Trump should focus on economic gains - Khamenei’s aide after nuclear warning
Following widespread reports of Ali Larijani's warning that US threats could push Iran towards nuclear weapons, the advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader today highlighted another part of his Monday interview, urging President Trump to consider mutual economic interests with Tehran.
Larijani, in remarks republished on social media platform X, said, "Mr. Trump is a talented person who has been able to become so wealthy in his business. The US can define economic interests with Iran."
He added, "Trump says he is peace-loving, so he should not talk about threats and war. An attack on Iran is not without consequences, and we have experienced military commanders."
These comments, also part of his Monday interview with state television, come after Larijani explicitly said that a US or Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities would compel Tehran to alter its decision-making on nuclear weapons.
He had said that while Iran currently maintains it is not pursuing nuclear arms and IAEA inspections can continue indefinitely, external threats could force a change, driven by public demand for national security.
Larijani's earlier remarks, widely seen as a significant statement from a senior figure in Iran's establishment, followed US President Trump's threats of potential military action against Iran if a nuclear deal is not reached.
Trump should focus on economic gains - Khamenei’s aide after nuclear warning | Iran International
Kuwait's Emir has assured the Iranian president that Kuwait will not allow any aggressive action to be launched against another country from its territory, according to a readout of the call published by Iran's state media.
During a phone call where the leaders exchanged Eid al-Fitr greetings, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah said, "The government and people of Kuwait, based on the constitution, will under no circumstances accept that an act of aggression be carried out from our soil against another country, and this position will never be affected by any factor," IRNA reported.
President Masoud Pezeshkian responded by saying that Iran, based on its Islamic beliefs, is ready for any cooperation to expand relations with Kuwait and other neighbors in various fields to deepen ties.
He also said that in resolving tensions, Iran will act solely based on rights and fairness, adhering strictly to these principles.
The Kuwaiti Emir's remarks, as reported by the Iranian media, come against a backdrop of reports indicating that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait have privately informed Iran they will not permit the United States to use their air bases for potential military action against Iran.
According to a Saudi source cited by an i24NEWS correspondent on X, Riyadh and Kuwait specifically conveyed to Tehran that this prohibition includes support operations such as refueling or reconnaissance for any such attack.
In a separate call with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Pezeshkian conveyed his hopes that the blessings of Ramadan would bolster unity among Islamic nations, expressing Iran's ambition to enhance ties with neighboring and Islamic countries.
France held a rare defense cabinet meeting over Iran on Wednesday, in which President Macron discussed Tehran’s nuclear program with key ministers and experts.
Such a cabinet meeting dedicated to a specific subject is rare, highlighting concerns among Washington's European allies about a possible attack by US and Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities.
France, Britain, and Germany have recently intensified efforts to pressure Iran to return to nuclear program negotiations.
Several rounds of talks, including technical-level discussions last week, have been held to establisha foundation for a potential agreement.
The European powers had aimed to persuade Iran to negotiate new restrictions on its nuclear activities, hoping for a deal by August to allow time for setting new limits and lifting sanctions before the 2015 accord's expiration in October 2025.
US lawmakers and expert witnesses called for a more aggressive US strategy to confront Iran's nuclear ambitions, proxy networks, and financial enablers at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday.
Rep. Michael Lawler, who chairs the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, opened the hearing titled “A Return to Maximum Pressure: Comprehensively Countering the Iranian Regime’s Malign Activities,” by contrasting the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” approach with what he called a dangerously lenient stance under President Biden.
“Joe Biden’s foreign policy decisions in the Middle East were ill conceived, disorganized, and at times fatal, including for US service members,” Lawler said.
He charged that Biden “left the world more volatile and less safe than he found it,” accusing his administration of “appeasing terrorists and enabling an “unholy alliance” between Iran, Russia, and China, with policies resulting in higher revenue flows from oil sales and an accelerated nuclear program.
He called for a crackdown on Iran’s oil exports—especially to China—arguing that “a nuclear Iran is not an option.” Lawler warned that “one way or another, Iran’s nuclear ambitions are finished,” and praised the Trump administration for “restoring the much-needed and most effective maximum pressure campaign.”
Norman Roule, a former US intelligence official and current advisor at CSIS, laid out the scope of the threat.
“Iran now appears capable of producing its first quantity of 90% enriched uranium, sufficient for one nuclear weapon in about a week. Tehran's current stockpile of 60% enriched uranium is sufficient for about seven nuclear weapons,” he said.
Roule warned that Iran’s military allies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon remain dangerous despite recent setbacks. “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force aims to revive these groups,” he said, pointing to Iran’s attempts to reestablish influence in the Red Sea via Sudan as Iran's Houthi militia in Yemen continues its maritime blockade and attacks on US vessels.
“Iran looks like a country building a nuclear weapons program,” he said, although it “has yet to make the final steps required because it either fears discovery and the subsequent military consequences or believes its current approach offers diplomatic advantages.”
Claire Jungman of United Against Nuclear Iran focused on Iran’s financial backbone. “Despite US sanctions, Iran continues to export over 1.5 million barrels of oil per day, earning tens of billions of dollars annually,” she said.
“These revenues are not just supporting Iran's economy, they are directly funding terrorism, nuclear escalation and regional destabilization.”
She emphasized the central role of the IRGC, adding, “Up to half of Iran's oil exports are now controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“Every barrel of Iranian oil sold on the black market strengthens the IRGC’s hand bankrolling groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.”
Jungman called for a sweeping enforcement campaign. “Sanction every vessel, registry, insurer, captain and port that helps move Iranian oil,” she urged.
“Cutting off the money is our best tool to constrain Iran's most dangerous activities.”
Dana Stroul, Director of research at the Washington Institute, argued the time is ripe for decisive action. “The Iranian regime is on its back foot,” she said. “The pillars of its security strategy… are more vulnerable today than at any time in the history of the regime.”
She urged combining diplomacy with a credible military threat. “The administration must keep its military options open by maintaining a robust US military posture in the region,” she said.
“Real opportunities exist to block Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapons capability… but the United States must lean into diplomacy as well.”
Witnesses and lawmakers alike agreed that Iran is under pressure, but without sustained enforcement, the opportunity to constrain its ambitions may be lost.
"If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing — and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before," Trump was quoted as saying during a phone interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker.
Trump on Friday also warned that “bad, bad things” would happen if Tehran did not agree to a nuclear deal.
Last month, Trump signed a directive restoring the so-called maximum pressure policy on Iran of his first term and warned of "catastrophic" consequences if Tehran does not make a deal on its nuclear program.
Trump's maximum pressure approach in his first term beginning in 2018 pummeled Iran's economy, causing a dramatic decline in oil exports and skyrocketing inflation.
Sources close to the US administration have said that Iran would be gone by September if it does not agree to a nuclear deal and begin dismantling its nuclear program, Daily Express reported.
"There is a clarity of purpose here. Iran's time is running out,” the tabloid cited an unnamed official with links to the Trump administration.
"If it (Iran) doesn't respond to President Trump's generous terms in return for allowing a full audit of its nuclear capabilities and the dismantling of those capabilities, Iran will be gone by September. It's as simple as that."
US President Donald Trump warned Iran of potential bombing if an agreement is not reached. Trump has also reportedly ordered the deployment of additional strategic air squadrons and a second aircraft carrier group to the Middle East.
A former senior Iranian lawmaker has criticized the United States and other Western powers for using the term “proxies” to describe militant groups in the Middle East backed by the Islamic Republic.
Mahmoud Abbasszadeh Meshkini, a hardliner, told the semi-official ISNA news agency: “Western powers, in an effort to deny the political virtues that the Islamic Republic of Iran has offered to the world, have turned to labeling tactics—using the term ‘proxy’ to describe heroic and resilient nations.”
Tehran refers to groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and various Shi’ite militias in Iraq as part of the “Resistance Front,” while providing them with extensive financial, military, and political support.
The United States has called on Iran to stop funding and arming these groups as part of a peace proposal put forward by President Donald Trump since his return to the White House.
But Meshkini pushed back, saying, “If by the term ‘proxy’ the United States means that people around the world, inspired by the Islamic Republic of Iran, have come to value freedom, independence, and resistance—and have gained self-confidence—then we will strive to make the whole world our proxy.”
