Page 10 - Iran Nuclear Agreement

Iran, US begins second round of nuclear talks in Rome amid tensions

Iran and the United States will hold a second round of talks in Rome on Saturday over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme. The talks represent a milestone in the fraught relations between the two nations over Iran's programme, which is enriching uranium close to weapons-grade levels. Here's a timeline of the tensions between the two countries over Iran's atomic programme. Early days 1967 Iran takes possession of its Tehran Research Reactor under America's Atoms for Peace programme. 1979 Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fatally ill, flees Iran as popular protests against him surge. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran and the Islamic Revolution sweeps him to power. Students seize the United States Embassy in Tehran, beginning the 444-day hostage crisis. Iran's nuclear program goes fallow under international pressure. August 2002 Western intelligence services and an Iranian opposition group reveal Iran's secret Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. June 2003 Britai

Next round of nuclear talks in Oman, says Iran after officials name Rome

The talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program had appeared ready Monday to leave the Middle East, as an Italian source and others said the next round of negotiations would take place in Rome. However, Iran early Tuesday insisted they'd again be held in Oman. It wasn't immediately clear where the negotiations would be held after Tehran's overnight announcement. American officials have not said where the talks would be held. President Donald Trump separately complained Monday about the pace of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran as the two countries start a new round of pivotal negotiations. I think they're tapping us along, he said in the Oval Office during a meeting with El Salvador's president. The next meeting had been expected to take place on Saturday in Rome, according to a source in the Italian government who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. ...

Iran warns of acquiring nuclear weapons after Trump's 'bombing' threat

Ali Larijani, an adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said while Iran was not pursuing nuclear weapons, an attack would leave it with no choice but to defend itself, according to media reports

Iran responds to letter from Trump as he seeks to jumpstart nuclear talks

Iranian state media said Thursday that Iran has sent an official response to a letter from US President Donald Trump to the Iranian supreme leader that was seen as an attempt to jumpstart talks over Tehran's nuclear programme. The Iranian response was appropriately sent through Oman on Wednesday, state-run IRNA news agency quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying. No details have been released of the Iranian response nor the contents of Trump's letter to 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which came as the Trump administration levied new sanctions on Iran as part of its maximum pressure campaign. Araghchi, which not discussing details of the letters, said that Iran's policy "remains firm on not engaging in direct negotiations under maximum pressure and military threats. However, he said that indirect talks, which have taken place under previous administrations, could continue. Trump letter was handed to Iranian officials by Anwar Gargash, a senior Emirati diplomat, while h

China, Russia urge end to US sanctions on Iran, restart of nuclear talks

Representatives of China, Russia and Iran called Friday for an end to US sanctions on Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program and a restart to multinational talks on the issue. The talks are the latest attempt to broach the matter and come after US President Donald Trump wrote to Iran's supreme leader in an attempt to jumpstart talks. The letter, which hasn't been published, was offered as Trump levied new sanctions on Iran as part of his maximum pressure campaign that holds out the possibility of military action while emphasising he still believed a new deal could be reached. The three nations who met Friday morning emphasised the necessity of terminating all unlawful unilateral sanctions, China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu read from a joint statement, flanked by Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi. The three countries reiterated that political and diplomatic engagement and dialogue based on t

Iran asks Trump to end threats, pressure tactics if it wants nuclear talks

Iran is among the most sanctioned countries in the world and the vast majority of the penalties are enforced by the US government and directly target crucial oil exports

Open to talk about concerns over militarisation of nuclear programme: Iran

Iran said Sunday it would consider negotiations with the United States if the talks were confined to concerns about the militarization of its nuclear program. In a statement posted on X, the country's U.N. mission said: If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis--vis any potential militarization of Iran's nuclear program, such discussions may be subject to consideration. A day earlier, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had rejected talks with the U.S., because he said they would be aimed at imposing restrictions on Iran's missile program and its influence in the region. Khamenei's remarks came a day after President Donald Trump acknowledged sending a letter to him seeking a new deal with Tehran to restrain its rapidly advancing nuclear program and replace the nuclear deal he withdrew America from during his first term in office. Khamenei said U.S. demands would be both military and related to the regional influence of Iran. He said such talks would not solve probl

Why Trump wants to renegotiate Iran nuclear deal he withdrew from in 2018

Donald Trump seeks to renegotiate the Iran nuclear deal he abandoned in 2018, but Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei rejects the offer, calling the US a 'bully'

US 'imposing demands, not seeking negotiations', says Iran's Khamenei

The comments came on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said earlier this week that he sent a letter to the Iranian leadership seeking to initiate talks on a nuclear deal

Putin agrees to help Trump broker high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran

White House officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither Russia nor Iran have publicly confirmed or denied the request

Iran willing to give Trump diplomacy 'another chance': Iranian official

In 2018, then-President Trump ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled the country's economy

Trump calls for new nuclear deal immediately allowing Iran to 'prosper'

The US has long accused Tehran of using a decades-old civilian nuclear program to disguise ambitions to develop weapons, a claim repeatedly denied by Iran

Iran praises US cuts on foreign aid funding, looks forward to nuclear talks

Iran's government seems to be welcoming some recent decisions by the United States even though they happen to come from a man Iranian operatives have allegedly been plotting to assassinate. President Donald Trump's moves to freeze spending on foreign aid and overhaul, maybe even end, the US Agency for International Development have been lauded in Iranian state media. The reports say the decisions will halt funding for opponents of the country's Shiite theocracy pro-democracy activists and others supported through programs as part of US government's efforts to help democracy worldwide. At the same time, Iranian officials appear to be signalling that they are waiting for a message from Trump on whether he wants to negotiate over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. At stake are potentially billions of dollars withheld from Iran through crushing sanctions and the future of a program on the precipice of enriching weapons-grade uranium. And even when signing an executive order

Trump likely to restore his 'maximum economic pressure' campaign on Iran

Trump's directive orders the US Treasury secretary to impose "maximum economic pressure" on Iran, including sanctions and enforcement mechanisms on those violating existing sanctions

Israel's admission of killing Haniyeh justifies Oct 1 attack: Iranian envoy

Hamas leader Hanieyh's killing came hours after top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli air attack on the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, on July 31

Iran plans to install new uranium-enrichment centrifuges, says IAEA report

More enrichment capacity means Iran can enrich uranium more quickly, potentially increasing the nuclear proliferation risk

Iran to hold nuclear talks with three European powers in Geneva on Friday

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei later said the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, France, Germany and Britain would take part in the talks

UN nuclear agency's board condemns Iran again for failing to cooperate

The UN nuclear watchdog's board on Thursday condemned Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, the second time it has done so in just five months. The International Atomic Energy Agency also called on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Nineteen members of the IAEA broad voted for the resolution, while Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, and 12 abstained and one did not vote, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote. The resolution was put forward by France, Germany and Britain, supported by the United States. It comes at a critical time, ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House. Trump's first term in office was marked by a particularly tense period with Iran, when the US president pursued a policy of maximum pressure against Tehran. In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew

Iran's uranium stockpile enriched to near weapons-grade levels, says UN

Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels in defiance of international demands, according to a confidential report by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog seen Tuesday by The Associated Press . The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said that as of Oct. 26, Iran has 182.3 kilograms (401.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, an increase of 17.6 kilograms (38.8 pounds) since the last report in August. Uranium enriched at 60% purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The IAEA also estimated in its quarterly report that as of Oct. 26, Iran's overall stockpile of enriched uranium stands at 6,604.4 kilograms (14,560 pounds), which represents an increase of 852.6 kilograms (1,879.6 pounds) since the last report in August. Under the IAEA's definition, around 42 kilograms (92.5 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity is the amount at which creating one atomic weapon is theoretically possibl

X suspends account on behalf of Iran's supreme leader for violating rules

The social platform X has suspended a new account on behalf of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that posted messages in Hebrew. The account was suspended early Monday with a brief note appended to it saying: X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules. It wasn't immediately clear what the violation was. The Elon Musk-owned social media company did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The move came after Israel openly attacked Iran for the first time this weekend. Khamenei said in a speech on Sunday that Israel's strikes in response to Iran's ballistic missile attack this month should not be exaggerated nor downplayed, while stopping short of calling for retaliation. The X account opened Sunday with a message in Hebrew reading: In the name of God, the most merciful, a standard Islamic greeting. Khamenei's office has maintained multiple accounts for the 85-year-old supreme leader on X for years and has sent messages in a variety of language