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Two Republican lawmakers have called for sanctions against Iraq as part of Washington's maximum pressure campaign on Iran.
"More than 4,400 American service members sacrificed their lives since the start of the Iraq War, yet today Iraq stands as nothing more than a puppet of Tehran," Reps. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Greg Steube (R-FL) wrote in a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
US president Donald Trump says he told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that attacking Iran would be "inappropriate" at this point as a deal is very close.
"That could change at any moment," Trump told reporters on Wednesday, stressing that he did not trust Tehran.
"We're having some very good talks with Iran. We'll find out whether that means anything, but we're having good talks," he said.
The sixth round of talks between the foes is yet to be scheduled, but the President sounded confident that an agreement may be reached within weeks.
He warned, however, that the capability to disrupt Iran's nuclear program is there and can be deployed in no time.
For full coverage of earlier developments, see our previous live blog here.
Iranian authorities have arrested several individuals accused of filming ongoing truckers’ strike activity in the south of the country and sending the footage to foreign-based media, Iranian media reported.
According to a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Khuzestan province, the suspects were identified and detained following intelligence operations.
The suspects are accused of trying to create “media pressure” against the state by sharing videos of strike scenes with what officials described as “hostile networks.”
“These individuals, with the goal of fueling media pressure against the Islamic Republic, had recorded and sent multiple videos of truckers’ gatherings and strikes to anti-Iranian networks,” the statement said.
The arrests come as a nationwide truckers’ strike enters its second week, disrupting freight transport across Iran. The protest, launched over fuel quotas and working conditions, has affected major transport hubs and drawn increased attention from security forces.
The IRGC said the detainees have been handed over to judicial authorities for further proceedings.
Iran will not back down from its position on preserving its nuclear enrichment cycle and peaceful nuclear knowledge, the country’s top security official said during a visit to Moscow, according to Iranian media.
“Iran will not retreat from its principles in maintaining the enrichment cycle and the peaceful use of nuclear knowledge,” said Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, during talks with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu.
Ahmadian said Tehran remains committed to resolving issues through dialogue but stressed its nuclear policy was non-negotiable.
