Israel’s military chief says Hamas hostage deal could free up focus on Iran – N12

Russia reiterated its readiness to help facilitate a nuclear agreement between Iran and the United States but said no formal request has been made by either side to engage in such a role.

“The Russian Federation has repeatedly stated its readiness to assist Iran and the United States in reaching an agreement on nuclear issues,” Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, said in an interview with Izvestia published on Thursday. “But for this to happen, both Tehran and Washington need to make such a request. So far, there has been no such request.”

Ulyanov said the situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program is evolving rapidly and may warrant another round of official consultations between Russia, China, and Iran. He noted that while no date has been set for a high-level meeting, representatives of the three countries held a coordination session in Vienna on Thursday ahead of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting on June 9.

An Iranian lawmaker said on Friday that Tehran and Washington may reach a limited, temporary nuclear agreement, though it remains unclear whether such a deal would serve the interests of either side.

Vahid Ahmadi, a member of Iran’s parliament and its national security and foreign policy commission, told Didban Iran that “with Trump needing at least one foreign policy achievement in the near future, a temporary and limited agreement between Iran and the US is possible.” However, he added, “it is not clear whether this agreement would be the one we are looking for, or the one they are looking for, and whether it could serve the interests of both countries or not.”

Ahmadi said that “Trump has excessive demands, but he also needs to show the American public that if he rejected the JCPOA, it was to pursue something better.” He added that Tehran also seeks greater concessions than those included in the 2015 nuclear agreement, which Iranian officials have repeatedly criticized.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote on Friday that the threat of attack by Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is giving US President Donald Trump leverage in ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran.

"The US will need the threat of military action to get a deal worth making. An uncompromising Mr. Netanyahu isn’t a problem for US diplomacy; it’s Mr. Trump’s best asset in negotiations," the editorial said.

"Iran needs to know that the threat of a strike is alive until it gives up uranium enrichment capability—the path to a bomb. If it won’t do that, Tehran should be told there’s no stopping the Israelis."

The United States is preparing to present Iran with a detailed “term sheet” that would require Tehran to end uranium enrichment, according to a senior US official, as nuclear talks enter a sensitive phase and concerns mount over Israeli military plans.

The official, speaking to the Wall Street Journal, said that Washington’s proposal outlines key principles for a potential deal.

“If they don’t accept these terms, it’s not going to be a good day for the Iranians,” the unnamed official said.

Negotiators from both sides have met five times since talks began on April 12, but remain at an impasse over enrichment, a long-standing Iranian demand.

President Donald Trump said this week that talks were progressing and warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against taking actions that could undermine diplomacy. Trump’s administration has voiced frustration over Israel’s push to retain the option of striking Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to the report.

Saudi Arabia’s defense minister told senior Iranian officials in April that they should take President Donald Trump’s offer to negotiate a nuclear deal seriously or risk a potential Israeli military strike, Reuters reported citing four sources familiar with the meeting.

Prince Khalid bin Salman delivered the message from King Salman during a closed-door meeting in Tehran on April 17, according to two sources close to regional governments and two Iranian officials. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, armed forces chief Mohammad Bagheri, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were present at the talks, the sources said.

The prince, who previously served as Saudi ambassador to Washington, conveyed that Trump’s team had limited patience for prolonged negotiations and that a failure to reach an agreement could raise the risk of an Israeli strike, according to the sources.

The same sources said Prince Khalid indicated it would be preferable to reach a deal with the United States rather than face the consequences of escalating tensions.

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