Turkey opposes any attack on Iran, foreign minister says

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, in an interview with Le Figaro, expressed skepticism about the prospects of a new nuclear deal with Iran, citing significant differences in vision between Washington and Tehran.

Saar indicated that while conditions have changed since the 2015 agreement, he remains doubtful that the current diplomatic efforts will lead to a successful outcome.

"The gaps between the American vision and the Iranian vision remain very important," Saar said.

He highlighted what he called a tougher president in the US, a new Iranian administration, and a heightened European awareness of Iran's destabilizing activities as key factors in the current dynamic.

"We have a tougher president in the White House now. Iran also has a new leader. And the Europeans have become aware – especially with the war in Ukraine highlighting Tehran's support for Russia. Plus, they've seen Iran's direct attacks against us in April and October 2024, and they understand what its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, have been capable of since October 7th. We no longer need to explain Iran's aggression.”

He also pointed out that the actions of Iran and its armed allies, especially since the October 7th attacks, have brought to the forefront the risks of Iran gaining a nuclear weapon. "Today everyone is asking the same question: if they did that without nuclear, what will they do the day they have a nuclear umbrella?" he said.

A sustained air campaign by the United States and Israel could inflict significant damage on Iran's nuclear facilities, but such action would likely need to be repeated within nine months to a year to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its program, a former US defense official has told the Wall Street Journal.

The former official's assessment suggests that any military intervention would likely result in a temporary setback rather than a definitive end to the program.

The Kremlin on Friday urged all parties involved in the issue of Iran's nuclear program to exercise restraint and seek a political and diplomatic resolution.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that dialogue and negotiation are the appropriate means to address concerns surrounding Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"We believe that the problem of the Iranian nuclear dossier should be discussed and resolved only by political and diplomatic means. Exclusively," he told reporters. "And, of course, we believe that all parties should maintain absolute restraint here and focus specifically on diplomatic efforts when discussing all issues.”

Peskov added that while Russia is in the process of restoring bilateral relations with the United States, Iran remains an ally of Moscow. "You know that we are currently working on restoring our relations with the United States, but Iran is also our partner, our ally, with whom we have very developed and multifaceted relations."

Russia has previously offered to mediate discussions between Tehran and Washington.

A former commander in Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has said that the time has come to discuss the possibility of the Islamic Republic building an atomic bomb, referencing recent remarks by a senior advisor to the Supreme Leader on the issue.

Mansour Haghighatpour, a former member of parliament and a past commander in the IRGC, made the comments following recent statements by Ali Larijani, an advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, suggesting that US threats could push Iran towards acquiring nuclear weapons.

“The Supreme Leader once declared that building nuclear weapons was religiously forbidden, but he didn't prohibit the knowledge of how to produce them. Currently, we don't have nuclear weapons. However, if we face the threat of an atomic bomb, should we defend ourselves, or simply sit by and be torn apart like Hiroshima and Nagasaki?”

Speaking to Iranian media, Haghighatpour indicated that Iran's specific circumstances necessitate such discussions.

“It is not long before the great fury of the honorable and perceptive Iranian people, who record and remember everything, will ignite, and from that moment, they will rebuild their destiny and honor... May the world be cleansed of your vile existence," she said, holding the authorities responsible.

This latest incident follows previous reports of vandalism to Nika Shakarami's grave. Nika became a symbol of the protests after her disappearance and subsequent confirmation of her death in September 2022. Her family has maintained that she was killed by security forces, a claim disputed by Iranian authorities.