Senator calls for dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, urges maximum pressure

Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the hardline daily Kayhan and representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, criticized continued negotiations with the US as a disregard for the Islamic Republic’s authority.

“Trump has made a mockery of the talks,” Shariatmadari said. “The least we expect from officials is to declare that negotiations will not continue unless Trump apologizes to the Iranian state and its people.”

An outspoken Iranian politician described the latest round of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington as a success, saying the American side retreated from its earlier position.

“They backed down from their stance,” Ali Motahari said. “What they express at the negotiating table is different from what they say in interviews and the media. If enrichment in Iran is dismantled, they will be able to block our access to nuclear fuel whenever they want.”

Republican Congressman Chuck Fleischmann endorsed a return to Donald Trump’s foreign policy approach, calling for a firm stance to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“America will never allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon or threaten the Free World with a nuclear attack,” Fleischmann said in a post on X. He added, “We can and will create peace by being strong and firmly leading the world.”

Iran has proposed forming a uranium enrichment consortium with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the Guardian reported, in a move Tehran hopes will counter US objections and bind regional powers into its nuclear program.

“The proposal is seen as a way of locking Gulf states into supporting Iran’s position that it should be allowed to retain enrichment capabilities,” the Guardian wrote.

Tehran has not confirmed if the idea was formally raised in three-hour talks with US officials in Oman on Sunday.

Representatives from Iran, Britain, France and Germany will meet in Istanbul on Friday, Reuters reported citing two European and an Iranian diplomatic source.

Iran and the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal were supposed to meet earlier this month but postponed the meeting after the fourth round of Iran-US talks was delayed.