Latest news with #KamalKharazi
Ya Libnan
13-05-2025
- Business
- Ya Libnan
Trump calls Iran the ‘most destructive force,' vows it won't get nuclear weapon
The United Nation's atomic watchdog confirmed in 2019 that Iran continues to produce uranium metal, which can be used in the production of a nuclear bomb in a move that further complicates the possibility of reviving a landmark 2015 deal with world powers on the Iranian nuclear program. On July 17, 2022 Kamal Kharazi, a senior aide to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and who heads Khamenei's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations said t 'it is no secret that we have the technical capabilities to manufacture a nuclear bomb, but we have not decided to do so.' RIYADH – U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Iran the 'most destructive force' in the Middle East, blaming Tehran for instability across the region and warning that the United States will never allow it to obtain a nuclear weapon. Offering what he described as both a final warning and a potential opening for diplomacy, Trump said Iran has a choice between continuing its 'chaos and terror' or embracing a path toward peace. Tehran has repeatedly denied accusations of fomenting Middle East instability. Trump said he was willing to strike a new deal with the Islamic Republic but only if its leaders changed course. 'I want to make a deal with Iran,' he said. 'But if Iran's leadership rejects this olive branch…, we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure.' Speaking at an investment summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Trump warned that 'Iran will never have a nuclear weapon', and said his offer for a deal won't last forever. Trump also drew a stark contrast between what he called the 'constructive vision' of Saudi Arabia and the 'collapse and suffering' he said had been caused by Iranian leaders. 'There could be no sharper contrast with the path you have pursued on the Arabian Peninsula than the disaster unfolding right across in the Gulf of Iran,' Trump added. (Reuters)
The National
01-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Iran planning move from 'fantasy to reality' through soft power and deeper Gulf ties
Kamal Kharazi, Iran's former foreign minister and one of its most influential policy figures, said on Thursday that Tehran is pushing for a shift towards soft power and deeper dialogue with the Arab Gulf states. In an unorthodox speech at a conference in Tehran published by state media, Mr Kharazi, who now heads Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, stressed that Iran 'is a strong, self-reliant nation. No one can invade us. Our strength is rooted in the people.' However, he added that this strength must now be matched with 'soft power' to build 'healthy relations with other nations, particularly amid regional geopolitical shifts and Israeli expansionism'. Neighbouring countries have recently made efforts to thaw relations with Tehran, urging it to stop interfering in the region's internal affairs. Despite lingering concerns over Iran's nuclear programme, several Gulf governments have advocated co-ordination with Tehran rather than confrontation, and argued for stronger economic ties. Mr Kharazi reiterated Iran's commitment to 'soft power as a strategic approach – focusing on economic co-operation and regional diplomacy,' echoing long-standing calls from Gulf countries. His comments come at a time when Iran is feeling the strain: its proxy groups across the Middle East have suffered major setbacks, and the country remains under intense US pressure. Washington's ' maximum pressure ' campaign has been coupled with nuclear talks and promises of economic relief if a deal is struck, at time when the country's economy is in ruins. A new language Several Iranian experts have said that policymakers in Tehran are debating whether the country should maintain its strategy of supporting non-state actors, rather than adopting a more realistic strategy in a rapidly changing Middle East. But the biggest obstacle to such a shift is the ultra-conservative camp, which has steered Iran's regional strategies for decades and has recently dragged them into once-unthinkable setbacks. For the Gulf states, any agreement with Iran hinges on verifiable guarantees that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and on Iran halting its support for non-state actors in the region. 'There is now a need for serious dialogue between Iran and Gulf states,' Mr Kharazi said at the conference in Tehran. 'We must craft initiatives and bring others to the table, investing in public and informal diplomacy, and speaking a new language,' he said. 'Iran should draw on its cultural and poetic heritage to communicate more effectively and project a refined image globally.' He called for a strategic balance between Islamic values, Iranian identity, and Shia mysticism, arguing that such a blend could reshape the region's and the world's view of Iran. 'We need analysts who can forecast based on reality – not fantasy,' he added, calling on think tanks to offer actionable insight. Still a powerful voice in Iranian foreign policy circles, Mr Kharazi announced an Iran–Arab dialogue summit in Tehran involving regional experts and officials. 'This is a key moment to project a new strategic image of Iran,' he said. He concluded by stressing that Iran's co-operation with Gulf states must extend beyond economics to include energy, science and technology, cultural heritage and even political and military collaboration. 'The region's future depends on this co-operation – and Iran is ready.'
New York Times
28-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Iran Signals Openness to Indirect Talks After Trump Letter
Iran announced on Thursday it had responded to a letter from President Trump in which the American president had urged direct negotiations with the government in Tehran on a deal to curb the country's advancing nuclear program. Iran appeared to be taking the middle ground, neither rejecting negotiations with the United States nor accepting face-to-face talks with Mr. Trump. But Kamal Kharazi, the top foreign policy adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said, according to local news reports, 'The Islamic Republic has not closed all the doors and is willing to begin indirect negotiations with the United States.' The countries have not had official diplomatic relations since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, but they have engaged directly and indirectly on issues like the nuclear program, detainee swaps and regional tensions. Iran said it submitted its written reply to Mr. Trump through Oman on Wednesday. The foreign minister of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran had presented a comprehensive view on the issues raised by Mr. Trump and on the overall situation in the Middle East, according to the official news agency IRNA. 'Our policy is to not negotiate directly while there is maximum pressure policy and threats of military strikes,' Mr. Araghchi said on Thursday. 'But indirect negotiations can take place as they have in the past.' What did the Trump letter say? Mr. Trump sent the letter this month to Mr. Khamenei, saying he preferred diplomacy to military action. 'I've written them a letter saying, 'I hope you're going to negotiate, because if we have to go in militarily, it's going to be a terrible thing,'' Mr. Trump told Fox News. 'You can't let them have a nuclear weapon.' On March 12, Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomat from the United Arab Emirates who traveled to Tehran to deliver Mr. Trump's letter, told Iranian news media that it contained 'threats' and also an opportunity. Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration's special envoy to the Middle East, revealed more details in an interview with Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host who is now a popular podcaster. Mr. Witkoff said the letter roughly said: 'We should talk, we should clear up the misconceptions, we should create a verification program so that nobody worries about weaponization of your nuclear material.' An Iranian official who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak publicly said that Mr. Trump had set a two-month deadline for Iran to negotiate, a detail initially reported by Axios. Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, a research institute based in London, said the letter-writing between Tehran and Washington showed that both sides were 'sizing each other up and finding different channels, some public and many private, to define what they can achieve.' 'This is an opportunity for both sides,' she added, 'but it comes with a thousand risks and challenges.' What is the view in Iran? Since Mr. Trump's election, officials and pundits in Iran have publicly debated the topic, with a conservative hard-line faction vehemently objecting to talks or concessions and a moderate and reformist faction arguing that negotiations are necessary to lift sanctions. Mr. Khamenei, who has the last word on all key state matters, has said he does not believe that Iran would gain from talks. President Masoud Pezeshkian, a moderate, has distanced himself from that view, telling Parliament this month that he favored negotiations but would follow Mr. Khamenei's directive. On Thursday, Mr. Khamenei's office signaled a shift in tone, based on Mr. Kharazi's remarks. What other options are being considered? If talks on a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program fail, Israel and the United States have suggested the possibility of launching targeted strikes on the two main underground nuclear facilities in Iran, Natanz and Fordow. But that risks setting off a wider regional war since Iran has warned it would respond to any strikes on its soil. And any attacks could destabilize the Middle East, with Tehran turning to its network of weakened but still active proxy militias, like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the West and Israel are concerned that Tehran has been secretly planning a faster, cruder approach to building a weapon. In 2018, Mr. Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and imposed tough economic sanctions. The moves prompted Iran to abandon its commitments to the deal and increase uranium enrichment from a cap of 3.5 percent to 60 percent now. The United Nation's nuclear watchdog says in its latest report that Iran has stockpiled enough enriched uranium to make several bombs. But the watchdog says it has found no evidence that Iran is weaponizing its program. 'Iran is at a crossroad, between having an off ramp or being militarily hit,' said Ms. Vakil, of Chatham House. 'It's a year of really consequential decisions, and how they play their hand could give them a lifeline or lead to further strikes and weakening of the government.'
