IAEA chief visits Iran’s nuclear technology exhibition

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Thursday that he had called for a strike on Iran’s oil infrastructure last October, arguing it would cripple the country’s economy and lead to the downfall of its government.

“Eliminating Iran’s oil industry would destroy its economy and eventually topple the regime,” Lapid wrote on X. “Netanyahu was afraid and stopped it.”

The comment came in response to a New York Times report that US President Donald Trump had rejected Israeli proposals to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, opting instead to pursue diplomatic talks with Tehran.

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman is scheduled to visit Iran on Thursday at the head of a senior military delegation, Iranian media reported.

He will travel to Tehran at the invitation of Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, and is expected to hold meetings with top political and security officials.

Talks will focus on "expanding defense cooperation, promoting regional peace and stability, and joint efforts to combat terrorism", according to the report.

Iran’s hardline Javan newspaper, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, said on Thursday that while nuclear talks with the United States continue, the country’s armed forces remain on alert and focused on building power.

“From a realistic perspective, the battlefield is not overlooked — our soldiers remain on alert, finger on the trigger, and committed to strengthening and expanding the country’s military power,” the paper wrote in an editorial.

The article criticized both overly optimistic and deeply pessimistic views of the diplomatic process, warning that extreme attitudes could divide public opinion. It backed a “realistic” stance echoing recent remarks by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who said Tehran was neither “too optimistic nor too pessimistic” about the talks.

The editorial said a sober approach would allow Iranian negotiators to continue with “strength and confidence,” without sending signals of weakness.

Abouzar Rahmati, 42, a naturalized US citizen and resident of Great Falls, Virginia, admitted to conspiring to work with Iranian officials and intelligence operatives from at least December 2017 through June 2024. He faces up to 10 years in prison for acting as an agent of a foreign government and five years for conspiracy.

According to court documents, Rahmati offered his services to Tehran in 2017 and later traveled to Iran, where he met with intelligence officers and agreed to obtain information for them about the US solar energy sector. He also gained employment with a US company contracting for the FAA, where he downloaded at least 172 gigabytes of sensitive access-controlled data.

The files included documents related to the National Aerospace System (NAS), airport surveillance radar, and radio frequency data. The DOJ said Rahmati took the data to Iran and handed it over to Iranian officials in April 2022.

"Rahmati agreed to obtain information about the US solar energy industry and FAA data, and deliver it to Iranian officials," prosecutors said in a statement. He also used a cover story involving academic research to hide his contacts.

"This defendant knowingly acted on behalf of the Government of Iran and took steps to place sensitive information into its hands," said Assistant Attorney General Sue Bai, who leads the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

Rahmati’s sentencing is scheduled for August 26. The FBI and FAA's counterintelligence division were involved in the investigation.

"The Iranian government continues to target American institutions for infiltration," said US Attorney Edward Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia. "We will hold accountable anyone who puts our national security at risk."

member of Iran’s parliament said the future of nuclear negotiations with the United States depends on Washington’s honesty, Iranian media reported on Thursday.

Ali Akbar Alizadeh Barmi, a member of the Cultural Commission, said Tehran would not surrender to pressure and insisted that Iran’s participation in indirect talks does not mean it is backing down.

“If President Trump and the US administration truly seek to resolve the nuclear issue, the path is open,” he said.

He added that Iran’s supreme leader has already declared, through a religious edict, that the country is not pursuing nuclear weapons. “But if the US does not build trust, the Islamic Republic will continue on its previous path,” Alizadeh warned.

“Whether these negotiations continue and succeed depends on the Americans’ sincerity,” he said.