Latest news with #nuclearProgram
Al Bawaba
26-05-2025
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif visits Iran after Turkey trip
ALBAWABA- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Tehran on Monday, just a day after concluding his visit to Turkey, where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Also Read Indians call for Turkey tourism boycott amid India-Pakistan war He held a joint press conference in Tehran with Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, reinforcing Pakistan's commitment to regional peace and deepening Pakistan-Iran relations. President of Iran Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian and Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif giving joint press statement, after delegation level talks, at Sa'dabad Palace in Tehran.#PMShehbazInIran 🇵🇰🇮🇷 — Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) May 26, 2025 Describing Iran as his "second home," PM Shehbaz thanked Tehran for its support during the recent escalation between Pakistan and India. He reiterated Pakistan's backing of Iran's peaceful nuclear program and emphasized the countries' 'deep-rooted cultural and historical ties.' Both leaders pledged to enhance cooperation across various sectors. 'The decision to strengthen these relations through broader cooperation marks a new chapter in Pakistan-Iran ties,' Shehbaz said. He also acknowledged President Pezeshkian's diplomatic engagement during the South Asia tensions, praising Iran's concern for Pakistan's security. Touching on the conflict with India, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan's preference for peace but defended the country's right to respond decisively when provoked. 'Pakistan seeks peace and wants a resolution of all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, in line with UN resolutions,' he noted. President Pezeshkian welcomed the recent Pakistan-India ceasefire and urged both nations to continue dialogue. He also condemned Israeli actions in Gaza and criticized Western silence, calling it 'morally indefensible.' Also Read Iran won't stop uranium enrichment to reach agreement with US As members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), both Iran and Pakistan, he said, are united in denouncing the atrocities in Gaza. The Prime Minister's visit to Iran and Turkey follows heightened tensions with India, including the downing of five Indian fighter jets by Pakistan and retaliatory strikes after cross-border escalations. His diplomatic tour is seen as an effort to consolidate regional alliances amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
President Donald Trump hints at an announcement in the 'next two days' on Iran nuclear talks
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday indicated there was progress with Iran on its nuclear program and hinted that an announcement could come in the 'next two days.' He was notably more upbeat than the Omani mediator of the talks between the United States and Iran, who said Friday that the two nations made 'some but not conclusive' progress in the fifth round of negotiations in Rome. 'We've had some very, very good talks with Iran,' Trump told reporters in northern New Jersey after leaving his golf club, where he spent most of the weekend. 'And I don't know if I'll be telling you anything good or bad over the next two days, but I have a feeling I might be telling you something good." He emphasized that 'we've had some real progress, serious progress" in talks that took place on Saturday and Sunday. 'Let's see what happens, but I think we could have some good news on the Iran front,' Trump said. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Michael Anton, the State Department's policy planning director, represented the U.S. at the talks at the Omani Embassy in Rome. The two countries are discussing how to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting some economic sanctions that the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic Republic.
Jordan Times
24-05-2025
- Business
- Jordan Times
Iran-US nuclear talks: key points of contention
Vehicles of delegations leave the Omani embassy after a fifth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, in Rome on Friday (AFP photo) TEHRAN — Long-time adversaries Iran and the United States held a fifth round of Oman-mediated nuclear talks on Friday in Rome, but with no breakthrough reported. However, both sides still described the meeting as constructive and expressed a willingness to continue the discussions. Here are some of the main obstacles seen to be hampering progress: Enrichment Iran's enrichment of uranium remains the main sticking point. The United States and Western countries suspect Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but Iran denies having such ambitions. It insists that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful civilian purposes. American officials including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who has led Washington's delegation at the talks, have spoken out against Iran's enrichment programme. Witkoff said before the talks that Washington "cannot allow even one percent of enrichment capacity" for Iran. Tehran has called its enrichment "non-negotiable", arguing that such a demand prevents a deal. "Zero nuclear weapons = we DO have a deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal," Iran's top negotiator and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X. Experts say the fifth round of talks saw a collision of red lines. "This round was uniquely sensitive, marked by the collision of seemingly irreconcilable public red lines over uranium enrichment," Sina Toossi from the Center for International Policy told AFP. Iran remains the only non-nuclear state enriching uranium to 60 percent, well above the 3.67 percent limit set under its 2015 accord with Western powers, but below the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade material. The 2015 deal was torpedoed in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term when he unilaterally withdrew the United States from the accord. 'Contradictory positions' Iran wants the talks to remain strictly focused on its nuclear programme and lifting US sanctions, a stance it has held since April 12 when the first round was held in Oman. Tehran has criticised what it calls "irrational" demands by Washington and inconsistent signals from US officials. Araghchi warned that such "contradictory positions", if they persist, "will complicate the talks". Before the negotiations began, some analysts suggested the United States might seek a broader deal that also addressed Iran's ballistic missile programme. They believed the talks might touch on Tehran's support for the "axis of resistance", the network of anti-Israel armed groups that includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and Yemen's Huthi rebels. On April 27, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Washington to block not only Iran's enrichment of uranium but also its missile development under any possible deal. Iran opposes non-nuclear issues being discussed in the talks, citing its sovereign rights and defence needs. Sanctions Even with diplomacy under way, the United States has imposed new sanctions on Iran. Tehran denounces what it calls Washington's "hostile approach", noting that new sanctions were imposed just ahead of negotiations taking place. On Wednesday, Washington sanctioned Iran's construction sector, citing its potential links to nuclear, military or missile activities. "These sanctions ... further put to question the American willingness & seriousness for diplomacy," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei posted on X. In late April, before the third round of talks, Washington also slapped sanctions on Iran's oil and gas sector. Military option The Iran-US talks, their highest-level contacts since Washington quit the 2015 nuclear accord, came after Trump wrote to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei in March. Trump urged Tehran to reach a deal diplomatically, but also warned of military action if talks fail. Iran has issued warnings of its own. On Friday, armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri warned that "any US misstep in the region will end like Vietnam and Afghanistan". His remarks came after CNN, citing US officials, reported on Tuesday that Israel was preparing to attack Iranian nuclear sites. "We believe that in the event of any attack on the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Zionist regime, the US government will also be involved and bear legal responsibility," Araghchi said in a letter to the United Nations published on Thursday. According to the US outlet Axios, Witkoff met Israeli officials shortly before Friday's Rome talks. Ultra-conservative Iranian daily Kayhan wrote on Saturday that "coordination between Trump and Netanyahu is leading the negotiations towards deadlock".
CNN
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
‘It's going to fail': Iranians speak to CNN ahead of US-Iran talks
Iran has said it will attend a fifth round of nuclear talks with the United States in Rome on Friday. The talks are aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran ahead of the talks, and spoke to locals about what they hope they will achieve.
CNN
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
‘It's going to fail': Iranians speak to CNN ahead of US-Iran talks
Iran has said it will attend a fifth round of nuclear talks with the United States in Rome on Friday. The talks are aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran ahead of the talks, and spoke to locals about what they hope they will achieve.
