Online gun market thrives in Iran despite harsh new law

"They can have civil nuclear power. OK, we don't mind that, but... no one right now has a civil nuclear program with their entire enrichment infrastructure that can enrich to the 90-plus percent needed to get to fissile material and a nuclear weapon," Vance said at the Munich Security Conference in Washington DC.

Vance said the Trump administration has no problem with Iran having nuclear power.

"We're fine with that. But you can't have the kind of enrichment program that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon, and that's where we draw the line," he said.

The United States and Iran appear to be on a collision course over whether Tehran should be allowed to enrich uranium in any nuclear deal between the two arch-foes, potentially endangering talks headed for a fourth round this weekend.

Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "there’s a pathway to a civil, peaceful nuclear program if they want one, but if they insist on enriching, then they will be the only country in the world that doesn’t have a 'weapons program,' quote-unquote, but is enriching. And so I think that’s problematic."

The UN nuclear watchdog said last month that Iran is only non-nuclear armed state enriching uranium to 60%. Several countries which do not possess nuclear weapons, including Japan, Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands, enrich uranium at lower levels.

In his Wednesday remarks, Vance said his country is seeking a deal with Iran that would not only completely eliminate the possibility of it acquiring a nuclear weapon but also pave the way for Tehran’s return to the global economy.

"We think that there is a deal here that would reintegrate Iran into the global economy. That would be really good for the Iranian people, but would result in the complete cessation of any chance that they could get a nuclear weapon,"

"That's what we're negotiating towards."

Vance said the Trump administration has been "very happy by how the Iranians have responded to some of the points that we have made" in the Omani-mediated talks.

"Without prejudging the negotiations, I will say so far so good... We've been very happy that some of the intermediaries and some of the folks who are in the room, the role that they've played, the Omanis in particular, have played a very positive role, and we're very grateful to that."

He said "so far we're on the right pathway. But this is going to end somewhere. And it will end either in Iran eliminating their nuclear program, their nuclear weapons program."

In a written message to an international conference commemorating the centenary of the seminary’s revival, Ali Khamenei said the institution must not only maintain its core religious mission but also evolve to meet new social and intellectual demands.

“The most important mission of the seminary is ‘Balagh Mubin’ (clear and eloquent communication),” Khamenei said. “Among its most significant expressions is outlining the main and subsidiary lines of the new Islamic civilization, and explaining, promoting, and embedding it within society.”

Khamenei’s message reflects a broader push by Iran’s clerical leadership to position religious institutions not just as custodians of tradition but as active architects of what is termed modern Islamic civilization.

The Qom seminary, one of the most influential centers of Shiite scholarship, was revitalized in 1922 by Grand Ayatollah Abdol-Karim Haeri Yazdi and has since played a central role in Iran’s religious and political life — especially after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Khamenei emphasized the need for a seminary that is “innovative, dynamic, up-to-date, capable of addressing emerging issues, morally refined, driven by progress, rooted in revolutionary identity, and equipped to design governance systems.”

Abolfazl Zohrevand, also a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee, told Rouydad 24 news website that the "extremist current" in India had been ensnared in a trap set by the US and Israel, with the aim of destabilizing the region.

"The conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi is one of the schemes orchestrated by the US and Israel to reshape the region's geopolitics, a move that could have catastrophic consequences for the subcontinent, South and Central Asia, especially China," he said.

Zohrevand's comments follow the most serious clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbors since 2019, India claiming strikes on what it called "terrorist infrastructure" inside Pakistan, and Pakistan announcing it shot down five Indian fighter jets in response.

The lawmaker stressed that Tehran will not take sides in the conflict that has seen heavy exchanges of fire along the Kashmir Line of Control.

"Iran has played an important role in maintaining the geopolitical map of the region, and in this episode, it will also try to prevent this tension from escalating and going astray," Zohrevand said.

India has long been a key trade partner for Iran, although last year, an Iranian trade official admitted that trade with India dropped by up to a third due to global sanctions.

However, relations with Pakistan have been more fragile. Last year, Iran and Pakistan engaged in tit-for-tat attacks which both sides said were targeting terrorist hideouts on the borders.

Earlier on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghai voiced deep concerns regarding the heightened tensions, urging both India and Pakistan to show restraint.

“Disturbed to learn that Iranian citizens have reportedly been arrested by UK security services,” Araghchi said in a post on X. “If credible allegations of misconduct are established, Iran stands ready to assist investigations. We call on UK to ensure respect for our citizens' rights and afford them due process.”

Earlier, Alireza Yousefi Director General for Western Europe at Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran expected British authorities to respect legal norms.

“We call for immediate and accurate information to be given to Iran regarding the reasons for the arrests,” Yousefi said. “Access to consular services must be granted, and the principles of fair trial must be upheld.”

He added that the timing and nature of the accusations raised “serious concerns about political motives” behind the detentions.

Seven Iranian nationals are among eight men arrested in two major counter-terrorism operations carried out separately on Saturday by the UK’s Counter Terrorism Command.

According to the Metropolitan Police, five of the arrests were part of a pre-planned investigation into an alleged plot to target a specific premises. Authorities say some of those detained remain in custody.

Following the arrests, Labour MPs renewed calls for the government to formally proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. They argue the IRGC’s role in transnational repression and terror plots poses a direct threat to UK national security.

The arrests come as UK intelligence services have continued to warn of sustained threats linked to Iran.

In October, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said authorities had disrupted 20 “potentially deadly” plots tied to Tehran since January 2022.

“Iranian state actors make extensive use of criminals as proxies—from international drug traffickers to low-level crooks,” McCallum said in a public statement.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis told Parliament on Tuesday that the arrests marked "the first Iranian nationals arrested under the National Security Act.”

He said the Iranian state—including the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security—had previously been placed on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme.

“Anyone in the UK who works for the Iranian state must declare it or they will be committing a serious criminal offence,” he added.

The arrests, made on May 4 in London, Rochdale, Swindon, Manchester and Stockport, involved five men held under the Terrorism Act 2006 and three more under the National Security Act. Four remain in custody. Authorities believe the group was only hours away from attacking a specific location.

The Telegraph reported that at least one of the suspects is closely tied to the Islamic Republic’s leadership and comes from a prominent business family.

Jarvis said MI5 and police have responded to 20 Iran-backed plots since January 2022.

Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart criticized the government, saying, “Over recent years Members have been called to this Chamber to discuss plots to commit acts of terror on Britain’s streets at the hands of the Iranian regime—but consecutive Governments are yet to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.”

“If now is not the time for proscription, when should the House expect a further update?” she asked.

Labor’s Matt Vickers recalled the Home Secretary’s previous commitment to impose “appropriately targeted proscription-style restrictions” on state-linked entities such as the IRGC.

Labor and Co-operative MP Alex Sobel protested that he “asked many times for proscription of the IRGC, as it is certainly one of the bodies in Iran that is responsible for transnational repression,” while Labor MP Jon Pearce raised concerns that UK-based charities may be used to fund terrorism.

According to the government, a review of legal options by Jonathan Hall, an independent barrister, has been completed and will be published soon. Ministers have said they will not hesitate to act based on the findings.

Meanwhile, exiled Iranian prince Reza Pahlavi called the arrests further proof of what he calls Tehran’s global threat. “The arrest of Islamic Republic agents in the UK, on the brink of another terror attack, reinforces the need to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organization,” he wrote on X.

“This regime has proven, once again, that it will not change its behavior. It continues to spread terror not only in the Middle East but to target innocent civilians across Europe and the United States.”