Latest news with #Obama-negotiated
The Hill
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Iran's foreign minister: US strikes ‘destroyed' nuclear facilities
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during a recent interview that the U.S.'s strikes last month 'destroyed' Tehran's nuclear facilities and that the country will not refrain from continuing to enrich uranium. 'It is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe. But obviously we cannot give up [on] enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists. And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride,' Araghchi told Fox News's Bret Baier. Araghchi later added that the 'facilities have been destroyed.' Iran's foreign minister, in an interview on 'Special Report with Bret Baier,' said Iran will be able to rebuild the facilities, insisting that Tehran would not pause enriching uranium. 'If the goal is to make sure that Iran will never have nuclear weapons, that is achievable,' Araghchi said. President Trump and other administration officials have claimed that U.S. military strikes on June 21 'completely destroyed' Iran's three nuclear sites — at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. A recent intelligence assessment, which was reported by multiple news outlets last week, said that the nuclear facility in Fordow was mostly destroyed, but the ones in Natanz and Isfahan were not and could potentially resume uranium enrichment. Apart from the White House, the Defense Department (DOD) has also pushed back against the intelligence report, saying that the June attacks, carried out by B-2 bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles, obliterated all three sites. DOD's chief spokesman Sean Parnell said to reporters earlier in July that the Pentagon's assessments indicated that Iran's nuclear program was set back by 'one to two years.' Israel initially attacked Iran on June 13, which led to a 12-day war between the two countries. A ceasefire was reached on June 24. Prior to the conflict, the U.S. and Iran completed five rounds of nuclear talks, although the two countries did not reach a deal. Trump pulled out of a former President Obama-negotiated deal in 2018. 'It is developed by ourselves. It is an achievement by ourselves. The technology is there. The scientists are there, the people who have run these facilities are there. Buildings can be rebuilt. Facilities can be rebuilt. Machines can be replaced,' Araghchi said. 'I think the recent attack proved that there is no military option for our nuclear program,' the foreign minister added.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran won't retaliate against US or pursue nuclear ‘militarization,' says top diplomat
Iran will not retaliate further against the United States's strikes on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program or pursue nuclear 'militarization,' according to one of the country's top diplomats. 'As long as there is no act of aggression being perpetrated by the United States against us, we will not respond again,' Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in an interview with NBC News that was published Thursday. Takht-Ravanchi said that Iran is open to negotiating with the U.S. over its nuclear program, but he added that Tehran will not stop enriching uranium. 'Our policy has not changed on enrichment. Iran has every right to do enrichment within its territory. The only thing that we have to observe is not to go for militarization,' Takht-Ravanchi said. The U.S. military bombed Iran's three vital nuclear sites — at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — on June 21 after Israel and Iran traded strikes for more than a week. Iran retaliated, launching an attack on the U.S. military's Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Iran gave advance notice of the attack, and Qatar's defense systems blocked the strikes. U.S. officials said there were zero casualties. President Trump has celebrated the U.S.'s attack, saying the assault 'obliterated' Iran's three nuclear facilities. He and other administration officials have pushed back against the early, 'low confidence' Defense Intelligence Agency assessment that suggested the U.S. military attack set back Iran's nuclear program by a matter of months. The Pentagon suggested on Wednesday that Iran's nuclear program has been set back at least a year. 'I think we're thinking probably closer to two years, like degraded their program by two years,' chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told reporters. The Israeli strikes and U.S. attack on Iran came as Washington and Tehran were negotiating over potentially striking a new nuclear agreement. Trump pulled out of a 2015 Obama-negotiated deal in 2018. 'How can we trust the Americans? We want them to explain as to why they misled us, why they took such an egregious action against our people,' Iran's deputy foreign minister said. Still, Takht-Ravanchi said Iran is for diplomacy and 'for dialogue.' He added that the Trump administration has 'to convince us that they are not going to use military force while we are negotiating.' 'That is an essential element for our leadership to be in a position to decide about the future round of talks,' the Iranian diplomat added. Trump reiterated his desire to restart nuclear negotiations with Iran on Thursday. 'We're not looking to hurt them. We're looking to let them be a country again. They got beat up. We were both exhausted, frankly, but Iran really got beat up,' Trump told reporters. 'And if they want to meet, I know they want to meet, and if it's necessary, I'll do it.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Iran won't retaliate against US or pursue nuclear ‘militarization,' says top diplomat
Iran will not retaliate further against the United States's strikes on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program or pursue nuclear 'militarization,' according to one of the country's top diplomats. 'As long as there is no act of aggression being perpetrated by the United States against us, we will not respond again,' Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in an interview with NBC News that was published Thursday. Takht-Ravanchi said that Iran is open to negotiating with the U.S. over its nuclear program, but added that Tehran will not stop enriching uranium. 'Our policy has not changed on enrichment. Iran has every right to do enrichment within its territory. The only thing that we have to observe is not to go for militarization,' Takht-Ravanchi said. The U.S. military bombed Iran's three vital nuclear sites — at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan — on June 21 after Israel and Iran traded strikes for more than a week. Iran retaliated, launching an attack on the U.S. military Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Iran gave advance notice of the attack and Qatar's defense systems blocked the strikes. U.S. officials said there were zero casualties. President Trump has celebrated the U.S.'s attack, saying the assault 'obliterated' Iran's three nuclear facilities. He and other administration officials have pushed back against the early, 'low confidence' Defense Intelligence Agency assessment that suggested the U.S. military attack set back Iran's nuclear program by a matter of months. The Pentagon suggested on Wednesday that Iran's nuclear program has been set back at least a year. 'I think we're thinking probably closer to two years, like degraded their program by two years,' Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told reporters. The Israeli strikes and U.S. attack on Iran came as Washington and Tehran were negotiating over potentially striking a new nuclear agreement. Trump pulled out of the 2015 Obama-negotiated deal in 2018. 'How can we trust the Americans? We want them to explain as to why they misled us, why they took such an egregious action against our people,' Iran's deputy foreign minister said. Still, Takht-Ravanchi said Iran is for diplomacy and 'for dialogue.' He added that the Trump administration has 'to convince us that they are not going to use military force while we are negotiating.' 'That is an essential element for our leadership to be in a position to decide about the future round of talks,' the Iranian diplomat added. Trump reiterated his desire to restart nuclear negotiations with Iran on Thursday. 'We're not looking to hurt them. We're looking to let them be a country again. They got beat up. We were both exhausted, frankly, but Iran really got beat up,' Trump told reporters. 'And if they want to meet, I know they want to meet, and if it's necessary, I'll do it.'
The Hill
31-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Bolton says US-Iran nuclear talks are ‘fruitless'
Former national security adviser John Bolton argued during a recent interview that nuclear deal negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are 'fruitless' and Israel's potential strikes against Tehran's nuclear facilities are entirely 'warranted.' 'I think we're really at a very important point here, whether, whether Trump is going to try and continue these negotiations, which I think are going to be completely fruitless, or whether Israel is going to do what it has to do to protect its very existence,' Bolton said Friday evening in an appearance on NewsNation's 'On Balance.' The U.S. and Iran's officials have sat down for five rounds of talks regarding Iran's expanding nuclear program, with the most recent meeting taking place in Rome last week. There, both sides indicated that they are moving closer to forging a new deal. President Trump withdrew from the Obama-negotiated deal with Iran in 2018, during his first White House term, and imposed sanctions on Tehran. Trump has warned Iran that if ongoing diplomatic talks go sideways, military action could take place. The president earlier Friday signaled that the two countries are 'fairly close' to reaching a new agreement. 'I think we have a chance of making a deal with Iran,' Trump told journalists at the White House. 'They don't want to be blown up,' he added. 'They would rather make a deal, and I think that could happen in the not-too-distant future.' Israel has reportedly been preparing to strike Iran's nuclear facilities if U.S.-led talks go nowhere. Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from striking Tehran as it could jeopardize ongoing discussions. 'It's not a warning. I said, 'I don't think it's appropriate.' I just said I don't think it's appropriate,' Trump said. 'We're having very good discussions with them, and I don't think it's appropriate right now.' Bolton, a defense hawk and a frequent critic of the president's approach to foreign policy, said the 'actual opinion in Israel is overwhelmingly in favor of taking military action against Iran's facilities.' An Israeli Democracy Institute poll, released in late April, found that 45 percent of Israelis are in favor of striking Iran, while 41.5 percent are against it. Just over half of the respondents, 52 percent, of Jewish Israelis are in favor of strikes, while 34.5 percent oppose them. Among Arab Israelis, a large majority, 76 percent, are against military strikes, while only nine percent said the opposite, according to the survey. 'I think a preventive attack is entirely warranted. The US should support it. In fact, if asked, or if asked, we should help them and in fact we should volunteer to help them,' Bolton told host Leland Vittert on Friday. 'It's unfair to say that the Iran nuclear program is only Israel's problem, let's face it, it's our problem, too,' he added. Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman also warned Iranian officials during a closed-door meeting on April 17 that Tehran should take up Trump's opportunity to negotiate a deal or the Islamic republic would risk military strikes from Israel, Reuters reported on Friday, citing two Gulf sources and two Iranian officials.
Middle East Eye
28-05-2025
- Business
- Middle East Eye
Trump to Netanyahu: 'Not appropriate' to bomb Iran, as US engages in talks
US President Donald Trump on Thursday told reporters that the country is "down to final strokes with Iran", as the two sides engage in talks to establish an agreement designed to curb Iran's nuclear energy development in return for an easing of US sanctions. Key to the talks has been exactly how much uranium enrichment Iran can undertake, if any at all. The Iranians say they must be able to do so for a deal to be struck. But the US does not appear to have publicly settled on a firm policy approach in that regard, given the administration's mixed messaging. The two sides are keen on replacing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Obama-negotiated 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from in 2018. In that deal, Iran was limited to 3.67 percent uranium enrichment, enough for civilian nuclear power and research. Earlier this year, Iran's foreign minister said the JCPOA is "no longer good for us" and "[Trump] does not want another JCPOA either." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters As of Thursday, the discussions are in their "final moments," Trump said, leading him to admit that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call last week how it was "inappropriate" for Israel to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. "I'd like to be honest, yes, I did," Trump told a reporter who asked if he warned Netanyahu against taking action that could derail talks. "It's not a warning," he added. "I said, 'I don't think it's appropriate'... We're having very good discussions with them." "If we can settle it with a very strong document, very strong, with inspections, and no trust," Trump said. "I don't trust anybody. So no trust. I want it very strong, where we can go in with inspectors." The US, he said, "can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want," as long as nobody gets killed in Iran. "We can blow up a lab, but nobody's going to be in the lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up. Right? Two ways of doing it," he explained. "I told [Netanyahu] this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution. Now, that could change at any moment, and change with a phone call, but right now I think they want to make a deal. And if we can make a deal, [we can] save a lot of lives." State of talks On Wednesday, the State Department confirmed that the fifth round of talks between the two sides took place in Rome on Friday, hosted by the Omani embassy there. Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was in attendance for about two and a half hours, the Associated Press (AP) reported. A new report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency, cited by the AP, said 'Iran almost certainly is not producing nuclear weapons, but Iran has undertaken activities in recent years that better position it to produce them, if it chooses to do so." As Trump snubs Israel, Gulf states flex their lobbying for an Iran deal Read More » 'These actions reduce the time required to produce sufficient weapons-grade uranium for a first nuclear device to probably less than one week," the report added. Independent experts, however, have long put Iran's "breakout" timeline at several months rather than weeks. Iran is second only to Russia in facing down crippling US sanctions. It has long maintained that it does not seek a nuclear bomb, with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei saying in 2019 that such weapons are "forbidden under Islamic law". But Iran is also currently enriching uranium to the 60 percent threshold, just short of weapons grade, including by using advanced centrifuge designs at the deeply-buried Fordow enrichment facility, a fact sheet from the Washington-based National Iranian American Council showed.
