Israel pressures U.S. lawmakers to halt Biden’s bid to restore Iran nuclear deal
Israel put pressure on U.S. lawmakers to reject initiatives to restore the Iran nuclear deal during a recent bipartisan congressional trip taken to the Middle East.
nuclear
IDF requests funding for a potential strike on Iran, reports say
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is reported to have requested major budget increases to the tune of billions to make ready for a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear program.
Rouhani warns Iran could enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels
Iran’s outgoing president on Wednesday warned his country could enrich uranium at weapons-grade levels of 90 percent if it chose, though it still wanted to save its tattered nuclear deal with world powers.
U.S. Says No ‘Deadline’ For Iran Nuclear Talks
Washington has said that it will issue no ultimatums on the window for a seventh round of talks on Iran’s atomic activities but added a warning over potential “nuclear advances” in the meantime.
Recent Iran blast appears ‘designed to disrupt supply of centrifuges to nuclear sites’
The reported June 23 blast that rocked a building linked to Iran’s nuclear program in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran, appears to have disrupted the ability of the Islamic Republic to feed key nuclear program sites with new centrifuges.
Israel pushing US to keep Trump sanctions on Iran, even if nuke deal resurrected
Recognizing that the Biden administration is intent on returning to the Iran nuclear agreement in its original form, Israel has focused on convincing the US to leave in place sanctions instituted by former president Donald Trump after the 2015 accord was signed, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.
US, Europeans warn nuclear talks in danger as Iran plans enrichment boost
The United States and Europe warned Iran to stop nuclear “brinksmanship” and European powers expressed “grave concern” over Iran’s latest moves to enrich uranium, saying it would complicate its return to talks aimed at restarting the 2015 nuclear accord.
Iran accuses Israel of June attack on alleged centrifuge plant
Iran on Tuesday accused Israel of a sabotage attack in June that reportedly targeted a nuclear facility near Tehran, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant back online after two weeks
Iran’s only nuclear power plant has been brought back online, its manager said early Monday, after two weeks off-grid amid a power shortage and rolling blackouts across the Islamic republic.
‘New Iran nuclear deal must be secured before window of opportunity closes’
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed there is “a window of opportunity” now for talks aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the French presidency said.
Satellite photos said to show damage from attack on Iran centrifuge site
Private Israeli intelligence group The Intel Lab released satellite photos on Saturday of what it said is damage from a reported drone attack on an Iranian nuclear facility last month.
Iran closest it’s ever been to nuclear bomb, former IDF chief says
Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot said Friday that Iran is nearer than ever to producing a nuclear weapon, while appearing to imply that America’s 2018 exit from the accord was a mistake.
Warning to Iran: Israel will defend itself against any external threat, Bennett says
In what has been understood as a warning to Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated Wednesday that Israel will always defend itself, by itself, against any external threat, the Jerusalem Post reports. The PM made his remarks as the UN Security Council in New York debated Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran said to restrict UN inspectors’ access to Natanz nuclear site after attack
Iran has reportedly restricted the access of United Nations inspectors to its uranium enrichment facilities at the Natanz nuclear site, citing security concerns after what it alleges was an Israeli attack on the facility in April.
UN Chief Calls On U.S. To Lift Iran Sanctions As Agreed In 2015
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed to the U.S. administration to “lift or waive” all sanctions on Iran as agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
Lavrov Says Russia-U.S. Arms Control Talks To Start ‘By Mid-July’
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he expects the United States and Russia to launch new arms control talks by mid-July.
Israel and America share the same values even if they sometimes disagree on policy, Lapid tells Blinken
Israel and the United States share the same basic values even if they may disagree on how to achieve their goals, Israeli Foreign Minister told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a meeting in Rome on Sunday, the Jerusalem Post reports. America is Israel’s most important and loyal ally, Lapid reiterated, adding that the two countries’ new governments come from a very long and strong tradition of close friendship and cooperation.
Biden tells Rivlin he won’t allow Iranian nukes on his watch
US President Joe Biden sought to assure Israel that he would not tolerate a nuclear Iran as he met with outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Monday amid growing angst over the US administration’s effort to reenter the Iran nuclear deal.
U.S. Airstrikes Target Iran-Backed Militia; Several Killed
The U.S. confirmed Monday that it launched airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq and Syria.
Iran: Nuclear site images won’t be given to IAEA, since inspection deal expired
Iran said Sunday it will not hand over images from some Iranian nuclear sites to the UN nuclear watchdog, as the monitoring agreement between the sides has expired, according to state media.