Germany warns of Iran nuclear threat, vows arms support for Israel

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Jim Risch says he's “not particularly optimistic” about reaching a deal with Iran, warning that Israel could take matters into its own hands if diplomacy fails.

“If Iran does not agree to a deal, Israel is going to do something about that,” Jewish Insider quoted Senator Jim Risch as saying on Wednesday during remarks at the Hudson Institute think tank.

Risch said he has had several conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told him, “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”

“I believe him, and I think that’s a case for the United States to be in the exact same position,” he added.

Risch also called for increased sanctions on both Iran and those purchasing its oil.

Iran no longer needs help from any country to discover, process, or enrich uranium, a senior lawmaker said Thursday, criticizing the United States for what he called contradictory demands in ongoing nuclear talks.

"The Americans at times say they accept enrichment up to 3.67 percent, but then they question the principle of enrichment altogether,” MP Mojtaba Zolnouri said.

Former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley says maximum pressure is the only way forward in dealing with Tehran.

“If Iran fears it will be attacked before it can create a weapon, it has an incentive to give up its nuclear program for good,” Haley wrote on X.

In a post on X she called for sanctions on China over Iranian oil purchases, stronger regional coordination, and support for a potential targeted military strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Iran has escalated its dispute with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing its inspectors of using slanderous language and presenting false and recycled information, according to a legal brief cited by Bloomberg.

The 19-page document, circulated to diplomats ahead of a key IAEA meeting on June 9, reflects deepening tensions as Western nations consider referring Iran to the UN Security Council for failing to meet its nuclear safeguards obligations.

The Iranian brief is a response to a May 31 IAEA report that raised concerns about Tehran’s possession of confidential agency documents.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi wrote that “Conclusive evidence of highly-confidential documents belonging to the agency having been actively collected and analyzed by Iran raises serious concerns regarding Iran’s spirit of collaboration and may undermine the effective application of safeguards in Iran.”

Iran rejected the accusation and claimed Grossi had overstepped his authority.

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has sharply criticized renewed calls in Washington for military action against Iran, accusing proponents of exaggerating the threat posed by Tehran’s nuclear program and pursuing regime change under the guise of national security.

In a lengthy post on X, Carlson singled out media personality Mark Levin, who he said had visited the White House to advocate for “war with Iran.” Carlson wrote, “Mark Levin was at the White House today, lobbying for war with Iran. To be clear, Levin has no plans to fight in this or any other war. He’s demanding that American troops do it.”

Carlson argued that claims about Iran being weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon are not supported by credible intelligence. “In fact, there is zero credible intelligence that suggests Iran is anywhere near building a bomb, or has plans to. None,” he wrote. “If the US government knew Iran was weeks from possessing a nuclear weapon, we’d be at war already.”

He also criticized US policy toward disarmament and cited the example of Libya. “Iran knows it’s unwise to give up its weapons program entirely. Muammar Gaddafi tried that and wound up sodomized with a bayonet,” Carlson said. “As soon as Gaddafi disarmed, NATO killed him. Iran’s leaders saw that happen. They learned the obvious lesson.”

Carlson alleged that the real aim of voices pushing confrontation is regime change, not nonproliferation. “So why is Mark Levin once again hyperventilating about weapons of mass destruction? To distract you from the real goal, which is regime change — young Americans heading back to the Middle East to topple yet another government.”