Iran | Pakistan

The United States will have to do “something very tough” if a deal is not reached with Iran, President Donald Trump told Israel’s Channel 12 in an interview published online on Tuesday. “Either we reach a deal, or we’ll have to do something very tough,” it quoted Trump as saying. Trump has said he is considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, Axios and Channel 12 reported, amid simmering tensions between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear programme and over its recent crackdown on protesters. “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,” Trump told Axios, though he noted that Iran “wants to make a deal very badly”. Trump initially threatened military action against Tehran over its crackdown on protesters last month. Subsequently, the US said that a naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier was deployed to Middle Eastern waters amid tensions between the two countries. However, the countries held talks in Oman last week, which Iran called a good star...

Netanyahu says Iran talks top his agenda with Trump, urging a tougher US stance on Tehran’s missiles

Iran on Tuesday warned of “destructive” influence on diplomacy ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington for talks expected to focus on US negotiations with Tehran. “Our negotiating party is America. It is up to America to decide to act independently of the pressures and destructive influences that are detrimental to the region,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei in a weekly press briefing. “The Zionist regime has repeatedly, as a saboteur, shown that it opposes any diplomatic process in our region that leads to peace.” Tehran and Washington resumed talks in Muscat on Friday, months after earlier negotiations collapsed following Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last June, which triggered a 12-day war. During the conflict, Israel targeted senior Iranian military officials, nuclear scientists and nuclear sites, as well as residential areas. The United States later joined the campaign, launching its own strikes on key Iranian nuclear faciliti...

Iran could agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium in exchange for all financial sanctions being lifted, its atomic chief said on Monday, one of the most direct indications so far of its position at talks with Washington. US and Iranian diplomats held talks through Omani mediators in Oman last week in an effort to revive diplomacy, after US President Donald Trump positioned a naval flotilla in the region, raising fears of new military action. The talks follow a crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in Iran last month. Trump joined an Israeli bombing campaign last year and hit Iranian nuclear sites. He also threatened last month to intervene militarily during the protests, but ultimately held off. Washington has demanded Iran relinquish its stockpile — estimated last year by the UN nuclear agency at more than 440 kilogrammes — of uranium enriched to up to 60 per cent fissile purity, a small step away from the 90pc that is considered weapons grade. The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, M...

Recognition of Iran’s right to enrich uranium is key for nuclear talks with the United States to succeed, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday. American and Iranian diplomats held indirect talks in Oman on Friday, aimed at reviving diplomacy amid a US naval buildup near Iran and Tehran’s vows of a harsh response if attacked. “Zero enrichment can never be accepted by us. Hence, we need to focus on discussions that accept enrichment inside Iran while building trust that enrichment is and will stay for peaceful purposes,” Araqchi said. Iran and the US held five rounds of nuclear talks last year, which stalled mainly due to disagreements over uranium enrichment inside Iran. In June, the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities at the end of a 12-day Israeli bombing campaign. Tehran has since said it has halted enrichment activity, which the US views as a possible pathway to nuclear bombs. Iran says its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes. A diplomat in the region briefed by Iran told Reuters ...

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday he hoped talks with the United States would resume soon, while reiterating Tehran’s red lines and warning against any American attack. According to excerpts published on his official Telegram channel during an interview with the Al Jazeera network, Araghchi said that Iran’s missile programme was “never negotiable” in Friday’s talks in Oman. He warned that Tehran would target US bases in the region if the US attacked Iranian territory. However, Araghchi also said that despite the talks in Muscat being indirect, “an opportunity arose to shake hands with the American delegation”. He called the talks “a good start”, but added that building trust would take time. He said the talks would resume “soon”. US President Donald Trump on Friday called the talks “very good” and pledged another round of negotiations next week. Despite this, he signed an executive order effective from Saturday that called for the “imposition of tariffs” on countries still doing busines...

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Tehran is ready to reach a “reassuring agreement” on uranium enrichment, stressing that zero enrichment is outside the framework of negotiations.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington held “very good talks” on Iran after the two sides held an indirect dialogue in Oman. Iran, for its part, said it expected to hold more negotiations with the United States, hailing a “positive atmosphere” during a day of talks in the Gulf sultanate. With an American naval group led by an aircraft carrier in Middle Eastern waters, US and Iranian delegations held talks in Muscat mediated by Oman without publicly meeting face-to-face. Shortly after the talks concluded, the US announced new sanctions against shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran’s oil exports. But it was not clear if the move was linked to the talks. The talks were the first between the two foes since the United States joined Israel’s war with Iran in June with strikes on nuclear sites. “We likewise had very good talks on Iran,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One en route to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, adding, “we’re going to meet again early next week.” However, ...

Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States held in Oman on Friday were a good beginning and will continue, Iran’s foreign minister said, after growing concerns that a failure in the high-stakes negotiations could set off another Middle East war. “It was a good start to the negotiations. And there is an understanding on continuing the talks. Coordination on how to proceed will be decided in the capitals,” the minister, Abbas Araghchi, told Iranian state TV. “If this process continues, I think we will reach a good framework for an understanding.” Officials from both sides, who held indirect talks through Omani mediation in Oman’s capital Muscat, will return home for consultations, Araqchi said. While both sides have indicated readiness to revive diplomacy over Tehran’s long-running nuclear dispute with the West, Washington wanted to expand the talks to cover Iran’s ballistic missiles, support for armed groups around the region and “treatment of their own people”, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on ...

In a meeting with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday, Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam appreciated Islamabad’s “principled positions and continued support” toward his country in various areas. “Highly honored to call on Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, president of the PML-N, and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif,” Mogahadam said in a post on X about the meeting. He added: “Reiterating the firm commitment of the Islamic Republic of Iran to further enhance Iran-Pakistan relations, I expressed my sincere appreciation for the principled positions and continued support of the government of Pakistan toward Iran in various arenas.” The envoy said he had met the father-daughter duo to exchange views on the latest regional developments, “particularly in light of recent interventions by the United States and the Israeli regime, including their interventionist positions, threats, and escalatory rhetoric”. “We also discussed initiatives aimed at further strengthening t...

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, as his counterpart Donald Trump threatened “bad things” if no deal with the Islamic republic was struck. Following the Iranian authorities’ response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, the US president has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East. Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington will “work something out” with Iran, but also warned late on Monday that “bad things would happen” if no deal is reached. Tehran has insisted it wants diplomacy, while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression. Iranian state media reported on Monday that President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the start of nuclear talks with Washington. Pezeshkian confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of nuclear talks. “I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreason...

Iran and the United States will resume nuclear talks on Friday in Turkiye, Iranian and US officials told Reuters on Monday, while a regional diplomat said representatives from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt would participate. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will meet in Istanbul in an effort to revive diplomacy over a long-running dispute about Iran’s nuclear programme and dispel fears of a new regional war. Turkiye and other regional allies have sought de-escalation. “Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt, as well as some other countries, will attend the Istanbul meeting. There will be bilateral, trilateral and other meetings,” the diplomat said. Earlier today, the Iranian news agency Fars reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the start of nuclear talks with Washington. “President Pezeshkian has ordered the initiation of nuclear negotiations with the United States,” the agency reported, citing an unnamed government source. “The source said Iran and...

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was hopeful of agreeing a deal with Iran after the country’s supreme leader warned that any US attack on the Islamic republic would trigger a regional war. Following the Iranian authorities’ response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, Trump has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East. Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday likened the recent protests to a “coup”, warning that a US attack would trigger a broad conflict. “The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” he said, telling Iranians they “should not be scared” of Trump’s rhetoric. “They (rioters) attacked the police, government centres, IRGC centres, banks, and mosques, and burned the Quran … It was like a coup,” Khamenei said, adding that “the coup was suppressed”. Asked about the Iranian leader’s warning, Trump told reporters on Sunday: “Of course he is going to say that...

United States President Donald Trump on Saturday said India will buy Venezuelan oil, as opposed to purchasing oil from Iran. “We’ve already made that deal, the concept of the deal,” Trump told reporters while on Air Force One, en route to Florida from Washington, DC. Trump also said on Saturday that China was also welcome to make a deal with the US to buy Venezuelan oil. Trump’s comment came a day after the US told Delhi it could soon resume purchases of Venezuelan oil to help replace imports of Russian oil, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. India pledged to slash Russian crude oil purchases after Washington also hiked tariffs related to that activity, and India is on track to lower its Russian oil imports by several hundred thousand barrels per day in the coming months, according to the sources, who declined to be identified. Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on countries buying Venezuelan oil, including India, in March 2025, and his administration ramped up a campaign against Venezuelan Pr...

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami on Saturday warned the United States and Israel against an attack, saying his country’s forces were on high alert following Washington’s heavy military deployments in the Gulf. He also insisted the Islamic republic’s nuclear expertise could not be eliminated, after Trump said he expected Tehran to seek a deal to avoid US strikes. “If the enemy makes a mistake, without a doubt it will endanger its own security, the security of the region, and the security of the Zionist regime (Israel),” Hatami said, according to the official IRNA news agency. He noted that Iran’s armed forces were “at full defensive and military readiness”. Washington sent a naval strike group to the Middle East led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, with Trump threatening to intervene militarily after a deadly crackdown by Iranian authorities on two weeks of anti-government protests. The deployment has raised fears of a possible direct confrontation with Iran, which has warned it would respond with mi...

• Erdogan offers to help ease Tehran-Washington tensions • Trump softens threats, suggests openness to dialogue • UK PM Starmer, allies working to block Iran’s nuclear ambitions ISTANBUL: Turkiye intensified a diplomatic push to mediate between Tehran and Washington on Friday as US President Donald Trump appeared to cool his threats of a strike, though Iran warned that its missile capabilities would “never” be on the negotiating table. Turkish President Re­cep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan led regional efforts to de-escalate tensions that have soared since the US moved military assets to the Middle East following a deadly crackdown on protests in Iran. While the Pentagon said the military remained ready, Trump lowered the temperature late on Thursday, stating he hoped to avoid conflict and that talks were possible. Speaking during a visit to Turkiye, Iranian For­eign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed the potential for dialogue but drew a hard line regarding national defence. “I want to state ...

United States President Donald Trump said on Friday that he believed Tehran wanted to make a deal to avoid military action, adding that the US “armada” near Iran was bigger than the one he dispatched to topple Venezuela’s leader. The development came hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is prepared to resume talks with Washington, but they should be fair and not include Iran’s defence capabilities. Trump made these remarks while addressing reporters in the Oval Office of the White House. “We have a large armada, flotilla, you can call it whatever you want, heading to Iran right now. Even larger than what we had in Venezuela,” the president stated. “Hopefully, we’ll make a deal. If we do make a deal, that’s good; if we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens,” Trump added. Asked if Iran had been given any deadline for a deal on its nuclear programme, ballistic missiles and other issues, Trump replied, “Only they know for sure.” He added that he had communicated that directly. “We’ll...

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he hoped to avoid military action against Iran, which has threatened to strike American bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack. Trump said he is speaking with Iran and left open the possibility of avoiding a military operation after earlier warning that time was “running out” for Tehran as the United States sends a large naval fleet to the region. When asked if he would have talks with Iran, Trump told reporters: “I have had and I am planning on it.” “We have a group headed out to a place called Iran, and hopefully we won’t have to use it,” the US president added, while speaking to media at the premiere of a documentary about his wife Melania. As Brussels and Washington dialled up their rhetoric and Iran issued stark threats this week, UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for nuclear negotiations to “avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region”. An Iranian military spokesman warned Tehran’s response to any US action would not ...

• PM speaks to Iranian president; FO says region cannot afford war • Diplomacy the ‘only viable way forward’, Dar tells Araghchi • Iranian army chief warns of ‘crushing response’ to any attack • Turkiye offers mediation; Russia cautions use of force will ‘fuel chaos’ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday opposed the use of force and coercive measures against Iran, stressing that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy as Western pressure on Tehran intensified with a continuing US naval build-up in the Gulf and fresh European designations and sanctions. The Pakistani position was articulated across official engagements and public statements, including a telephone call bet­ween Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Masoud Pezesh­kian, con­­tacts between the two foreign ministers, and remarks by the Foreign Off­ice spo­kesperson at the media briefing. In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, PM Shehbaz “underscored the importance of sustained dialogue and diplomatic engage...

US President Donald Trump is weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders to inspire protesters, multiple sources said, even as Israeli and Arab officials said air power alone would not topple the government. Two US sources familiar with the discussions said Trump wanted to create conditions for “regime change” after a crackdown crushed a nationwide protest movement earlier this month. To do so, he was looking at options to hit commanders and institutions that Washington holds responsible for the violence, to give protesters the confidence that they could overrun government and security buildings, they said. One of the US sources said the options being discussed by Trump’s aides also included a much larger strike intended to have a lasting impact, possibly against the ballistic missiles that can reach US allies in the Middle East or its nuclear enrichment programmes. The other US source said Trump has not yet made a final decision on a course of action, including ...