Latest news with #NationalHostageandWrongfulDetaineeDay
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran's supreme leader rejects nuclear talks with US after Trump's overtures
Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday he will not negotiate a nuclear deal with the U.S., citing demands about the country's missile range and influence. In a series of posts on X, Khamenei called the U.S. government "coercive," claiming negotiations are only a means to impose new demands. "Such negotiations aren't aimed at solving issues," Khamenei wrote. "Their aim is to exert their dominance and impose what they want." He added the "demands" relate to the country's defense and international capabilities. Trump Reinstates 'Maximum Pressure' Campaign Against Iran "Telling us not to do this, not to meet that person, not to go there, not to produce this, and to limit the range of our missiles to a certain extend," Khamenei wrote. "How could anyone accept such things?" Read On The Fox News App Khamenei posted one day after President Donald Trump said he had sent a letter to Khamenei pushing for a nuclear agreement with Tehran, suggesting there could be military consequences if a deal is not reached. Trump told reporters Friday the U.S. is "down to the final moments" negotiating with Iran, and he hoped a military intervention would not be necessary. Trump's Latest Hires And Fires Rankle Iran Hawks As New President Suggests Nuclear Deal In a statement Saturday, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said the administration hopes Iran "puts its people and best interests ahead of terror." "President Trump said it clearly that there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily or by making a deal," Hughes wrote. Behnam Ben Taleblu, director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Iran program, wrote in a statement that Trump should "be careful" in discussions with Tehran. "Tehran has set a trap for him, hoping to lure him into endless diplomacy that is used to blunt maximum pressure and dampen the credibility of an American or Israeli military option while buying time to creep towards a nuclear weapon," Ben Taleblu wrote in a statement. While Trump said in February he believed Iran was "close" to developing a nuclear weapon, he noted the U.S. would prevent the action. Iran's Weakened Position Could Lead It To Pursue Nuclear Weapon, Biden National Security Adviser Warns He also signed an executive action ordering the Department of Treasury to execute "maximum economic pressure" on Iran through a series of sanctions that would devastate the country's oil exports. The "maximum pressure" initiative against Tehran, which was enacted during the first Trump administration, issues greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations. The president's comments and Khamenei's subsequent posts came days before Sunday's 18th anniversary of the abduction of retired FBI Special Agent Robert "Bob" Levinson from Kish Island, Iran. The FBI Washington Field posted Friday on Facebook, saying it "remembers Bob and his family every day" ahead of the anniversary and National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day. The FBI is still offering up to a $5 million reward for information that leads to Levinson's location, recovery and return, according to the post. The State Department's Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return and information leading to the arrest or conviction of anyone responsible for his alleged abduction. "As part of our ongoing efforts to resolve Bob's case and hold the Iranian regime responsible for its role in Bob's disappearance, we recently released seeking information posters featuring Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, two senior Iranian intelligence officers who worked for Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security at the time of Bob's abduction," the agency wrote in the post. Fox News Digital's Diana Stancy contributed to this article source: Iran's supreme leader rejects nuclear talks with US after Trump's overtures
Fox News
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Iran's supreme leader rejects nuclear talks with US after Trump's overtures
Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday he will not negotiate a nuclear deal with the U.S., citing demands about the country's missile range and influence. In a series of posts on X, Khamenei called the U.S. government "coercive," claiming negotiations are only a means to impose new demands. "Such negotiations aren't aimed at solving issues," Khamenei wrote. "Their aim is to exert their dominance and impose what they want." He added the "demands" relate to the country's defense and international capabilities. "Telling us not to do this, not to meet that person, not to go there, not to produce this, and to limit the range of our missiles to a certain extend," Khamenei wrote. "How could anyone accept such things?" Khamenei posted one day after President Donald Trump said he had sent a letter to Khamenei pushing for a nuclear agreement with Tehran, suggesting there could be military consequences if a deal is not reached. Trump told reporters Friday the U.S. is "down to the final moments" negotiating with Iran, and he hoped a military intervention would not be necessary. In a statement Saturday, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said the administration hopes Iran "puts its people and best interests ahead of terror." "President Trump said it clearly that there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily or by making a deal," Hughes wrote. Behnam Ben Taleblu, director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Iran program, wrote in a statement that Trump should "be careful" in discussions with Tehran. "Tehran has set a trap for him, hoping to lure him into endless diplomacy that is used to blunt maximum pressure and dampen the credibility of an American or Israeli military option while buying time to creep towards a nuclear weapon," Ben Taleblu wrote in a statement. While Trump said in February he believed Iran was "close" to developing a nuclear weapon, he noted the U.S. would prevent the action. He also signed an executive action ordering the Department of Treasury to execute "maximum economic pressure" on Iran through a series of sanctions that would devastate the country's oil exports. The "maximum pressure" initiative against Tehran, which was enacted during the first Trump administration, issues greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations. The president's comments and Khamenei's subsequent posts came days before Sunday's 18th anniversary of the abduction of retired FBI Special Agent Robert "Bob" Levinson from Kish Island, Iran. The FBI Washington Field posted Friday on Facebook, saying it "remembers Bob and his family every day" ahead of the anniversary and National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day. The FBI is still offering up to a $5 million reward for information that leads to Levinson's location, recovery and return, according to the post. The State Department's Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return and information leading to the arrest or conviction of anyone responsible for his alleged abduction. "As part of our ongoing efforts to resolve Bob's case and hold the Iranian regime responsible for its role in Bob's disappearance, we recently released seeking information posters featuring Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, two senior Iranian intelligence officers who worked for Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security at the time of Bob's abduction," the agency wrote in the post.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump says 'something's going to happen very soon' with Iran as he pushes to negotiate nuclear deal
President Donald Trump signaled that a nuclear deal with Iran could emerge in the near future, just over a month after his administration reinstated a "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. Trump on Friday told reporters that the U.S. is "down to the final moments" negotiating with Iran, and that he hoped military intervention would prove unnecessary. "It's an interesting time in the history of the world. But we have a situation with Iran that something is going to happen very soon, very, very soon," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "You'll be talking about that pretty soon, I guess. Hopefully, we can have a peace deal. I'm not speaking out of strength or weakness, I'm just saying I'd rather see a peace deal than the other. But the other will solve the problem." Trump revealed he sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pushing for Tehran to agree to a nuclear agreement — or face military consequences, according to a clip released Friday from an interview with FOX Business that is set to air Sunday. Trump Reinstates 'Maximum Pressure' Campaign Against Iran "I would rather negotiate a deal," Trump told FOX Business. "I'm not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily." Read On The Fox News App "But the time is happening now, the time is coming up," he said. "Something is going to happen one way or the other. I hope that Iran, and I've written them a letter, saying I hope you're going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it's going to be a terrible thing for them." Behnam Ben Taleblu, director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Iran program, said that it seemed Trump was "putting all options on the table, from good to bad." "But the President should be careful," Ben Taleblu said in a statement. "Tehran has set a trap for him, hoping to lure him into endless diplomacy that is used to blunt maximum pressure and dampen the credibility of an American or Israeli military option while buying time to creep towards a nuclear weapon." Trump's remarks also come days before the 18th anniversary of the abduction of retired FBI Special Agent Robert "Bob" Levinson from Kish Island, Iran, on Sunday, which also marks National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day. Trump's Latest Hires And Fires Rankle Iran Hawks As New President Suggests Nuclear Deal The FBI has continued to offer up to a $5 million reward for information that leads to Levinson's recovery, while the State Department has offered $20 million for such information, as well as details on those who are wanted for their alleged involvement in his disappearance. Trump told reporters in February he believes Iran is "close" to developing a nuclear weapon, but that the U.S. would stop a "strong" Tehran from obtaining one. He also signed an executive order instructing the Treasury Department to execute "maximum economic pressure" upon Iran through a series of sanctions aimed at sinking Iran's oil exports. "They're very strong right now, and we're not going to let them get a nuclear weapon," Trump said Feb. 4. Trump's first administration also adopted a "maximum pressure" initiative against Tehran, issuing greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for article source: Trump says 'something's going to happen very soon' with Iran as he pushes to negotiate nuclear deal
Fox News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump says 'something's going to happen very soon' with Iran as he pushes to negotiate nuclear deal
President Donald Trump signaled that a nuclear deal with Iran could emerge in the near future, just over a month after his administration reinstated a "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. Trump told reporters Friday that the U.S. is "down to the final moments" negotiating with Iran, and that he hoped military intervention would prove unnecessary. "It's an interesting time in the history of the world. But we have a situation with Iran that something is going to happen very soon, very, very soon," Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office. "You'll be talking about that pretty soon, I guess. Hopefully, we can have a peace deal. I'm not speaking out of strength or weakness, I'm just saying I'd rather see a peace deal than the other. But the other will solve the problem." Trump revealed he sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pushing for Tehran to agree to a nuclear agreement — or face military consequences, according to a clip released Friday from an interview with Fox Business that is set to air Sunday. "I would rather negotiate a deal," Trump told Fox Business. "I'm not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily." "But the time is happening now, the time is coming up," he said. "Something is going to happen one way or the other. I hope that Iran, and I've written them a letter, saying I hope you're going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily it's going to be a terrible thing for them." Behnam Ben Taleblu, director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Iran program, said that it seemed Trump was "putting all options on the table, from good to bad." "But the President should be careful," Ben Taleblu said in a statement. "Tehran has set a trap for him, hoping to lure him into endless diplomacy that is used to blunt maximum pressure and dampen the credibility of an American or Israeli military option while buying time to creep towards a nuclear weapon." Trump's remarks also come days before the 18th anniversary of the abduction of retired FBI Special Agent Robert "Bob" Levinson from Kish Island, Iran, on Sunday, which also marks National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day. The FBI has continued to offer up to a $5 million reward for information that leads to Levinson's recovery, while the State Department has offered $20 million for such information, as well as details on those who are wanted for their alleged involvement in his disappearance. Trump told reporters in February he believes Iran is "close" to developing a nuclear weapon, but that the U.S. would stop a "strong" Tehran from obtaining one. He also signed an executive order instructing the Treasury Department to execute "maximum economic pressure" upon Iran through a series of sanctions aimed at sinking Iran's oil exports. "They're very strong right now, and we're not going to let them get a nuclear weapon," Trump said Feb. 4. Trump's first administration also adopted a "maximum pressure" initiative against Tehran, issuing greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations.
