Latest news with #Tasnim
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Iran could exit key nuclear weapons treaty
Iran could withdraw from a landmark nuclear weapons treaty and increase efforts to enrich uranium if Western European nations reimpose harsh economic sanctions on the country, a senior Iranian lawmaker has warned. Speaking to Tasnim news agency on Saturday, Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesman for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, warned the UK, France and Germany of consequences if they activate the so-called snapback provisions stipulated in the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. Rezaei said the move would force Iran to consider several countermeasures, including withdrawing from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), enriching uranium to over 60% purity, and producing and exporting advanced centrifuge machines. Iran, he added, 'has not fully exploited its capacities so far and may go for multiple other strategic options if necessary.' The NPT aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy. It has been signed by 191 nations, making it one of the most widely adhered-to arms control agreements in history. However, it has never been signed by India, Pakistan, Israel, and South Sudan; North Korea withdrew in 2003. Rezaei's remarks come after France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier this month that Britain, France and Germany have agreed to restore UN sanctions on Iran by the end of August if no meaningful progress is made in talks to curb Tehran's nuclear activities. One of the stumbling blocks has been Iran's decision to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has prevented the monitoring of its nuclear activities. Tehran has accused the IAEA of releasing a biased report, which was allegedly used as a pretense by Israel to launch a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic. Last month, Israel carried out a series of US-supported airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, triggering retaliation from Tehran. The attack came as US-Iran nuclear talks hit an impasse; Washington demanded that Tehran fully abandon uranium enrichment, arguing that the capacity could be used to create a nuclear bomb. Iran has dismissed the demand, saying it needs enrichment to fuel its civilian energy industry while denying any plans to create nuclear weapons.
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First Post
a day ago
- Politics
- First Post
Iran's president got injured during Israeli strikes, confirm US intelligence sources
Last week, Iranian state media claimed that President Pezeshkian was attending a Supreme National Security Council meeting when an Israeli strike hit the gathering, injuring him in the leg as he escaped through an emergency shaft read more Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was hurt during last month's Israeli missile strikes, US intelligence officials have said. Last week, Iranian state media claimed that President Pezeshkian was attending a Supreme National Security Council meeting when an Israeli strike hit the gathering, injuring him in the leg as he escaped through an emergency shaft. Two US intelligence officials have told CBS News that the Iranian state media reports are accurate. It is, however, not clear whether Israel targeted Pezeshkian deliberately or not. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, in an interview with Tucker Carlson earlier this month, the Iranian president claimed that Israel tried to assassinate him by bombarding an area where he was holding a meeting. 'It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was in a meeting. We were discussing the ways to move forward. But thanks to the intelligence by the spies that they had, they tried to bombard the area…in which we were holding that meeting,' Pezeshkian said. Videos shared on social media during the 12-day war captured repeated strikes on a mountainside in north-western Tehran. It has now been revealed that, on the fourth day of the conflict, those strikes targeted a secret underground facility in Tehran that was housing Iran's top leaders at the time. While Israel has neither denied nor confirmed the strikes on the national security council meeting, the country has said that it did try to target Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, during the conflict. Earlier this month, Iran said it has not made any request for talks with the United States, after President Donald Trump said Tehran was seeking negotiations following last month's war with Israel. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'No request for a meeting has been made on our side to the American side,' said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, according to Tasnim news agency. With inputs from agencies
Daily News Egypt
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Iran says no date set for nuclear talks with US, demands ‘seriousness'
Iran has not yet set a time or place for resuming nuclear negotiations with the United States and conditions its return to the table on 'seriousness,' a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday. 'So far, no time or place has been set for the resumption of negotiations,' spokesperson Ismail Baghaei said at a weekly press conference, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency. He added that there were no arrangements for a meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff. When asked about Tehran's conditions for resuming talks, Baghaei said Iran had entered the negotiations with seriousness, but that Israel 'committed a crime against Iran' before the planned sixth round, a reference to the war Israel launched against Iran on June 13. 'Unless we are assured of the usefulness and effectiveness of diplomacy, we will not enter such a path,' Baghaei said. 'We must stress that the dichotomy of negotiating or not negotiating should not turn into a stigma against diplomacy. Diplomacy is an opportunity, and we are not authorised to deprive our country of its right to achieve its national interests. The diplomatic apparatus, just like the armed forces, must serve Iran's national interests,' he added. Araghchi said on Saturday that Iran was considering the 'time, place, form, and necessary guarantees' to resume negotiations with the United States. TALKS WITH EUROPE Regarding negotiations with the European troika of Germany, France, and Britain, Baghaei said: 'We are in contact with them, and we are committed to dialogue with them.' However, he stated that resuming talks with them was 'still under study, and I cannot specify a precise date at present, but we are holding consultations with these three countries.' Baghaei warned that if the European troika resorted to the 'snapback' mechanism to re-impose sanctions, it would mean 'they no longer see a role for themselves in the diplomatic process and the Iranian nuclear file.' He described the mechanism as having 'no legal basis or logical justification.' He also noted that the assessment of the damage to the Fordow nuclear facility from US strikes on June 23 was still ongoing. NO PROPOSALS FROM RUSSIA OR CHINA On the role of Russia, Baghaei said Tehran was in close contact with both Russia and China as parties to the nuclear deal and had 'strategic relations' with both countries. However, he noted that while Moscow and Beijing have always declared their readiness to help with the nuclear file, 'they have not presented any clear proposal so far.' Baghaei denied reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent a letter to Iran suggesting it abandon uranium enrichment. He said there was no such letter and that Russia 'knows that Iranian decisions on the nuclear file are taken independently, and Russia has always respected this decision.'
Gulf Insider
6 days ago
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Putin Shifts Iran Stance? Now Reportedly Supports Zero Enrichment Plan Backed By US
Russian President Vladimir Putin has told President Trump that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, according to US officials who spoke to Axios. However, amid reports saying that the same message has been conveyed to Tehran, Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim denied it, quoting an 'informed source' as saying Putin had not sent any such messages. Russia has long advocated that Iran should have the right to enrich, so Putin signing off on this 'zero enrichment' US plan marks what could be a significant shift, and much tougher position. Presumably a scheme like this would involve an external power like Russia shipping in the enriched product needed for nuclear energy plants. In the wake of the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict, which ended with the US bombing three key Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump has declared as his red line that the Islamic Republic no longer enrich uranium. Moscow, which has long acted as a diplomatic go-between involving Iran and the US, appears to now side with this US position as a way forward: Citing three European officials and one senior Israeli official familiar with the matter, the outlet reported that Moscow has encouraged Tehran to accept the 'zero-enrichment' condition. 'We know that this is what Putin told the Iranians,' a senior Israeli official was quoted as saying. But again, the Iranians appear to be denying this, based on current state media reports. The basic framework of 'deals' Washington has offered the Iranians is said to be that Tehran must abandon any all efforts for highly enriched uranium in return for sanctions relief. 'Putin supports the no-enrichment option. He encouraged the Iranians to move in this direction to facilitate dialogue with the U.S. But Tehran refused even to consider this possibility.' – European official But the Iranians have also been demanding answers to the question of when and how these layers of sanctions will be removed by Washington. Iranian leaders also don't trust the US, given a history of flip-flopping on key agreements like the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal, which Trump pulled out of in 2018, during his first term. Tehran is expected to reject taking enrichment down to zero, considering it sees as a matter of national sovereignty, but may agree to impose limits on enrichment and a monitoring regimen – though it just reportedly kicked UN IAEA inspectors out of the country.
Asharq Al-Awsat
7 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Putin Urges Iran to Take 'Zero Enrichment' Nuclear Deal with US, Axios Reports
Russian President Vladimir Putin has told US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, Axios reported on Saturday, citing sources, Reuters reported. Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim denied the report, quoting an "informed source" as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.
