16:42, april 17Author: Asia-Plus Israel had planned to attack Iranian nuclear facilities in May, but U.S. President Donald Trump refused to support the Israeli strike in favor of negotiations with Tehran to limit its nuclear program, Meduza reported on April 17, citing The New York Times.
Browsing: Diplomacy
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi met the head of Iran’s atomic energy agency, Mohammad Eslami, on Thursday ahead of a fresh round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. Iranian and US delegations are to gather in Rome on Saturday for a second round of Omani-mediated negotiations, a week after the longtime foes held their highest-level talks since US President Donald Trump abandoned a landmark nuclear accord in 2018, AFP said. There were no immediate details on Grossi’s meeting with Eslami, but Iran’s reformist Shargh newspaper described his visit as “strategically significant at the current juncture”. On Wednesday, Grossi met with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the first round of talks with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday. Araghchi said he had had a “useful” meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency chief. “The IAEA can play a crucial role in peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear file in the coming months,” he said. Araghchi called on the IAEA chief to “keep
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman held talks in Tehran on Thursday with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian. In a post on the X platform, Prince Khalid said he was visiting Iran at the directives of the Saudi leadership, revealing that he had handed Khamenei a written message from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz. He added that he discussed with Khamenei issues of common interest and bilateral relations between their countries. “Ties with Saudi Arabia are beneficial for both countries and we can complement each other,” Khamenei was quoted as saying by Iran’s Tasnim news agency, The meeting was attended by chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri. Prince Khalid was received by Bagheri upon his arrival in Tehran. “Relations with Saudi Arabia have been witnessing growth and development since the signing of the Beijing Agreement,” Bagheri was quoted as saying by Iranian media. Tehran and Riyadh can play an important role in ens
Talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program are “in a very crucial” stage, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said Thursday while on a visit to Tehran. The comments by Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Iran included an acknowledgment his agency likely would be key in verifying compliance by Iran should a deal be reached. Iran and the US will meet again Saturday in Rome for a new round of talks after last weekend’s first meeting in Oman, The AP news reported. The stakes of the negotiations Saturday and the wider geopolitical tensions in the Mideast couldn’t be higher, particularly as the Israel-Hamas war rages on in the Gaza Strip. US President Donald Trump repeatedly has threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. Grossi visits