they were now 'less likely' to enrol at an American university than they were at the start of the year. There has been an uptick in applications to British universities from prospective students in the US, said Universities UK, an organisation that promotes British institutions. It cautioned, however, that it was too early to say whether that translates into more students enrolling.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business Recorder
Trump says withdrawing Musk ally as nominee to head NASA
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was withdrawing his nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, a close ally of Elon Musk, to lead space agency NASA. Trump said last December, before returning to office, that he wanted the online payments entrepreneur and the first private astronaut to conduct a spacewalk to serve as the next head of NASA. But on Saturday, he said on his Truth Social platform that 'after a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA.' 'I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.' Earlier Saturday, the New York Times had reported the move was coming, quoting unnamed sources as saying the decision had come after the president learned Isaacman had donated money to prominent Democrats. Asked about that report, the White House had told AFP in an email that it was 'essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump's America First agenda.' 'The Administrator of NASA will help lead humanity into space and execute President Trump's bold mission of planting the American flag on the planet Mars,' it said. The nomination shakeup appears to be a snub of billionaire Musk, who on Friday stepped back from his role leading Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk reportedly lobbied directly with the president for Isaacman, who has had significant business dealings with Musk's SpaceX, to get the top NASA job, raising questions of possible conflicts of interest. As the news surfaced, Musk stressed on X that 'it is rare to find someone so competent and good-arted'. Trump says Pakistani representatives coming to US next week for trade talks The 42-year-old founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments has emerged as a leading figure in commercial spaceflight through his high-profile collaborations with SpaceX. He made history last September by stepping out of a Crew Dragon to gaze at Earth from the void of space while gripping the spacecraft's exterior, during the first-ever spacewalk carried out by non-professional astronauts.
