Iran says it's ready for nuclear talks with the US but only if Washington rebuilds trust
Iran is set to meet Friday in Istanbul with Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3 nations, and the European Union's deputy foreign policy commissioner. They will be the first talks since Iran's 12-day war with Israel in June, which involved U.S. B-52 bombers striking nuclear-related facilities in Iran.
Gharibabadi said in a social media post Thursday that to enter negotiations, Iran sought 'several key principles' to be upheld.
He said these included 'rebuilding Iran's trust — as Iran has absolutely no trust in the United States — avoiding the use of talks as a platform for hidden agendas such as military action, though Iran remains fully prepared for any scenario; respecting and recognizing Iran's rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, including enrichment in line with its legitimate needs; and the lifting of sanctions."
Friday's talks will be held at the deputy ministerial level, with Iran sending Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi. A similar meeting was held in Istanbul in May.
The stakes are high. European leaders have threatened to trigger a 'snapback' mechanism included in a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which would reimpose sanctions that were lifted in exchange for Iran accepting restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear program.
The U.K., France and Germany were signatories to the 2015 deal. The U.S. withdrew in 2018 during the first term of President Donald Trump, who insisted the agreement wasn't tough enough.
Iranian officials have warned that a move to reimpose sanctions would have consequences. Gharibabadi said earlier this week that it could force Tehran to withdraw from key non-proliferation agreements.
In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the E3 of hypocrisy, saying they failed to uphold their obligations under the 2015 deal while supporting Israel's recent strikes on Iran.
In the recent conflict, U.S. B-52 bombers struck Iranian nuclear facilities in support of Israel's air campaign. Iran responded with missile attacks, including a strike on a U.S. base in Qatar, which President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted was not directed at the Qatari state.
In an interview with Al Jazeera that aired on Wednesday, Pezeshkian said Iran is prepared for another war and accused Israel of attempting to assassinate him during a June 15 meeting of Iran's national security council in Tehran.
Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran's nuclear program will continue within the framework of international law and insisted the country has no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons.
'Our nuclear capabilities are in the minds of our scientists,' he said, emphasizing Iran's position that future negotiations must be rooted in mutual respect, not threats.
According to the official judicial news agency Mizan, at least 13 Iranian nuclear scientists were killed during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel.
A spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said Thursday the country's nuclear industry would recover from the recent attacks by Israel and the United States.
'Our nuclear industry is deeply rooted. What has roots cannot be harmed by attack or pressure — it will grow back and thrive again,' state TV quoted Behrouz Kamalvandi as saying.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, known by the acronym IAEA, reported in May that Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% had grown to over 400 kilograms (882 pounds). That material, just below weapons-grade level, remains a central concern for the West.
The road ahead remains uncertain. While European officials say they want to avoid further conflict and are open to a negotiated solution, they have warned that time is running out.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's trade deals could push the average new car price well above $50,000
Markets have cheered President Trump's trade deals with Japan and the European Union. New 15% tariffs on most imported products from those countries are lower than many analysts expected, and they finally bring some predictability to Trump's chaotic on-and-off-and-on-again tariff policy. But import taxes are still going up, and past experience tells us that American consumers will ultimately bear most of the cost. Some of the most important imports from Europe and Japan are cars and car parts, and the higher taxes are sure to make all facets of owning a car costlier, just as drivers were hoping for a break from soaring prices. Trump is still working on trade deals with Canada, Mexico, and South Korea, other major sources of auto imports, and those outcomes will likely hike prices further. The average new car costs nearly $49,000, according to Kelley Blue Book. Trump's tariffs could raise costs by $3,000 or more once fully priced in, with costs rising less for cheaper models and more for luxury makes. It could take several months for those import taxes to work through supply chains, but unless there's a recession that ravages demand, car prices seem certain to hit new record highs during Trump's second presidential term. Read more: The latest news and updates on Trump's tariffs Ten years ago, the average car price was just $30,000. Several factors have pushed prices higher. Americans increasingly buy big pickups and SUVs, which cost more. Manufacturers struggle to make money on small economy cars and have been pulling them from their lineups. An explosion of digital gizmos adds to the cost, as does new automaker investments in electrification, which still isn't profitable industrywide. The COVID pandemic turbocharged auto inflation due to supply chain disruptions, parts shortages, stronger demand for non-urban transportation, and other factors. Costlier new cars increased demand for used cars, fueling inflation there, as well. More expensive parts and higher repair costs caused a surge in insurance premiums, which have doubled during the last 10 years. The charts below show the trends. Auto inflation has stabilized — but prices aren't coming down. They're basically stuck at new, higher levels. The only real break for drivers has been gasoline prices, down about 10% during the last year, to a national average of about $3.15 per have been first-line victims of Trump's tariffs. That means their customers will feel the pain too. General Motors (GM) and Jeep-parent Stellantis (STLA) both said tariffs harmed profitability in the second quarter. Ford (F) will probably echo that theme when it reports earnings on July 30. Automakers aren't just suffering from tariffs on imported parts, but also from Trump's new 50% tariff on most imported steel and aluminum, which are major components in cars. Most car prices haven't risen yet. The all-in cost of buying a car has actually dropped from peak levels of 2022, when the average cost of a new car equated to 42 weeks of work for the typical buyer, according to the Cox Automotive/Moody's Analytics affordability index, which accounts for prices, incomes, and interest rates. That's now down to about 37 weeks of work. But overall costs are still about 10% higher in real terms than they were from 2012 through 2021. And it's only a matter of time before automakers start passing higher tariff costs onto buyers. Some of the most popular cars in the US market are imports. The Subaru Impreza, Toyota (TM) Prius, and Mazda (7261.T) Miata come from Japan, as a few examples. Many Audis, BMWs ( and Mercedes ( come from Europe, along with the Volkswagen (VWAGY) Golf. Those imports will all come with the new 15% tax. Korean imports include the Hyundai ( Elantra, Kia Soul, and many other models from the two Korean manufacturers. They seem likely to face the same 15% import tax, since that is becoming the standard for Trump's trade deals. Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet Mexico is the biggest source of automotive imports, supplying about 40% of all imported components, plus finished vehicles such as the Ford Maverick, Chevy Blazer, Mazda 3, and Nissan (NSANY) Sentra. Canada is another major source of vehicles such as the Chrysler Pacifica, Lexus RX 350, and many Honda (HMC) Civics. New Trump trade deals with Mexico and Canada seem further off, but in the meantime, he imposed a 25% tax on imported products from those countries that don't satisfy complex domestic-content requirements. All told, about 46% of the 16 million cars sold in the United States each year are imports, and almost all of the cheapest economy cars on the market are imports because carmakers generally can't afford to make them in America. Virtually all of those products will cost more because of the Trump tariffs. Earlier this year, when Trump was threatening 25% taxes on all imported cars, the Yale Budget Lab estimated such an across-the-board tariff would raise the cost of an average car by $6,400. That applied to all cars, whether imported or domestic, because price hikes in one major sector allow competitors to raise their prices too. If the across-the-board tariff is 15% instead of 25%, price hikes would obviously be less. Manufacturers might make adjustments and 'eat' some of the cost by accepting lower profits. But they can't eat all of the additional cost. Shareholders won't accept it, and with costs rising throughout the industry, all automakers will have pricing power, allowing them to charge more. Even if prices rise by less than under some other scenario, car buyers still have reason to expect lower prices from Trump, not higher ones. Trump ran for president last year, vowing to 'bring prices way down,' after three years of excessive inflation. Voters who went for Trump in 2024 said that was one of the main reasons they picked him. Yet earlier this year, Trump said he 'couldn't care less' if automakers raised prices to offset the cost of his tariffs. They're going to. Maybe it won't be by as much as analysts thought before, but that won't comfort buyers facing sticker shock anew at the dealership, service center, auto parts store, and insurance agency. Those Trump trade deals won't look so rosy once people start to pay for them. Rick Newman is a senior columnist for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Bluesky and X: @rickjnewman. Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices.
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
France calls on EU to pressure Israel to move on Palestinian two-state solution
France has called on the European Union to pressure Israel to agree to a two-state solution with the Palestinians, the latest escalation from France as it seeks an end to the deadly Gaza war days after pledging to recognise Palestine as a state. Jean-Noel Barrot, the French foreign minister, told reporters at the United Nations that while there is international consensus that the time for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is now, world powers need to back up their words with actions. 'The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, has to express its expectations and show the means that we can incentivise the Israeli government to hear this appeal,' he said. Mr Barrot spoke on the first day of a high-level UN meeting on a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is being co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. The conference, which was postponed from June and downgraded to the ministerial level, is taking place in New York as international condemnation of Israel's handling of the war in Gaza reaches a fever pitch. Both Israel and its closest ally, the United States, refused to participate in the meeting, which Mr Barrot said is being attended by representatives of 125 countries, including 50 ministers. The aim of the conference, Mr Barrot said, is 'to reverse the trend of what is happening in the region – mainly the erasure of the two-state solution, which has been for a long time the only solution that can bring peace and security in the region.' He urged the European Commission to call on Israel to lift a financial blockade on two billion euros he says the Israeli government owes the Palestinian Authority; stop settlement building in the West Bank, which threatens the territorial integrity of a future Palestinian state; and end the 'militarised' food delivery system in Gaza by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has resulted in hundreds of killings. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds. Ahead of the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognise Palestine as a state at the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly in September. The bold but mostly symbolic move is aimed at adding diplomatic pressure on Israel. France is now the biggest Western power and the only member of the Group of Seven major industrialised nations to recognise the state of Palestine, and the move could pave the way for other countries to do the same. More than 140 countries recognise a Palestinian state, including more than a dozen in Europe. At the conference opening, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa called for all countries who have not yet recognised Palestine as a state to do so 'without delay'. 'The path to peace begins by recognising the state of Palestine and preserving it from destruction,' he said. The other issue being discussed at the conference is normalisation between Israel and the Arab states in the region. Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister, stressed that normalisation of relations with Israel 'can only come through the establishment of a Palestinian state'. With global anger rising over desperately hungry people in Gaza starting to die from starvation, US President Donald Trump on Monday called for increasing aid to Palestinians, a rare glimpse of daylight between him and Mr Netanyahu, who has said there is no starvation. Both Mr Barrot and Mr Farhan said on Monday that the US is an essential actor in the region and that it was the president in January who secured the only ceasefire in the 21-month war. 'I am firmly in the belief that Trump's engagement can be a catalyst for an end to the immediate crisis in Gaza and potentially a resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the long term,' Mr Farhan said.
The Hill
24 minutes ago
- The Hill
Hegseth signs agreement to accept Qatar plane donation: Reports
The United States and Qatar are days away from finalizing an agreement for a Boeing jet that will be used as Air Force One, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Qatari counterpart earlier this month signed an agreement outlining the terms of Qatar's 'unconditional donation,' multiple outlets have reported. The Washington Post first reported that the U.S. and Qatar are expected to finalize an agreement next week — even as the Pentagon months ago said the deal was complete — and that an outline on the terms of the deal was signed on July 7 by Hegseth and Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Qatar's deputy prime minister and minister of state for defense affairs. That document states that the plane is a 'bona fide gift' to the Defense Department and that the U.S. will pay nothing to Qatar for its transfer. 'This donation is made in good faith and in the spirit of cooperation and mutual support between the parties,' the document states, as reported by CNN. 'Nothing in this [memorandum of understanding] is, or shall be interpreted or construed as, an offer, promise, or acceptance of any form of bribery, undue influence, or corrupt practice.' The memorandum further emphasizes the transfer of the plane is 'not connected or otherwise related to any governmental decision and, as such, is not made, offered, promised or accepted because of any past, present or future official act or decision and is not intended to obtain or retain any improper advantage or to influence any official decision.' The Hill reached out to the Pentagon, which declined to comment. The Pentagon on May 21 announced that it officially accepted the 13-year-old luxury jet previously used by the Qatari royal family, seen by President Trump as a supplement to the aging Air Force One fleet. The controversial gift was first announced ahead of Trump's visit to the Middle East in early May, with the commander-in-chief claiming that the plane — one of the largest foreign gifts ever accepted by a U.S. president — can be used as a stand-in for the aging Air Force One fleet as delays continue in Boeing's refurbishment of the two 747 aircraft purchased during Trump's first term. But the transfer has been heavily criticized by both Democrat and Republican U.S. lawmakers, who say it raises ethical and corruption questions in addition to costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to retrofit the plane into a secure and working Air Force One. Trump has repeatedly described the plane as a 'gift' and 'free of charge,' but American taxpayers will still foot the bill for the Air Force to retrofit the plane, a costly process given it must be stripped nearly to the studs to install the required security and communications equipment. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink last month optimistically estimated that the retrofit job will cost 'less than $400 million,' but aviation experts and engineers have placed the figure at as much as $1 billion or more. To fund the retrofit, the Air Force has plans to pull hundreds of millions of dollars from the Sentinel program — an over-budget and over-schedule upgrade to America's nuclear-equipped missiles — to an unspecified classified project believed to be the Air Force One upgrade. The aircraft is currently sitting in San Antonio as it awaits its retrofit.
