Israeli minister to discuss Iran, Gaza at White House
Israeli strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer will arrive in Washington on Monday for talks on Iran and Gaza, Axios reported.
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US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had been working on lifting sanctions on Iran to support its recovery after the 12-day war with Israel but halted those efforts following Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's statement.
“During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“The sanctions are BITING! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more.”
US President Donald Trump on Friday mocked Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in apparent imitation of his facial expressions from a video message recorded at an undisclosed location a day earlier, while dismissing Khamenei’s claim of victory in the conflict with Israel.
“And I’m putting out a little statement. I’m going to respond to the Ayatollah’s statement yesterday that 'We won the war. Oh God. We won the war'...You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that the United States or another respected body be permitted to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Asked if he would demand that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have full rights to inspect in Iran, Trump replied: “Yeah, or somebody that we respect, including ourselves.”
Trump also said that the United States would "absolutely" bomb Iran again if there are further concern's over the country's enrichment program.
He added that following US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, it would take Iran years to rebuild it's nuclear program.
"It would be years before they could ever get going, and I really think it's probably the last thing. They have to recover from a hell of a tough war," he said.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson urges Tehran to negotiation face to face with Washington.
"We now need Iran to engage with us in direct, good-faith talks, negotiations. Not through third parties, not through other countries," Johnson said after a classified briefing on Friday.
"They need to sit down at the table with us and ensure that this peace is truly lasting," he added. "We're on the verge of a real peace in the Middle East for the first time in a long time."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of facilitating recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
He said the Iranian parliament’s vote to suspend cooperation with the agency is a direct result of Rafael Grossi’s actions.
“Through this malign action, he directly facilitated the adoption of a politically-motivated resolution against Iran by the IAEA BoG as well as the unlawful Israeli and US bombings of Iranian nuclear sites, ”Araghchi wrote on X.
He added that Grossi’s planned visit to the bombed sites was “meaningless and possibly even malign in intent,” and warned that Iran “reserves the right to take any steps in defense of its interests, its people, and its sovereignty.”
