Latest news with #IranianParliament
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Iran says no sanctions relief in US nuclear proposal
Iranian speaker of the parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US of seeking a 'unilateral' agreement that Tehran would not accept. (EPA Images pic) TEHRAN : Iran's parliament speaker said on Sunday that the latest US proposal for a nuclear deal does not include the lifting of sanctions, state media reported as negotiations appeared to have hit a roadblock. The two foes have held five rounds of Omani-mediated talks since April, seeking to replace a landmark agreement between Tehran and world powers that set restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief, before US President Donald Trump abandoned the accord in 2018 during his first term. In a video aired on Iranian state TV, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that 'the US plan does not even mention the lifting of sanctions'. He called it a sign of dishonesty, accusing the Americans of seeking to impose a 'unilateral' agreement that Tehran would not accept. 'The delusional US president should know better and change his approach if he is really looking for a deal,' Ghalibaf said. On May 31, after the fifth round of talks, Iran said it had received 'elements' of a US proposal, with officials later taking issue with 'ambiguities' in the draft text. The US and its Western allies have long accused the Islamic republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a charge Iran has consistently denied, insisting that its atomic programme was solely for peaceful purposes. Key issues in the negotiations have been the removal of biting economic sanctions and uranium enrichment. Tehran says it has the right to enrich uranium under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while the Trump administration has called any Iranian enrichment a 'red line'. Trump, who has revived his 'maximum pressure' campaign of sanctions on Iran since taking office in January, has repeatedly said it will not be allowed any uranium enrichment under a potential deal. On Tuesday, Iran's top negotiator, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, said the country 'will not ask anyone for permission to continue enriching uranium'. According to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state in the world that enriches uranium up to 60% – close to the 90% threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday rejected the latest US proposal and said enrichment was 'key' to Iran's nuclear programme. The IAEA Board of Governors is scheduled to meet in Vienna starting Monday and discuss Iran's nuclear activities. On Sunday the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran warned it could reduce its level of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog if it adopts a resolution against it. 'Certainly, the IAEA should not expect the Islamic Republic of Iran to continue its broad and friendly cooperation,' the Iranian agency's spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told state TV. Araghchi on Friday accused European powers of 'opting for malign action against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors', warning on X that 'Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights'. A quarterly report from the IAEA issued last week cited a 'general lack of cooperation' from Iran and raised concerns over undeclared nuclear material. Tehran has rejected the report as politically motivated and based on 'forged documents' it said had been provided by its arch foe Israel.
CNN
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
The latest on Trump's presidency as he addresses West Point graduates
Update: Date: Title: NOW: Trump addresses service academy graduates at West Point Content: President Donald Trump has begun his commencement address at the US Military Academy in West Point, New York. The speech comes after Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed a sweeping effort to scour the country's military academies for course offerings, clubs and books deemed unsuitable by the administration — and as Trump orchestrates a wider shakeup of the Pentagon and the country's national security establishment. The class Trump is speaking to represents a diverse group of newly commissioned second lieutenants. According to West Point, 252 are women — including the valedictorian, Joanna K. Halfhill. It's the 45th anniversary of the first class to graduate women. CNN's Kevin Liptak contributed to this report. Update: Date: Title: Tehran "disappointed" with US nuclear talks, senior Iranian lawmaker says Content: Iran is disappointed with the progress of nuclear talks with the United States and is considering a 'Plan B' if they fail, a senior Iranian lawmaker told CNN. Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said officials get 'more disappointed' after each round of negotiations, particularly around the issue of uranium enrichment, which has emerged as a red line in the talks. Uranium can be used to build a bomb if enriched to high levels. 'We do not have hope yet, because the American side is still insisting on zero enrichment, and I know the Islamic Republic of Iran will never agree with zero enrichment,' Rezaei said in an interview at the Iranian parliament today. 'I got disappointed and do not have much hope that the negotiations will lead to a deal. We are preparing for Plan B.' He did not specify what Plan B might entail. Rezaei was speaking the day after the fifth round of indirect talks in Rome between the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff. A senior Trump administration official said Friday that talks 'continue to be constructive' and that progress was made, adding that both sides agreed to meet 'in the near future.' Witkoff said last week that the US had 'one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability … because enrichment enables weaponization.' Rezaei told CNN that 'if these are the real words of the American aide and they say the same in the negotiations, I can already say that the talks are doomed to fail.' Update: Date: Title: Trump's speech at US Military Academy comes as his anti-DEI initiatives alter the institution Content: Often when a president makes an annual commencement address at a US military service academy, it's an opportunity to discuss the national security environment the graduating class, all newly commissioned officers, will be entering when they leave. As President Donald Trump stands on stage about to address the US Military Academy in West Point, New York, he has plenty to discuss in front of the 1,002 graduates — global conflicts, new investments in the military and his efforts to maintain 'peace through strength.' Still, an undeniable backdrop to this year's speech is Trump's crackdown on diversity initiatives across the military and higher education, which have coincided at institutions like West Point. Trump's crackdown on DEI programs has played out on the campus here in New York's Hudson Valley over the last several months. A number of affinity groups have been disbanded, including the Society of Black Engineers and the Latin Cultural Club. At other service academies, books deemed in violation of Trump's anti-DEI directives have been pulled from the library. The White House and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth say they are making the military more lethal and focused on its core mission of warfighting. It's all caused an enormous amount of consternation, and at least one professor at West Point has resigned. There are protests expected near campus today, including in boats on the Hudson River beneath campus. Update: Date: Title: After awkward ramp incident in 2020, Trump's West Point stage has an addition: a handrail Content: The last time President Donald Trump addressed graduates at the US Military Academy in 2020, his appearance was punctuated by an awkward, unsteady descent down a ramp that raised questions about his physical well-being. This morning, as Trump returns to West Point, two long ramps remain in place in front of the podium. But this year, a handrail has been installed on one side. At the time, Trump issued an ardent defense of his halting walk down the ramp, where he stepped gingerly to get ground level. In a tweet, Trump insisted the slope was 'very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery,' though it had not rained beforehand and others were seen walking normally down the decline. With the handrail in place, Trump may be able to avoid the questions this time around. Update: Date: Title: Reporting roundup: Our latest coverage of President Donald Trump's administration Content: Entering the weekend, we're tracking the latest on President Donald Trump's ever-evolving trade policy, particularly his threat of 50% tariffs on the European Union and 25% levies on cellphone makers that manufacture their products outside the US. We'll also have updates on the president's speech at the US Military Academy commencement later this morning in West Point, New York. Use the links below to get up to speed on our other recent coverage: • Legal battle with Harvard: A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration's ban on Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, marking the latest development in a battle over the elite institution's refusal to accept White House policy demands. International students at the school say they are experiencing 'pure panic' as they await an outcome. • Trump's 'big, beautiful bill': After intense lobbying by Trump, GOP infighting and an all-nighter, House Republicans advanced their sweeping tax cuts and spending package this week. Analysts say low-income Americans will feel the effect of aid cuts, while wealthy Americans will see a windfall if the package advances through the Senate in a similar form. • National Security Council ousters: The administration has put more than 100 officials at the National Security Council on administrative leave as part of a restructuring under interim national security adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sources told CNN yesterday. • Another wrongfully deported migrant: The administration has been ordered to facilitate the return of a Guatemalan man who was wrongly deported to Mexico in February, after he told authorities about his fears of violence and torture across the border. This is at least the third time a judge has ordered the return of a migrant wrongfully deported under Trump's immigration crackdown. • Sanctions on Syria: The administration issued orders yesterday to begin easing sanctions on Syria, marking a major policy shift after Trump pledged earlier this month to roll back the measures during a trip to the Middle East. Update: Date: Title: Trump arrives at West Point ahead of commencement speech Content: President Donald Trump has arrived in West Point, New York, where he will deliver the commencement address at the US Military Academy around 10:15 a.m. ET. This will be the second commencement address Trump delivers this spring. The first was at the University of Alabama — where he wasn't shy about getting political, inflating the margin of his 2024 win in the state and criticizing former President Joe Biden's administration. Update: Date: Title: EU trade chief says a deal with the US must be based on respect, not threats Content: A trade deal between the European Union and the US must be based on 'mutual respect, and not threats,' the EU's trade chief said, after President Donald Trump threatened the bloc with a 50% tariff. 'The EU's fully engaged, committed to securing a deal that works for both,' Maroš Šefčovič wrote in a post on X yesterday after a call with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, adding that the European Commission 'remains ready to work in good faith.' However, he said, EU-US trade 'must be guided by mutual respect, not threats.' 'We stand ready to defend our interests,' Šefčovič added. Some context: Trump raised the prospect of the 50% tariff on goods from the EU yesterday, citing a lack of progress in trade negotiations. The tariff Trump is considering slapping on the EU is more than double the size of the 20% initial 'reciprocal' tariff that was briefly in place in April before he swiftly paused those tariffs to allow for further negotiations. In a post on Truth Social, the president said he took particular issue with 'non-monetary trade barriers,' as he has repeatedly called them, as well as countries or trading blocs that run trade deficits with the US. Those occur when the US purchases more from another trading partner than that country purchases from the US. CNN's Elisabeth Buchwald contributed reporting to this post. Update: Date: Title: Trump's trade war: What to know about the president's latest tariff threats Content: President Donald Trump issued a pair of new threats in his ever-evolving trade policy yesterday, taking aim at the European Union and cellphone makers. Here are the two key tariff headlines entering the weekend: Trade demands for the EU: The president has threatened a 50% tariff on goods from the European Union, citing a lack of progress in negotiations and policies he says are contributing to an unacceptable trade deficit with the bloc. 'Our discussions with them are going nowhere!' Trump said in a Truth Social post yesterday morning. 'Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025.' During an executive order signing in the Oval Office later that day, Trump escalated his message: 'I'm not looking for a deal,' he said. 'We've set the deal — it's at 50%.' Trump did open the door to pushing his June 1 deadline further, however, and his tariff threats have repeatedly been followed by reversals and delays. Ultimatum for smartphone makers: Trump also demanded yesterday that Apple and other smartphone makers like Samsung make their phones in the US or face a 25% tariff. 'I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone's that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.' Trump later told reporters in the Oval Office that the tariff would apply to any phone maker selling devices in the US, calling out Samsung by name. The threat comes after Trump expressed displeasure last week that Apple plans to manufacture iPhones for sale in the US at newly built plants in India. Update: Date: Title: Watch: Breaking down a busy week at the White House Content: In another busy week, President Donald Trump met at the Oval Office with the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and tracked Republican efforts to get his sweeping tax and spending cuts package through Congress. CNN's Kaitlan Collins debriefs on the past few days at the White House:
