Latest news with #nuclearprogram
Associated Press
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
AP PHOTOS: Life in Iran's capital, Tehran, as high-stakes nuclear negotiations with the US go on
People walk past a state-sponsored anti-U.S. mural painted on the wall of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — As I prepared to take a photograph of an anti-American mural outside of the former U.S. Embassy in Iran's capital recently, a passerby called out to me. 'Take any picture you like, they'll remove all of them later,' the man said. It was a telling moment as the murals have long been a feature of the U.S. Embassy compound, which has been held and run by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a cultural center since the 1979 student-led hostage crisis there destroyed ties between Iran and the United States. Today, Iran is talking to America about a possible diplomatic deal over its nuclear program and the idea of ties between the West and the outside world again seems possible, though difficult. Motorbikes drive past a cyclist statue on a highway in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Women eat pizza in the outdoor area of a restaurant in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Carpet sellers adjust carpets in their shop in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) A street musician plays the Daf, a hand-held Persian drum, on a sidewalk in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) A fruit and vegetable vendor waits for customers in Tajrish traditional bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Two women share a laugh as they walk on the sidewalk in northern Tehran, Iran, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) A street musician plays music on a sidewalk in northern Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Branches complete the hair of a painting on a wall of Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) A dog sits in the back seat of a car in northern Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) A woman stands with her dog, Lucifer, on a sidewalk in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) A street vendor displays her puppet on a sidewalk in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Decorative lights glow beside cars parked along the roadside at the eastern entrance of Tehran, as people enjoy the evening in Iran, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) A vendor adjusts fruits on his stand on the roadside of eastern entrance of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) A woman prays at the courtyard of Imam mosque at Tehran's old main bazaar, Iran, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Iranian women drink coffee on the sidewalk in northern Tehran, Iran, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) A carpet seller stands at his shop at Tehran's old main bazaar, Iran, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) The thing about taking pictures and working as a photojournalist in Tehran, my hometown, is that Iranians will come up to you in the street and tell you what they think. And sometimes, even when they won't say something out loud, I'll see it in the images I capture. That's particularly true with the gradual change we have seen in how women dress, whether in ancient corridors of Tehran's Grand Bazaar or in the tony streets of northern Tehran. Women are forgoing the mandatory hijab , or headscarf, even as hard-liners try to pressure a renewed enforcement of the law against what they call the 'Western Cultural Invasion.' The government of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has meanwhile been urging restraint by police and others over the hijab. There are enough problems right now in Iran is their thought, particularly as Iran's economy remains in dire straits. U.S. sanctions have decimated it. Iran's rial currency has plummeted in recent years. That economic hardship has made people more distrustful of the country's theocracy. And so people continue their daily lives in Tehran as they wait for any news after five rounds of talks so far between Iran and the U.S. You can see it in my photos. A carpet-seller waits to sell his wares in a darkened bazaar corner. Women without hijabs smoke shisha, or water-pipe tobacco. Another woman, wearing an all-black, all-encompassing chador, prays in a mosque's courtyard. It can all appear contradictory, but that's life here. Tehran, home to some 10 million people, is the ever-growing beating heart of Iran. And as it awaits the results of the negotiations, it can feel like it is skipping beats in anticipation. ___ See more AP photography at
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Khamenei dismisses US nuclear proposal, and says Iran will keep enriching uranium
Iran 's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that abandoning uranium enrichment was '100 per cent' against the country's interests, rejecting a central US demand in talks to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The US proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Oman, which has mediated talks between Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi and US president Donald Trump 's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. After five rounds of talks, several hard-to-bridge issues remain, including Iran's insistence on maintaining uranium enrichment on its soil and refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium – possible raw material for nuclear bombs. The Ayatollah, who has the final say on all matters of state, said nothing about halting the talks, but said the US proposal 'contradicts our nation's belief in self-reliance and the principle of 'We Can''. READ MORE [ Trump tells Iran sanctions will remain until it ends nuclear programme Opens in new window ] 'Uranium enrichment is the key to our nuclear programme and the enemies have focused on the enrichment,' he said during a televised speech marking the anniversary of the death of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. 'The proposal that the Americans have presented is 100 per cent against our interests ... The rude and arrogant leaders of United States repeatedly demand that we should not have a nuclear programme. Who are you to decide whether Iran should have enrichment?' Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by western powers that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Reuters reported on Monday that Tehran was poised to reject the US proposal as a 'non-starter' that failed to soften Washington's stance on uranium enrichment or to address Tehran's interests. Mr Trump has revived his 'maximum pressure' campaign against Tehran since his return to the White House in January, which included tightening sanctions and threatening to bomb Iran if the negotiations yield no deal. [ Iran has increased stockpile of highly enriched uranium, watchdog reveals Opens in new window ] The US president wants to curtail Tehran's potential to produce a nuclear weapon that could trigger a regional nuclear arms race and perhaps threaten Israel. Iran's clerical establishment, for its part, wants to be rid of devastating sanctions. During his first term, Mr Trump abandoned Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. Iran responded by escalating enrichment far beyond the pact's limits. Iran's clerical establishment is grappling with multiple crises – energy and water shortages, a plunging currency, losses among regional militia proxies in conflicts with Israel, and rising fears of an Israeli strike on its nuclear sites – all intensified by Mr Trump's hardline stance. Israel, which sees Tehran's nuclear programme as an existential threat, has repeatedly threatened to bomb nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Tehran has vowed a harsh response. – Reuters
Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Iran's Khamenei says abandoning uranium enrichment is against Tehran's interests
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that abandoning uranium enrichment was '100%' against the country's interests, rejecting a central U.S. demand in talks to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The U.S. proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Oman, which has mediated talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. After five rounds of talks, several hard-to-bridge issues remain, including Iran's insistence on maintaining uranium enrichment on its soil and Tehran's refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium – possible raw material for nuclear bombs. Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state, said nothing about halting the talks, but said the U.S. proposal 'contradicts our nation's belief in self-reliance and the principle of 'We Can.'' Opinion: With instability on the rise, more countries could turn to nuclear weapons 'Uranium enrichment is the key to our nuclear program and the enemies have focused on the enrichment,' Khamenei said during a televised speech marking the anniversary of the death of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. 'The proposal that the Americans have presented is 100% against our interests ... The rude and arrogant leaders of America repeatedly demand that we should not have a nuclear program. Who are you to decide whether Iran should have enrichment?,' he added. Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by Western powers that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Reuters reported on Monday that Tehran was poised to reject the U.S. proposal as a 'non-starter' that failed to soften Washington's stance on uranium enrichment or to address Tehran's interests. Trump has revived his 'maximum pressure' campaign against Tehran since his return to the White House in January, which included tightening sanctions and threatening to bomb Iran if the negotiations yield no deal. Trump wants to curtail Tehran's potential to produce a nuclear weapon that could trigger a regional nuclear arms race and perhaps threaten Israel. Iran's clerical establishment, for its part, wants to be rid of devastating sanctions. During his first term, Trump ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. Iran responded by escalating enrichment far beyond the pact's limits. Iran's clerical establishment is grappling with multiple crises – energy and water shortages, a plunging currency, losses among regional militia proxies in conflicts with Israel, and rising fears of an Israeli strike on its nuclear sites – all intensified by Trump's hardline stance. Iran's arch-foe Israel, which sees Tehran's nuclear program as an existential threat, has repeatedly threatened to bomb the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Tehran has vowed a harsh response.
LBCI
a day ago
- General
- LBCI
Iran's Khamenei says US 'cannot have a say' on uranium enrichment
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Wednesday that the United States "cannot have a say" on Tehran's uranium enrichment in its nuclear program. "Why are you interfering in whether Iran should have enrichment or not? You cannot have a say," said Khamenei, referring to the United States in a speech aired on state television. AFP
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran's Khamenei Criticizes US Proposal in Nuclear Talks but Doesn't Reject the Idea of a Deal
Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday criticized an initial proposal from the United States in negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program, though he stopped short of entirely rejecting the idea of agreement with Washington. The remarks by Ali Khamenei colored in the red line expressed over recent days — one that says Tehran refuses to give up enriching uranium in any possible deal with the US. That demand has been repeatedly made by American officials, including President Donald Trump, though it remains unclear just how much US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff brought it up in his initial proposal to Iran. But what Khamenei did not say in his speech matters as well. He didn't reject the talks, which Iran views as crucial for its economy to lift some the crushing economic sanctions it faces. Khamenei also did not insist on any specific level of nuclear enrichment. Iran now enriches uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who has led the talks with Witkoff, said Tehran soon will offer its response to the US Khamenei's speech Wednesday at the mausoleum of Khomeini may serve as a preview. 'If we had 100 nuclear power plants while not having enrichment, they are not usable for us,' Khamenei said. 'If we do not have enrichment, then we should extend our hand (begging) to the US.' Khamenei touched on previous remarks The 86-year-old Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state in Iran, often balances his remarks over the demands of reformists within the country who want the talks against hard-line elements within Iran's theocracy, including the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Late in August, Khamenei in a speech opened the door to possible talks with the US, saying there is 'no harm' in engaging with the 'enemy.' The supreme leader later tempered that, saying that negotiations with America 'are not intelligent, wise or honorable,' after Trump floated nuclear talks with Tehran. Khamenei's speech on Wednesday, marking the anniversary of Khomeini's death, offered an opportunity to discuss Witkoff's proposal. He described it as '100% against the idea of 'we can,'' borrowing from an Iranian government slogan. He described the US as having long sought the dismantling of Iran's entire nuclear industry. 'The impolite and insolent American leaders keep repeating this demand with different wordings," Khamenei said. He added, using a slogan he's said before: 'Those currently in power, Zionist or American, should be aware that they can't do a damn thing about this." Some nuclear power nations do get uranium from outside suppliers, however. Experts long have viewed Iran as using its nuclear program as a chip in negotiations with the West to get sanctions relief. The details of the American proposal remain unclear after five rounds of talks between Iran and the US. A report by the news website Axios on the American proposal, the details of which a US official separately confirmed, include a possible nuclear consortium that would enrich uranium for Iran and surrounding nations. Whether Iran would have to entirely give up its enrichment program remains unclear, as Axios reported that Iran would be able to enrich uranium up to 3% purity for some time. A failure to get a deal could see tensions further spike in a Middle East already on edge over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Iran's long-ailing economy could enter a free fall that could worsen the simmering unrest at home. Israel or the US might carry out long-threatened airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. And Tehran may decide to fully end its cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog and rush toward a bomb.
