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Express Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Saudi Arabia urges Iran to take Trump's nuclear deal offer seriously to avoid war with Israel
Listen to article Saudi Arabia's defence minister delivered a blunt message to Iranian officials in Tehran last month: take President Donald Trump's offer to negotiate a nuclear agreement seriously because it presents a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel. Alarmed at the prospect of further instability in the region, Saudi Arabia's 89-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz dispatched his son, Prince Khalid bin Salman, with the warning destined for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to two Gulf sources close to government circles and two Iranian officials. Present at the closed-door meeting in Tehran, which took place on April 17 in the presidential compound, were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the sources said. While media covered the 37-year-old prince's visit, the content of the King Salman's covert message has not been previously reported. Prince Khalid, who was Saudi ambassador to Washington during Trump's first term, warned Iranian officials that the US leader has little patience for drawn-out negotiations, according to the four sources. Trump had unexpectedly announced just over a week earlier that direct talks were taking place with Tehran, aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. He did so in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had travelled to Washington hoping instead to win support for attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. In Tehran, Prince Khalid told the group of senior Iranian officials that Trump's team would want to reach a deal quickly, and the window for diplomacy would close fast, according to the four sources. The Saudi minister said it would be better to reach a deal with the US than face the possibility of an Israeli attack if the talks broke down, according to the two Gulf sources. He argued that the region - already riven by recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon - could not withstand a further escalation in tensions, said the two Gulf sources and one senior foreign diplomat familiar with the discussions. Iranian authorities did not respond to a request for comment before this story was published, but after its publication Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei "categorically denied" Reuters' report, according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency. Authorities in Saudi Arabia did not respond to a request for comment. The visit by Prince Khalid - the younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman - was the first by a senior member of the Saudi royal family to Iran in more than two decades. Riyadh and Tehran had long been bitter rivals, often backing opposing sides in proxy wars, until a rapprochement brokered by China in 2023 helped to ease the tensions and restored diplomatic ties. Over the past two years, Iran's regional position has been undermined by heavy military blows inflicted by Israel on its allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and toppling of its close ally, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Western sanctions, meanwhile, have hit its oil-dependent economy hard. Mohanad Hage Ali, an expert on Iran at the Carnegie Middle East Center think tank in Beirut, said that Tehran's weakness had offered Saudi Arabia the opportunity to exert its diplomatic influence, seeking to avoid a regional conflagration. "They (the Saudis) want to avoid war because war and confrontation with Iran will have negative implications on them and their economic vision and ambitions," he told Reuters. Iran wants a deal Reuters was unable to determine the impact of the prince's message on Iran's leadership. In the meeting, Pezeshkian responded that Iran wanted a deal to ease economic pressure through the lifting of Western sanctions, the four sources said. However, the Iranian officials, the sources added, expressed concerns over the Trump administration's "unpredictable" approach to negotiations — which have veered from allowing limited uranium enrichment to demanding the complete dismantling of Tehran's enrichment program. Trump also has threatened to use military force if diplomacy fails to rein in the clerical establishment's nuclear ambitions. One of the Iranian sources said that Pezeshkian emphasized Tehran's eagerness to reach a deal but that Iran was not willing to sacrifice its enrichment program just because Trump wanted an agreement. The ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran have already been through five rounds to resolve the decades-long nuclear dispute, but multiple stumbling blocks remain, including the key issue of enrichment. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Iran might pause uranium enrichment if the U.S. releases its frozen funds and recognises its right to refine uranium for civilian use under a "political deal" that could lead to a broader nuclear accord, according to two Iranian sources familiar with the talks. The semi-official Fars news agency in Iran quoted a foreign ministry spokesman denying the report. The White House did not directly address Reuters' questions about whether it was aware of the Saudi warning to Iran. "President Trump has made it clear: make a deal, or face grave consequences, and the whole world is clearly taking him seriously, as they should," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Trump said on Wednesday he warned Netanyahu last week not to take any actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran, and said the two sides were "very close to a solution now". Israeli authorities did not respond to a request for comment. High stakes A four-day visit by Trump to the Gulf this month annointed Saudi Arabia as the most prominent member of a new axis of Sunni states in the Middle East, filling the void left by Iran's shattered alliance. During the trip, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman mediated a reconciliation between Trump and Syria's new Sunni leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Tehran's regional sway, meanwhile, has been diminished by military setbacks suffered by Iran and its allies in the Shi'ite-dominated Axis of Resistance, which include Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iraqi militias In the meeting, Prince Khalid urged Iran to rethink its regional policy, noting such a shift would be welcomed, especially by Riyadh, the sources said. Although he stopped short of directly blaming Iran, the Saudi minister voiced concern over a possible repeat of the 2019 drone attacks on the facilities of state oil company Aramco - attacks the kingdom attributed to Iran and its Houthi allies, despite Tehran's denial. Iranian officials maintained that while Tehran holds some influence over the Houthis, it does not fully control their actions, the Iranian sources said. Decades of hostility between the Shi'ite Iran and Saudi Arabia destabilised the Gulf and fuelled regional conflicts from Yemen to Syria. The 2023 detente was driven in part by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed's economic ambitions and desire for stability, and has led to increased contacts between the governments. However, neither Saudi Arabia nor other regional powers see Iran as a dependable partner for peace and they fear its actions could jeopardize their ambitions for economic development, diplomats and regional experts say. Prince Khalid implored the Iranians to avoid actions by them and their allies that might provoke Washington, stressing that Trump's response would likely be more strident than his predecessors, presidents Joe Biden and Barak Obama. In turn, he assured Tehran that Riyadh would not let its territory or airspace to be used by the United States or Israel for any potential military action against Iran, the sources said.
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Iran may pause enrichment for US nod on nuclear rights, release of frozen funds, Iranian sources say
In Washington, a US official said the proposal aired by the Iranian sources had not been brought to the negotiating table to date. The US state department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this article. Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei denied Reuters report and said 'enrichment in Iran is a non-negotiable principle'. The Iranian sources said Tehran would not agree to dismantling of its nuclear programme or infrastructure or sealing of its nuclear installations as demanded by US President Donald Trump's administration. Instead, they said, Trump must publicly recognise Iran's sovereign right to enrichment as a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and authorise a release of Iranian oil revenues frozen by sanctions, including $6bn in Qatar. Iran has not yet been able to access the $6bn parked in a Qatar bank that was unfrozen under a US-Iranian prisoner swap in 2023, during US President Joe Biden's administration. 'Tehran wants its funds to be transferred to Iran with no conditions or limitations. If that means lifting some sanctions, then it should be done too,' the second source said. The sources said the political agreement would give the nuclear diplomacy a greater chance to yield results by providing more time to hammer out a consensus on hard-to-bridge issues needed for a permanent treaty. 'The idea is not to reach an interim deal, it would (rather) be a political agreement to show both sides are seeking to defuse tensions,' said the second Iranian source. Western diplomats are sceptical of chances for US-Iranian reconciliation on enrichment. They warn that a temporary political agreement would face resistance from European powers unless Iran displayed a serious commitment to scaling back its nuclear activity with verification by the UN nuclear watchdog. Even if gaps over enrichment narrow, lifting sanctions quickly would remain difficult. The US favours phasing out nuclear-related sanctions while Iran demands immediate removal of all US-imposed curbs that impair its oil-based economy. Asked whether critical US sanctions, reimposed since 2018 when Trump withdrew Washington from the 2015 pact, could be rescinded during an enrichment pause, the first source said: 'There have been discussions over how to lift the sanctions during the five rounds of talks.' Dozens of Iranian institutions vital to Iran's economy, including its central bank and national oil company, have been sanctioned since 2018 for, according to Washington, 'supporting terrorism or weapons proliferation'. Iran's clerical establishment is grappling with mounting crises — energy and water shortages, a plunge in the value of its currency, losses among regional militia proxies in wars with Israel, and growing fears of an Israeli strike on its nuclear sites — all worsened by Trump's hardline stance. Trump's revival of a 'maximum pressure' campaign against Tehran since he re-entered the White House in January has included tightened sanctions and threats to bomb Iran if negotiations yield no deal. Iranian officials told Reuters last week Tehran's leadership 'has no better option' than a new deal to avert economic chaos at home that could jeopardise clerical rule. Nationwide protests over social repression and economic hardship in recent years met with harsh crackdowns but exposed the Islamic Republic's vulnerability to public discontent and drew more Western sanctions over human rights violations.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Iran may pause uranium enrichment
Iran may pause uranium enrichment if the US releases frozen Iranian funds and recognises Tehran's right to refine uranium for civilian use under a "political deal" that could lead to a broader nuclear accord, two Iranian official sources said. The sources, close to the negotiating team, said on Wednesday a "political understanding with the United States could be reached soon" if Washington accepted Tehran's conditions. One of the sources said the matter "has not been discussed yet" during the talks with the United States. The sources told Reuters that under this arrangement, Tehran would halt uranium enrichment for a year, ship part of its highly enriched stock abroad or convert it into fuel plates for civilian nuclear purposes. A temporary pause to enrichment would be a way to overcome an impasse over clashing red lines after five rounds of talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme. US officials have repeatedly said that any new nuclear deal with Iran — to replace a failed 2015 accord between Tehran and six world powers — must include a commitment to scrap enrichment, viewed as a potential pathway to developing nuclear bombs. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly denied such intentions, saying it wants nuclear energy only for civilian purposes, and has publicly rejected Washington's demand to scrap enrichment as an attack on its national sovereignty. In Washington, a US official told Reuters the proposal aired by the Iranian sources had not been brought to the negotiating table to date. The US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this article. Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei denied Reuters report and said "enrichment in Iran is a non-negotiable principle". The Iranian sources said Tehran would not agree to dismantling of its nuclear programme or infrastructure or sealing of its nuclear installations as demanded by US President Donald Trump's administration. Instead, they said, Trump must publicly recognise Iran's sovereign right to enrichment as a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and authorise a release of Iranian oil revenues frozen by sanctions, including $6 billion in Qatar. Reuters
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Judge ‘assassinated' in southern Iranian city
Today's attack comes after two judges were shot dead inside Iran's Supreme Court in January. (EPA Images pic) TEHRAN : A criminal court judge in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz in Fars province was assassinated this morning on his way to work, the judiciary said. 'This morning, two individuals attacked and assassinated judge Ehsan Bagheri, head of branch 102 of the criminal court 2 in Shiraz, while he was on his way to work,' the judiciary's Mizan Online reported. 'Unfortunately, as a result of this terrorist act, he was martyred,' it added. The assailants remain at large, and their motives are not yet known. Bagheri, 38, had more than 12 years of judicial experience and was a native of Fars province, whose capital Shiraz is located about 900km south of Tehran. He previously served as a prosecutor and investigator in revolutionary courts in several cities, including Shiraz, before being appointed to lead branch 102 of the criminal court. Chief justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei ordered a special investigation into the killing. The attack comes after two judges were shot dead in a rare assault inside Iran's Supreme Court in January. A gunman opened fire in what the judiciary described as a 'planned act of assassination', killing veteran judges Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghisseh before taking his own life. Both men had presided over high-profile national security cases. Authorities said at the time that an investigation was underway, but the motive remained unclear. Last night, a man killed four people in the same city before being shot and arrested by security forces. No further details have been released.
Kuwait Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Iran silent as dissident director wins Cannes' top prize
(From left) Indian filmmaker and member of the jury of the 78th cannes film festival Payal Kapadia, French-Moroccan writer and journalist and member of the jury of the 78th cannes film festival Leila Slimani, Mexican filmmaker and member of the jury of the 78th cannes film festival Carlos Reygadas, French actress and president of the jury of the 78th cannes film festival Juliette Binoche, Italian actress and member of the jury of the 78th cannes film festival Alba Rohrwacher, South korean filmmaker and member of the jury of the 78th cannes film festival Hong Sang-Soo, Congolese filmmaker and member of the jury of the 78th cannes film festival Dieudo Hamadi, US actor and member of the jury of the 78th cannes film festival Jeremy Strong and US actress and member of the jury of the 78th cannes film festival Halle Berry arrive for the Closing Ceremony at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes.--AFP photos Iranian authorities offered no reaction on Sunday after dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi won the Cannes Film Festival's top prize for his political drama. Panahi, 64, was awarded the Palme d'Or on Saturday night for 'It Was Just an Accident' - a film in which five Iranians confront a man they believe tortured them in prison. A story inspired by his own time in detention, it had led critics' polls throughout the week at Cannes. The win has so far been met with silence from Iran's government and ignored by the state broadcaster, which instead focused on a state-aligned 'Resistance' film festival. The conservative Fars news agency suggested the jury's choice was politically motivated, saying it was 'not uninfluenced by the political issues surrounding Jafar Panahi inside Iran'. Reformist newspapers Etemad, Shargh and Ham Mihan reported the win on their websites but did not feature it on their front pages, possibly due to the timing of the announcement. US actor John C. Reilly sings on stage. Belgian co-Producer Luc Dardenne and Belgian co-Producer Jean-Pierre Dardenne celebrate on stage next to US actor John C. Reilly after winning the Best Screenplay prize for the film "Jeunes Meres" (The Young Mother's Home). Iranian director and screenwriter and producer Jafar Panahi (right) and his team celebrate on stage after winning the Palme d'Or for the film Un "Un simple accident" (A Simple Accident). Iranian director and screenwriter and producer Jafar Panahi poses on stage after winning the Palme d'Or for the film "Un simple accident" (A Simple Accident). Palestinian director Tawfeek Barhom (left) poses with Director Adnan Al Rajeev during a photocall after winning the Short Film Prize for the film "I'm Glad You're Dead Now". British director Akinola Davies Jr poses on a photocall after receiving a special mention of the Camera d'Or prize for the film "My Father's Shadow", next to Italian director and screenwriter and president of the camera d'or jury Alice Rohrwacher and Iraqi director Hasan Hadi winner of the Camera d'Or prize for the film "The President's Cake". French-Spanish film director Oliver Laxe poses during a photocall after winning ex-aequo the Jury Prize for the film "Sirat". Chinese director and screenwriter Bi Gan poses for a photocall after receiving a Special Prize for the film "Kuang ye shi dai" (Resurrection). Brazilian Director Kleber Mendonca Filho poses with his partner French film producer Emilie Lesclaux during a photocall after winning the Best Director prize for the film "O Agente Secreto" (The Secret Agent) and with the Best Actor Prize on behalf of Brazilian actor Wagner Moura. Norwegian director and screenwriter Joachim Trier (center) poses with (from left) US actress Elle Fanning, Norwegian actress Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve and Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard during a photocall after winning the Grand Prix for the film "Affeksjonsverdi" (Sentimental Value). French actress Nadia Melliti poses during a photocall with her trophy after she won the Best Actress Prize for her part in the film "La Petite derniere" ("The Little Sister", alternatively called "The Last One"). Panahi, who has been banned from filmmaking since 2010 and jailed multiple times, addressed the Cannes audience with a call for national unity. He confirmed plans to return to Iran immediately. Asked on Saturday night if he feared arrest, he said: 'Not at all. Tomorrow we are leaving.' This marks only the second time an Iranian director has won the Palme d'Or, after the late Abbas Kiarostami received the honour for 'Taste of Cherry' in 1997. Both directors faced bans throughout their careers. — AFP
