Persian Gulf nuclear consortium idea floated during talks – Iranian daily

A so-called “123 Agreement” is being discussed as part of ongoing US-Iran nuclear negotiations, Jewish Insider reported, citing a source familiar with the talks — a detail later rejected by a spokesperson for US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

The 123 Agreement refers to Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act, which establishes the legal framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation between the United States and other countries. It sets out safeguards to prevent nuclear weapons development but does not explicitly require the signatory to give up uranium enrichment, Jewish Insider's report said.

According to the report, the source said that the 123 Agreement is part of the current discussions being led by Witkoff. However, when asked about it, a spokesperson for Witkoff told Jewish Insider: “The sources don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Israel's Y-Net reported that it had been intercepted before reaching Israeli territory, the latest in an ongoing air operation from the Houthis in Yemen.

On Sunday, Israel attacked Hodeidah in Yemen after the Israeli army said it had warned residents of three ports under Houthi control to evacuate, according to the Houthi interior ministry.

Last week, the Houthis, listed as a terrorist organization by countries including the US, fired a ballistic missile which narrowly missed Israel’s main airport after multiple interception attempts failed.

The Houthis announced a ban on “air navigation to the airports of occupied Palestine” following the strike which landed just meters from Ben-Gurion Airport in central Israel.

Since the Gaza war began, dozens of strikes have been launched by Yemen, with scores of drones and missiles fired at the Jewish state.

Following the maritime blockade of the Red Sea region enacted by the Houthis, in a bid to force Israel into a ceasefire with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza, the US had led a more than 20-nation coalition against the group.

In a shock move last week, US President Donald Trump agreed to an Oman-brokered ceasefire after having escalated attacks on the Houthis in March.

The Houthis had launched at least 174 attacks on the US Navy and 145 attacks on global shipping, according to the US State Department.

However, the deal did not encompass the group's attacks on Israel.

In Israel, the ceasefire has left members of the political and military elite on edge.

"This was totally unexpected," one security source told Iran International on condition of anonymity. "Everyone is very much watching and waiting to see what comes next, but it leaves us in a much weaker position."

Another said: "We have no choice but to take tougher action now to show that even standing alone, we will not allow the Houthis to threaten the safety of Israel."

Infectious disease specialist Davoud Yandegarinia told IRNA on Sunday that while there is no consolidated data on the number of new infections, an increase in hospital admissions and clinic visits indicates the virus is spreading again.

“It seems to be the Omicron variant, which remains the last variant of concern according to the World Health Organization,” he said.

Yandegarinia advised people with underlying health conditions, weakened immune systems, and those working or moving through densely populated areas — including healthcare workers — to resume mask use.

He also urged elderly individuals, pregnant women, heart patients, and those taking corticosteroids to continue using the same preventive methods employed during earlier stages of the pandemic.

“There is no need at this time to apply preventive measures to the general public,” he added, “but it is better for people to use masks in offices, closed environments, and hospitals.”

IRNA also earlier reported that Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi recently sent a letter to university health departments across the country, calling for increased precautions against respiratory illnesses, particularly COVID-19 and influenza.

Iran became the second country after China to officially declare an outbreak of the pandemic in February 2020, since reporting nearly 145,000 deaths — the highest official toll in the Middle East, with over 7.5 million confirmed cases.

However, experts have suggested that the actual death toll may be as high as seven times the official figures.

An Iranian lawmaker and former IRGC commander said on Monday that Tehran would continue its negotiations with the United States but downplayed their importance, saying no consequences would follow if the talks ended.

“We are continuing negotiations with the United States,” said Salar Abnoush (Velayatmadar), a member of parliament representing Qazvin in northwestern Iran.

“But if they do not continue and are cut off, nothing will happen either,” he added.

Abnoush accused the US of diplomatic inconsistency and said that Iran’s longstanding distrust of Washington had proven justified. “The fluctuation and instability in their remarks — and the diplomatic recklessness in the words and actions of American officials — reflect 46 years of what the Islamic Republic has been saying to the world,” he said.

“From the beginning, we said they are not trustworthy or honest. But for years we were accused of paranoia, of fabricating enemies, and rejecting dialogue. Now, people across all camps and perspectives are realizing you cannot rely on anything they say.”

A member of the Iranian parliament’s Resistance fraction — a grouping of ultraconservative lawmakers — has called for sanctions on US ships in the Persian Gulf, accusing Washington of escalating pressure during ongoing nuclear talks.

“If they are going to impose sanctions on us one after another during negotiations to prevent us from exporting oil, we should also sanction their ships in the region and stop them from entering the Persian Gulf to take oil,” said Ghassem Ravanbakhsh.

“We are negotiating to lift sanctions, but what kind of negotiation is this where after four rounds, sanctions have only increased?” he said. “We are not the type to flip the table, but this nonsense that Trump and Witkoff are saying is what disrupts the talks.”