US plans nuclear talks with Iran in Oslo next week, Axios reports
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Leaders
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US Strikes Set Back Iranian Nuclear Program by up to 2 Years: Pentagon
The Pentagon said that US strikes last month on Iranian nuclear facilities degraded Tehran's nuclear programme by up to two years, according to Reuters. 'We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the department assess that,' Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, said at a news briefing on Wednesday. Parnell also said that the US military campaign likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. 'All of the intelligence that we've seen led us to believe that Iran's, those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated,' he added. US Strikes On June 22, the US became directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran after launching airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mr Rafael Grossi, revealed that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months. Grossi's remarks raised doubts over the effectiveness of the US military operation to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi unveiled that US strikes severely damaged the Fordow nuclear site. 'No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged,' Mr Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on July 1. REUTERS Israel Iran Conflict On June 13, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran under the name of Operation Rising Lion. The military campaign targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists. As a response, Iran launched a retaliatory wave of missiles against Israel and targeted Tel Aviv. Israel also killed several Iranian nuclear scientists in line with its goal to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. Crucially, Israel announced that it was hit by over 50 missiles during the 12-day war with Iran, resulting in 28 deaths. However, the real extent of the damage may never be known because of strict media restrictions. The Israeli airstrikes on Iran killed at least 627 people and injured approximately 4,900. Related Topics: Iranian FM Excludes Quick Restart of US-Iran Talks What We Know About the Iranian Nuclear Facilities Targeted in US Strikes Iranian Military Commanders Threaten US with Harsh Response Short link : Post Views: 10
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi, Russian FMs Discuss Relations and Regional Developments
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah met on Friday with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, during an official visit to Moscow. The two officials reviewed the historical friendship and cooperation between their countries and peoples, and explored ways to further strengthen and develop these ties across various fields. The two sides held an official session of talks, during which they underscored the profound depth of relations between the Kingdom and Russia, in addition to addressing key developments in the region.
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 hours ago
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IAEA Pulls Inspectors from Iran as Standoff over Access Drags on
The UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff over their return to the country's nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel deepens. Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in a 12-day war three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran's facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority. Iran's parliament has now passed a law to suspend cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency's inspectors will be able to return to Iran. "An IAEA team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the Agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict," the IAEA said on X. According to Reuters, diplomats said the number of IAEA inspectors in Iran was reduced to a handful after the June 13 start of the war. Some have also expressed concern about the inspectors' safety since the end of the conflict, given fierce criticism of the agency by Iranian officials and Iranian media. Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said he stands by the report. He has denied it provided diplomatic cover for military action. IAEA WANTS TALKS Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday Iran remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). "(Grossi) reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible," the IAEA said. The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran's three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran's nine tons of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade. That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. Iran says its aims are entirely peaceful but Western powers say there is no civil justification for enriching to such a high level, and the IAEA says no country has done so without developing the atom bomb. As a party to the NPT, Iran must account for its enriched uranium, which normally is closely monitored by the IAEA, the body that enforces the NPT and verifies countries' declarations. But the bombing of Iran's facilities has now muddied the waters. "We cannot afford that .... the inspection regime is interrupted," Grossi told a press conference in Vienna last week.
