Iran has upper hand in nuclear talks, Khamenei's office says

Iran must acquiesce to US President Donald Trump's demand that it not acquire a nuclear weapon or "there will be all hell to pay," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday.

"(Trump's) ultimate goal and the ultimate objective is to ensure that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon," she told reporters.

"The president believes in diplomacy, direct talks, talking directly in the same room in order to achieve that goal," she added. "But he's made it very clear to the Iranians and his national security team as well that all options are on the table and Iran has a choice to make: you can agree to President Trump's demand or there will be all hell to pay."

Donald Trump is more likely to secure a nuclear deal with Iran than his predecessor, The New York Times reported on Friday citing former US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley.

“Biden was lukewarm about a deal; Trump is eager. Biden fixates on domestic politics; Trump couldn’t care less. Biden was calculating; Trump, impulsive,” Malley was quoted as saying.

“Trump is throwing caution, prudence and logic to the wind. Which is why there is probably a greater chance of some kind of understanding now than there ever was under the prior administration.”

US Central Command has dismissed a claim by Yemen's Houthis that they targeted the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in a missile and drone attack in the Red Sea.

"The USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) carrier strike group continues non-stop 24/7 operations against the Houthis despite the Houthis’ outlandish claims," CENTCOM said in a post on X late Friday.

Earlier, the Houthis had released a statement on their Telegram channel alleging the American carrier was among the “hostile warships” struck on Friday in the northern Red Sea in what they called a joint operation involving cruise missiles, drones and naval forces.

The US military has redeployed a Patriot missile defense battalion from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East, a major logistical operation involving at least 73 C-17 cargo flights, Axios reported citing Indo-Pacific Command boss.

The Patriot system, capable of intercepting missiles and aircraft, arrives at a tense time in the region.

The move is part of a broader US military buildup under Central Command, which now includes two aircraft carriers—Carl Vinson and Harry S. Truman—and an unusually large group of B-2 bombers sent to Diego Garcia, the report said.

Akbar Etemad, a physicist and the first head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization—often referred to as the "father of Iran's nuclear program"—passed away in Paris on Friday at the age of 95.

The construction of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant began during his tenure.

Etemad founded and served as the first head of the AEOI under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi but resigned in 1978, shortly before the Islamic Revolution.