Latest news with #nuclearagreement
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Business
- Russia Today
US terms for nuclear deal ‘out of touch with reality' – Iranian source to RT
The US proposal for a new nuclear agreement with Iran is unacceptable, an Iranian source familiar with the matter told RT. Washington recently outlined its terms in a letter to Iran after five rounds of talks mediated by Oman. 'Iran views the US written elements as extremely far from what could possibly be regarded as a fair and realistic basis for a likely compromise,' the source said. 'Iranians were dismayed to see such a fanciful, one-sided text that is so out of touch with reality,' the source added. The White House said on Sunday that President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, sent 'a detailed and acceptable proposal' to Tehran. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt reiterated Washington's position that 'Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb.' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Islamic Republic would provide a response 'in line with the principles, national interests, and rights of the people of Iran.' Trump earlier insisted on a 'total dismantlement' of Iran's nuclear program, suggesting the country should not be allowed to enrich uranium even for civilian purposes. Araghchi rejected these terms, saying the US must lift all sanctions and 'uphold Iran's nuclear rights, including enrichment.' During his first term in office, Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 UN-backed nuclear deal, accusing Iran of secretly violating it. He then reimposed sanctions as part of his 'maximum pressure' campaign. Tehran denied breaching the 2015 deal at the time but has since increased uranium enrichment.
LBCI
3 days ago
- Business
- LBCI
Saudi warns Iran to reach nuclear deal with Trump or risk Israeli strike
Saudi Arabia's defense minister delivered a blunt message to Iranian officials in Tehran last month: take President Donald Trump's offer to negotiate a nuclear agreement seriously because it presents a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel. Alarmed at the prospect of further instability in the region, Saudi Arabia's 89-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz dispatched his son, Prince Khalid bin Salman, with a warning intended for Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to two Gulf sources close to government circles and two Iranian officials. Present at the closed-door meeting in Tehran, which took place on April 17 in the presidential compound, were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the sources said. While the media covered the 37-year-old prince's visit, the content of King Salman's covert message has not been previously reported. Prince Khalid, who was Saudi ambassador to Washington during Trump's first term, warned Iranian officials that the U.S. leader has little patience for drawn-out negotiations, according to the four sources. Trump had unexpectedly announced just over a week earlier that direct talks were taking place with Tehran, aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. He did so in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had traveled to Washington hoping instead to win support for attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. In Tehran, Prince Khalid told the group of senior Iranian officials that Trump's team would want to reach a deal quickly, and the window for diplomacy would close fast, according to the four sources. The Saudi minister said it would be better to reach a deal with the U.S. than face the possibility of an Israeli attack if the talks broke down, according to the two Gulf sources. He argued that the region, already riven by recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, could not withstand a further escalation in tensions, according to the two Gulf sources and one senior foreign diplomat familiar with the discussions. Authorities in Saudi Arabia and Iran did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Saudi warned Iran to reach nuclear deal with Trump or risk Israeli strike
(Inserts missing word in paragraph 2) By Samia Nakhoul, Parisa Hafezi DUBAI (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia's defence minister delivered a blunt message to Iranian officials in Tehran last month: take President Donald Trump's offer to negotiate a nuclear agreement seriously because it presents a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel. Alarmed at the prospect of further instability in the region, Saudi Arabia's 89-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz dispatched his son, Prince Khalid bin Salman, with the warning destined for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to two Gulf sources close to government circles and two Iranian officials. Present at the closed-door meeting in Tehran, which took place on April 17 in the presidential compound, were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the sources said. While media covered the 37-year-old prince's visit, the content of the King Salman's covert message has not been previously reported. Prince Khalid, who was Saudi ambassador to Washington during Trump's first term, warned Iranian officials that the U.S. leader has little patience for drawn-out negotiations, according to the four sources. Trump had unexpectedly announced just over a week earlier that direct talks were taking place with Tehran, aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. He did so in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had travelled to Washington hoping instead to win support for attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. In Tehran, Prince Khalid told the group of senior Iranian officials that Trump's team would want to reach a deal quickly, and the window for diplomacy would close fast, according to the four sources. The Saudi minister said it would be better to reach a deal with the U.S. than face the possibility of an Israeli attack if the talks broke down, according to the two Gulf sources. He argued that the region - already riven by recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon - could not withstand a further escalation in tensions, said the two Gulf sources and one senior foreign diplomat familiar with the discussions. Authorities in Saudi Arabia and Iran did not respond to requests for comment. The visit by Prince Khalid - the younger brother of Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman - was the first by a senior member of the Saudi royal family to Iran in more than two decades. Riyadh and Tehran had long been bitter rivals, often backing opposing sides in proxy wars, until a rapprochement brokered by China in 2023 helped to ease the tensions and restored diplomatic ties. Over the past two years, Iran's regional position has been undermined by heavy military blows inflicted by Israel on its allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and toppling of its close ally, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Western sanctions, meanwhile, have hit its oil-dependent economy hard. Mohanad Hage Ali, an expert on Iran at the Carnegie Middle East Center think tank in Beirut, said that Tehran's weakness had offered Saudi Arabia the opportunity to exert its diplomatic influence, seeking to avoid a regional conflagration. "They want to avoid war because war and confrontation with Iran will have negative implications on them and their economic vision and ambitions," he told Reuters. IRAN WANTS A DEAL Reuters was unable to determine the impact of the prince's message on Iran's leadership. In the meeting, Pezeshkian responded that Iran wanted a deal to ease economic pressure through the lifting of Western sanctions, the four sources said. However, the Iranian officials, the sources added, expressed concerns over the Trump administration's "unpredictable" approach to negotiations — which have veered from allowing limited uranium enrichment to demanding the complete dismantling of Tehran's enrichment program. Trump also has threatened to use military force if diplomacy fails to rein in the clerical establishment's nuclear ambitions. One of the Iranian sources said that Pezeshkian emphasized Tehran's eagerness to reach a deal but that Iran was not willing to sacrifice its enrichment program just because Trump wanted an agreement. The ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran have already been through five rounds to resolve the decades-long nuclear dispute, but multiple stumbling blocks remain, including the key issue of enrichment. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Iran might pause uranium enrichment if the U.S. releases its frozen funds and recognises its right to refine uranium for civilian use under a "political deal" that could lead to a broader nuclear accord, according to two Iranian sources familiar with the talks. The semi-official Fars news agency in Iran quoted a foreign ministry spokesman denying the report. The White House did not directly address Reuters' questions about whether it was aware of the Saudi warning to Iran. "President Trump has made it clear: make a deal, or face grave consequences, and the whole world is clearly taking him seriously, as they should," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Trump said on Wednesday he warned Netanyahu last week not to take any actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran, and said the two sides were "very close to a solution now". Israeli authorities did not respond to a request for comment. HIGH STAKES A four-day visit by Trump to the Gulf this month annointed Saudi Arabia as the most prominent member of a new axis of Sunni states in the Middle East, filling the void left by Iran's shattered alliance. During the trip, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman mediated a reconciliation between Trump and Syria's new Sunni leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Tehran's regional sway, meanwhile, has been diminished by military setbacks suffered by Iran and its allies in the Shi'ite-dominated Axis of Resistance, which include Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iraqi militias In the meeting, Prince Khalid urged Iran to rethink its regional policy, noting such a shift would be welcomed, especially by Riyadh, the sources said. Although he stopped short of directly blaming Iran, the Saudi minister voiced concern over a possible repeat of the 2019 drone attacks on the facilities of state oil company Aramco - attacks the kingdom attributed to Iran and its Houthi allies, despite Tehran's denial. Iranian officials maintained that while Tehran holds some influence over the Houthis, it does not fully control their actions, the Iranian sources said. Decades of hostility between the Shi'ite Iran and Saudi Arabia destabilised the Gulf and fuelled regional conflicts from Yemen to Syria. The 2023 detente was driven in part by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed's economic ambitions and desire for stability, and has led to increased contacts between the governments. However, neither Saudi Arabia nor other regional powers see Iran as a dependable partner for peace and they fear its actions could jeopardize their ambitions for economic development, diplomats and regional experts say. Prince Khalid implored the Iranians to avoid actions by them and their allies that might provoke Washington, stressing that Trump's response would likely be more strident than his predecessors, presidents Joe Biden and Barak Obama. In turn, he assured Tehran that Riyadh would not let its territory or airspace to be used by the United States or Israel for any potential military action against Iran, the sources said.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Exclusive: Saudi warned Iran to reach nuclear deal with Trump or risk Israeli strike
DUBAI, May 30 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's defence minister delivered a blunt message to Iranian officials in Tehran last month: take President Donald Trump's offer to negotiate a nuclear agreement seriously because it presents a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel. Alarmed at the prospect of further instability in the region, Saudi Arabia's 89-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz dispatched his son, Prince Khalid bin Salman, with the warning destined for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to two Gulf sources close to government circles and two Iranian officials. Present at the closed-door meeting in Tehran, which took place on April 17 in the presidential compound, were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the sources said. While media covered the 37-year-old prince's visit, the content of the King Salman's covert message has not been previously reported. Prince Khalid, who was Saudi ambassador to Washington during Trump's first term, warned Iranian officials that the U.S. leader has little patience for drawn-out negotiations, according to the four sources. Trump had unexpectedly announced just over a week earlier that direct talks were taking place with Tehran, aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. He did so in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had travelled to Washington hoping instead to win support for attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. In Tehran, Prince Khalid told the group of senior Iranian officials that Trump's team would want to reach a deal quickly, and the window for diplomacy would close fast, according to the four sources. The Saudi minister said it would be better to reach a deal with the U.S. than face the possibility of an Israeli attack if the talks broke down, according to the two Gulf sources. He argued that the region - already riven by recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon - could not withstand a further escalation in tensions, said the two Gulf sources and one senior foreign diplomat familiar with the discussions. Authorities in Saudi Arabia and Iran did not respond to requests for comment. The visit by Prince Khalid - the younger brother of Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman - was the first by a senior member of the Saudi royal family to Iran in more than two decades. Riyadh and Tehran had long been bitter rivals, often backing opposing sides in proxy wars, until a rapprochement brokered by China in 2023 helped to ease the tensions and restored diplomatic ties. Over the past two years, Iran's regional position has been undermined by heavy military blows inflicted by Israel on its allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and toppling of its close ally, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Western sanctions, meanwhile, have hit its oil-dependent economy hard. Mohanad Hage Ali, an expert on Iran at the Carnegie Middle East Center think tank in Beirut, said that Tehran's weakness had offered Saudi Arabia the opportunity to exert its diplomatic influence, seeking to avoid a regional conflagration. "They want to avoid war because war and confrontation with Iran will have negative implications on them and their economic vision and ambitions," he told Reuters. Reuters was unable to determine the impact of the prince's message on Iran's leadership. In the meeting, Pezeshkian responded that Iran wanted a deal to ease economic pressure through the lifting of Western sanctions, the four sources said. However, the Iranian officials, the sources added, expressed concerns over the Trump administration's "unpredictable" approach to negotiations — which have veered from allowing limited uranium enrichment to demanding the complete dismantling of Tehran's enrichment program. Trump also has threatened to use military force if diplomacy fails to rein in the clerical establishment's nuclear ambitions. One of the Iranian sources said that Pezeshkian emphasized Tehran's eagerness to reach a deal but that Iran was not willing to sacrifice its enrichment program just because Trump wanted an agreement. The ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran have already been through five rounds to resolve the decades-long nuclear dispute, but multiple stumbling blocks remain, including the key issue of enrichment. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Iran might pause uranium enrichment if the U.S. releases its frozen funds and recognises its right to refine uranium for civilian use under a "political deal" that could lead to a broader nuclear accord, according to two Iranian sources familiar with the talks. The semi-official Fars news agency in Iran quoted a foreign ministry spokesman denying the report. The White House did not directly address Reuters' questions about whether it was aware of the Saudi warning to Iran. "President Trump has made it clear: make a deal, or face grave consequences, and the whole world is clearly taking him seriously, as they should," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Trump said on Wednesday he warned Netanyahu last week not to take any actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran, and said the two sides were "very close to a solution now". Israeli authorities did not respond to a request for comment. A four-day visit by Trump to the Gulf this month annointed Saudi Arabia as the most prominent member of a new axis of Sunni states in the Middle East, filling the void left by Iran's shattered alliance. During the trip, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman mediated a reconciliation between Trump and Syria's new Sunni leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Tehran's regional sway, meanwhile, has been diminished by military setbacks suffered by Iran and its allies in the Shi'ite-dominated Axis of Resistance, which include Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iraqi militias In the meeting, Prince Khalid urged Iran to rethink its regional policy, noting such a shift would be welcomed, especially by Riyadh, the sources said. Although he stopped short of directly blaming Iran, the Saudi minister voiced concern over a possible repeat of the 2019 drone attacks on the facilities of state oil company Aramco - attacks the kingdom attributed to Iran and its Houthi allies, despite Tehran's denial. Iranian officials maintained that while Tehran holds some influence over the Houthis, it does not fully control their actions, the Iranian sources said. Decades of hostility between the Shi'ite Iran and Saudi Arabia destabilised the Gulf and fuelled regional conflicts from Yemen to Syria. The 2023 detente was driven in part by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed's economic ambitions and desire for stability, and has led to increased contacts between the governments. However, neither Saudi Arabia nor other regional powers see Iran as a dependable partner for peace and they fear its actions could jeopardize their ambitions for economic development, diplomats and regional experts say. Prince Khalid implored the Iranians to avoid actions by them and their allies that might provoke Washington, stressing that Trump's response would likely be more strident than his predecessors, presidents Joe Biden and Barak Obama. In turn, he assured Tehran that Riyadh would not let its territory or airspace to be used by the United States or Israel for any potential military action against Iran, the sources said.
The National
6 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Abbas Araghchi: Firefighter diplomat navigating Iran's political grey zone
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, seemingly never goes anywhere alone. In the wood-panelled corridors and rooms of a Foreign Ministry think tank in Tehran, he is permanently surrounded by aides, in a never-ending cycle of handshakes with foreign officials. A dapper figure in a well-cut suit with salt-and-pepper hair, Mr Araghchi is now leading Iran's delegation in talks with the US. If – and it still is an if – the two sides reach an agreement, Washington could lift sanctions on Tehran in exchange for limitations on its nuclear programme. But this is not his first time in the negotiating seat: he was an architect of the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA, which US President Donald Trump abandoned in his first term. Mr Araghchi does not have an easy job. Talks have stumbled over the US's demand for zero uranium enrichment under any potential agreement, while Iran believes that it must retain the right to do so, with possible limitations. Iran is also trying to negotiate with European countries to prevent the re-imposition of UN sanctions that could take place in October, amid what Tehran sees as more extreme positions in the West influenced by Iran hawks. Trump administration officials, including Washington's senior nuclear negotiator, Steve Witkoff, have relatively little experience with such files. 'He [Araghchi] is a firefighter, actually, now,' Sasan Karimi, a former deputy vice-president for strategic affairs in the Iranian government, and a director at Nuclear Watch Network, a Tehran-based think tank, told The National. Born into a wealthy carpet trading family in Tehran in 1962, Mr Araghchi served as a volunteer fighter in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. It was a conflict that is rarely discussed in the West but one that shaped the lives of millions of Iraqis and Iranians, including Mr Araghchi. "In the war, he had experience with being in the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], and also got to know the behaviour and morals of a military environment,' a Tehran-based political researcher told The National. 'Then he also got to know a diplomatic environment.' A decade later, he studied at Kent University in the UK, where he obtained a doctoral degree in Islamic political thought. He then rose through the ranks of Iran's Foreign Ministry, and served as ambassador to Japan and Finland before becoming deputy foreign minister. After hardliner Ebrahim Raisi was elected as president and Hossein Amirabdollahian became foreign minister, Mr Araghchi joined the Strategic Council for Foreign Relations, a body that advises supreme leader Ali Khamenei. When Mr Raisi and Mr Amirabdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash last year, and Masoud Pezeshkian became president, Mr Araghchi returned as foreign minister. Both to those familiar with his thinking, and publicly, Mr Araghchi is attempting to balance powers – both within Iran and globally. 'Our foreign policy is anchored in balance, realism and constructive pragmatism,' Mr Araghchi said in a speech at the Tehran Dialogue Forum, a recent conference hosted by the Foreign Ministry's Institute for Political and International Studies. With Mr Pezeshkian's professional history dominated by domestic affairs, Mr Araghchi has room to work directly with Mr Khamenei on shaping Iran's foreign policy. A competent English speaker and familiar with the entire previous nuclear deal, he is well-placed to represent the country internationally, observers say. He is seeking to improve relations with both global powers and Middle Eastern neighbours, they add. 'In my opinion, Dr Araghchi's view is one of balancing the axes,' a Tehran-based researcher said, asking not to be named. While the US has presented the ongoing nuclear talks as an opportunity for Iran, observers in Tehran say that the current political make-up of Iran's government, including a seasoned Foreign Minister with negotiating experience, is a chance that the West should embrace, too. 'I think this is a golden window that this happens before this government [in Iran] comes to an end,' the researcher added. Within Iran, Iranian observers say Mr Araghchi's professional and personal background has enabled him to weigh the demands of the country's multitude of political factions. 'From a political point of view, Araghchi is not a reformist,' Mr Karimi said, referring to a broad faction of Iran's official politics which campaigns for a more open political system. Mr Araghchi's first wife was from a family involved in a prominent Islamist party, Motalefeh. But his time negotiating the first nuclear deal shaped his politics, too, Mr Karimi believes. 'My feeling is that during JCPOA negotiations, he became more and more moderate and less conservative,' he said. Still, his exposure to many different political currents has enabled him to appeal to a relatively broad base. His incremental, deliberate style has also helped him, observers say, to appeal to what Mr Karimi calls the 'grey zone' of those who sit between more liberal factions and radical hardliners in Iran's political spectrum. 'People are optimistic about him,' he said. 'Because he could manage the negotiations with less noise, and gather all the forces to support him, and make the radical noises quieter.'
