live U.S., Iran reach preliminary peace deal, Friday signing expected
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had agreed on a framework to end their war, halt the U.S. blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a pre...
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi visited Iran's Natanz nuclear plant and its Fordow site.
United Nation's Nuclear watchdog visited two nuclear sites in Iran Friday morning. The International Atomic Energy Agency's Head, Rafael Grossi went to the Fordow site some 100 kilometres south of Tehran and Natanz nuclear plant aimed at resolving disputes on nuclear talks.
Their last report in June said it had lost continuity of knowledge to key parts of the Iranian nuclear programme due to being unable to perform verification and monitoring activities for more than three and a half years.
Speaking earlier to Iranian officials, Grossi made an effort to restore his inspectors' access.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi told the chief of the IAEA that the country is willing to resolve outstanding disputes but won't succumb to pressure.
Following the discussions, Araqchi said that the ball is in the European Union/E3 court, referring to France, Britain, and Germany.
The three countries along with the United States represent the West in the nuclear talks with Iran.
"Willing to negotiate based on our national interest and inalienable rights, but not ready to negotiate under pressure and intimidation," Iranian state media quoted Araqchi as saying. "I hope the other side will adopt a rational policy."
Grossi's trip comes a week before the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors meet in Vienna with the European 3 to consider whether to raise pressure on Iran given its lack of cooperation.
The Head of IAEA also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for the first time since Pezeshkian was elected in July. The president told Grossi that Tehran was prepared to cooperate with the IAEA to clear up "alleged ambiguities" about Tehran's nuclear work, state media reported.
After a meeting with Iran's nuclear chief, in a televised joint press conference, Grossi urged Tehran to take steps to resolve the remaining issues.
"It is in our power here to take concrete steps that will indicate clearly, to the U.S. and the international community, that we can clarify things and move forward with concrete solutions," Grossi said.
President-Elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January upends the nuclear diplomacy, which had already stalled under the outgoing administration of Joe Biden.
During Trump’s last term, Washington unilaterally withdrew from the deal struck in 2015 between Iran and six world powers that limited Tehran’s nuclear work in exchange for relief from sanctions.
Since then, Tehran abandoned all limits on its program, and enriches uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the 90% required for an atomic bomb.
Iran has long denied any nuclear-bomb ambitions, saying it is enriching uranium for civilian energy use only.
Details of a reported draft memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran offer the clearest picture yet of how both sides plan to end months of conflict and move towards a longer-term settlement.
The U.S. and Iran say they have reached a deal to end their conflict, with an immediate ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade. Talks will continue over the next 60 days to finalise the agreement
U.S. President Donald Trump has said a peace agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday in a post on social media, despite Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying no deal would be approved this weekend.
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had agreed on a framework to end their war, halt the U.S. blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Iran's nuclear program to further negotiations.
Switzerland on Sunday rejected a referendum proposal to cap its population at 10 million, a projection showed, as voters prioritised economic stability and the country's ties with the European Union over immigration concerns.
An armed unmanned aerial vehicle crashed on a Black Sea beach in northern Türkiye on Sunday, prompting a security operation and the controlled detonation of its munitions.
Fighting in southern Lebanon eased on Monday after a U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at ending months of regional conflict was announced, although uncertainty remained over how the deal would be implemented on the ground.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Monday welcomed the newly announced peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran, urging all parties to exercise restraint and work towards a lasting settlement.
Trade routes through Afghanistan took centre stage in Almaty as the European Union, Central Asian states and the United Nations discussed the country's role in shaping regional security and economic connectivity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told U.S. President Donald Trump that Israel does not consider itself bound by a Lebanon-related provision in an emerging agreement with Iran, according to Israeli officials.
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