Protesters must pay for unrest damages, Iran prosecutor general says

“If the US insists on addressing all the issues simultaneously,” Hakan Fidan told the Financial Times, referring to Iran’s missile arsenal and support for militant groups, “I’m afraid even the nuclear file will not move forward … the result could be another war in the region.”

Fidan’s remarks come as the United States maintains that any durable deal with Tehran must go beyond uranium enrichment to include limits on ballistic missiles and an end to support for armed groups across the Middle East.

President Donald Trump repeated that position after hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, where the two leaders discussed Iran and agreed that the scope of any agreement is a critical issue.

Iranian officials, by contrast, have repeatedly said negotiations should focus solely on the nuclear dossier. Tehran has rejected any discussion of its missile program, which it describes as non-negotiable, and has defended its regional alliances.

Fidan, who has been involved in mediation efforts aimed at preventing a wider conflict, said there were signs of flexibility on both sides regarding enrichment.

“It is positive that the Americans appear willing to tolerate Iranian enrichment within clearly set boundaries,” he said.

“The Iranians now recognize that they need to reach a deal with the Americans, and the Americans understand that the Iranians have certain limits. It’s pointless to try to force them.”

He added that he believed Tehran “genuinely wants to reach a real agreement” and could accept restrictions on enrichment levels and a strict inspections regime, similar to the 2015 nuclear accord.

That agreement capped enrichment at 3.67 percent and sharply limited Iran’s stockpile. However, it did not address missiles or Iran’s support for regional proxies, omissions that critics in Israel and the Persian Gulf have long argued allowed Tehran to expand its military reach.

The renewed diplomacy follows indirect talks in Muscat last week between US envoys and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, facilitated by regional states including Turkey, Qatar and Oman. Both sides described the discussions as a positive first step, though officials have cautioned that major obstacles remain.

Trump’s messaging has at times appeared mixed. While Washington has insisted that missiles and regional activities be part of any final deal, Trump has also said a nuclear-only agreement could be “acceptable” under certain circumstances.

After meeting Netanyahu, he said negotiations would continue “to see whether or not a deal can be consummated,” adding that if not, “we will just have to see what the outcome will be.”

Israel has pushed strongly for Iran’s missile capabilities to be included in negotiations, arguing that they pose a direct and growing threat. Iran, meanwhile, maintains that its missile program is defensive and outside the scope of nuclear talks.

Iran has enough uranium for a dozen bombs

The nuclear file itself remains fraught. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Wednesday that inspectors have been denied access for months to three key enrichment sites struck during last year’s 12-day war.

He said the agency has a “firm impression” that about 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to just above 60 percent purity, a level close to weapons-grade, remains at the underground facilities.

“The material is there and this material is enough to manufacture a few, maybe a dozen devices,” Grossi said, warning that analysis cannot substitute for physical inspection and that the stockpile carries clear proliferation risks.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that Iran is willing to open its nuclear sites to “any verification” to prove it is not seeking nuclear weapons, a step that should allow inspectors to assess the damage from the June Israeli and US strikes and account for Iran’s uranium stockpile.

Against that backdrop, Fidan cautioned against attempting to resolve all disputes at once. He argued that while Washington’s primary concern is nuclear capability, “the other issues are closely tied to countries of the region, because missiles and proxies affect regional security.”

He also warned that military action would be unlikely to bring about regime change in Iran. “I don’t think that regime change will occur,” Fidan said, suggesting that while infrastructure and state institutions could be severely damaged, the political system would endure.

Any US-Iran war would threaten energy security and could lead to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, warns the secretary of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday.

“If a war happens in the region, energy security will be endangered, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed,” Jalal Dehghani Firouzabadi said.

He added that if the strait is closed, “the first country to be harmed is China,” arguing that this makes China oppose war.

Up to a dozen nuclear devices could theoretically be made from Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium that remains buried under bombed underground sites, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said, warning inspectors still lack access months after the attacks.

Grossi said Iran has blocked International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors from entering key enrichment facilities at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan that were struck during last June’s 12-day war between Israel, the United States and Iran.

Tehran says 400 kg of uranium enriched to just above 60% purity – close to weapons grade – remains under the rubble. Western powers have voiced concern about the material’s fate.

“The material is there and this material is enough to manufacture a few, maybe a dozen devices,” Grossi said, adding the IAEA has a “firm impression” the uranium remains at the underground sites, though it cannot be fully certain without physical inspection.

He said Iran had cited the need for “specific measures or protocols” before allowing access, describing that as “fundamentally a political stance.”

“Compliance for us means giving us full access to inspect,” Grossi said, noting that under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Iran is permitted to enrich uranium but must allow verification to ensure material is not diverted.

Inspectors have also been unable to visit a newly declared underground facility in Isfahan that was due to be inspected on June 13 – the day Israel began its bombing campaign.

The United States is organizing for a major attack on Iran, Mark Levin, a conservative American media figure, said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, voicing hope it would lead to regime change.

“My guess is that we’re organizing now for a major attack, hoping for regime change, because that’s the only thing that will work,” he said. “This regime must be destroyed, starting with Khamenei and down.”

Levin added, “I don’t think we’re putting about a third of our fleet in and around the Middle East just for leverage. That’s my guess.”

He said Trump was “very good at hiding the ball” and sending mixed messages that confuse “enemies and allies alike,” and said he believed Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were “in the same boat.”

Levin also issued a direct threat toward Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying: “We’re coming to get you.”

Australia urged Iran to end killings, the use of force, and arbitrary detention of protesters, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Thursday.

“We have called on the Iranian government to cease killings, the use of force, and arbitrary detention in response to its violent suppression of recent protests,” a spokesperson said.

Australia could not confirm media reports that an Iranian individual who previously lived in Australia had been executed in Iran, the spokesperson added.

According to The Guardian, “there are grave fears for a former Canberra high school student after claims he was killed in Iran.”