Latest news with #JCPOA
Gulf Insider
34 minutes ago
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Trump: I Warned Netanyahu Against Iran Strike
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to not attack Iran, or at least to hold off any preemptive action to give more time for Washington and Tehran to forge a nuclear agreement. 'Well, I'd like to be honest. Yes, I did. Next question, please?'…and also: 'I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution,' Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about the issue. Q: "On Iran, did you warn Prime Minister Netanyahu against taking some sort of actions that could disrupt the talks there in a phone call last week?"President Trump: "Well, I'd like to be honest. Yes I did." — CSPAN (@cspan) May 28, 2025 'It's not a warning,' Trump added. 'I said, 'I don't think it's appropriate.' I just said I don't think it's appropriate. We're having very good discussions with them, and I don't think it's appropriate right now.' The question to Trump was prompted by an Axios report published the day prior: President Trump cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call last week not to take any action that could jeopardize negotiations between the U.S. and Iran on a new nuclear deal, a White House official and a source familiar with the details tell Axios. Trump's message was 'he doesn't want him to antagonize at a time when he is trying to solve problems,' the official said. Trump also repeated his tone optimism on the talks, telling reporters, 'We're doing very well with Iran.' The White House's messaging to Israel has been to say 'stay united and let this process play out' – and that the process needs some time. Of course, Trump has still warned that 'other options' are on the table should Tehran refuse to make progress. The Iranians have said they are willing to guarantee (and allow monitoring) that uranium enrichment is only for peaceful nuclear energy production, and will pledge no development of nukes. Critics of Trump point that this was essentially the 2015 JCPOA nuclear which the first Trump administration pulled out of in April 2018. Plenty of indirect 'threats' were peppered into Trump's Wednesday Iran comments: He seems to suggest that his conditions for a deal with Iran include the US being allowed to come in and 'take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want.' Seems unlikely that Iran would consent for the US to come in and 'blow up' its infrastructure — Michael Tracey (@mtracey) May 28, 2025 Also on Wednesday, the head of the United Nations' atomic watchdog, the IAEA's Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that 'the jury is still out' on negotiations. 'For the moment, the jury is still out. We don't know whether there's going to be an agreement or not,' Grossi told journalists in Vienna. 'I think that is an indication of a willingness to come to an agreement. And I think that, in and by itself, is something possible,' he added of ongoing read: Trump Sent A 'Free Speech Squad' To The UK To Investigate Erosion Of Rights
Sky News AU
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Donald Trump says he told Netanyahu not to bomb Iran with new nuke deal ‘very close': ‘Don't think it's appropriate right now'
President Trump confirmed Wednesday that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week not to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities to allow additional time for talks between Washington and Tehran. 'I'd like to be honest. Yes, I did,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 'I said I don't think it's appropriate. We're talking, we're having very good discussions with them. And I said I don't think it's appropriate right now… if we can settle it with a very strong document,' the president added. 'I told [Netanyahu] this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution. Now, that could change at any moment. It could change with a phone call, but right now, I think they want to make a deal, and if we can make a deal, it could save a lot of lives.' Trump spoke with Netanyahu Thursday and said Sunday that there had been promising talks with Iranian leaders over the weekend, suggesting that a potential deal that would restrict Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon could be announced within days. On Wednesday, the president clarified Wednesday it could happen in 'the next couple weeks.' Trump also sent Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to speak to Netanyahu in Israel over the weekend, where she urged him to follow America's plan in a 'candid' conversation. '[T]he Secretary reiterated [Trump's] desire to bring peace to the region and for Iran to never have a nuclear weapon,' a readout of their meeting read. Trump pulled the US out of former President Barack Obama's Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Since retaking power in January, he has ordered the strict enforcement of US sanctions, including against oil exports, which was largely unenforced during the Biden administration. Trump said a potential deal would be 'very strong' compared to Obama's 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the US entered alongside China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom. 'I don't trust anybody, so no trust. I want it very strong where we can go in with inspectors,' he said. 'We can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want, but nobody getting killed. We can blow up a lab, but nobody's going to be in the lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up.' Vice President JD Vance has suggested that a deal could be negotiated to allow Tehran to have a civil nuclear program be part of the 'global economy' again — but they would have to give up their plans for an atomic weapon. 'That would be really good for the Iranian people, but would result in the complete cessation of any chance that they can get a nuclear weapon. That's what we're negotiating towards,' Vance told the Munich Leaders Conference earlier this month. 'As the President has said, that's Option A and Option B — if Option A is very good for the Iranian people and even, you know, some of the folks, the leadership in Iran — option B is very bad. "It's very bad for everybody, and it's not what we want, but it's better than option C, which is Iran getting a nuclear weapon. That is what is completely off the table for the American administration. No ifs, ands, or buts.' Originally published as Donald Trump says he told Netanyahu not to bomb Iran with new nuke deal 'very close': 'Don't think it's appropriate right now'
Middle East Eye
12 hours ago
- Business
- Middle East Eye
Trump to Netanyahu: 'Not appropriate' to bomb Iran, as US engages in talks
US President Donald Trump on Thursday told reporters that the country is "down to final strokes with Iran", as the two sides engage in talks to establish an agreement designed to curb Iran's nuclear energy development in return for an easing of US sanctions. Key to the talks has been exactly how much uranium enrichment Iran can undertake, if any at all. The Iranians say they must be able to do so for a deal to be struck. But the US does not appear to have publicly settled on a firm policy approach in that regard, given the administration's mixed messaging. The two sides are keen on replacing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Obama-negotiated 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from in 2018. In that deal, Iran was limited to 3.67 percent uranium enrichment, enough for civilian nuclear power and research. Earlier this year, Iran's foreign minister said the JCPOA is "no longer good for us" and "[Trump] does not want another JCPOA either." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters As of Thursday, the discussions are in their "final moments," Trump said, leading him to admit that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call last week how it was "inappropriate" for Israel to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. "I'd like to be honest, yes, I did," Trump told a reporter who asked if he warned Netanyahu against taking action that could derail talks. "It's not a warning," he added. "I said, 'I don't think it's appropriate'... We're having very good discussions with them." "If we can settle it with a very strong document, very strong, with inspections, and no trust," Trump said. "I don't trust anybody. So no trust. I want it very strong, where we can go in with inspectors." The US, he said, "can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want," as long as nobody gets killed in Iran. "We can blow up a lab, but nobody's going to be in the lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up. Right? Two ways of doing it," he explained. "I told [Netanyahu] this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution. Now, that could change at any moment, and change with a phone call, but right now I think they want to make a deal. And if we can make a deal, [we can] save a lot of lives." State of talks On Wednesday, the State Department confirmed that the fifth round of talks between the two sides took place in Rome on Friday, hosted by the Omani embassy there. Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was in attendance for about two and a half hours, the Associated Press (AP) reported. A new report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency, cited by the AP, said 'Iran almost certainly is not producing nuclear weapons, but Iran has undertaken activities in recent years that better position it to produce them, if it chooses to do so." As Trump snubs Israel, Gulf states flex their lobbying for an Iran deal Read More » 'These actions reduce the time required to produce sufficient weapons-grade uranium for a first nuclear device to probably less than one week," the report added. Independent experts, however, have long put Iran's "breakout" timeline at several months rather than weeks. Iran is second only to Russia in facing down crippling US sanctions. It has long maintained that it does not seek a nuclear bomb, with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei saying in 2019 that such weapons are "forbidden under Islamic law". But Iran is also currently enriching uranium to the 60 percent threshold, just short of weapons grade, including by using advanced centrifuge designs at the deeply-buried Fordow enrichment facility, a fact sheet from the Washington-based National Iranian American Council showed.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump warns Netanyahu off Iran strike as nuclear talks continue
United States President Donald Trump has said that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on any strike against Iran to give his administration more time to push for a new nuclear deal with Tehran, as several rounds of talks have been held in Oman and Italy. Trump told reporters on Wednesday at the White House that he relayed to Netanyahu a strike 'would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution'. The Israeli leader has been threatening a bombardment of Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran has said it would respond with severity if any such attack were launched. In the meantime, Iran may pause uranium enrichment if the US releases frozen Iranian funds and recognises its right to refine uranium for civilian use under a 'political deal' that could lead to a broader nuclear accord, two Iranian official sources told the Reuters news agency. The sources, close to the negotiating team, said on Wednesday that a 'political understanding with the United States could be reached soon' if Washington accepted Tehran's conditions. The sources told Reuters that under this arrangement, Tehran would halt uranium enrichment for a latest developments came as the head of the UN's atomic watchdog group said that 'the jury is still out' on negotiations between Iran and the US over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme. But Rafael Mariano Grossi described the ongoing negotiations as a good sign. 'I think that is an indication of a willingness to come to an agreement. And I think that… is something possible.' The 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), placed limits on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. It collapsed after Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018, leading to a sharp escalation in tensions and a breakdown in diplomatic relations. US officials have repeatedly said that any new deal must include a firm commitment from Iran to halt uranium enrichment, which they view as a potential pathway to building nuclear weapons. However, Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear arms, insisting its programme is solely for civilian purposes. It has rejected Washington's demand to eliminate enrichment capabilities, calling it an infringement on national sovereignty. It remains the critical sticking point after negotiators for Tehran and Washington met for a fifth round of Oman-mediated talks in Rome. Instead, Iran has reportedly proposed that the US publicly recognise Tehran's right to enrich uranium under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and approve the release of Iranian oil revenues frozen under US sanctions.
New York Post
14 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump says he told Netanyahu not to bomb Iran with new nuke deal ‘very close': ‘Don't think it's appropriate right now'
WASHINGTON — President Trump confirmed Wednesday that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week not to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities to allow additional time for talks between Washington and Tehran. 'I'd like to be honest. Yes, I did,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 3 President Trump talks to Netanyahu in Washington on April 7, 2025. REUTERS Advertisement 'I said I don't think it's appropriate. We're talking, we're having very good discussions with them. And I said I don't think it's appropriate right now… if we can settle it with a very strong document,' the president added. 'I told [Netanyahu] this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution. Now, that could change at any moment. It could change with a phone call, but right now, I think they want to make a deal, and if we can make a deal, it could save a lot of lives.' 3 Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian visits Iran's nuclear achievements exhibition in Tehran, Iran April 9, 2025. via REUTERS Trump spoke with Netanyahu Thursday and said Sunday that there had been promising talks with Iranian leaders over the weekend, suggesting that a potential deal that would restrict Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon could be announced within days. Advertisement On Wednesday, the president clarified Wednesday it could happen in 'the next couple weeks.' 3 Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. via REUTERS Trump pulled the US out of former President Barack Obama's Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Since retaking power in January, he has ordered the strict enforcement of US sanctions, including against oil exports, which was largely unenforced during the Biden administration. Trump said a potential deal would be 'very strong' compared to Obama's 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the US entered alongside China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom. 'I don't trust anybody, so no trust. I want it very strong where we can go in with inspectors,' he said. 'We can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want, but nobody getting killed. We can blow up a lab, but nobody's going to be in the lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up.'
