Tehran may expel IAEA inspectors if threatened, says conservative daily

Iran’s ultra-hardline Kayhan newspaper, overseen by a representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, accused the United States of crossing Tehran’s red lines following US remarks urging Iran to halt all uranium enrichment.

Editor Hossein Shariatmadari wrote that Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, exposed Washington’s “true intentions” through his tone after the first round of indirect talks in Oman, despite efforts to appear constructive.

The editorial came in response to a post by Witkoff on X, in which he wrote: “Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.” The message was posted just hours after he told Fox News the US might accept limited enrichment under a Trump-led deal.

“Witkoff’s latest comments leave no doubt that America has failed the very first test of ‘verifying its claims,’” Shariatmadari wrote. “Trump and his envoy tried to hide their blackmail-driven demands, but the signs were clear — Trump was thinking out loud.”

He added that US officials were raising topics Iran has repeatedly ruled out and warned that Washington was laying the groundwork for “disarming the Islamic Republic and plowing its land and people.”

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff are expected in Paris later this week for talks with French officials that will include discussions on Iran, Politico reported on Wednesday.

Witkoff is set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron, while Rubio will hold talks with Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, according to people familiar with preparations for the trip. Iran, Ukraine, and trade are all on the agenda.

The visit follows ongoing US efforts to shape a framework for a potential nuclear agreement with Tehran, as well as parallel diplomatic efforts involving European and regional players. France has been engaged in its own mediation efforts across several files.

The Paris meetings come days after Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss Ukraine. The White House described that meeting as another step in the broader negotiating process.

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US President Donald Trump held a meeting with his top national security aides on Tuesday to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, ahead of a second round of talks with Tehran scheduled for Saturday, Reuters reported.

A White House official confirmed the meeting took place in the Situation Room, noting the location was not unusual due to the room’s secure setting, where the president is frequently briefed.

A second source briefed on the meeting said the discussion focused on the Iran talks and possible next steps. US officials have been working on a framework for a potential nuclear agreement.

Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi on Tuesday criticized US special envoy Steve Witkoff for saying in a post on X that a deal with Iran "must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East."

“Mr. Ambassador, the Islamic Republic is not a partner for peace," Pahlavi said in a post.

"The only arrangement that can set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East is helping the people of Iran get rid of this weak, divided regime," he added.

Pahlavi described Trump’s renewed policy of Maximum Pressure against Tehran as "the most successful policy towards this regime in history" and called on the US government to "complement it with Maximum Support for the Iranian people."

"Don’t throw this warmongering regime a lifeline. As the people of Iran fight for peace, let them have a fighting chance.”

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"The Secretary (Marco Rubio) has been clear, as has the President, as has been the ambassador (Steve Witkoff) that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon or an enrichment program," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

The remarks come after US envoy Steve Witkoff said Iran must end its nuclear enrichment in any deal, appearing to reverse his suggestion in an interview which aired on Monday evening that a 3.67% enrichment cap would suffice.

"No one's negotiating in public," Bruce continued. "What matters is an end result - are parties agreeing, papers being signed. It is not what people say, but the actions they take."