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India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
Iran rules out nuclear talks with US next week, rejects Trump's claim
Iran has no plans to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday in a state TV interview, directly contradicting President Donald Trump's claim that talks were scheduled for next said Tehran is still evaluating whether renewed negotiations with Washington would serve its interests, especially after five previous rounds were cut short when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran's nuclear the US and Israel maintain the attacks were intended to limit Iran's nuclear weapons potential, Tehran insists its program is strictly for civilian purposes. Araghchi acknowledged the strikes caused significant damage, saying authorities are reassessing the current state of the nuclear program to determine Iran's future diplomatic Trump had said during a Wednesday NATO summit in The Hague that the US and Iran would meet 'next week,' describing the recent Pentagon strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as a success. However, the White House walked back that claim on Thursday.'We don't have anything scheduled as of now,' press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, saying she had spoken with the Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff earlier that morning. She added that the administration remains in 'close communication' with the Iranians and intermediaries like the Qataris. 'We are in touch, and if there is a meeting, we will let you know, as we always do.'advertisementWitkoff had said earlier in the week that his conversations with Iranian counterparts had been 'promising,' and expressed hope for a long-term peace agreement that could 'resurrect Iran.'The Pentagon held a news conference Thursday morning defending the success of US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, while administration officials prepared to brief lawmakers on Capitol Hill later in the the strikes, the US has been actively seeking a direct meeting with Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on CBS's Face the Nation Sunday that 'we have bent over backwards to create a deal with these people.'- EndsMust Watch
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
White House says no Iran meetings currently scheduled
Washington — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that the Trump administration doesn't have any meetings scheduled with Iran, one day after President Trump said that the U.S. and Iran would talk and meet "next week." "We don't have anything scheduled as of now," Leavitt told reporters during Thursday's press briefing, adding that she spoke with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday morning and the administration continues to be in "close communication" with the Iranians and intermediaries such as the Qataris. "We are in touch, and if there is a meeting, we will let you know, as we always do," Leavitt said. Witkoff said earlier this week that his interactions with the Iranians had been "promising" and that the U.S. was "hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran." The president floated talks during a Wednesday news conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, where he touted the success of a weekend Pentagon operation targeting Iranian nuclear sites. "We're going to talk to them next week, with Iran," the president told reporters Wednesday. "We may sign an agreement, I don't know. ... If we got a document it wouldn't be bad. We're going to meet with them, actually. We're going to meet with them." The president at the time didn't specify who would be involved in such a meeting or where it would take place, and the White House didn't offer further details. On Thursday, Leavitt explained the basic goal of any future meetings. "We want to ensure we can get to a place where Iran agrees to a non-enrichment, civil nuclear program," Leavitt said. "And there are many other requests that the United States has." The Trump administration is considering a range of options to entice Iran back to the negotiating table, a source familiar with the planning told CBS News. Options include helping Iran to access $20 billion to $30 billion, so it can build a civilian, non-enrichment, energy-producing nuclear program, the source said. The funds would come not from the U.S., but from U.S. allies in the Middle East. Sanctions relief is also under discussion — provided that Iran commits to zero enrichment of uranium. Another possibility is allowing Iranian authorities to access the $6 billion currently sitting in restricted foreign bank accounts. Administration officials have even considered encouraging Middle Eastern partners to pay for Iran to rebuild the Fordo nuclear facility as a non-enrichment operation. CNN first reported the potential options. The Pentagon held a news conference Thursday morning defending the success of the strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend, and administration officials were set to brief lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday afternoon. The U.S. has been pushing for a direct meeting with Iran since the strikes, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sunday that "we have bent over backwards to create a deal with these people." "What happens next will now depend on what Iran chooses to do next," Rubio said. "If they choose the path of diplomacy, we're ready." Hegseth slams Iran strikes initial assessment that contradicts Trump's take Young Cuban girl asks Trump to lift travel ban stopping her from joining mom in U.S. Key Medicaid provisions in Trump budget bill violate Senate rules, parliamentarian says
American Military News
2 days ago
- Politics
- American Military News
Video: Trump reverses 'regime change' push in Iran
President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that he does not want to see a 'regime change' in Iran following a major ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran that was negotiated after the U.S. military conducted strikes against Iran's three nuclear facilities in the Middle East. In response to a reporter asking the president Tuesday on Air Force One if he wanted to see a 'regime change' in Iran, Trump said, 'No. If there was, there was. But no, I don't want it.' 'I'd like to see everything calm down as quickly as possible. Regime change takes chaos, and ideally, we don't want to see so much chaos, so we'll see how it does,' Trump added. 'You know, the Iranians are very good traders, very good business people, and they've got a lot of oil. They should be fine. They should be able to rebuild and do a good job. They're never going to have nuclear, but other than that, they should do a great job.' Trump's comments on Tuesday come after the 47th president appeared to suggest in a social media post on Sunday that 'regime change' might be needed in Iran to 'MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN.' In a Sunday statement on Truth Social, the president said, 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' READ MORE: Trump suggests 'regime change' to 'Make Iran Great Again' Following Trump's Truth Social post hinting at a major 'regime change' in the Middle East, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt assured reporters that the U.S. military's 'posture' regarding regime change had not changed. Leavitt told reporters, 'The President was just simply raising a question that I think many people around the world are asking, if the Iranian regime refuses to give up their nuclear program or engage in talks … if they refuse to engage in diplomacy moving forward, why shouldn't the Iranian people rise up against this brutal terrorist regime.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio also emphasized during a Sunday interview on CBS News' 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan' that the U.S. military strikes ordered by the president were not an 'attack on Iran,' an 'attack on the Iranian people,' or intended to force a 'regime change.' 'This wasn't a regime change move,' Rubio said. 'This was designed to degrade and, or destroy three nuclear sites related to their nuclear weaponization ambitions, and that was delivered on yesterday.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
CBS Reiterates Claim That Trump's ‘60 Minutes' Lawsuit Is ‘Meritless,' Refutes President's Assertion Edited Interview Was ‘Commercial Speech'
Even as lawyers for Paramount Global and President Trump are in discussions about a potential settlement in his lawsuit over the editing of a '60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris, Paramount and CBS filed a response reaffirming their position that the interview is protected by the First Amendment — and that Trump's legal team has failed to provide any evidence to the contrary. 'This is a meritless lawsuit that, as Plaintiffs' opposition admits, takes 'aim[] at a news organization' … for editorial decisions Plaintiffs dislike,' Paramount and CBS said in a filing Monday in reply to Trump's move to deny CBS's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. More from Variety Co-Creator Derek Haas Says He Has 'No Insight' Into Why 'FBI: International' Was Canceled at CBS : It Had 'Nothing to Do With the Quality of the Show' President Trump Declares Iran's Nuclear Facilities Are 'Completely and Totally Obliterated' in Live Address to Nation Following Airstrikes Mark Cuban Turned Down the Offer When Asked to Submit to be Kamala Harris' Vice President in 2024 Presidential Election: 'I'm Not Very Good as the Number Two Person' Trump filed the lawsuit against CBS just days before the 2024 presidential election, alleging the '60 Minutes' interview with Harris violated a Texas consumer protection law by misleading voters and caused Trump personal financial harm. In an amended complaint, Trump added Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) as a co-plaintiff and doubled his claims to demand $20 billion in damages. 'President Trump and Representative Jackson attempt to evade bedrock First Amendment principles establishing that public officials like themselves cannot hold news organizations like CBS liable for the exercise of editorial judgment,' CBS said in its reply. A key point of Trump's legal argument is that the edited versions of the '60 Minutes' Harris interview represent commercial speech, and that — as alleged in the president's lawsuit — CBS competes for advertising with Trump's media businesses, including Truth Social's parent company Trump Media & Technology Group (which is majority-owned by the president). But CBS said Trump has not provided any evidence that the '60 Minutes' interview represents commercial speech. 'Effectively conceding that their claims cannot survive if the Broadcasts are editorial speech subject to full First Amendment protections, Plaintiffs argue that the Broadcasts somehow became 'commercial speech' via a simple promotion for the Interview,' CBS said. 'But they provide this Court with nothing that would support the conclusion that the Face the Nation and 60 Minutes Broadcasts — involving an interview of a presidential candidate about issues of utmost public concern — are anything but fully protected editorial speech, and they cite not a single case holding that news broadcasts (or promotions for such broadcasts) are commercial speech. Indeed, the Supreme Court has repeatedly rejected that argument. The First Amendment applies fully to the news reporting at issue and bars Plaintiffs' claims.' CBS continued in the filing, 'Accepting Plaintiffs' standing arguments would amount to greenlighting thousands of consumer claims brought by individuals who merely disagree with a news organizations' editorial choices. And President Trump does not even attempt to fill the pleading gaps on his Lanham Act claim by identifying any actionable misrepresentation or how he or any other alleged purchaser materially relied on any purported misrepresentation.' In a separate filing Monday, CBS reiterated its position that the lawsuit — about an interview filmed in Washington, D.C., and broadcast from New York City — 'does not belong in federal court in Texas.' 'Plaintiffs do not dispute that the filming, editing and production work for the challenged Interview took place nearly two thousand miles from this courthouse,' CBS said in the reply. 'They do not dispute that the Interview never referenced this state. And they do not dispute that the people most knowledgeable about the Interview all worked in New York or Washington D.C. President Trump and Representative Jackson do not even allege that they watched the FTN or 60 Minutes Broadcasts from Texas when they aired. In short, there is no basis for jurisdiction or venue in this Court.' In March, Paramount filed a motion to dismiss Trump's suit, which the company called 'an affront to the First Amendment' that is 'without basis in law or fact.' In a filing last Friday, attorneys for both parties said the two sides are 'engaged in active settlement discussions, including continued mediation.' Paramount offered $15 million to settle the lawsuit but that was rejected by Trump's team, which wants at least $25 million as well as an apology from CBS, the Wall Street Journal reported. Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, is said to support the company's attempts to resolve the '60 Minutes' suit through mediation. Trump lawsuit's centers on an exchange in which '60 Minutes' correspondent Bill Whitaker asked Harris about the Biden administration's relations with Netanyahu, whom Whitaker said 'is not listening' to the White House. CBS News broadcast a longer portion of Harris's response on Oct. 6 on 'Face the Nation,' whereas the edited '60 Minutes' segment broadcast the next day included a shorter excerpt from the same answer. 'Each excerpt reflects the substance of the vice president's answer,' CBS News said in a statement. In response to an FCC request related to its investigation of a 'new distortion' complaint about the Harris interview, CBS News released an unedited transcript of the '60 Minutes' interview with Harris that aired Oct. 6, 2024 (available at this link) and said the materials show that 'consistent with 60 Minutes' repeated assurances to the public,' the broadcast 'was not doctored or deceitful.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Centcom commander: US ‘certainly vulnerable' to attacks in Iraq, Syria
Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former commander of U.S. Central Command (Centcom), said on Sunday that he thinks U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria are 'certainly vulnerable' to retaliatory attacks by Iran. In an interview on CBS News's 'Face the Nation,' McKenzie said he's not surprised that Iran has not yet retaliated following U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites, noting, 'I think Iranian decisionmaking is a little crippled right now because of the loss of senior leaders' at the hands of the Israelis. But he said he's confident the U.S. military has taken steps to prepare for any future attacks. 'To your question about where they might strike, I think we're certainly vulnerable in Iraq. I think we're certainly vulnerable in Syria,' he said. 'And I'm certain that Central Command has done all the things we need to do to harden ourselves against those potential attacks. 'The same for our other bases across the region,' McKenzie said. 'I don't know that it would be localized to the region though.' McKenzie speculated about the possibility of a strike on U.S. soil but noted efforts to achieve such a goal in the past have not been very successful. 'Iran has long harbored the desire to attack us in the United States. They typically have not been effective when they've done that. We've caught them in a couple of plots that are very public, that you're well aware of,' McKenzie said. 'So I think all those things are on the table, but it may take the Iranians a little while to work through this process, because nobody's excited about going to a meeting in Iran right now,' he said. The interview comes as U.S. leaders are warning Iran from taking retaliatory actions against the U.S. and of far-reaching consequences if Iran does not take steps to make peace. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
