Latest news with #Obama-negotiated
Middle East Eye
3 days 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.
The Hill
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
US, Iran say they're moving closer to nuclear deal after 5th round of talks
Both the U.S. and Iran on Friday indicated that the two countries are moving closer to reaching a new deal regarding Tehran's expanding nuclear program. Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, who is the acting mediator, said the fifth round of talks in Rome ended with 'some but not conclusive progress.' 'We hope to clarify the remaining issues in the coming days, to allow us to proceed towards the common goal of reaching a sustainable and honourable agreement,' al-Busaidi wrote on the social media platform X after the Friday meeting. Both President Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the State Department's policy planning director Michael Anton, who oversees the U.S. technical team, participated in both direct and indirect discussions during the more than two-hour meeting, according to a senior U.S. administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations. 'The talks continue to be constructive — we made further progress, but there is still work to be done. Both sides agreed to meet again in the near future,' the U.S. official added. 'We are grateful to our Omani partners for their continued facilitation.' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Tehran's media that al-Busaidi outlined a few ideas to bring the two sides closer during the meeting, but that the deliberations are 'too complex' to be resolved in 'just two or three meetings.' 'I am hopeful that in the next one or two rounds — especially given the better understanding of the Islamic Republic's positions — we can reach solutions that allow the talks to progress,' Araghchi said. This is the fifth meeting between Iranian and U.S. officials. Three rounds of talks have taken place in Muscat, Oman while just one other, aside from Friday's meeting, has taken place in Rome. The two sides continue to be at odds over nuclear enrichment. Iran has said that it would only enter into another deal with the U.S. if it is still allowed to have domestic enrichment capabilities, something Washington disagrees with. The discussions are intended to limit Tehran's nuclear program. In return, the U.S. would lift crippling sanctions on the Middle Eastern country. Trump has previously threatened to take military action against Iran if talks crumble. Israel, the U.S.'s ally in the Middle East, has also threatened to strike Iran's nuclear sites. With their stockpile of uranium, Iran's top officials have indicated they could pursue the development of a nuclear weapon. '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,' a 45-page report published earlier this month by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DSA) said. The DSA said in the report that since 2019, Iran has conducted activities that 'exceed' previous limits set by the 2015 Obama-negotiated deal, 'including increasing the size and enrichment levels of its uranium stockpile, producing small quantities of uranium metal, restricting International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring to pre-[Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)] levels, and expanding uranium enrichment at its Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.' Trump pulled the U.S. out of the JCPOA in 2018, during his first term in the White House.
The Hill
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Iran president calls for continued nuclear negotiations, questions Trump threats
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian called for nuclear program negotiations between Tehran and Washington to continue and said that President Trump is sending 'contradictory' messages. 'No one but Trump himself believes his words against the Iranian nation; on the one hand, he speaks of peace and stability, and on the other hand, he threatens with the most sophisticated tools for homicide, and with contradictory statements, he simultaneously sends messages of peace, bloodshed, and insecurity,' Pezeshkian said during his Saturday morning speech to Navy officials. 'We are not seeking war, we favor negotiation and dialogue, but we are not afraid of threats either, and we will in no way retreat from our legal rights,' Pezeshkian added. The United States and Iran's officials completed four rounds of discussion regarding Tehran's rapidly expanding nuclear program. Trump said on Friday that the U.S. gave Iran a formal proposal for a new nuclear agreement and added that 'more importantly, they know they have to move quickly.' Iran has denied that it has received a formal proposal from the U.S. 'In the meantime, the messaging we—and the world—continue to receive is confusing and contradictory,' Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on social media. 'Iran nonetheless remains determined and straightforward: Respect our rights and terminate your sanctions, and we have a deal.' Trump has pushed to forge a new nuclear deal with Iran since taking office, warning Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon and that it has to do away with enriching uranium. Trump pulled out of the Obama-negotiated 2015 agreement in 2018 and imposed sanctions on Tehran. The commander-in-chief has warned previously that military action could ensue if diplomacy with Iran goes sideways. 'It is not the case that they imagine if they threaten us, we will retreat from our human and irrefutable rights,' Pezeshkian said on Saturday. 'We will not back down and not abandon our proud military and academic, scientific, and nuclear achievements.'
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US, Iran to hold more nuclear talks after another round of ‘productive' meetings
The U.S. and Iran will hold more nuclear talks after another round of meetings in Oman, which for the first time included technical discussions between the two sides regarding Tehran's advancing nuclear program. The third round of talks between the officials in Muscat, Oman's capital, on Saturday were 'positive and productive' and lasted more than four hours in total, according to a U.S. official. The latest huddle included direct and indirect interactions between officials. 'There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal. We agreed to meet again soon, in Europe, and we thank our Omani partners for facilitating these talks,' a senior U.S. administration official said on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal talks. The discussions on Saturday were done by expert teams as well as between President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The U.S. technical team is led by senior State Department official Michael Anton, while Iran's expert team is headed by the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi. Araghchi said after the meeting that the talks were detailed, but that there are differences on 'major' issues. 'This time, the negotiations were much more serious than in the past, and we gradually entered into deeper and more detailed discussions,' Araghchi told Iran state television, according to The Associated Press. 'We have moved somewhat away from broader, general discussions — though it is not the case that all disagreements have been resolved. Differences still exist both on major issues and on the details.' Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said Saturday's talks in Muscat 'identified a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments.' 'Core principles, objectives and technical concerns were all addressed,' Oman's foreign minister said in a Saturday post on social media platform X, adding that discussions will continue next week with another meeting being 'provisionally' scheduled for Saturday, May 3. The two delegations held the last round of talks in Rome, where U.S. officials said they made 'very good' progress. Trump said in an interview with Time Magazine, which was released on Friday, that he thinks 'we're going to make a deal with' Iran, but, again, warned the Islamic Republic that if diplomacy does not work out, military strikes could come next. The president has said he wants to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He pulled out of the 2015 Obama-negotiated Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Since then, Iran has accelerated its enrichment of uranium. Saturday's talks come after a large explosion in Iran's Shahid Rajaei port killed eight people and injured some 750. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
26-04-2025
- Business
- The Hill
US, Iran to hold more nuclear talks after another round of ‘productive' meetings
The U.S. and Iran will hold more nuclear talks after another round of meetings in Oman, which for the first time included technical discussions between the two sides regarding Tehran's advancing nuclear program. The third round of talks between the officials in Muscat, Oman's capital, on Saturday were 'positive and productive' and lasted more than four hours in total, according to a U.S. official. The latest huddle included direct and indirect interactions between officials. 'There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal. We agreed to meet again soon, in Europe, and we thank our Omani partners for facilitating these talks,' a senior U.S. administration official said on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal talks. The discussions on Saturday were done by expert teams as well as between President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The U.S. technical team is led by senior State Department official Michael Anton, while Iran's expert team is headed by the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi. Araghchi said after the meeting that the talks were detailed, but that there are differences on 'major' issues. 'This time, the negotiations were much more serious than in the past, and we gradually entered into deeper and more detailed discussions,' Araghchi told Iran state television, according to The Associated Press. 'We have moved somewhat away from broader, general discussions — though it is not the case that all disagreements have been resolved. Differences still exist both on major issues and on the details.' Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said Saturday's talks in Muscat 'identified a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments.' 'Core principles, objectives and technical concerns were all addressed,' Oman's foreign minister said in a Saturday post on social media platform X, adding that discussions will continue next week with another meeting being 'provisionally' scheduled for Saturday, May 3. The two delegations held the last round of talks in Rome, where U.S. officials said they made 'very good' progress. Trump said in an interview with Time Magazine, which was released on Friday, that he thinks 'we're going to make a deal with' Iran, but, again, warned the Islamic Republic that if diplomacy does not work out, military strikes could come next. The president has said he wants to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He pulled out of the 2015 Obama-negotiated Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Since then, Iran has accelerated its enrichment of uranium. Saturday's talks come after a large explosion in Iran's Shahid Rajaei port killed eight people and injured some 750.
