Latest news with #AbrahamAccords
Gulf Insider
a day ago
- Business
- Gulf Insider
US Reportedly Mulls Easing Iran Sanctions, Assisting Non-Enrichment Nuclear Program
In an entirely bizarre and unexpected pivot, and following yesterday's Trump statements suggesting that a new Iran nuclear deal might not even be necessary (given the narrative that its enriched uranium and nuclear capability has been fullly destroyed), the White House is already in discussions for a deal both to ease Iran sanctions and potentially help the Islamic Republic build a civilian-energy-producing nuclear program, but importantly without domestic enrichment. 'The Trump administration has discussed possibly helping Iran access as much as $30 billion to build a civilian-energy-producing nuclear program, easing sanctions, and freeing up billions of dollars in restricted Iranian funds – all part of an intensifying attempt to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table, four sources familiar with the matter said,' a fresh Thursday CNN report says. 'Key players from the US and the Middle East have talked with the Iranians behind the scenes even amid the flurry of military strikes in Iran and Israel over the past two weeks, the sources said,' the report continues. 'Those discussions have continued this week after a ceasefire deal was struck, the sources said.' The report says multiple early-stage proposals are under discussion, but all based on a key non-negotiable: that Iran must halt all uranium enrichment. However, this is one red line that Tehran has been insistent it won't give in to, as a matter of national sovereignty. According to more from the CNN claims: Among the terms being discussed, which have not been previously reported, is an estimated $20-30 billion investment in a new Iranian non-enrichment nuclear program that would be used for civilian energy purposes, Trump administration officials and sources familiar with the proposal told CNN. One official insisted that money would not come directly from the US, which prefers its Arab partners foot the bill. Investment in Iran's nuclear energy facilities has been discussed in previous rounds of nuclear talks in recent months. 'The US is willing to lead these talks,' a Trump admin source said. 'And someone is going to need to pay for the nuclear program to be built, but we will not make that commitment.' Arab partners would be pressured to foot the bill, the report emphasizes, also at a moment there's a new push to expand the Abraham Accords. Thursday afternoon WH press briefing hinted at the accuracy of the CNN report: ▶️ The White House Spokeswoman says Steve Witkoff and his team are talking to Iran as well as the US' Arab partners to come to agreement with IranLeavitt suggests that perhaps more Persian Gulf States could potentially sign on to the Abraham Accords. — SpeakWithDeeDee (@SpeakWithDeeDee) June 26, 2025 If true, this would constitute quite a drastic – almost total 180 shift – even as the dust still settles in the wake of the massive weekend US B-2 strikes on Iran this weekend. At this point it has yet to be proven that Iran's nuclear development capability has been truly destroyed and halted (WH assertions notwithstanding). Yet now suddenly, the US could be mulling a 'truly peaceful nuclear energy program' method of assistance for Tehran. But the White House might at any moment deny the contents of this new CNN report and the claims therein. As expected Hegseth during the Thursday morning Pentagon press conference excoriated the mainstream media for its coverage of the Trump-ordered attacks on Iran's nuclear sites. This after repeatedly praising Trump's leadership at yesterday's NATO summit. 'I hope, with all the ink spilled, all of your outlets find the time to properly recognize this historic change in continental security that other presidents tried to do, other presidents talked about,' Hegseth said. 'President Trump accomplished it. It's a huge deal.' He strongly pushed back especially against CNN reporting that the strikes merely set back Iran's nuclear program by months, again, framing the avalanche of MSM skepticism as supposedly due merely to anti-Trump bias and not wanting to give him a 'win'. 'Again, it was preliminary, a day and a half after the actual strike, when it admits itself in writing that it requires weeks to accumulate the necessary data to make such an assessment,' the defense secretary said. The president 'created the conditions to end the war, decimating – choose your word – obliterating, destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities,' he asserted, before reading aloud the assessments of various US and foreign intelligence heads. Much of the press conference consisted of a highly detailed narrative of what it was like for troops – from officers to enlisted privates – in the Middle East as Iran's very brief retaliatory missile strike rained down on Qatar, and US-manned anti-air batteries intercepted the inbound projectiles. There was also a lot of focus on the pilots and crew of the B-2s and their marathon 37-hour bombing run all the way from Missouri to Tehran and back. The presser, especially while Hegseth was speaking, was charged with patriotism and emotion – much more than is normal for a Pentagon press briefing. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine emphasized in a detailed way the specs of the 30,000 pound bombs dropped on the Iranian sites, and they 'functioned as designed, meaning they exploded.' Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine demonstrates how GBU-57 MOPs work: "Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won't see an impact crater because they're designed to deeply bury and then function … All six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go." — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 26, 2025 'A point that I want to make here: the Joint Force does not do [battle damage assessments],' Caine told the press pool. 'By design, we don't grade our own homework. The intelligence community does. But here's what we know following the attacks and the strikes on Fordow: First, that the weapons were built, tested and loaded properly. Two, the weapons were released on speed and on parameters. Three, the weapons all guided to their intended targets and to their intended aim points. Four, the weapons functioned as designed, meaning they exploded. We know this through other means intelligence means that we have that were visibly, we were visibly able to see them. And we know that the trailing jets saw the first weapons function.' He actually cited one pilot's eyewitness account as saying the blast from the initial bombs was so big as it was like an overwhelming flash of daylight. Among the more interesting assertions and revelations was that the Pentagon has been working intensely on the operation, particularly to take out the Fordow site, for-15 years . While the US military often spends a lot of time on various 'contingency' options to present to the Commander-in-Chief, Gen. Caine's description of two Pentagon analysts who devoted a decade-and-a-half of their lives to studying just Fordow strongly suggests the US long ago knew it would pull the trigger at some point. 'In the days preceding the attack against Fordow, the Iranians attempted to cover the shafts with concrete to try to prevent an attack. I won't share the specific dimensions of the concrete cap, but you should know that we know what the dimensions of those concrete caps were,' Caine said. 'The planners had to account for this, they accounted for everything. The cap was forcibly removed by the first weapon, and the main shaft was uncovered.' At Pentagon, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Dan Caine, explained 15 years of planning for disabling Fordo nuclear facility.A team focused on deeply buried, underground targets were briefed on a construction project in Iran in 2009."They knew from the very first days what… — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) June 26, 2025 And President Trump soon after the Pentagon briefing ended, wrote the following on Truth Social: Meanwhile, Fox is reporting that the Senate has finally received a delayed Iran briefing. This seems to continue a long GWOT era tradition of presidents across administrations bombing first, and then notifying Congress later. Meanwhile, the international debate over just where Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is now located (if it's not destroyed) continues to intensify, despite the Trump denials that it remains: TRUMP: NOTHING WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE FACILITY IRAN LAW SUSPENDING IAEA COOPERATION COMES INTO EFFECT Simultaneous to Trump issuing another statement rejecting the thesis that the uranium has been moved and hidden, Financial Times reports in a strangely worded headline ('Iran moved uranium from Fordow before US strikes, EU capitals believe' ) the following: Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile remains largely intact following US strikes on its main nuclear sites, European capitals believe, calling into question President Donald Trump's assertion that the bombing 'obliterated' the Islamic republic's nuclear programme. Two people briefed on preliminary intelligence assessments said European capitals believe Iran's stockpile of 408kg of uranium enriched close to weapons-grade levels was not concentrated in Fordow, one of its two main enrichment sites, at the time of last weekend's attack. It had been distributed to various other locations, the capitals believe. This would indeed be an interesting twist – that the bulk of enriched uranium stockpiles were not even located at Fordow, which appeared to be the heaviest hit in the US operation. According to more: The people said EU capitals were still awaiting a full intelligence report on the extent of the damage to Fordow — which was built deep beneath a mountain near the holy city of Qom — and that one initial report suggested 'extensive damages, but not full structural destruction'. Iranian officials have suggested the enriched uranium stockpile was moved before the US bombing of the plant, which came after days of Israeli strikes on the country. But again, the White House as well as Thursday Pentagon presser is sticking by the Trump claim of total and utter obliteration. Perhaps the world will learn the truth in the coming days and weeks, or possibly not at all, pending 'proof' and data from the ground, which the Iranians will likely not be willing to give. For some of our prior coverage on this pressing coverage, see– Where Is Iran's Uranium? Top Secret Leaked US Intel Says Core Nuclear Components 'Intact' * * * After blasting the 'fake news' and mainstream outlets NY Times and CNN in particular in Wednesday comments at the NATO summit, President Trump will continue 'setting the record straight' on the Iran bombings, as the Pentagon is set to hold an 'irrefutable' press conference on Thursday morning, providing more details on last weekend's B-2 bomber raids on the Iranian nuclear sites of (per AI summary)– Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant: A heavily fortified, deeply buried uranium enrichment site near the northern city of Qom. A heavily fortified, deeply buried uranium enrichment site near the northern city of Qom. Natanz Nuclear Facility: Iran's main uranium-enrichment complex, located near Isfahan in central Iran. Iran's main uranium-enrichment complex, located near Isfahan in central Iran. Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center: A key conversion and research facility south of Isfahan city. Very unusually, the US President claimed that 'fake news' reports upset the pilots who flew the bombs over Iran, by claiming that Iran's nuclear capability was not in fact completely destroyed. 'Secretary of Defense (War!) Pete Hegseth, together with Military Representatives, will be holding a Major News Conference tomorrow morning at 8 A.M. EST at The Pentagon, in order to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots,' Trump posted to Truth Social. 'These Patriots were very upset! After 36 hours of dangerously flying through Enemy Territory, they landed, they knew the Success was LEGENDARY, and then, two days later, they started reading Fake News by CNN and The Failing New York Times. They felt terribly,' he continued. Hegseth is also expected to address a controversial leaked Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report, first revealed by CNN, which strongly suggested that the US strikes did not destroy Iran's nuclear capability: Two of the people familiar with the assessment said Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed. One of the people said the centrifuges are largely 'intact.' Another source said that the intelligence assessed enriched uranium was moved out of the sites prior to the US strikes. 'So the (DIA) assessment is that the US set them back maybe a few months, tops,' this person added. Most recently the CIA has since backed the Trump admin's claims, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Wednesday having sought to clarify in a statement that the agency had obtained 'a body of credible evidence [that] indicates Iran's Nuclear Program has been severely damaged' by recent strikes. But then this too includes somewhat ambiguous language.
MTV Lebanon
a day ago
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Trump, Netanyahu Reportedly Agree on Gaza War Exit Plan
US President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio held phone talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, during which understandings were reportedly reached to end the war in Gaza 'within two weeks,' according to Israeli media reports. The newspaper Israel Hayom reported that the agreement includes the release of hostages held by Hamas and the relocation of the group's remaining leaders to other countries, as part of a broader settlement aimed at de-escalating the situation in the region. According to the paper, the agreement also includes Israel's willingness to consider a future resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on a two-state solution, provided that reforms are made within the Palestinian Authority. In return, the United States would recognize the application of partial Israeli sovereignty over areas in the occupied West Bank, as part of broader understandings that also aim to expand the Abraham Accords to include additional countries, potentially including Syria. In light of these developments, discussions are underway regarding a visit by Netanyahu to Washington. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Thursday evening that 'no date has been set yet, but the Israeli Prime Minister has expressed interest in visiting the White House and meeting with President Trump, who is, of course, very open to that.'
See - Sada Elbalad
a day ago
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
2 Infants Die in Gaza Amid Ongoing Siege, Acute Shortages of Baby Formula
By Ahmad El-Assasy Two infants have died in Gaza due to severe malnutrition and the lack of infant formula, as Israel's war and blockade on the Strip continue to devastate civilian life. According to medical sources, these latest deaths raise the number of Palestinians who have died from food and medicine shortages to 244. Meanwhile, two other civilians were killed and several injured when Israeli warplanes bombed a tent sheltering displaced families in Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Israeli artillery also struck the Shuja'iyya and Tuffah neighborhoods in eastern Gaza City. At the same time, the Israeli army reportedly carried out large-scale demolitions of homes and buildings in the area, including the use of explosive robots east of Jabalia in northern Gaza. In Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, an Israeli drone targeted a group of civilians, resulting in additional casualties. The death toll from Israeli military operations reached 70 Palestinians on Thursday alone, according to Gaza health authorities. Israeli airstrikes continued across various parts of the Strip, with Gaza City and Jabalia Refugee Camp suffering heavy bombardment and aerial fire belts. The shelling also extended to Beach Camp, Shuja'iyya, and Tuffah, while Israeli naval forces launched missiles towards the western areas of Gaza. From dawn Wednesday until Thursday, more than 135 Palestinians were killed in different parts of the besieged territory. Political Developments Amid the escalation, US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. According to reports from Israel Hayom, the talks resulted in an agreement to end the war within two weeks. The reported deal includes the release of Israeli captives held by Hamas, and the relocation of senior Hamas leaders to other countries as part of a broader settlement to ease tensions. In a potentially significant shift, the agreement also includes Israel's willingness to consider a two-state solution, contingent upon internal reforms within the Palestinian Authority. In return, the United States is expected to recognize limited Israeli sovereignty over parts of the occupied West Bank, as part of a wider understanding aimed at expanding the Abraham Accords to include more Arab states. US officials also confirmed on Thursday that negotiations over a prisoner swap have seen 'significant momentum' following Israel's recent strike on Iran, describing the current stage as one of 'notable progress.' read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean
Mint
a day ago
- Politics
- Mint
Israel's war with Iran has reordered the Middle East—but not as expected
Next Story Stephen Kalin , Summer Said , The Wall Street Journal Israel's military success against Iran undermines one incentive for Saudi normalization and raises concerns about its growing power. Israel's air assault on Iran caused heavy damage in parts of Tehran. (Photo by AFP) Gift this article The Middle East is undergoing a dramatic realignment—just not the one U.S. and regional leaders envisioned less than two years ago. The Middle East is undergoing a dramatic realignment—just not the one U.S. and regional leaders envisioned less than two years ago. Before the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, years of painstaking negotiations brought Saudi Arabia to the cusp of a landmark deal for diplomatic recognition of Israel. That would have solidified an Israeli-Arab coalition against Iran, locked in U.S. support for Saudi security and opened the door to greater acceptance of Israel in the Arab and Muslim worlds. This month, Israel's thrashing of longtime enemy Iran scrambled the calculations underpinning that proposed agreement in just 12 days. It was the bookend on a series of wars that defanged Iran's powerful militia allies Hezbollah and Hamas, helped advance the collapse of the Iran-backed Assad regime in Syria and ultimately put Iran itself in a corner. The Trump administration and Israel's government have signaled they want to make a new push for normalization. But with Iran now on the back foot, there is less incentive for Saudi Arabia to set aside other concerns to move forward. It will need time to assess the implications of the shocking advantage Israel demonstrated with its military and intelligence capabilities—and its high tolerance for the risks of using them. Senior Gulf officials are concerned their investment in relations with Washington, including hosting President Trump's high-profile trip to the Gulf last month, haven't paid off in influence. Trump's repeated encouragement of Israel's attacks and threats against Iran's supreme leader made them fear a wider war. In the end, Trump ordered a limited strike on Iran's main nuclear sites, then brokered a cease-fire that stopped the fighting, at one point warning Israel to turn its bombers around. But while the worst scenarios were avoided, Gulf leaders are going to reassess the landscape before moving forward. 'Everything is in flux," said Bader al-Saif, an expert on Persian Gulf and Arabian affairs at Kuwait University. A satellite image captures damage from the U.S. strike on Iran's Fordow nuclear site. Trump is eager to use the momentum from the Iran cease-fire to push for more countries to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, building on the Abraham Accords that he brokered in his first term involving the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. 'One of the president's key objectives is that the Abraham Accords be expanded, that more countries come into it, and we are working on that," special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday on CNBC. 'We're hoping for normalization across an array of countries that maybe people would have never contemplated would come in." But there remain significant obstacles to moving forward with normalization in the Gulf. The Saudis have made it clear they won't do a deal while the war continues unresolved in the Gaza Strip, where more than 56,000 people have been killed so far, according to Palestinian authorities who don't say how many were combatants. Saudi Arabia is also insisting on a credible pathway to a Palestinian state—something Israel firmly rejects—in hopes of addressing what it sees as the root of the conflict. 'It's going to take a lot of work, and the space isn't there now," a Saudi official said about establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. 'The urgency is the state of Palestine and not the Iranian risk." The geopolitical rebalancing under way in the Middle East adds to the complications. Israel's military and intelligence operations against Iran and Hezbollah intimidated Arab states, which worry Israel will take actions that they don't support and can't influence, said Rep. Zach Nunn (R., Iowa). 'Israel just became a victim of its own success," he said after meeting with leaders in Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and Bahrain, as part of a bipartisan Congressional delegation in the midst of the Israel-Iran war. The Gulf monarchies see Israel's military capabilities and want assurances they will use them responsibly, he said. Working with Israel to contain Iran became more attractive to some Arab states in recent years. Israel and the Gulf are both in range of Iran's missiles, and Tehran's support for armed factions in the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen threatened the security of Israel and many Arab countries. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017 denounced Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as 'the new Hitler of the Middle East." Around that time, a cartoon video surfaced online showing an amphibious Saudi invasion of Iran that ends with Saudi tanks rolling into Tehran and a triumphant Saudi crown prince. Breaking with the decade-old Arab boycott of Israel imposed over the Palestinian issue, the U.A.E. and Bahrain normalized ties in 2020. Trump tried to get Saudi Arabia to follow suit during his first term but ultimately ran out of time. A three-way deal negotiated by the Biden administration in 2023 would have committed Washington to help defend Riyadh if it were attacked and develop a civilian nuclear program with uranium enrichment, in exchange for U.S. access to Saudi territory and airspace to protect U.S. interests as well as restrictions on Saudi security cooperation with China. The Gulf, like Israel, has been on the receiving end of attacks from Iran and its allies. Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for a 2019 drone-and-missile assault on two of its biggest oil installations. Yemen's Houthis repeatedly attacked southern Saudi cities and the capital, Riyadh, hitting close to the front gate of the Saudi government palace in 2021. The militants also launched missiles and drones at the U.A.E., which participated in the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen. Concerned the skirmishing could damage their plans for economic growth, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. hedged their bets by reaching a detente with Iran in 2023, in a geopolitical juggling act to avoid having to choose sides. They leveraged that new relationship to avoid being pulled into the region's conflicts after Oct. 7. When Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in April and October 2024, it notified Gulf countries in advance so they could clear their airspace. When Israel responded, the Saudis warned the Iranians not to retaliate against Gulf energy facilities and lobbied Washington against Israeli escalation. Israel's campaign against Iran tested that careful balance. While the Gulf states are happy to see Iran weakened, talk of regime change reminded them of the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the chaos unleashed after Saddam Hussein was toppled. Even after the cease-fire halted the Israel-Iran war, Saudi Arabia is concerned Iran remains politically volatile and capable of lashing out, Gulf officials said. As the prospect of Israeli strikes grew this year, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Qatar and Oman helped pass messages and mediate between the U.S. and Iran. Anwar Gargash, foreign-policy adviser to the Emirati leader, traveled to Tehran in March to deliver a letter from Trump, and Prince Mohammed's younger brother met with Khamenei in April to assure him that Riyadh opposed military action against Iran's nuclear program. Saudi efforts to keep U.S.-Iran diplomacy on track ultimately failed, and on June 13 Israel's confrontation with Iran landed at Riyadh's doorstep. Gulf officials said they lobbied Washington to pressure Israel to stop and were initially reassured that the U.S. wouldn't get involved. Where Saudi Arabia had benefited from growing U.S. and Israeli pressure on Tehran, it now fears becoming 'a recipient of a new regional order," said Maria Fantappie, who heads the Middle East and Africa program at Istituto Affari Internazionali, a think tank in Rome. The concern is Israel 'will not diminish and dismantle the Islamic Republic and then let the Saudis grow stronger." The Gulf states condemned Israel's strikes on Iran as a violation of Iranian sovereignty. They invoked similar language after Trump authorized strikes on Saturday night but calibrated it apparently to avoid provoking the mercurial president. They rallied again after the Iranian strike on a U.S. base in Qatar on Monday, coordinating a message of restraint and de-escalation to pave the way for the cease-fire. The Israel-Iran war flew in the face of a regional order the Gulf countries are trying to build that prioritizes prosperity over conflict, Gargash said. 'There are many issues in the region," he told reporters a day before the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites last weekend. 'If we choose to tackle everything with a hammer, nothing will be left unbroken." Topics You May Be Interested In Catch all the Business News, Politics news,Breaking NewsEvents andLatest News Updates on Live Mint. Download TheMint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Daily Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Window of opportunity to expand peace accords
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday he saw an opportunity to 'enlarge peace accords' after the end of a 12-day war against Iran. 'We have fought with determination against Iran and achieved a great victory. This victory opens the path to dramatically enlarge the peace accords,' he said in a video address. His comment was an apparent reference to the Abraham Accords, US-sponsored agreements struck by Israel to normalise relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. Israel and Iran each claimed victory in a 12-day war that ended with a ceasefire on June 24. After the war, Israel said it would refocus on its offensive in Gaza, where Hamas are holding Israeli hostages. Hostages 'As well as the freeing of our hostages and victory over Hamas, a window of opportunity has opened' for broader peace accords, Netanyahu said in his video. 'We must not miss it. We must not lose a single day.' The Abraham Accords were overseen by Donald Trump in 2020 during his first term as US president.
