Latest news with #Baqaei
Free Malaysia Today
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Iran denies Trump's claim it gave Hamas orders in Gaza talks
Israel launched a surprise offensive on its staunch rival Iran last month. (EPA Images pic) TEHRAN : Iran said today it had not interfered in negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza, after US President Donald Trump claimed Tehran had issued 'orders' to Palestinian group Hamas. Trump, speaking to reporters yesterday during a visit to Scotland, said the Iranians had 'interjected themselves in this last negotiation' between Israel and Hamas, which ended last week with no breakthrough. 'I think they got involved in this negotiation, telling Hamas, giving Hamas signals and orders and that's not good,' Trump said without elaborating. Iran, a close ally and backer of Hamas, dismissed Trump's remarks as 'absolutely baseless'. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei called the claim 'a form of projection and evasion of responsibility and accountability' on the US president's part. According to Baqaei, Hamas negotiators 'do not need the intervention of third parties' as the group 'recognises and pursues the interests of the oppressed people of Gaza in the most appropriate manner'. The latest round of indirect negotiations, mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar, was held earlier this month in Doha but failed to secure a truce deal. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of failing to compromise on key issues to end the nearly 22-month war. Last month, Israel launched a surprise offensive on its staunch rival Iran, targeting key nuclear and military sites but also hitting residential areas. The US briefly joined the conflict, striking Iranian nuclear facilities, while Tehran fought back with missile and drone attacks. Trump said on Monday that since its 12-day war with Israel ended, Iran has been sending 'very bad signals', without specifying in what regard. He was possibly referring to nuclear negotiations with Washington that had been derailed by the conflict, or to Iran's support for resistance groups in the region which the US and its allies see as a threat. Baqaei in turn urged the US to 'stop sending deadly weapons to the occupying regime', meaning Washington's close ally Israel, and force it to 'stop the genocide, allow humanitarian aid to enter' the Gaza Strip.
Al Arabiya
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Iran denies Trump's claims it gave Hamas ‘orders' in Gaza
Iran said Tuesday it had not interfered in negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza, after US President Donald Trump claimed Tehran had issued 'orders' to Palestinian group Hamas. Trump, speaking to reporters on Monday during a visit to Scotland, said the Iranians had 'interjected themselves in this last negotiation' between Israel and Hamas, which ended last week with no breakthrough. 'I think they got involved in this negotiation, telling Hamas, giving Hamas signals and orders and that's not good,' Trump said without elaborating. Iran, a close ally and backer of Hamas, dismissed Trump's remarks as 'absolutely baseless'. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei called the claim 'a form of projection and evasion of responsibility and accountability' on the US president's part. According to Baqaei, Hamas negotiators 'do not need the intervention of third parties' as the group 'recognizes and pursues the interests of the oppressed people of Gaza in the most appropriate manner.' The latest round of indirect negotiations, mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, was held earlier this month in Doha but failed to secure a truce deal. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of failing to compromise on key issues to end the nearly 22-month war. Last month, Israel launched a surprise offensive on its staunch rival Iran, targeting key nuclear and military sites but also hitting residential areas. The United States briefly joined the conflict, striking Iranian nuclear facilities, while Tehran fought back with missile and drone attacks. Trump said on Monday that since its 12-day war with Israel ended, Iran has been sending 'very bad signals,' without specifying in what regard. He was possibly referring to nuclear negotiations with Washington that had been derailed by the conflict, or to Iran's support for militant groups in the region which the United States and its allies see as a threat. Baqaei in turn urged the United States to 'stop sending deadly weapons to the occupying regime,' meaning Washington's close ally Israel, and force it to 'stop the genocide, allow humanitarian aid to enter' the Gaza Strip.
Observer
21-07-2025
- Business
- Observer
Iran blames Europeans for nuclear deal collapse
TEHRAN: Tehran on Monday blamed European powers for the failure of the 2015 nuclear deal, accusing them of breaking commitments ahead of renewed talks in Istanbul with Britain, France and Germany. The 2015 agreement — reached between Iran and UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany — imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. However, it unravelled in 2018 when the United States, during Donald Trump's first term as president, unilaterally withdrew from the accord and reimposed sweeping sanctions. Though Europe pledged continued support, the mechanism to offset US sanctions never effectively materialised, forcing many Western firms to exit Iran and deepening its economic crisis. "Iran holds the European parties responsible for negligence in implementing the agreement," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei ahead of Friday's talks in Istanbul with Britain, France and Germany on the deal's future. Tehran will also host a trilateral meeting today with Chinese and Russian representatives to discuss the nuclear issue and potential sanctions. The Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing would "continue to play a constructive role in pushing relevant sides to restart dialogue and negotiations, and reach a solution that takes in account the legitimate concerns of all parties". Germany said the Istanbul talks would be at the expert level, with the European trio working "flat out" to find a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution. "If no solution is reached by the end of August... the snapback also remains an option for the E3," said its foreign ministry spokesman, Martin Giese. Using the snapback clause was "meaningless, unjustifiable and immoral", Baqaei told a news conference, arguing that Iran only began distancing itself from the agreement in response to Western non-compliance. "Iran's reduction of its commitments was carried out in accordance with the provisions outlined in the agreement," he said. Western powers — led by the United States and backed by Israel, Iran's arch-enemy — have long accused Tehran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons capability. Iran has repeatedly denied this, insisting its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes such as energy production. Tehran and Washington had held five rounds of nuclear talks since April, but a planned meeting on June 15 was cancelled after Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, triggering a 12-day conflict. "At this stage, we have no intention of speaking with America," Baqaei said on Monday. Israel launched on June 13 a wave of surprise strikes on its regional nemesis, targeting key military and nuclear facilities. The United States launched its own set of strikes against Iran's nuclear programme on June 22, hitting the uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, in Qom province south of Tehran, as well as nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz. — AFP
Int'l Business Times
21-07-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Ahead Of New Talks, Iran Blames Europeans For Nuclear Deal Collapse
Tehran on Monday blamed European powers for the failure of the 2015 nuclear deal, accusing them of breaking their commitments ahead of renewed talks in Istanbul with Britain, France and Germany. The 2015 deal, reached between Iran and the UN Security Council's permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany, imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. But it unravelled in 2018 when the United States, during Donald Trump's first term as president, unilaterally withdrew from the accord and reimposed sweeping sanctions. The Europeans had pledged continued support for the deal, but the mechanism intended to offset US sanctions never materialised effectively and many Western firms were forced to exit Iran, which has since faced a deepening economic crisis. "The European parties have been at fault and negligent in implementing" the nuclear agreement, said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei. His remarks come ahead of a meeting Friday in Istanbul between Iranian officials and representatives from Britain, France and Germany to discuss the future of the nuclear deal. Ahead of those talks, Baqaei said Tehran would host a trilateral meeting on Tuesday about the nuclear issue and the potential reimposition of sanctions with Chinese and Russian representatives. In recent weeks, the three European powers have threatened to trigger the UN "snapback" mechanism to reimpose international sanctions on Tehran, accusing it of breaching its nuclear commitments. A German diplomatic source had told AFP on Sunday the E3 were in contact with Tehran and said "Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon". "That is why Germany, France and the United Kingdom are continuing to work intensively in the E3 format to find a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear programme," the source said. The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed country currently enriching uranium to 60 percent -- far beyond the 3.67 percent cap set by the 2015 accord. That is a short step from the 90 percent enrichment required for a nuclear weapon. Using the snapback clause was "meaningless, unjustifiable and immoral", Baqaei told a news conference, arguing that Iran only began distancing itself from the agreement in response to Western non-compliance. "Iran's reduction of its commitments was carried out in accordance with the provisions outlined in the agreement," he said. Western powers -- led by the United States and backed by Israel, Iran's arch-enemy -- have long accused Tehran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons capability. Iran has repeatedly denied this, insisting its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes such as energy production. Tehran and Washington had held five rounds of nuclear talks since April, but a planned meeting on June 15 was cancelled after Israel launched a military strike on Iran on June 13, triggering a 12-day conflict. "At this stage, we have no intention of speaking with America," Baqaei said Monday. Israel launched on June 13 a wave of surprise strikes on its regional nemesis, targeting key military and nuclear facilities. The United States launched its own set of strikes against Iran's nuclear programme on June 22, hitting the uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, in Qom province south of Tehran, as well as nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz.
News18
21-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Iran To Hold Meeting With China, Russia Over Nuclear Program & UN Snapback Mechanism
Last Updated: Iran will host a high-level trilateral meeting with China and Russia on Tuesday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme and the UN "snapback" sanctions mechanism, said Baqaei. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Monday announced that Iran will host a high-level trilateral meeting with China and Russia on Tuesday. The spokesman said the meeting will focus on Iran's nuclear programme and the United Nations 'snapback" sanctions mechanism. Earlier, Baghaei also said that Iran will hold nuclear talks with Britain, France and Germany in Istanbul on Friday. This comes following warnings by the three European nations that failure to resume talks would bring back international sanctions to Iran. 'The meeting between Iran, Britain, France and Germany will take place at the deputy foreign minister level," Iranian state media quoted Baghaei as saying. Recently, the foreign ministers of the E3 nations, as those European countries are known, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, held their first call on Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in June. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
