US President Donald Trump sats he thinks Tehran wants to negotiate directly with Washington.
"I think it's better if we have direct talks. It goes faster and you understand the other side a lot better," he told reporters on Thursday.
Republican Congressman Joe Wilson has introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives calling for the dismantling of Iran-backed groups in Iraq and sweeping sanctions on their affiliates.
The 'Free Iraq from Iran Act' specifically targets the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and other militias, urging their complete removal from Iraq’s government and security forces. It conditions all US security assistance to Baghdad on dismantling these groups and severing their control over ministries.
It also calls for the formal designation of 11 militias—including the Badr Corps, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada—as foreign terrorist organizations.
The bill also names former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, key Iraqi officials, and entities such as Al-Rafidain Bank for potential sanctions.
Iran seeks dialogue and rejects any military use of nuclear energy, President Masoud Pezeshkian told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call on Thursday.
“We are not seeking war with any country, but we have no hesitation in defending ourselves, and our readiness and capabilities in this regard are at the highest level,” Pezeshkian said, according to a statement from his office.
The statement added that Pezeshkian said the non-peaceful use of nuclear energy has no place in Iran's security and defense doctrine.
Pezeshkian also said that Iran is ready to engage in dialogue to reduce tensions based on mutual interests and respect, according to the statement.
Republican US Senator Tommy Tuberville expressed support for increased pressure on Iran, emphasizing sanctions targeting key sectors like oil and gas.
“If you're going to put sanctions on somebody —what President Trump does—for Iran and for the regime that's even killing its own people—is, you do blockade. You take away their source of being able to make a living, and that’s through their oil and gas,” Tuberville told Iran International.
The administration of US President Donald Trump remains committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and is still pressing for direct talks with Tehran, a National Security Council spokesman told Iran International.
Asked whether the administration sees any path forward for indirect engagement or dialogue given current tensions, the spokesman said: "President Trump and his administration remain committed that the Iranian regime never obtain a nuclear weapon, and we continue to press for direct talks."
Iran has ordered its military personnel to leave Yemen, the Telegraph reported on Thursday citing an unnamed Iranian official, abandoning its Houthi allies as the US escalates airstrikes against the group.
The report cited the official as saying that the move aimed to avoid direct confrontation with the United States if an Iranian soldier was killed.
Iran was also scaling back its strategy of supporting a network of regional allies to focus on the direct threats from Washington instead, the report added.
Tehran’s primary concern was “Trump and how to deal with him,” the report quoted the source as saying.
“Every meeting is dominated by discussions about him, and none of the regional groups we previously supported are being discussed,” the source added.
Iran could potentially agree to direct talks with the United States on the nuclear issue if progress is made during initial indirect negotiations, independent journalist Laura Rozen reported on Thursday citing an Iranian source.
The source, whom Rozen said spoke on condition of anonymity, indicated that indirect talks could begin in the next two to three weeks, likely in Oman, if the US is willing to engage. The talks are expected to be private at first.
Rozen cited the source as saying that if the indirect talks are successful in establishing a framework for negotiations, they could pave the way for direct talks.
The report added that Iran's negotiating team is expected to include Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Ravanchi, who was a key figure in talks which achieved a previous international nuclear deal, and Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi.
“Trump’s words are just hot air,” an Iranian lawmaker said Wednesday, dismissing the US President Donald Trump’s threat to bomb Iran if it fails to agree a nuclear deal.
“They know the extent of our offensive and defensive capabilities,” Fereydoun Abbasi said.
A former Iranian diplomat says Europe's implicit support for President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on Iran reflects the extent to which Tehran’s relations with European powers have deteriorated.
Kourosh Ahmadi, who previously served at Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York, argued in an analysis published on a Tehran-based website that despite growing rifts between the Trump administration and Europe, European governments have refrained from criticizing Trump’s hardline approach toward Iran.
“Europe’s current silence or alignment with Trump on Iran comes at a time of unprecedented tension between Europe and the United States, as Trump and his team have shown nothing but contempt and hostility toward America’s traditional allies,” Ahmadi wrote. This, he said, underscores how severely Tehran’s ties with Europe have eroded over the past three years.
France’s foreign minister warned Wednesday that a military confrontation with Iran could become “almost inevitable” if world powers fail to quickly reach a new agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program. The statement followed a rare, closed-door meeting convened by President Emmanuel Macron with senior ministers and experts to assess the Iran situation.
A senior Iranian diplomat called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Thursday to condemn recent threatening rhetoric by the US president against Iran.
Speaking at a meeting of SCO deputy foreign ministers in Moscow, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, the Political Deputy of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, referred to US President Donald Trump’s recent threat to use force against Iran.
He described such statements as dangerous and in violation of fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter.
Takht-Ravanchi noted Iran’s request for the UN Security Council to condemn these remarks and urged the SCO to adopt a similar stance in denouncing the US approach to uphold international peace and security.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday that Russia is ready to offer its help for the US and Iran to reach a reasonable agreement before it is too late.
A new bipartisan bill in the US is pushing for measures to empower Iranians to help overthrow the government in favour of a democratic alternative including facilitating greater internet access and funding for dissidents.
The Maximum Support Act, introduced by Reps. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), would require the administration to develop an aggressive interagency strategy aimed at backing Iranian dissidents who would be pivotal in the process.
Remarks by a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader warning of Iran being pushed to produce nuclear weapons by US threats have sparked intense debate in Iran.
Israel is not ruling out a diplomatic path to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Thursday, adding that there were signs that there could be indirect talks between Tehran and the United States.
"We don't hold discussions with the Iranians, as you know, but they made it clear they are ready to an indirect negotiations with the US, and I will not be surprised if such negotiations will start."
Chinese independent refineries, known as "teapots," appear to be pausing new orders of Iranian crude oil following Washington's first imposition of sanctions on a Chinese refinery, Shandong-based Shouguang Luqing Petrochemicals.
Iran’s main oil customers are small, independent Chinese refineries, known as "teapots," most of which are based in Shandong, where 90% of Iranian oil cargoes is discharged.
According to market intelligence cited by Kpler, no fresh deals for Iranian crude have been reported since March 20.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told executives from major global banks on Wednesday that Washington is prepared to impose broader sanctions on Iran and called for their cooperation in ramping up financial pressure on the Islamic Republic.
“Our strategy is clear: We will apply economic pressure to the maximum extent possible to disrupt the Iranian regime’s access to the financial resources that fuel its destabilizing activities,” Bessent said. “This includes the billions of dollars Iran generates annually from oil sales.”
During his first term, President Donald Trump imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran, targeting its oil exports and foreign banking operations.
Iran’s economy is now in deep crisis, as its reduced oil revenues are no longer sufficient to sustain its energy-dependent economy.
A former senior Iranian diplomat has warned that certain actors are actively working to prevent improved relations between Iran and the West, emphasizing the need for Tehran to maintain a balanced foreign policy with all global powers.
Jalal Sadatian, who previously served as Iran’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, told the ILNA news website in Tehran: “It is important to recognize that there are serious enemies of Iran’s national interests who do not want to see improved relations with Europe and the United States.”
“Maintaining a balanced foreign policy is essential to safeguard the country’s national interests and security,” Sadatian said, adding, “We must remain aware of the severe risks posed by sanctions in order to navigate this critical phase successfully.”
Remarks by a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader warning of Iran being pushed to produce nuclear weapons by US threats have sparked intense debate in Iran.
Moscow has rejected as illegal US threats against Iran's nuclear infrastructure, the Russian foreign ministry said on Wednesday, as tensions between Washington and Tehran have ramped up in recent weeks.
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff reacted "great" on Wednesday to a spirited statement by Iran's foreign minister on X before swiftly deleting the post.
