Latest news with #nuclear deal
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran state media denies reports Russia accepts zero enrichment deal
"Putin would support zero enrichment. He encouraged the Iranians to work towards that in order to make negotiations with the Americans more favorable," a European source told Axios. Iran's Tasnim news, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has denied a Saturday report that Russia has accepted a proposal under which Iran would not enrich uranium. The denial comes as Iran's foreign ministry has also said that trust in the US has dropped 'below zero.' According to a report in Axios on July 12 'Russian President Vladimir Putin has told both US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, sources familiar with those discussions tell Axios.' The report noted that 'Russia has been Iran's main diplomatic backer on the nuclear issue for years. But while Moscow publicly advocates for Iran's right to enrich, Putin has taken a tougher position in private in the wake of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.' However, two hours after the Axios report, Tasnim news headlined its website with a denial. It said an 'informed source' had said the claims about Putin's messaging about 'zero enrichment is false.' The Iranian media said that 'Zionist media' had spread this claim about Putin's message to Iran regarding accepting zero enrichment. "Tehran has not received such a message from Putin in any way." Tasnim went on to say 'Putin's lastmeeting with Iranian officials was with [Iranian Foreign Minister] Araghchi, and such an issue was not raised in that meeting. After that, no messages about zero enrichment were exchanged through communication channels between Russia and Tehran." Clearly Iran's state media and the IRGC are concerned about these reports. They don't want to feel that Russia is weakening Iran's position. Iran has appeared to flip-flop on whether it will rekindle talks with the US. Iran and the US were in talks when Israel began airstrikes on Iran on June 12. Twelve days later, US President Donald Trump secured a ceasefire after joining the strikes. Then Trump hosted Israel's Prime Minister in Washington. Recent reports have suggested Israel could carry out strikes again if Iran continues its move towards a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Ministry has slammed the US. 'According to the Foreign Policy Group of the Tasnim News Agency, Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that the illegal attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran in the middle of the diplomatic process was scandalous and that the enemy could not resist the logic of dialogue and engagement, saying: 'Today, it is clear to everyone that the Islamic Republic is a proponent of dialogue and diplomacy,'' Tasnim reported on July 12. The reports have been receiving a spotlight in the region. Al-Arabiya also reported on the Iranian denials. The report noted that Russia is willing to aid in bringing the US and Iran together in some kind of a discussion, but Lavrov cautioned this was not about mediation. The White House has been increasingly critical of Russia in the last week. Russia's Foreign Minister, according to Al-Arabiya, has also said that Russia possesses the technological capabilities to deplete uranium and is prepared to offer its services to Iran. "President Putin noted that when agreeing on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program, Russia's capabilities to provide services related to the depletion of uranium accumulated in Iran prior to the adoption of this document were taken into account, with the depletion of uranium to the level necessary for energy purposes, for use in nuclear power plants,' Lavrov said. Lavrov added, "Since Iran has not made any commitment to limit its enrichment in the years following the unilateral US withdrawal from the JCPOA, and this is now being discussed, we have indicated that we possess such technological capabilities and are ready to provide them, transferring excess highly enriched uranium to Russia for processing, and returning the energy-enriched uranium to Iran for nuclear power plant.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 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.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Putin ‘tells Iran to accept nuclear deal with no enrichment'
Vladimir Putin has told Iran to accept a US nuclear deal that would ban it from enriching uranium, according to reports. For years, Moscow has been the Islamic republic's most prominent diplomatic ally, consistently backing its right to process radioactive materials. However the Russian president has conveyed both to Iranian leaders and to Donald Trump that he now supports a deal with zero enrichment, the Axios news site reported. A European official told the site: 'Putin would support zero enrichment. He encouraged the Iranians to work towards that in order to make negotiations with the Americans more favourable. The Iranians said they won't consider it.' Putin was also reported to have expressed this position in phone conversations last week with Emmanuel Macron, the French president. Furthermore, Russian officials were reported to have briefed the Israeli government about Putin's stance. A senior Israeli official was quoted as saying: 'We know that this is what Putin told the Iranians.' However, Tasnim, Iran's semi-official news agency, denied the claim, quoting an 'informed source' as saying Putin had not sent any messages to Iran in this regard. Iran has repeatedly said it will not give up enriching uranium, a process used to make fuel for nuclear power plants, but which can also yield material for an atomic warhead. In June, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, said abandoning uranium enrichment was '100 per cent' against the country's interests. Recent Israeli and US air strikes seriously damaged Iran's nuclear infrastructure, and Mr Trump has since made clear that he wants a new nuclear deal with the Islamic republic. In May, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said Iran had to 'walk away' from uranium enrichment, while multiple sources told Axios that zero uranium enrichment on Iranian soil would be a central American demand in any future negotiations. Putin's reported intervention comes after Iranian officials were reportedly disappointed with the Russian response to Tehran's 12-day war with Israel, which involved press statements but little else. The two nations are long-time allies and Iran has provided significant support to Moscow in its war with Ukraine, supplying hundreds of attack drones and surface-to-surface missiles. They also co-operated for almost a decade in an attempt to keep Bashar al-Assad in power in Syria. 'Russia is not as good a friend of dictators as it pretends: Putin often turns his back on his autocratic friends when they need him,' Fabrice Pothier, a former top adviser to the Nato leadership, told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The WSJ reported on Saturday that Mr Trump would not object to Israel carrying out further military strikes on Iran if it resumed attempts to build a nuclear weapon. The US president was said to have told Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, that while he preferred a diplomatic settlement he did not object to Israel attacking the Islamic Republic if it once again tried to build a bomb. Meanwhile, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said on Saturday that his country's co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency 'will take on a new form', following a law suspending ties with the UN watchdog. 'Our co-operation with the agency has not stopped, but will take on a new form,' said Mr Araghchi, adding that requests to monitor nuclear sites would be 'reviewed on a case-by-case basis... taking into account safety and security issues'.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Putin urges Iran to take 'zero enrichment' nuclear deal with US, Axios reports
(Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin has told U.S. 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. 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.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Putin urges Iran to take ‘zero enrichment' nuclear deal with US: Report
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.
