Latest news with #then-Iranian
Shafaq News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iran condemns US plan to rename Persian Gulf: A hostile step
Shafaq News/ Iranian officials have strongly criticized reports that US President Donald Trump plans to officially adopt the term "Arabian Gulf" during his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, calling the move politically motivated and provocative. According to The Associated Press, two unnamed US officials said Trump is expected to announce next week that Washington will begin referring to the body of water as either the "Arabian Gulf" or the "Gulf of Arabia", replacing the widely recognized historical name "Persian Gulf." Reacting to the report, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected what he described as an attempt to alter a name long established in historical and international usage. 'The name Persian Gulf, like many geographical terms, is deeply rooted in human history,' Araghchi wrote on X, 'Iran has never objected to names such as the Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, or Red Sea. These do not imply ownership, but reflect shared geographic heritage.' He added that any effort to change the name for political purposes would be perceived as a hostile gesture toward Iran and its people. The foreign minister also shared an image from the US Library of Congress depicting the waterway labeled as the Persian Gulf, stressing that the name remains internationally recognized and consistently used in historical cartography and by global institutions. Reza Nasri, a senior Iranian foreign policy expert, warned that a shift in terminology could spark widespread protests from Iranian communities abroad, particularly in the United States and at American diplomatic missions worldwide. 'Few issues bring together Iranians across political divides like any attempt to rename the Persian Gulf,' Nasri said. The naming dispute has resurfaced periodically over the past few decades. The term Persian Gulf has been documented in historical records since at least the 16th century and remains the standard designation in United Nations documents and international treaties. However, in recent years, some Arab Gulf states have increasingly used the term "Arabian Gulf" in their domestic communications. The US military has also used that terminology in official statements, a practice that has previously drawn criticism from Tehran. This would not be the first time President Trump has drawn controversy over the issue. In 2017, during his first term, similar language prompted then-Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to publicly suggest that Trump needed to 'study geography.' The name Persian Gulf, like many geographical designations, is deeply rooted in human history. Iran has never objected to the use of names such as the Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, or Red Sea. The use of these names does not imply ownership by any particular nation, but… — Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 7, 2025
Egypt Independent
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Trump says US has begun direct talks with Iran over its nuclear program
CNN — President Donald Trump said Monday that direct talks are underway between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program. Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump said a 'very big meeting' would take place Saturday. Trump declined to give further details about the meeting beyond saying it would be 'at top level.' 'I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious,' Trump said. US officials are expected to sit down with Iranian officials to directly discuss a nuclear deal on Saturday in a meeting hosted by Oman, a person familiar with the plans confirmed to CNN later Monday. But the source could not say who would participate and at what level. Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is believed to be handling the Iran file. Early Tuesday local time, the semi-official Iranian news outlet Tasnim reported that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will begin indirect talks with Witkoff in Oman on Saturday. Araghchi said Monday on X that the US and Iran will hold 'indirect high-level' talks in Oman. 'It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America's court,' the foreign minister said. Direct talks between the US and Iran could represent a blow to Israel, which has long advocated for striking Iran's nuclear facilities. Trump has indicated a preference for negotiating over Iran's nuclear program. Iran had previously rejected Trump's offer of direct negotiations over its nuclear program, offering instead to engage in indirect talks. Trump's offer, which he sent to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in March, proposed negotiations on a new nuclear deal, with a two-month ultimatum to reach an agreement, a source familiar with the letter's contents previously told CNN. 'We don't avoid talks; it's the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far,' Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in televised remarks last month when he rejected direct negotiations. 'They must prove that they can build trust.' The Iranian mission to the UN declined to comment when asked about direct talks or the meeting that Trump announced. The last direct senior-level talks between the US and Iran were a decade ago, in 2015, as then-US Secretary of State John Kerry and then-Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif worked to finalize the Iran nuclear deal. Trump on Monday voiced optimism that talks would be successful in convincing Iran to abandon its nuclear program, which Tehran insists is for peaceful purposes. 'Hopefully those talks will be successful. And I think it would be in Iran's best interests if they are successful. … We hope that's going to happen,' he said. 'If the talks aren't successful with Iran, I think Iran is going to be in great danger,' Trump warned. Both Israel and the US have vowed they will never let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon. In December, United Nations nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told Reuters that Iran is 'dramatically' accelerating its enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, closer to the roughly 90% level that is weapons grade. In January, Grossi again warned that Iran is 'pressing the gas pedal' on its uranium enrichment. The US been sending more military assets to the Middle East as tensions in the region continue to flare. The Trump administration began ramping up military action against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen in mid-March, with airstrikes that killed at least 53 people and wounded almost 100 others, according to the Houthi-run Health Ministry. Last week, CNN reported the total cost of the US' military action against the Houthis was nearing $1 billion in just under three weeks, even as the attacks have had limited impact on destroying the terror group's capabilities, three people briefed on the campaign's progress told CNN. The military offensive has already used hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of munitions for strikes against the group, including JASSM long-range cruise missiles; JSOWs, which are GPS-guided glide bombs; and Tomahawk missiles, the sources said. This story has been updated with additional information. CNN's Alex Marquardt, Kylie Atwood, Alayna Treene, Michael Rios, Alireza Hajihosseini and Angus Watson contributed reporting.
