Latest news with #IslamicRepublic
LBCI
an hour ago
- General
- LBCI
Iran's Araghchi visits Beirut reaffirms support for Lebanon's sovereignty
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Beirut from Egypt on Tuesday for an official visit, during which he will hold talks with senior Lebanese officials. 'I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to visit Lebanon again and meet with its leaders and people,' Araghchi said upon arriving. In remarks, Araghchi emphasized that 'the Islamic Republic of Iran places top priority on neighboring countries, West Asia, and our friends in the region' in its foreign policy. He described Iran's relationship with Lebanon as 'historic and deeply rooted,' noting it has 'always been friendly and based on mutual respect.' He said Tehran is committed to maintaining and strengthening those ties 'based on mutual respect and shared interests.' Araghchi also underlined Iran's support for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying, 'We have always supported Lebanon's independence, and we continue to do so during these difficult times.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Iran risks US fury after increasing uranium stockpile
Iran has risked the fury of the United States after increasing its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium by 50 per cent, despite talks with Donald Trump's administration over curbing its nuclear programme. A new report from the UN nuclear watchdog revealed that Iran had added 133.8kg of uranium in the last three months – which, if enriched to 90 per cent, would be enough for three nuclear bombs. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the Islamic Republic had increased its stockpile of 60 per cent enriched uranium to 408.6kg from 274.8kg in early February. Tehran now has enough fissile material for 10 nuclear weapons, and the US estimates that it could be converted in less than two weeks. The accumulation has accelerated despite talks between the two aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for the potential lifting of sanctions. Iran's Revolutionary Guards has warned that any potential nuclear deal with the Trump administration could trigger a revolt within the elite military force, The Telegraph understands. One senior official said: 'The commanders have warned the leader that striking a deal with the current American government would risk losing support from a significant segment of society and provoke deep anger among IRGC commanders.' During his first stint in the White House, Mr Trump ordered the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' overseas Quds Force. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the IAEA director general, said: 'The significantly increased production and accumulation of highly enriched uranium by Iran, the only non-nuclear weapon state to produce such nuclear material, is of serious concern.' In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the report showed Iran's nuclear programme was not peaceful. 'The international community must act now to stop Iran,' the Israeli prime minister's office said, adding that the level of uranium enrichment Iran had reached 'exists only in countries actively pursuing nuclear weapons and has no civilian justification whatsoever'. Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister and its lead negotiator in talks, said on Saturday: 'If the issue is nuclear weapons, yes, we too consider this type of weapon unacceptable. We agree with them on this issue.' Iran maintains that the material is not for military use. US intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons programme, but has 'undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so'. Mr Trump has described five rounds of talks as progressing well, though significant divisions remain over whether Iran can continue uranium enrichment under any future agreement. Experts say uranium stockpile growth suggests Iran is using the talks to buy time and maintain leverage to accumulate nuclear material that could quickly be converted to weapons-grade levels. The Islamic Republic is in its weakest position since the 1979 revolution that brought the clerical regime into power. Israel's attacks on Hezbollah and the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria have significantly damaged its regional influence. Its ability to threaten Israel through Hamas and Hezbollah has been restricted, and it has lost Syria as a weapons-smuggling route. The Telegraph has previously revealed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, is also under pressure from hardliners to lift a ban on building nuclear bombs. The IAEA also detailed Iran's failure to co-operate with investigations into undeclared nuclear material discovered at several Iranian sites. It said Iran operated an 'undeclared structured nuclear programme' until the early 2000s and retained 'unknown nuclear material and/or heavily contaminated equipment' at a Tehran site from 2009 until 2018. Iran has repeatedly failed to provide credible explanations for uranium traces found at multiple locations. Senior Iranian officials dismissed speculation last week about an imminent nuclear deal, saying that any agreement must fully lift sanctions and allow continued nuclear activities. The comments followed Mr Trump's statement asking Mr Netanyahu to delay potential strikes on Iran to provide more negotiating time. Mr Trump said on Friday he believed a deal could be completed in the 'not too distant future', adding that Iran would 'rather make a deal' than face military action. In Tehran, residents have said they were increasingly frustrated with the regime's nuclear ambitions, accusing the authorities of dragging the country toward war while everyday life continued to deteriorate due to sanctions. One shopkeeper in the Iranian capital told The Telegraph: 'We just want a normal life where we can feed our children. But they [the authorities] aren't thinking about us. We want bread, not a bomb.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Iran risks US fury after increasing uranium stockpile
Iran has risked the fury of the United States after increasing its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium by 50 per cent, despite talks with Donald Trump's administration over curbing its nuclear programme. A new report from the UN nuclear watchdog revealed that Iran had added 133.8kg of uranium in the last three months – which, if enriched to 90 per cent, would be enough for three nuclear bombs. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the Islamic Republic had increased its stockpile of 60 per cent enriched uranium to 408.6kg from 274.8kg in early February. Tehran now has enough fissile material for 10 nuclear weapons, and the US estimates that it could be converted in less than two weeks. The accumulation has accelerated despite talks between the two aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for the potential lifting of sanctions. Iran's Revolutionary Guards has warned that any potential nuclear deal with the Trump administration could trigger a revolt within the elite military force, The Telegraph understands. One senior official said: 'The commanders have warned the leader that striking a deal with the current American government would risk losing support from a significant segment of society and provoke deep anger among IRGC commanders.' During his first stint in the White House, Mr Trump ordered the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' overseas Quds Force. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the IAEA director general, said: 'The significantly increased production and accumulation of highly enriched uranium by Iran, the only non-nuclear weapon state to produce such nuclear material, is of serious concern.'
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Iran's Near Bomb-Grade Uranium Stockpile Grows by a Record
Iran manufactured a record volume of uranium enriched just below the levels needed for nuclear weapons, complicating efforts to negotiate a peaceful resolution to international concerns over the Islamic Republic's atomic ambitions. In its first report since US President Donald Trump's administration began negotiations with Tehran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said its accumulation of highly-enriched uranium rose by almost 50% to 409 kilograms (902 pounds) over the last three months. That volume of material could quickly be enriched to form the core of about 10 nuclear bombs, should Iran choose to pursue weapons.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Exclusive: Iran may pause enrichment for US nod on nuclear rights, release of frozen funds, Iranian sources say
DUBAI, May 28 (Reuters) - Iran may pause uranium enrichment if the U.S. 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. U.S. 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 U.S. official told Reuters the proposal aired by the Iranian sources had not been brought to the negotiating table to date. The U.S. State Department and Iran's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this article. 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 U.S. 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. Iran has not yet been able to access the $6 billion parked in a Qatar bank that was unfrozen under a U.S.-Iranian prisoner swap in 2023, during U.S. 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 current 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 U.S.-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 U.N. nuclear watchdog. Even if gaps over enrichment narrow, lifting sanctions quickly would remain difficult. The U.S. favours phasing out nuclear-related sanctions while Iran demands immediate removal of all U.S.-imposed curbs that impair its oil-based economy. Asked whether critical U.S. 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 exacerbated 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 current negotiations yield no deal. Iranian officials told Reuters last week that 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.
