Latest news with #nuclearTalks
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Amb. Hale: Maximize Pressure While Iran is Weakest
David Hale, former US Ambassador to Lebanon and Jordan, discusses progress made in nuclear talks between the US and Iran. Hale says he's "skeptical" a deal can be reached because the US rushed into the negotiations, giving Iran "a breathe of fresh air" to delay the process. He speaks with Kailey Leinz and Joe Mathieu on the late edition of Bloomberg's "Balance of Power." (Source: Bloomberg)
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Iran president in Oman as US nuclear talks progress
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday began a two-day visit to Oman, which is mediating ongoing nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. Pezeshkian traveled Muscat looking to promote 'peace and stability,' he said, two days after US President Donald Trump described the latest negotiations as 'very, very good.' 'We hope to engage in dialogue to reach a shared perspective and a common voice on promoting peace and stability in the region,' Pezeshkian said in a televised speech before departure. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed on Monday that the visit would address the ongoing nuclear talks. Oman, Iran's neighbor across a narrow strip of sea, has since April facilitated five rounds of talks between Tehran and Washington, which do not have diplomatic relations. Although the latest meetings in Rome on Friday ended without tangible progress, they were warmly received by Trump. 'I think we could have some good news on the Iran front,' the US president said, adding that an announcement could come 'over the next two days.' The US is seeking to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons -- which Tehran denies seeking -- as the Iranians seek relief from crippling sanctions. The talks are the highest-level contact between the countries since the US quit a previous nuclear accord during Trump's first term. Ahead of Pezeshkian's visit, Iran's central bank governor Mohammadreza Farzin arrived in Oman on Monday to discuss 'monetary and banking cooperation' and commercial exchanges, according to Iranian media.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Trump Says He Told Israel's Netanyahu Not to Act Against Iran
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week not to take actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran. "I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution now," Trump told reporters. "That could change at any moment."
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Netanyahu calls NYT report on Iran strike plans ‘fake news'
Israel has dismissed a report in the New York Times claiming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to disrupt nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran by attacking Iran's nuclear facilities, calling it 'fake news.' The article, published on Wednesday, cited unnamed officials who said Israeli leaders fear that US President Donald Trump might permit Iran to retain its nuclear enrichment capabilities – which Israel strongly opposes. The report also suggests that US intelligence believes Israel could launch a strike on Iran with as little as seven hours' notice, even if a diplomatic agreement is reached. Netanyahu's office responded to the article with a brief statement: 'Fake news.' According to the article, Israeli officials, including Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Mossad head David Barnea, met with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, among other officials, to express concerns over the negotiations. The ongoing US-Iran talks aim to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, while lifting the sanctions Trump imposed in 2018, which he claims left Iran's economy on the brink of collapse. A major sticking point is Washington's demand for Iran to abandon its enrichment facilities, which Tehran refuses to do. The US and its allies have expressed concern about Iran's enrichment activities, which they fear could provide the country with a head start to quickly produce weapons-grade uranium. On Monday, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem spoke to Netanyahu about the need for unity and patience in the negotiation process, saying Trump asked her to convey 'how important it is that we stay united and let this process play out.' Israel is not a participant in the negotiations between the US and Iran. Despite the belligerent rhetoric, the US and Iran have held several rounds of talks in Oman which both sides have described as constructive. Witkoff noted, however, that while Washington seeks a diplomatic solution, it has a 'very, very clear red line' of not 'even 1% of an enrichment capability.' Iran currently enriches uranium to 60%, well above the 3.67% cap in the defunct 2015 nuclear deal and near weapons-grade levels. Tehran insists that its program is peaceful despite warnings from the US and Israel of an imminent nuclear breakthrough. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently called US demands to dismantle Iran's nuclear facilities 'unrealistic' and vowed that enrichment would continue with or without a deal.
Jordan Times
7 days ago
- 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".
