Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara would do “whatever we can” to help resolve Iran’s nuclear issue through dialogue and international law, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, following talks in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
Fidan said sanctions on Iran should be lifted and that regional security, including developments in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, required sustained cooperation between Ankara and Tehran, according to the reports.
He also said Turkey was ready to expand border crossings and deepen energy and transport links with Iran.
Araghchi said both countries backed removing obstacles to trade and investment and were preparing for the next session of their High-Level Cooperation Council in Tehran.
He called Iran a reliable energy supplier for Turkey and said the two sides discussed US sanctions and the snapback dispute at the UN Security Council.
Fidan’s visit comes ahead of the planned ninth meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council, as the two countries seek to boost annual trade toward a $30 billion target and expand coordination on security and counterterrorism, according to TRT World.
The agenda also covered the Russia-Ukraine war, developments in the South Caucasus and efforts to ease tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Iran's foreign ministry on Saturday denounced US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a closure of Venezuela’s airspace, calling it a serious breach of international law and a threat to global aviation safety.
The ministry's spokesman Esmail Baqaei said Trump’s "unilateral move amounted to a flagrant violation of established international norms governing cross-border air transport."
"The US action is part of a series of provocative and illegal measures Washington has taken against Venezuela’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Baqaei said, according to a foreign ministry statement.
Trump said on Saturday that all airspace over and around Venezuela should be considered as fully closed, offering no additional details as Washington intensifies pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
"To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY," Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman warned that the measure poses unprecedented risks to international aviation safety and could have dangerous consequences for the rule of law, as well as for global peace and security.
He urged the international community to take note of what he called a destabilizing step that undermines long-standing principles of international conduct.
Reuters said American officials it contacted were surprised by Trump's announcement and unaware of any ongoing US military operations to enforce a closure of Venezuelan airspace.
Retired four-star General and ex-commander of US Central Command Joseph Votel said on Eye for Iran podcast the vast US military buildup in the Caribbean aims to pile pressure not just on Venezuela but fellow adversaries of the United States like Iran.
Votel, who oversaw American operations in the Middle East from March 2016 to March 2019, emphasized that the primary objective is countering narcotics trafficking.
But the show of force could also aim to deter Washington's arch-nemesis in the Middle East, Votel added.
"The presence of a carrier is a huge message that we're sending not just to the region, but to others who would be supporters of Venezuela,” he said. "Venezuela has been a place where ... we've seen Iranian advisors, the IRGC, Quds Force and others for a long period of time who developed a relationship."
The UN nuclear watchdog’s latest rebuke shows that Iran’s turn to nuclear ambiguity is deepening concerns and may accelerate an escalation that all sides insist they want to avoid.
The IAEA Board of Governors’ late-November resolution delivered one of the clearest signals yet that global patience with Iran’s nuclear posture has reached its limit.
Passed by a wide majority, the measure criticized Tehran’s “lack of serious cooperation,” echoing Director General Rafael Grossi’s warning that inspectors still lack access to critical facilities damaged in the June 2025 Iran–Israel conflict.
Equally significant was the political alignment behind the vote. European governments that once urged restraint joined the United States in backing public censure, arguing that Iran’s growing stockpile of 60% enriched uranium and continued restrictions on inspectors have rendered partial transparency untenable.
Only Russia and China opposed the resolution; most others abstained rather than defend Tehran.
Iran responded with open defiance, calling the resolution “political” and voiding a September agreement with Grossi that both sides had said would open the door to renewed inspections.
Shortly after the Vienna vote, atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami ordered the expansion of enrichment.
State media framed the move as “a clear message” to the West—pressure rather than engagement. Increasingly mistrustful of the IAEA, Tehran now portrays the Agency as an extension of hostile powers.
The view from Israel, US
The dispute has shifted from a technical compliance issue to a broader strategic challenge the international community is no longer willing to overlook.
For Israel, the resolution reinforces long-standing fears that Iran is concealing elements of its program. The vote adds urgency by validating the view that transparency is deteriorating.
Israeli planners argue that without swift diplomatic progress, preemptive action may become unavoidable. The June 2025 conflict—sparked soon after an IAEA report found Iran in non-compliance—remains a fresh precedent.
Washington and European capitals are recalibrating as well. U.S. rhetoric has sharpened, with officials stressing that “all options are on the table.”
According to diplomatic intermediaries, Washington recently conveyed a pointed message urging Tehran to re-engage—possibly through a Saudi-facilitated track.
Siege mentality, asymmetric escalation
Tehran interprets these developments as part of a coordinated pressure strategy aimed at weakening the Islamic Republic.
The June strikes, snapback-style sanctions, and the latest IAEA censure are portrayed domestically as evidence that diplomacy is futile. That narrative deepens the sense of encirclement and pushes Tehran toward deterrence calculations rooted in worst-case assumptions.
Iran’s strategy increasingly reflects the belief that it cannot win a conventional confrontation.
After the June war, which damaged key radar and air-defense nodes, Tehran has struggled to restore parts of its network and appears to be prioritizing asymmetric survivability: mobile missile units, underground facilities, and electronic-warfare assets.
Rebuilding a much-depleted Hezbollah appears to be another priority, with Israeli officials warning repeatedly of new money and arms transfers.
Shrinking paths
That trajectory is unsurprising given the belief in Tehran—expressed almost daily by officials and pundits—that another military conflict with Israel is a distinct possibility. The standoff with the IAEA only hardens that outlook.
By refusing meaningful cooperation, Tehran closes off opportunities to rebuild trust or stabilize the situation. Its growing reliance on asymmetric deterrence could rais the risk of miscalculation.
Israel and the West, seeing a regime that appears cornered and increasingly unpredictable, may conclude that delay only increases future costs.
Pressured militarily and strained economically, the Islamic Republic now faces a shrinking set of choices that increasingly converge on a binary: compromise or confrontation. What is clear after this week’s IAEA resolution is that Iran has rarely been more isolated—or more on edge.
The Trump administration has responded to a message from Iran’s president, conveyed through the Saudi crown prince, by saying its three conditions for any negotiations with Tehran remain unchanged, sources told Iran International.
President Masoud Pezeshkian asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the eve of his trip to Washington DC last week to act as an intermediary between Iran and the United States to help prepare the conditions for resuming talks, sources said.
In a confidential message delivered through Riyadh, Washington informed Tehran that it would return to the negotiating table only if Iran accepts the three demands previously outlined to Iranian negotiators by Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, the sources added.
The United States has long insisted that Iran must completely halt its uranium enrichment program, stop supporting its armed allies in the Middle East, and accept restrictions on its ballistic missile program.
Following Pezeshkian’s latest request for Saudi mediation, sources said, Washington reiterated that any negotiations with Iran remain conditional on Tehran agreeing to those demands.
Iran International on Thursday asked the State Department whether Saudi Arabia had conveyed any message from Tehran or served as an intermediary. The State Department neither confirmed nor denied the existence of such contacts.
“As President Trump has repeatedly said, including at the UN General Assembly, the United States has kept the door open for serious and direct dialogue, even as Iran has consistently rejected negotiations,” the spokesperson said in response to an email inquiry.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday dismissed reports that Tehran had sought Riyadh’s help to facilitate talks with Washington, saying outreach to Trump would be beneath Iran’s dignity.
“They fabricate rumors claiming that Iran has sent a message to the United States through some country. It is pure lies. Nothing of the sort ever happened,” Khamenei said in a speech.
It is not clear whether Khamenei was not briefed on Pezeshkian’s outreach or whether the Islamic Republic chose to deny the entire exchange after receiving the US response.
The United States held five rounds of negotiations with Iran over its disputed nuclear program earlier this year, for which Trump set a 60-day deadline.
When no agreement was reached by the 61st day on June 13, Israel launched a surprise military offensive, followed by US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last week that President Trump’s letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, sent shortly before the war, explicitly presented two options: continued war and bloodshed, or direct negotiations aimed at completely eliminating Iran’s nuclear enrichment and ballistic missile programs.
Iran has repeatedly turned down talks with the Trump administration while Washington keeps the door open for serious dialogue, a State Department spokesperson told Iran International on Thursday.
“As President Trump has repeatedly said, including at the UN General Assembly, the United States has kept the door open for serious and direct dialogue, even as Iran has consistently rejected negotiations,” the spokesperson said in response to an email inquiry.
Iran International asked if the State Department had any confirmation, clarification, or response regarding an alleged Iranian message sent to the US via the Saudi crown prince or any indirect diplomatic outreach from Tehran.
Last week, Reuters reported citing two sources familiar with the exchange that Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian had urged Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to help persuade US President Donald Trump to revive nuclear talks.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday denied reports that Tehran had sought to enlist Riyadh as an intermediary in talks with Washington, saying outreach to President Donald Trump was beneath Iran's dignity.
“They fabricate rumors claiming that Iran has sent a message to the United States through some country. It is pure lies. Nothing of the sort ever happened," Khamenei said in a speech.
"The Americans betray even their own friends ... A government of this kind certainly does not deserve for a state such as the Islamic Republic to seek relations or cooperation with it."
‘No peaceful purpose’
The United States held five rounds of negotiations with Tehran over its disputed nuclear program earlier this year, for which President Donald Trump set a 60-day ultimatum.
When no agreement was reached by the 61st day on June 13, Israel launched a surprise military offensive, followed by US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow.
The State Department said Iran’s pre-strike uranium enrichment served no credible peaceful purpose.
“Prior to the United States’ successful military operation, Iran was amassing a growing stockpile of highly enriched uranium for which there was no credible peaceful purpose,” the spokesperson said. “Iran was the only state producing highly enriched uranium to this level that does not have nuclear weapons.”
Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but Western powers and Israel doubt its intentions.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Tehran remained open to resuming talks with Washington but US preconditions rendered negotiations impossible for now.
“Because of the US approach, a balanced and fair negotiation is currently not possible,” Araghchi told reporters. “Negotiation is worlds apart from taking dictation and following orders.”
An impasse over Iran's disputed nuclear program continues to fester even after US President Donald Trump said US strikes on three Iranian facilities in June "obliterated" its capabilities.
Western powers seek the resumption of talks halted by the Israeli-US military campaign, but Tehran says US demands that it rein in missile capabilities and support for armed allies in the region are a non-starter.
Iran's security chief Ali Larijani also said on Thursday that Tehran was open to the idea of talks but without any set goal.
“Iran has not abandoned real negotiations and will not do so,” Larijani said in an interview with Pakistan’s Urdu-language HUM News. "Anyone who truly seeks negotiation does not predetermine the outcome; if they do, then it is not a negotiation."
US talks with Tehran over its disputed nuclear program began earlier this year with a 60-day ultimatum set by Trump. On the 61st day, June 13, Israel launched a surprise military campaign which was capped with US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear sites in Esfahan, Natanz and Fordow.
“Trump claimed he stopped and destroyed Iran’s nuclear activity," added Larijani, who is also a key advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. "Let's assume Trump is telling the truth; then what do they want? Has their problem been solved?”
Last week, Reuters reported citing two sources familiar with the exchange that Pezeshkian had urged Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to help persuade Trump to revive nuclear talks.
On Wednesday, Araghchi told France 24 in an interview that no direct nuclear negotiations are taking place with the United States, but channels remain open if Washington decided to change its stance.
Asked about the mediation of Saudi Arabia between Iran and the United States, Araghchi said intermediaries were plentiful but the problem was Washington's position.
