Between the United States, Iran, and Israel…
The Islamic Republic of Iran has formally rejected the Trump administration’s proposed nuclear agreement and is preparing to submit its own counter-proposal through Omani mediators. The Iranian government criticized the U.S. offer as “unacceptable,” citing concerns over uranium enrichment limits, the export of enriched uranium, and insufficient sanctions relief. Tehran insists on maintaining its domestic enrichment program and demands the normalization of banking and trade relations before any sanctions are lifted.
Supreme Leader Slams U.S. Deal
In some of his most explicit remarks to date, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned the U.S. proposal, calling it “100% against our interests” and accusing American leaders of arrogance. The ayatollah emphasized Iran’s so-called right to self-reliance in nuclear matters and rejected any plan that would require the dismantling of the country’s underground nuclear facilities. (RELATED: Foreign Leader Lays Groundwork For Huge Legal Shift)
Tehran Threatens to leak Israel’s Nuclear Secrets
Amid escalating tensions, Iran has claimed possession of top-secret Israeli nuclear documents and has threatened to release them. While the authenticity of the documents remains unverified, the International Atomic Energy Agency has acknowledged that the material appears to reference Israel’s Soreq Nuclear Research Center. The move is widely seen as a strategic response to international pressure — and potentially a violation of the 2015 nuclear agreement — that could lead to the reimposition of U.N. sanctions.
The Guardian has additional details on the bombshell weekend claim made by Esmail Khatib, Iran’s intelligence minister:
On Sunday, Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, claimed Tehran had obtained “a vast collection of strategic and sensitive [Israeli] documents, including plans and data on the nuclear facilities”. He added evidence would be released shortly, and implied some of the documentation was linked to Israel’s arrest of two Israeli nationals, Roi Mizrahi and Almog Attias, over alleged spying for Iran.
Even within Iran there is scepticism that Iranian agents could have obtained such dramatic intelligence. The claim may be designed to warn off Israel from acting on its repeated threat to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites since Iranian insight into Israel’s own nuclear programme would increase the risk of effective Iranian reprisals.
European powers are preparing to press for a vote at the 35-member quarterly board meeting of the nuclear inspectorate of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, which starts on Monday, that could lead to the reimposition of UN sanctions in October. France, Germany and the UK will cite a 20-page comprehensive report commissioned from the IAEA secretariat on Iran’s failure to comply with the nuclear deal agreed in 2015, and Tehran’s years-long failure to answer questions about aspects of its previous nuclear programme.
Members of the IAEA board will be asked to study a report showing Iran has enriched 400kg of uranium to a purity of 60%, close to weapons-grade, and judged to be enough to make 10 nuclear bombs. Moreover, the Iranian stockpile of uranium has increased by 50% since the last report in March. Rafael Grossi, director general of the IAEA, said the report showed that Iran had not provided answers about a previous structured nuclear programme, and evidence existed that three sites were sanitised to mislead the IAEA inspectors.
Trump and Netanyahu’s Exchange Goes Viral
In an effort to contain the fallout, U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call Monday to discuss the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran. According to The Times of Israel, the conversation was marked by sharp disagreements, with Trump reportedly telling Netanyahu, “I want a diplomatic solution with the Iranians.” (RELATED: Hegseth Just Rerouted Key Military Assets — And Allies Are Scrambling)
Netanyahu is expected to convene a closed security meeting later tonight to deliberate on Israel’s response to the evolving crisis:
The tone of the conversation appears to conflict with earlier claims suggesting the two leaders had concluded their call with mutual understanding.
The report comes shortly after US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News that “President Trump specifically sent me here to speak with the prime minister about how negotiations are going and how important it is that we stay united and let this process play out.” Noem described the meeting as “very candid,” possibly alluding to underlying tensions.
With negotiations at risk of stalling, the international community remains watchful of developments that could significantly affect regional stability.
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