Iran Nuclear

Iran has yet to allow UN inspectors to visit nuclear sites hit by Israeli and US airstrikes in June, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a confidential report on Wednesday, saying verification of Tehran’s enriched uranium “long overdue.”

Iran’s nuclear negotiations have long served to buy time for building atomic weapons, prominent Tehran-based political commentator Sadegh Zibakalam said in a debate published on Tuesday.

Conflicting narratives from Iranian officialdom on negotiations with the United States may indicate a sort of organized chaos aimed at prolonging diplomatic theater without any real intention of reaching a resolution.

Iran accused the United States of sending mixed signals on reviving nuclear talks, saying the June strikes on its nuclear facilities war undermined ongoing diplomacy and efforts toward a peaceful agreement.

Iran’s nuclear program has reached a dangerous stalemate after the 2015 deal’s expiry, collapsed talks, and lack of oversight – raising regional fears of a renewed clash with Israel, New York Times reported. 

Iran still possesses enough highly enriched uranium and the technical capability to build nuclear weapons, despite the Israeli and US strikes that damaged its enrichment sites, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Thursday.

Iranian lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian said the United States had proposed preventing the reimposition of snapback sanctions in exchange for Tehran halting all nuclear activities, including uranium enrichment at 20% and 60%.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told French President Emmanuel Macron that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and that Tehran is not seeking to obtain nuclear weapons, Iranian state media said on Wednesday.

Seventy-six Iranian lawmakers urged the justice minister on Wednesday to file international complaints against US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Rafael Grossi, head of the UN atomic watchdog.

Any possible talks between Iran and the United States would be limited to the nuclear file, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday.

Iran must make a serious improvement in its cooperation with United Nations nuclear inspectors to prevent further escalation with Western powers, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief said, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Combative comments by senior officials in Tehran about Iran’s nuclear program have drawn sharp criticism at home and abroad, with analysts warning that the rhetoric makes another round of war on Iran more likely.

US Senator Chris Van Hollen urged Iran to engage in nuclear negotiations, saying it must resolve the issue diplomatically as President Trump signals openness to talks to resolve the lingering impasse.

US President Donald Trump said his approach to Iran is central to securing broader Middle East stability, repeating that US military action had removed Tehran’s nuclear capability and hinting that an agreement with the Islamic Republic could pave the way for regional diplomacy.

Iran’s 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% remain buried beneath debris from the recent US strike on nuclear facilities, and Iran has no plan to recover them until conditions permit, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Al Jazeera published on Sunday.

US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Sunday that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon, calling it an “existential threat,” during remarks at the ADIPEC energy conference in Abu Dhabi.

Iran’s foreign minister on Sunday accused Israel of misleading the United States on a fabricated Iranian nuclear threat and called on President Donald Trump to change course.

Iran’s government confirmed that the foreign ministry received messages related to possible negotiations, following reports in foreign media that Washington had conveyed a proposal to restart nuclear talks through Oman.